Valkyrie (2024)

FAQs

What does it mean to be called a Valkyrie? ›

In Norse mythology, a valkyrie (from Old Norse: valkyrja, lit. 'chooser of the slain') is one of a host of female figures who guide souls of the dead to the god Odin's hall Valhalla.

A Valkyrie is a figure in Norse mythology depicted as a warrior woman on horseback, a wolf or boar, and armed with a spear, who decides the fate of warriors in battle and carries the dead to Odin's Valhalla. Valkyrie means "chooser of the slain", and those chosen will fight beside Odin at Ragnarök.

In electing these characters to symbolize a mythical past in the Illustrated History of Denmark for the People, the Valkyries become personifications of death, battle, and victory at a time of Northern European romanticism.

The 2008 Tom Cruise movie Valkyrie is a historical period piece about the 20 July plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler. Cruise has a unique filmography for one of the world's biggest movie stars. He has rarely played a real-life figure, as nearly all of his roles have been original creations.

It's mainly believed that Valkyries were chosen along similar lines to warriors in Valhalla: they had to be fearless, skilled in combat, honourable and unwavering in their devotion to the God of War. There's also some evidence that Valkyries may have been mainly chosen from Odin's pool of Priestesses in Midgard.

If you're asking about Norse mythology, there are no male Valkyries. The closest equivalent would be the einherjar, which are the souls of warriors who have died in battle. They fight each other daily in training for Ragnarok, and feast and drink every night.

The Valkyries are good orderly beings who serve their master's purposes and only take the dead warriors who fall valorously in battle. They are very dedicated to their jobs as psychopomps, and will gladly assist heroes against any evil that arises.

Based on Valkyrie's personality traits and behavior in Onigiri, it is likely that she is an Enneagram type 8, also known as the Challenger. Valkyrie is assertive, confident, and has a strong sense of justice. She also values independence and is not afraid to take charge in difficult situations.

The most famous of the Valkyries, Brynhildr, is also a human princess. In the Sigrdrífumál (The Ballad of the Victory-Bringer) she is never named, being called simply Sigrdrífa (“Victory-Bringer”), and there are only hints that she is not a deity; what's more, we are told nothing of her parentage.

[intro music] Most of what we know about the Valkyries comes from the prose and "Poetic Eddas," collections of mythology and heroic tales written down in the 13th century. In the texts, these powerful women were often described as beautiful maidens decked out in battle gear and armed to the teeth with brutal weapons.

Can Valkyries fall in love? ›

In Norse sagas there are two stories of the Valkyries taking swan form and having love affairs with mortals which continue to appear repeatedly.

Valkyries have abilities relating to their duties as choosers of the fate of slain warriors. They can sense when a warrior is about to die, arrange that this warrior will die, defer the death so the warrior can survive to grow in skill, and they have the power to take the chosen warrior's soul with them.

Valkyries in Norse Mythology

Throughout generations of mythology, the Norse Valkyries' image evolved from ferocious demons to lovers of mortal men, and eventually to angelic beings. In early Norse mythology, the Valkyries were often depicted in a more demonic way, as they would devour the dead on the battlefield.

Odin sent them to Hel to prevent Hela from escaping. However, the attack turned into a massacre, as Hela killed every Valkyrie with the exception of Valkyrie / Scrapper 142. The trauma of the massacre led Valkyrie to abandon Asgard and settle on Sakaar.

After a failed bomb attempt to assassinate Hitler on his airplane, the conspirators focused on an existing contingency plan code-named Operation Valkyrie. This operation was originally designed to militarily combat potential civil unrest in Germany.

Old Norse literature made references to purely supernatural Valkyries and also to human Valkyries with certain supernatural powers. Both types of beings were associated with fairness, brightness, and gold, as well as bloodshed.

It goes without saying that Valkyrie is a pretty awesome-looking and -sounding name! With Old Norse origins, the feminine name Valkyrie comes with an epic story to match. Valkyrie, or rather the Valkyries, were the attendants of Odin, the leader of all Norse gods.