The mythology of the northern races of Europe may also be noticed in connection with these inquiries. Those learned in the mythologies of ancient Rome and Greece say that it bears no likeness to them: its peculiarities would rather tend to the idea that it was of Persian origin (British Encyclopaedia). Some of the early Christian fathers fancied they discovered a great resemblance between one of their deities, named Baldur or Balder, and our Savior.[B] This god is represented as the son of Odin and Frigga, youthful, beautiful and benignant, the dispenser of kindness, the bringer of joy and blessings, who loves to dwell with men, and whom all men love. But he is killed by the wicked. (The manner of his death is surrounded with mythological nonsense.) All men mourn the loss of their friend, and search through the world for some remedy to bring him to life; but in vain; stern death has taken him away to the realms of the dead, and he cannot come back. His wife Nanna, that she may not be separated from him, has gone to dwell with him there. At last Frigga, his mother, sends a messenger to obtain his release. He leaps the gate of the gloomy world, sees Baldur, and speaks with him, but no, Baldur cannot be released, here he must remain, and his wife Nanna must dwell with him forever. [Footnote B: "The early Saxons." American S. S. Union, Philadelphia.] From some of the details not here inserted, we incline somewhat to the opinion that the above narration is a confused tradition of the way death was brought into the world through the transgression of Adam and Eve, rather than that it bears relation to the life of the Savior. We draw attention to the way Baldur's death was brought about. The tradition runs (American Cyclopædia), Baldur having long been troubled by dreams and evil omens, indicating danger to his life, his mother traveled through the whole universe, eliciting from every created thing a promise not to injure the god. But she neglected to ask it from the apparently harmless mistletoe. Loki, the most deceitful among the gods, an enemy of Baldur, noticed this omission, and cut from the mistletoe a piece for the point of a dart. The other gods, surrounding Baldur, made proof of his invulnerability in sport, by casting at him their weapons, with stones, etc.; but nothing injured him. Loki approached and induced the blind god Hodur to throw the dart he had made from the forgotten mistletoe. Baldur was pierced by it and killed. In this tradition Loki takes the place of Satan, Hodur typifies the serpent, and the mistletoe the tree of knowledge of good and evil. It is also noticeable that they represent, in this tradition, that man could do nothing, of himself, to overcome the power of death.