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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Yaarel" data-source="post: 6291731" data-attributes="member: 58172">What follows is a description of the beauty of the daylight spirit. Yet it is precisely this ideal of beauty that the ‘shining’ Alfr of sunlight also exhibits. Notice, this supernatural beauty is so intense, it literally radiates light in the darkness. Whence comes the enchanting beauty that can charm.To complete the image from texts elsewhere, the Norse ideal of beauty is a man of milk-white skin, rosy cheeks, red lips, light blond hair, white eyebrows, sky blue eyes, handsome face, and muscular physique. The ideal celebrates the luminosity of these features. A Scandinavian trait is children tend to have lighter hair that darkens with age. Thus the exceptionally light hair of an adult connotes eternal youth and innocence.Light is beautiful and bright in the appearance of the body. But light is also beautiful and bright in the actuality of the mind. Light ‘brings to light’ all things - all knowing. Light is compassionate bringing consciousness and sight to all beings. Revealing knowledge is beautiful. Showing compassion is beautiful. To speak beautifully, is to speak knowledgeably, logically, gently, compassionately, and true - whence comes the persuasiveness of speech. In this way, the personification of daylight overlaps semantically to also personify truth and compassion.On the outside, the supernatural beauty applies to the luminosity of the Alfar, an aura of light and a light complexion, and an enchantingness that charms onlookers. On the inside, these qualities of empathic and persuasive Charisma, knowledgeable and logical Intelligence, and perceptive and insightful Wisdom, apply to the Alfar as well. As does the Good alignment.Snorris Edda, Gylfaginning 22Then Gangleri spoke:I will ask news about more [sky spirits], Æsir.Hárr said:An other son of [the skydome] Óðinn, is [the daylight] Baldr. And from [the daylight], [there] is [only] good to say. He is [the] most good, and all acknowledge him.[The daylight] is so beautiful of complexion, and bright, so that [his beauty even] shines from him [as the light of day]. Also [the flower of] one [kind of] grass is so white that it compares to Baldrs eyelashes. That is the whitest grass of all, and there after, you might mark [an inference of] his beauty, both of hair and of body.[The daylight] is the most knowledgeable of [the sky spirits] Æsir - and the most beautiful in speaking and in compassion. Thus that nature [of knowledgeability] attends him, that none might hold back his judgment.[The daylight] dwells there, [in the place] which is named [Broad-Gleaming] Breiðablik. That is at the sky.Þá mælti Gangleri:Spyrja vil ek tíðinda af fleirum ásunum.Hárr segir:Annarr sonr Óðins er Baldr, ok er frá honum gott at segja. Hann er beztr, ok hann lofa allir.Hann er svá fagr álitum ok bjartr, svá at lýsir af honum. Ok eitt gras er svá hvítt, at jafnat er til Baldrs brár. Þat er allra grasa hvítast, ok þar eftir máttu marka fegurð hans bæði á hár ok á líki.Hann er vitrastr ásanna ok fegrst talaðr ok líknsamastr, en sú náttúra fylgir honum, at enginn má haldast dómr hans.Hann býr þar, sem heitir Breiðablik. Þat er á himni.</blockquote>

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