Váli was the Norse god born specifically to avenge Baldr’s death. He was a son of Odin and Rindr, and his purpose is unusually explicit in the surviving myths.
Baldr was killed when the blind god Höðr, guided and manipulated by Loki, struck him with mistletoe. In the poem Baldrs draumar, Odin learns that Váli will avenge Baldr when only one night old. Völuspá likewise describes Baldr’s brother being born and immediately killing the slayer. Snorri’s Prose Edda says Váli grew to adulthood within a day and killed Höðr.
Váli’s vengeance is sometimes simplified as punishment of Loki, but the immediate target is Höðr. In Snorri’s account, Váli later helps bind Loki, although a separate figure named Váli is also listed among Loki’s sons; that passage may reflect confusion or a textual problem.
Váli should also be distinguished from Víðarr. Víðarr avenges Odin by killing Fenrir during Ragnarök, whereas Váli’s defining act is avenging Baldr. Both are prophesied to survive the world’s destruction.