Valkyrie

:For other uses see Valkyrie (disambiguation).

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In Norse mythology the valkyries (Old Norse: valkyrjur, singular: valkyrja) are dísir, minor female deities, who serve Odin. The name means choosers of the slain.

Related Topics:
Norse mythology - Old Norse - Dísir - Odin

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It appears, however, that there was no clear distinction between the valkyries and the norns. Skuld is for instance both a valkyrie and a norn, and in the Darraðarljóð (lines 1-52), the valkyries weave the web of war (see below).

Related Topics:
Norns - Skuld - Darraðarljóð

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In modern art, the valkyries are sometimes depicted as beautiful shieldmaidens on winged horses, armed with helmets and spears. However, valkyrie horse was a kenning for wolf (see Rök Stone), so contrary to the stereotype they did not ride winged horses. Their mounts were rather the packs of wolves that frequented the corpses of dead warriors.

Related Topics:
Shieldmaiden - Kenning - Wolf - Rök Stone - Winged horses

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Whereas the wolf was the valkyrie's mount, the valkyrie herself appears to be akin to the raven, flying over the battlefield and "choosing" corpses (http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/valkyrie.htm). Thus, the packs of wolves and ravens that scavenged the aftermath of battles may have been seen as serving a higher purpose.

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The valkyries' purpose was to choose the most heroic of those who had died in battle and to carry them off to Valhalla where they became einherjar. This was necessary because Odin needed warriors to fight at his side at the preordained battle at the end of the world, Ragnarök.

Related Topics:
Valhalla - Einherjar - Ragnarök

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The origin of the valkyries as a whole is not reported in extant texts, but many of the well known valkyries are reported as having mortal parents.

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According to Thomas Bulfinch's highly influential work Bullfinch's Mythology (1855), the armour of the valkyries "sheds a strange flickering light, which flashes up over the northern skies, making what men call the 'Aurora Borealis,' or 'Northern Lights.'" http://www.mythome.org/bxxxviii.html However, there is nothing in our sources which supports this claim. http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/njordrljos.htm

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