Appeal: Courage, War, Protection, Combat, Death
The Valkyrie is, in the
oldest strata of belief, a corpse Goddess, represented by the carrion-eating
raven. Warrior-Goddesses who ride winged
horses and are known as the 'Choosers of the Slain,' as they fly over
battlefields where they pick the best fallen warriors. They carry enchanted spears with flaming
points for weapons and their horses' manes are said to drop dew or hail. Goddess Freya is said to be the first of the
Valkyries (Valfreyja or 'Mistress of the Slain') she pours ale at the feasts of
the Aesir. The most well known was Brunnhilde,
who allied herself with the Norse hero Sigurd and taught him runic
magick. All Valkries are led by Freya
and are attendants to Odin.
Their main purposes is to visit battlefields and chose the
most heroic of those who have died in battle (called Einherjar) and carry them
off to the halls Valhalla and Folkvang. If
you are deemed by the Valkyries as un-worthy of the hall of Valhalla or
Folkvang you would be received after death by the Goddess Hela in a cheerless
underground world. This sorting was
necessary because God Odin needed warriors to fight by his side at the
preordained battle at the end of the world, Ragnarok. When the Einherjar are not preparing for the
events of Ragnarok, the Valkyries bear them mead.
And
for the one question - 'What about angels in Viking lands? According to Viking mythology,
the souls of slain warriors are carried up to Valhalla (Heaven) by beautiful
beings known as Valkyries. It kind of
sounds like the angels mentioned in the Bible?
So, are Valkyries the Viking version of angels?'
Well, yes and no. The idea of Valkyries predates the idea of angels, so angels
might actually be versions of Valkyries.
But despite the similarities, there are some differences. The angels of Christianity were derived from
God and created from his light. The Valkyries
were actually Goddesses. The Valkyries
were picked among the Asynjer, the female Aesir, by Odin. The descriptions of Odin's hall describe the
Valkries as foster daughters, just as the einherjar (the chosen warriors of Odin) are foster sons.
They
served as purveyors of wisdom, protection, and at death to help the fallen hero
make the difficult journey. The
Valkyries are often associated with the Norns and this may be due to their role
at death. In myth, they have been seen
as both very fierce ugly hags relishing in bloodshed and as beautiful young
women living to serve the hero to which they are assigned. Both aspects are most likely true. The former view seems to go back to an
earlier time when they were seen, like their God, as beings of rage and wind,
the fury of battle. However, this does
not stop them from taking on other aspects of Odin which are much gentler.
The Valkyries also acted as
Odin's messengers. They appeared 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. Their armor, which
shone while doing his bidding, were once thought to have caused Aurora
Borealis. It is often said that if you see a Valkyrie before a battle, you
will die in that battle.
Archaeological
excavations throughout Scandinavia have uncovered amulets theorized as
depicting Valkyries. In modern culture, Valkyries
have been the subject of works of art, musical works, video games and poetry. Richard Wagner adapted one of the Valkyrie
myths, dealing with the Valkyrie Brunhilde and her love for the warrior
Siegfried, into his opera: Die Walkure.
In 2013, NASA named its humanoid robot Valkyrie.
The battle was
long and the sun was like fire,
The heat drove us down like a funeral pyre.
Though many I'd slain, now my bloodlust did tire.
Struck down by the heat of the day,
The heat drove us down like a funeral pyre.
Though many I'd slain, now my bloodlust did tire.
Struck down by the heat of the day,
For a Valkyrie
found me in battle that day.
