Valkyries and Valhall
Valkyries:
In Norse religion, a valkyrie (from Old Norse valkyrja "chooser of the slain")
is one of a host of female figures who choose those who may die in battle and
those who may live. Selecting among half of those who die in battle
(the other half go to the goddess Freyja's afterlife field Fólkvangr),
the valkyries bring their chosen to the afterlife hall of the slain, Valhalla,
ruled over by the god Odin. There, the deceased warriors become einherjar
(Old Norse "single (or once) fighters"). When the einherjar are not
preparing for the events of Ragnarök, the valkyries bear them mead.
Valkyries also appear as lovers of heroes and other mortals, where they are
sometimes described as the daughters of royalty, sometimes accompanied by
ravens, and sometimes connected to swans or horses.
Valkyries are attested in the Poetic Edda, a book of poems compiled in the
13th century from earlier traditional sources; the Prose Edda and Heimskringla
(by Snorri Sturluson), and Njáls saga, a Saga of Icelanders, all written in the
13th century. They appear throughout the poetry of skalds, in a 14th-century
charm, and in various runic inscriptions.
Valhall:
In Norse religion, Valhalla (from Old Norse Valhöll "hall of the slain")
is a majestic, enormous hall located in Asgard, ruled over by the god Odin.
Chosen by Odin, half of those who die in combat travel to Valhalla upon death,
led by valkyries, while the other half go to the goddess Freyja's field
Fólkvangr. In Valhalla, the dead join the masses of those who have died in
combat known as Einherjar, as well as various legendary Germanic heroes and
kings, as they prepare to aid Odin during the events of Ragnarök. Before the
hall stands the golden tree Glasir, and the hall's ceiling is thatched with
golden shields. Various creatures live around Valhalla, such as the stag
Eikþyrnir and the goat Heiðrún, both described as standing atop Valhalla and
consuming the foliage of the tree Læraðr.
Valhalla is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from
earlier traditional sources, the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by
Snorri Sturluson, Heimskringla, also written in the 13th century by Snorri
Sturluson, and in stanzas of an anonymous 10th century poem commemorating the
death of Eric Bloodaxe known as Eiríksmál as compiled in Fagrskinna. Valhalla
has inspired various works of art, publication titles, popular culture
references, and has become a term synonymous with a martial (or otherwise)
hall of the chosen dead.
Music: Two steps from hell - Birth of a Hero Nero
Audiomachine - Army of Kings
Audiomachine - Apotheosis
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