Valkyrie
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- For other uses see Valkyrie (disambiguation).
In Norse mythology the valkyries are dísir, minor female deities, who serve Odin. 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.
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).
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. They were gruesome and war-like. 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 ([1]). Thus, the packs of wolves and ravens that scavenged the aftermath of battles may have been seen as serving a higher purpose.
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.
According to Thomas Bulfinch's highly influential work Bulfinch'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.'" [2] However, there is nothing in our sources which supports this claim. [3]
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Etymology
The word "valkyrie" comes from the Old Norse valkyrja (plural "valkyrur"), from the words "val" (slaughter) and "kyrja" (to choose). Literally the term means choosers of the slain. Cognate forms include the Old English "wælcyrige" and the German "Walküre."
Major valkyries
Several valkyries appear as major characters in extant myths.
- Brynhildr appears in Völsunga saga.
- Hildr appears in the legend of Hedin and Högni, in Ragnarsdrápa and in the Edda.
- Sigrdrífa appears in Sigrdrífumál.
- Sigrún appears in Helgakviða Hundingsbana II.
- Sváva appears in Helgakviða Hjörvarðssonar.
- Ölrún, Svanhvít, and Alvitr appear in Völundarkviða.
- Þrúðr is a daughter of Thor.
Other sources indicate that some other valkyries were notable characters in Norse mythology, such as Gunnr who appears on the Rök Runestone, and Skögul who still appeared on a runic inscription in 13th century Bergen.
Other Valkyries
Apart from the well known valkyries above, many more valkyrie names occur in our sources. In the nafnaþulur addition to Snorri's Edda the following strophes are found. Image:Valk1.jpg
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In Grímnismál we have Odin reciting the following stanza.
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In Völuspá there are still more names.
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More are mentioned in Darraðarljóð (lines 1-52), a poem where their connection with the Norns is evident:
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As can be seen from the above, several of the names exist in different versions. Many of them have a readily apparent warlike meaning - Hjörþrimul, for example, means "battle of swords" while Geirahöð means "battle of spears".
To what an extent this multitude of names ever represented individual mythological beings with separate characteristics is debatable. It is likely that many of them were never more than names and in any case only a few occur in extant myths.
Modern popular culture
Template:Main Richard Wagner incorporated Norse tales that included the valkyrie Brünnhilde (Brynhildr) and her punishment and subsequent love for the warrior Siegfried (Sigurðr) into his operas Die Walküre and Götterdämmerung. These depictions have subsequently lead to modern representations of valkyries less as gore-spattered, shrieking and wolf-riding figures in a battle's sky but more commonly as romanticised, pristine white and gold clad figures riding winged horses.
See also
| Image:Mjollnir icon.png | |
| List of Norse gods | Æsir | Vanir | Giants | Elves | Dwarves | Valkyries | Einherjar | Norns Odin | Thor | Freyr | Freya | Loki | Balder | Tyr | Yggdrasil | Ginnungagap | Ragnarök Sources: Poetic Edda | Prose Edda | The Sagas | Volsung Cycle | Tyrfing Cycle Rune stones | Old Norse language | Orthography | Later influence Society: Viking Age | Skald | Kenning | Blót | Seid | Numbers | |
| The nine worlds of Norse mythology | People, places and things |
da:Valkyrie de:Walküre el:Βαλκυρίες es:Valquiria eo:Valkirioj fa:والکیری fr:Valkyrie it:Valchiria he:ולקיריה lv:Valkīras lt:Valkirijos nl:Walkure ja:ワルキューレ no:Valkyrie nn:Valkyrier pl:Walkirie pt:Valquíria ro:Walkirie ru:Валькирия fi:Valkyyria sv:Valkyria th:วาลคิรี uk:Валькирія zh:女武神