Baldur Norddahl was a Norwegian who was a self-proclaimed adventurer, and a friend of Prince Ulrik, the son of Christian IV of Denmark. Despite their friendship, Prince Ulrik suspected that Norddahl was not completely honest about his past and his tales of adventure. Ulrik even doubted that "Baldur Norddahl" was his friend's name, as "Baldur" was the name of a Norse god and "Norddahl" simply referred to "the north valley" -- and Norway had many "north valleys". Eddie Cantrell described him as "a cross between Harald the Bloody-Handed and Herr Professor Doktor Doktor Über-Weaponsgeek".