Why is it called Baldur’s Gate? Who was Baldur and why did he have a gate? We answer that in this article.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is not only one of the largest but also one of the most successful role-playing games of all time. The story surrounding Mind Flayers, the Sword Coast, and Baldur’s Gate will remain in the memory of most players for years to come.
But an important question is raised by GGMudkip in the game’s subreddit: Who the hell is Baldur and why does he own a gate?
Spoiler warning: This article contains significant spoilers for Baldur’s Gate 3, particularly Act 3 of the game.
The question of who Baldur actually is and why he had a gate is answered in several places in the game – at least if you complete a certain questline, which can easily be missed. Alternatively, you only need to listen to the background music to find out the answer.
In response to the question in the subreddit, GGMudkip receives many answers that we will briefly summarize here.
Baldur’s real name was Balduran and he was a sailor who lived as an adventurer and trader. According to legend, he was the first to cross the sea between Faerun and Anchorome, bringing many riches with him. He returned these riches to his hometown “Gray Harbor” and shared them with family and friends. However, he invested a large portion of the gold in the protection of the village. He commissioned people to build a large wall to protect Gray Harbor from repeated attacks by Orcs and Barbarians.
Only after Balduran had left the village again was the large wall completed and named in his honor “Baldur’s Gate” – Baldur’s Gate.
After the wall was completed, Gray Harbor continued to grow, attracting craftsmen and traders who found a safe place to pursue their trades.
As the village gradually grew into a town, it was simply renamed after the gate that had protected it for so long – Baldur’s Gate.
There were many rumors and legends about Balduran – further heroic deeds of him, but also his death.
However, it is important to note that he did not die, but returned to the Sword Coast later and was captured in the Towers of the Moonrise. There, the Mind Flayers infected him with a larva that later transformed him into an Illithid.
In the game, you meet Balduran as “the Emperor” – he is your nocturnal visitor and appears to you in a dream. For even after his transformation into a Mind Flayer, he continues to try to protect his city, even if the purity of his motivation may sometimes be called into question.
Song in the game spoils everything: Those who played attentively and also paid attention to the background music of Baldur’s Gate 3 should have heard a rather interesting song at the latest in the tavern of Baldur’s Gate. Because in the “Song Of Balduran” the entire biography of Balduran is sung – including his transformation into a Mind Flayer and the appearance of our group of heroes:
In the lyrics of the song, it says.
O, sing a song of Balduran
Who founded Baldur’s Gate
Empire golden built on trade
Could not avert his fateWhen three, though dead, assailed his port
Transformed, he fell their thrall
Succumbed as threat from nether years
Arose to conquer allNow hope is gone, or so it seems
But game’s not over yet
New cards are drawn, new hands are played
Newcomers place a betA knave, a wizard, devil, gith
The odds are cast anew
And Baldur’s fate now turns upon
The whims of fortune’s few
That the song is already played in Baldur’s Gate should probably be understood as an Easter egg, after all, the bards cannot possibly know about the events at this point.
Did you know who “Baldur” is and why he has a gate?
