In the air, among clouds, and upon a white horse, a Valkyrie rides with the corpse of a man. The Saga of Norna-Gest: Does Man Control His Destiny?.Amazon Warrior Woman on Horseback Discovered on 2,500-Year-Old Vase.The Sagas of the Icelanders May Not be Myth After All.Thus the name of the Valkyries are never entirely agreed upon, though their tasks and purpose are primarily seen as the same. Another text, the Grímnismál, dictates eleven Valkyries, all with different names than those in the Poetic Edda. The names of the Valkyries often depend on the text read: in the Icelandic or Old Norse text Völuspá, the first poem of the Poetic Edda in the 13 th century, describes six Valkyrie each named for war or weaponry-Skuld, Skögul, Gunnr, Hildr, Göndul,and Geirskögul. Three ale-bearing Valkyries - Hild, thrud, and Hløkk in Valhalla, illustration from Grímnismál (1895) ( Wikimedia Commons ) The Valkyries Names: War and Weaponry The fields of Freyja, on the other hand, are just as worthy a place to be taken, however the life of the dead there is simple and easy, as one could only hope death would be for fallen fighters. Odin's hall, Valhalla, holds the spirits of the warriors in constant training-their sole purpose in the afterlife is to prepare for the battle that will be the end of the world, Ragnarök, and to defend their universe as best they can from Loki and his army. Valkyrien by Peter Nicolai Arbo ( Wikimedia Commons ) Role of the Valkyries in a Warrior's Afterlifeĭespite this overwhelming awe, it is the duty of the Valkyries not to participate in the wars of mortals or to have a role in the physical or mental acts of battle, but rather to choose from the fallen humans who was worthy enough to ascend to the halls of Odin, and who was benign enough to be sent to the fields of Freyja. When seen by the male soldiers on the ground, both awe and terror would sweep the battlefield – their role was to determine the fate of fallen warriors.
Upon the backs of their ethereal horses they came from the heavens to the mortal realm, guttural cries at the back of their throats. Known as beacons of strength, they descended from the sky garbed in the feathers of swans coated with sturdy, iron chainmail, their faces protected by helmets and their spears held aloft fearlessly. They were one of the few factions of warrior women from ancient lore recognized as having any power over the mortal realm. The Valkyries of Norse mythology were women of vast prestige and power.
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