Jump to content

Valkyrie: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Rewrite from scratch. Much more to be added soon. Likely needs some copy editing.
Line 1: Line 1:
{{rewrite}}
{{otheruses}}
{{otheruses}}
[[File:The Ride of the Valkyrs.jpg|thumb|300px|"The Ride of the Valkyrs" (1909) by [[John Charles Dollman]].]]
[[Image:Arrival at Valhalla.jpg|right|thumb|300px|A Valkyrie is waiting with two [[drinking horn]]s at the gates of Valhalla on the [[Tjängvide image stone]] from [[Gotland]], in the [[Swedish Museum of National Antiquities]] in [[Stockholm]].]]
In [[Norse mythology]], a '''valkyrie''' ([[Old Norse]] '''valkyrja''' "chooser of the slain"<ref name=ORCHARD172>Orchard (1997:172).</ref>) is one of a host of female figures that choose who will win or die in battle. The valkyries bring their chosen who have died bravely in battle to the afterlife location of [[Valhalla]], ruled over by the god [[Odin]], where the deceased warriors become [[Einherjar]]. There, when the Einherjar are not preparing for the events of [[Ragnarök]], the valkyries look after their tableware and drinks. Valkyries also appear as lovers of human beings and heroes, where they are sometimes described as the daughters of royalty.
In [[Norse mythology]] the '''valkyries''' ([[Old Norse language|Old Norse]] ''Valkyrjur'' "Choosers of the Slain", [[singular|sg.]] Valkyrja) were ''[[dísir]]'', minor female [[deity|deities]], who served [[Odin]]. The valkyries' purpose was to determine the victors of battles and wars, and to choose the most heroic of those who had died in battle. [[Freyja]], called Mistress of the slain (''Valfreyja'') and of the Valkyries in general,<ref>''[[Njáls saga]]'', or "''Brennu-Njáls saga''", The Story of the burning of big momas house.</ref> chose half of these fallen heroes for her hall [[Fólkvangr]].<ref> The [[Prose Edda]], [[Gylfaginning]]. The [[Poetic Edda]], [[Grímnismál]].</ref><ref>Grimm, Jacob. Deutsche Mythologie (1835) S. Stallybras transl. (2004) "Teutonic Mythology", Dover Publications ISBN 0-486-43615-2.</ref> The rest went 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]]. In Valhalla the valkyries also “serve drink and look after the tableware and drinking vessels” ([[Prose Edda]] ''Gylfaginning'' 36).


Valkyries are attested in the ''[[Poetic Edda]]'', compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, the ''[[Prose Edda]]'', written in the 13th century by [[Snorri Sturluson]], ''[[Njáls saga]]'', a [[Sagas of Icelanders|Sage of Icelanders]] written in the 13th century, ''[[Volsunga saga]]'', a [[legendary saga]] composed in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, throughout the poetry of [[skald]]s, and in [[Runic alphabet|runic inscriptions]]. The [[Old English]] cognate term '''wælcyrge''' appears in several Old English manuscripts, and theories have been proposed as to whether the term is the result of a Norse influence or an indigenous tradition from [[Anglo-Saxon paganism]]. Archaeological finds have been theorized as depicting valkyries. Scholarly theories have been proposed about the relation between the valkyries, the [[norns]], the [[dís]]ir, and [[völva]]s.
It appears, however, that there was no clear distinction between the valkyries and the [[norns]]. [[Skuld (Norse Mythology)|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). According to the [[Prose Edda]] (''Gylfaginning'' 36), “Odin sends ''the valkyries'' to every battle. They allot death to men and govern victory. Gunnr and Róta ''two valkyries'' and the youngest norn, called Skuld, always ride to choose who shall be slain and to govern the killings”.

Moreover, [[artistic license]] permitted the name Valkyrie to be used for mortal women in [[Old Norse poetry]], or to quote [[Snorri Sturluson]]'s ''[[Skáldskaparmál]]'' on the various names used for women:

<blockquote>
''Woman is also metaphorically called by the names of the [[Asynjur]] or the Valkyrs or Norns or women of supernatural kind.''<ref name="skaldsk">[http://www.northvegr.org/lore/prose/141144.php ''Skáldskaparmál''] in translation by [[Arthur Gilchrist Brodeur]] (1916), at [[Northvegr]].</ref>
</blockquote>

Recent research has discussed the relation between the myths associated with valkyries and [[norn]]s, on the one hand, and the actual travelling [[Völva]]s (''[[seid|seiðr]]''-workers), on the other hand, in particular, women who visited newborn children in the pre-Christian Norse societies.<ref>[http://thorewing.net/books/godsandworshippers/page2/ ''Gods and Worshippers in the Viking and Germanic world'', Tempus Publishing, 2008.]</ref>


==Etymology==
==Etymology==
The word ''valkyrie'' derives from Old Norse ''valkyrja'' (plural ''valkyrjur''), and is composed of two words: the noun ''valr'' (referring to the slain on the battlefield) and ''kjósa'' (meaning "to choose"). Together, the compound means 'chooser of the slain'. Old Norse ''valkyrja'' is cognate to Old English ''wælcyrge''.<ref name=BYOCK142-143>Byock (2005:142–143).</ref>
The word "valkyrie" comes from the [[Old Norse language|Old Norse]] ''valkyrja'' ([[plural|pl.]] ''valkyrjur''), from the words ''valr'' "the battle-slain" and ''kyrja'' "chooser" (from ''kørinn, korinn'', the participe of the verb ''kjósa'', "to choose");<ref>[http://www.vaidilute.com/books/munch/munch-contents.html P.A. Munch (1926). ''Norse Mythology: Legends of Gods and Heroes.'' The American-Scandinavian Foundation: New York.]</ref> it therefore literally means "chooser of the slain".<ref>{{cite web | last =Lothursdotir | first =Alfta Svanni | title =Guardians and Weavers of Vyrd | publisher =Northvegr Foundation | date =2003 | url =http://www.northvegr.org/northern/book/disir003.php | accessdate =2008-12-08 }}</ref> It is cognate to the [[Old English language|Old English]] '''"wælcyrige"'''. The modern [[German language|German]] form '''"Walküre"''' appears in the first translations of the [[Poetic Edda]] ([[Friedrich Heinrich von der Hagen|von der Hagen]], 1812, [[Brothers Grimm]], 1815, and [[Karl Joseph Simrock]], 1851).<ref>[http://de.wikisource.org/wiki/Lieder-Edda ''Die Edda'' (Wikisource, in German)]</ref> These works provided part of the material used by [[Richard Wagner]] in his cycle [[Der Ring des Nibelungen|The Ring of the Nibelung]],<ref>Roberta Frank (2005). ''Wagner's Ring, North-by-Northwest'', University of Toronto Quarterly, vol. 74, pp. 671-676.</ref> which immortalized the term in the opera [[Die Walküre]], whose lyrics were sketched in 1852-1853.<ref>Stanley R. Hauer (1991). ''Wagner and the Völospá'' (sic), 19th-Century Music, vol. 15, pp. 52-63.</ref>


==Old Norse attestations==
==Depictions==
===''Poetic Edda''===
[[Image:The Valkyrie's Vigil.jpg|thumb|right|250px|
[[File:Walkyrien by Emil Doepler.jpg|thumb|"Walkyrien" by [[Emil Doepler]].]]
''The Valkyrie's Vigil'', by the [[Pre-Raphaelite]] painter [[Edward Robert Hughes]]. Hughes down-plays the warrior aspect of the valkyrie, depicting instead a beautiful young woman in an ethereal dress. Her armor is present, but set aside and her weapon is held by the blade, unready for combat.
====''Völuspá''====
]]
In stanza 30 of the poem ''[[Völuspá]]'', a [[völva]] tells Odin that "she saw" valkyries coming from far away and ready to ride to "the realm of the gods", which the völva follows with a list of 6 valkyries: [[Skuld]] (Old Norse, possibly "debt" or future") who "bore a shield", [[Skögul]] ("shaker") who "was with her", [[Gunnr]] ("war"), [[Hildr]] ("battle"), [[Göndul]] ("[[wand]]-wielder"), and Spear-Skögul (Old Norse ''Geirskögul''). After, the völva says that she has listed the "ladies of the War Lord, ready to ride, valkyries, over the earth."<ref name=DRONKE15ORCHARD193-195>Dronke (1997:15). Valkyrie name etymologies from Orchard (1995:193 –195).</ref>
In modern art, the valkyries are sometimes depicted as beautiful [[shieldmaiden]]s on [[winged horse]]s, 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. This would suggest that their mounts were rather the packs of wolves that frequented the corpses of dead warriors. They were gruesome and war-like.{{Fact|date=December 2007}}


====''Grímnismál''====
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.<ref>[http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/valkyrie.htm Viking Answer Lady Webpage - Valkyries, Wish-Maidens, and Swan-Maids<!--Bot-generated title-->]</ref> Thus, the packs of wolves and ravens that scavenged the aftermath of battles may have been seen as serving a higher purpose.
[[Image:Hild, Thrud and Hløkk by Frølich.jpg|thumb|The valkyries Hildr, Þrúðr and Hlökk bearing ale in Valhalla (1895) by [[Lorenz Frølich]].]]
In the poem ''[[Grímnismál]]'', Odin (disguised as ''[[List of names of Odin|Grímnir]]''), torturted, starved and thirsty, tells the young [[Agnar]] that he wishes that the valkyries Hrist ("shaker") and Mist ("cloud") would "bear him a [[drinking horn|horn]]", and then provides a list of 11 more valkyries who he says "bear [[ale]] to the [[Einherjar]]": Skeggjöld ("axe-age"), Skögul, Hildr, [[Þrúðr]], Hlökk, Herfjötur ("host-fetter"), Göll ("tumult"), Geirahöð ("spear-fight"), Randgríð ("shield-truce"), Ráðgríð ("council-truce"), and Reginleif ("power-truce").<ref name=LARRINGTON57ORCHARD193-195>Larrington (1999:57). Valkyrie name etymologies from Orchard (1995:193 –195).</ref>


====''Völundarkviða''====
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'".<ref>[http://www.mythome.org/bxxxviii.html Bullfinch's Mythology<!--Bot-generated title-->]</ref> However, there is nothing in our sources which supports this claim,<ref>[http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/njordrljos.htm Viking Answer Lady Webpage - The Aurora Borealis and the Vikings<!--Bot-generated title-->]</ref> except for the arrival of the Valkyries in ''[[Helgakviða Hundingsbana I]]'':
[[File:Valkyrie and raven.jpg|thumb|A valkyrie speaks with a raven (1862) by [[Anthony Frederick Augustus Sandys]].]]
In the poem ''[[Völundarkviða]]'', the prose introduction relates that the brothers Slagfiðr, [[Agilaz|Egil]], and [[Wayland Smith|Völund]] dwelt in a house they built in Úlfdalir ("wolf dales"). Early one morning there, at a lake called Úlfsjár ("wolf lake"), the brothers find three women spinning linen on the shore. The narrative continues that "near them were their swan's garments; they were valkyries." The three women consist of two daughters of the King [[Hlödvér]] named [[Hlaðguðr svanhvít]] ("swan-white") and [[Hervör alvitr]] (possibly meaning "all-wise" or "strange creature"<ref name=ORCHARD83>Orchard (1997:83).</ref>) , and a third woman named [[Alruna|Ölrún]] (possibly meaning "beer [[runic alphabet|rune]]"<ref name=SIMEK251>Simek (2007:251).</ref>), the daughter of [[Kjárr]] of [[Valland]]. The brothers take the three women back to their hall with them—Egil took Ölrún, Slagfiðr took Hlaðguðr svanhvít, and Völund took Hervör alvitr. They lived together for seven winters, and thent he women flew off to go to a battle and did not return to the brothers. Egil goes off in snow-shoes to look for Ölrún, Slagfiðr goes searching for Hlaðguðr svanhvít, and Völund sits in Úlfdalir.<ref name=LARRINGTON102>Larrington (1999:102).</ref>


====''Helgakviða Hundingsbana I''====
{|
[[File:ValkyrieOnHorse.jpg|thumb|"Valkyrie" (1908) by [[Stephan Sinding]].]]
|
In the poem ''[[Helgakviða Hundingsbana I]]'', the hero [[Helgi Hundingsbane]] sits in a corpse-strewn battle field Logafjöll. A light shines from the [[fell]], and from that light bolts of lightning strike. Flying through the sky, helmeted valkyries appear. Their waist-length [[Mail (armour)|mail armor]] is drenched in blood, and their spears shine brightly:
:15. Þá brá ljóma
:Then light shone from Logafell,
:af Logafjöllum,
:and from that radiance there came bolts of lightning;
:en af þeim ljómum
:wearing helmets at Himingvani [came the valkyries].
:leiftrir kómu,
:Their byrnies were drenched in blood;
:--{{ndash}} --
:and rays shone from their spears.<ref name=LARRINGTON116>Larrington (1999:116).</ref>
:--{{ndash}} --
In the stanza that follows, Helgi asks the valkyries (referred to as "southern goddesses") if they would like to come home with the warriors when night falls (all the while arrows flying). The battle over, the valkyrie [[Sigrún]] ("victory-[[runic alphabet|rune]]"<ref name=ORCHARD194>Orchard (1997:194).</ref>), informs him from her horse that her father [[Högni]] has betrothed her to [[Höðbroddr]], the son of king [[Granmar]] of the [[Nibelung|Hniflung]] clan, who Sigrún deems unworthy. Helgi assembles an immense host to ride to battle at Frekastein against the Hniflung clan to assist Sigrún in her plight to avoid her betrothal to Höðbroddr.<ref name=LARRINGTON116-117>Larrington (1999:116–117).</ref> Later in the poem, the hero [[Sinfjötli]] [[flyting|flyts]] with Guðmundr. Sinfjötli accuses Guðmundr of having once been a female, including that he was "a witch, horrible, unnatural, among Odin's valkyries" and that all of the Einharjar "had to fight, headstrong woman, on your account".<ref name=LARRINGTON119>Larrington (1999:119)</ref> Further in the poem, the phrase "the valkyrie's airy sea" for is used for "[[mist]]".<ref name=LARRINGTON120>Larrington (1999:120).</ref> Towards the end of the poem, valkyries again descend from the sky, this time to protect Helgi amid the battle at Frekastein. After, all the valkyries fly away but Sigrún, and wolves consume corpses:
:hávar und hjalmum
:Helmeted valkyries came down from the sky
:á Himinvanga,
:—the noise of spears grew loud—they protected the prince;
:brynjur váru þeira
:then said Sigrun—the wound-giving valkyries flew,
:blóði stokknar,
:the [[troll]]-woman's mount was feasting on the fodder of ravens:<ref name=LARRINGTON121>Larrington (1999:121).</ref>
:en af geirum
The battle won, Sigrún tells Helgi that he will become a great ruler, and she pledges herself to him.<ref name=LARRINGTON122>Larrington (1999:122).</ref>
:geislar stóðu.<ref>[http://www.heimskringla.no/original/edda/helgakvidahundingsbanaa.php Helgakviða Hundingsbana I at «Norrøne Tekster og Kvad», Norway.]</ref>
|
:15. Then glittered light
:from Logafjoll,
:And from the light
:the flashes leaped;
:-
:-
:High under helms
:on heaven's field;
:Their byrnies all
:with blood were red,
:And from their spears
:the sparks flew forth.<ref>[http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/poe/poe19.htm Bellow's translation.]</ref>
|
:15. Then gleamed a ray
:from Logafiöll,
:and from that ray
:lightnings issued;
:then appeared,
:in the field of air,
:a helmed band
:of Valkyriur:
:their corslets were
:with blood besprinkled,
:and from their spears
:shone beams of light.<ref>[http://www.northvegr.org/lore/poetic2/021_01.php Thorpe's translation.]</ref>
|
|}


===''Prose Edda''===
==Origins==
[[Image:Hild and Hjadningavig on Hammars (I).JPG|right|thumb|340px|[[Hildr]] in a detail from the [[Stora Hammar stone]] an [[image stone]] on [[Gotland]]]]
[[Image:Hildr and Hjadningavig on Smiss (I).JPG|right|thumb|340px|The same scene in a detail from the Smiss (I) stone an [[image stone]] on [[Gotland]]]]
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. It is now believed that the original valkyries were the priestesses of [[Odin]] who officiated at sacrificial rites in which prisoners were executed (“given to Odin”).{{Fact|date=October 2008}} These priestesses sometimes carried out the sacrifices themselves, which involved the use of a ritual spear.{{Fact|date=October 2008}} By the time the [[Poetic Edda]] came to be compiled in the late 12th or early 13th century, these rituals had given rise to legends of supernatural battle-maidens who took an active part in human conflict, deciding who should live and who should die.<ref>Davidson 1964</ref>

In the [[Poetic Edda#Mythological Poems|mythological poems of the Poetic Edda]] the valkyries are supernatural deities of unknown parentage; they are described as battle-maidens who ride in the ranks of the gods or serve the drinks in Valhalla; they are invariably given unworldly names like ''Sk{{unicode|ǫ}}gul'' (“Fight, Rage”), ''Hl{{unicode|ǫ}}kk'' (“Clash, Din of Battle”), and ''Gj{{unicode|ǫ}}ll/Göll'' (“Battle Cry”).<ref>[http://www.utexas.edu/cola/centers/lrc/eieol/norol-BF-X.html ''Old Norse Online'']</ref>

In the [[Poetic Edda#Heroic lays|Heroic lays]], however, the valkyries are described as bands of warrior-women only the leader of whom is ever named. She is invariably a ''human'' woman, the beautiful daughter of a great king, though she shares some of the supernatural abilities of her anonymous companions. In the first of the three Helgi Lays, [[Helgi Hjörvarðsson]] is accosted by a band of nine valkyries the leader of whom, Svava, is the daughter of a king called Eylimi. In the second and third lays, the valkyries are led by Sigrun, who is the daughter of King Hogni; she marries the hero [[Helgi Hundingsbane|Helgi Hundingsbani]] and bears him sons. 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. In the corresponding passage in the [[Volsunga saga]], however, she is identified as Brynhildr, the daughter of [[Budli|King Budli]]. (Sigrdrífa is also identified with Brynhildr in another heroic lay, ''[[Helreið Brynhildar]]'', or ''Bryndhildr's Ride to [[Hel (realm)|Hel]]''.)<!-- Hel, not Hell -->

==Notable valkyries==
Various individual valkyries are mentioned in works of Germanic literature.

===Major valkyries===
[[Image:U 1163, Drävle (Sigrdrífa).JPG|200px|right|thumb|Illustration of Sigrdrífa on the [[Drävle Runestone]].]]
Several valkyries appear as major characters in extant myths.

*[[Brynhildr]] appears in the ''[[Völsunga saga]]''. Her name means "Byrnie of battle".
*[[Hildr]] appears in the legend of the [[Hjaðningavíg]], which has survived in several sources. Her name means "Battle".
*[[Sigrdrífa]] appears in ''[[Sigrdrífumál]]''. Her name means "She Who Drives Victory".
*[[Sigrún]] appears in ''[[Helgakviða Hundingsbana I]]'' and ''[[Helgakviða Hundingsbana II]]''. Her name means "Knower of Mysteries (or spells) of Victory".
*[[Sváva]] appears in ''[[Helgakviða Hjörvarðssonar]]''. Her name means "[[Suebi]]an".
*[[Ölrún]], [[Svanhvít]], and [[Alvitr]] appear in ''[[Völundarkviða]]''. "Ölrún" means "Knower of the Mysteries (or spells) of Ale".
*[[Þrúðr]] is a daughter of [[Thor]]. Her name means "strength".

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, Norway|Bergen]].

===Other valkyries===
[[Image:Valkyrie.jpg|right|thumb|right|175px|A Valkyrie silver figurine, in the [[Swedish Museum of National Antiquities]] in [[Stockholm]].]]
[[Image:Arbo-Valkyrien.jpg|thumb|right|175px|The inclination towards romantic depictions of valkyries is evident in ''Valkyries'' by [[Peter Nicolai Arbo]], 1869.]]
[[Image:ValkyrieOnHorse.jpg|thumb|right|175px|A statue from 1908 by [[Stephan Sinding]] located in [[Copenhagen]], presents an active image of a valkyrie.]]
[[Image:Valkyrie (1834-1835) by H. W. Bissen.jpg|thumb|"Valkyrie" (1834-1835) by [[Herman Wilhelm Bissen]].]]
[[Image:Valkyrie (1834-1835) by H. W. Bissen.jpg|thumb|"Valkyrie" (1834-1835) by [[Herman Wilhelm Bissen]].]]
In the ''[[Prose Edda]]'', written in the 13th century by [[Snorri Sturluson]], valkyries are first mentioned in chapter 36 of the book ''[[Gylfaginning]]'', where, the enthroned figure of [[High, Just-As-High, and Third|High]] tells [[Gangleri]] (King [[Gylfi]] in disguise) tells about the activities of the valkyries and mentions a few goddesses. High says "there are still others whose duty it is to serve in Valhalla. They bring drink and see to the table and the ale cups." The stanza containing a list of valkyries from the poem ''Grímnismál'' is then quoted. High says "these women are called valkyries, and they are sent by Odin to every battle, where they choose which men are to die and they determine who has victory." High adds that [[Gunnr]] ("war"<ref name=ORCHARD194>Orchard (1997:194).</ref>), [[Róta]], and Skuld—the latter of the three he refers to as "the youngest [[norn]]"—"always ride to choose the slain and decide the outcome of battle."<ref name=BYOCK44-45>Byock (2005:44–45).</ref> In chapter 49, High describes that Odin and his wife Frigg arrived at the funeral of their son [[Baldr]], and with them came the valkyries, and [[Hugin and Munin|Odin's ravens]].<ref name=BYOCK67>Byock (2005:67).</ref>
Apart from the well known valkyries above, many more valkyrie names occur in our sources. In the [[nafnaþulur]] addition to [[Snorri Sturluson|Snorri]]'s [[Edda]] the following strophes are found.

{|
|
:''Mank valkyrjur''
:''Viðris nefna.''
:''Hrist, Mist, Herja,''
:''Hlökk, Geiravör,''
:''Göll, Hjörþrimul,''
:''Gunnr, Herfjötur,''
:''Skuld, Geirönul,''
:''Skögul ok Randgníð.''
:''Ráðgríðr, Göndul,''
:''Svipul, Geirskögul,''
:''Hildr ok Skeggöld,''
:''Hrund, Geirdriful,''
:''Randgríðr ok Þrúðr,''
:''Reginleif ok Sveið,''
:''Þögn, Hjalmþrimul,''
:''Þrima ok Skalmöld.''
|
:I will recite the names
:of the valkyries of Viðrir (Odin).
:Hrist, Mist, Herja,
:Hlökk, Geiravör
:Göll, Hjörþrimul
:Gunnr, Herfjötur
:Skuld, Geirönul
:Skögul and Randgníð.
:Ráðgríðr, Göndul,
:Svipul, Geirskögul,
:Hildr and Skeggöld,
:Hrund, Geirdriful,
:Randgríðr and Þrúðr,
:Reginleif and Sveið,
:Þögn, Hjalmþrimul,
:Þrima and Skalmöld.
|}

In ''[[Grímnismál]]'' we have Odin reciting the following stanza.

{|
|
:''Hrist ok Mist''
:''vil ek at mér horn beri,''
:''Skeggjöld ok Skögul,''
:''Hildr ok Þrúðr,''
:''Hlökk ok Herfjötur,''
:''Göll ok Geirahöð,''
:''Randgríð ok Ráðgríð''
:''ok Reginleif.''
:''Þær bera einherjum öl.''
|
:I want Hrist and Mist
:to bring me a horn,
:Skeggjöld and Skögul,
:Hildr and Þrúðr,
:Hlökk and Herfjötur,
:Göll and Geirahöð,
:Randgríð and Ráðgríð
:and Reginleif.
:They carry ale to the einherjar.
|}

In ''[[Völuspá]]'' there are still more names.

{|
|
:''Sá hon valkyrjur''
:''vítt um komnar,''
:''görvar at ríða''
:''til Goðþjóðar.''
:''Skuld helt skildi,''
:''en Skögul önnur,''
:''Gunnr, Hildr, Göndul''
:''ok Geirskögul.''
|
:She saw valkyries
:come from far and wide,
:ready to ride
:to Goðþjóð.
:Skuld held a shield,
:and Skögul was another,
:Gunnr, Hildr, Göndul
:and Geirskögul.
|}

More are mentioned in ''[[Darraðarljóð]]'' (lines 1-52), a poem where their connection with the [[Norn]]s is evident:

{|
|
{|
|
:''Vítt er orpit''
:''fyrir valfalli''
:''rifs reiðiský,''
:''rignir blóði ;''
:''nú er fyrir geirum''
:''grár upp kominn''
:''vefr verþjóðar,''
:''er þær vinur fylla''
:''rauðum vepti''
:''Randvés bana.''
|
:See! warp is stretched
:For warriors' fall,
:Lo! weft in loom
:'Tis wet with blood;
:Now fight foreboding,
:'Neath friends' swift fingers,
:Our grey woof waxeth
:With war's alarms,
:Our warp bloodred,
:Our weft corseblue.
|-
|
:''Sjá er orpinn vefr''
:''ýta þörmum''
:''ok harðkléaðr''
:''höfðum manna ;''
:''eru dreyrrekin''
:''dörr at sköptum,''
:''járnvarðr yllir,''
:''en örum hrælaðr ;''
:''skulum slá sverðum''
:''sigrvef þenna.''
|
:This woof is y-woven
:With entrails of men,
:This warp is hardweighted
:With heads of the slain,
:Spears blood-besprinkled
:For spindles we use,
:Our loom ironbound,
:And arrows our reels;
:With swords for our shuttles
:This war-woof we work;
|-
| valign="bottom" |
:''Gengr Hildr vefa''
:''ok Hjörþrimul,''
:''Sanngríðr, Svipul''
:''sverðum tognum ;''
:''skapt mun gnesta,''
:''skjöldr mun bresta,''
:''mun hjálmgagarr''
:''í hlíf koma.''
|
:So weave we, weird sisters,
:Our warwinning woof.
:Now Warwinner walketh
:To weave in her turn,
:Now Swordswinger steppeth,
:Now Swiftstroke, now Storm;
:When they speed the shuttle
:How spearheads shall flash!
:Shields crash, and helmgnawer
:On harness bite hard!
|}
| valign="top" |

{|
|
:''Vindum, vindum''
:''vef darraðar,''
:''þann er ungr konungr''
:''átti fyrri!''
:''Fram skulum ganga''
:''ok í fólk vaða,''
:''þar er vinir várir''
:''vápnum skipta.''
|
:Wind we, wind swiftly
:Our warwinning woof
:Woof erst for king youthful
:Foredoomed as his own,
:Forth now we will ride,
:Then through the ranks rushing
:Be busy where friends
:Blows blithe give and take.
|-
|
:''Vindum, vindum''
:''vef darraðar''
:''ok siklingi''
:''síðan fylgjum!''
:''Þar sjá bragna''
:''blóðgar randir''
:''Guðr ok Göndul,''
:''er grami hlífðu.''
|
:Wind we, wind swiftly
:Our warwinning woof,
:After that let us steadfastly
:Stand by the brave king;
:Then men shall mark mournful
:Their shields red with gore,
:How Swordstroke and Spearthrust
:Stood stout by the prince.
|-
|
:''Vindum, vindum''
:''vef darraðar,''
:''þars er vé vaða''
:''vígra manna!''
:''Látum eigi''
:''líf hans farask ;''
:''eigu valkyrjur''
:''vals of kosti.''
|
:Wind we, wind swiftly
:Our warwinning woof.
:When sword-bearing rovers
:To banners rush on,
:Mind, maidens, we spare not
:One life in the fray!
:We corse-choosing sisters
:Have charge of the slain.
|}
|}

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.

==Connections with Freyja==
In ''[[Gylfaginning]]'' of the [[Prose Edda]] and the poem ''[[Grimnismál]]'' of the [[Poetic Edda]], it is said that [[Freyja]] receives half of the slain heroes in her hall [[Fólkvangr]], however there are no descriptions about life at [[Fólkvangr]], at least not in surviving tales.

In ''[[Skáldskaparmál]]'', Freyja is called "Possessor of the Slain" (Eidandi Valfalls), and in [[Njal's Saga]], another title of Freyja is mentioned: ''Valfreyja'' "Mistress of the Chosen", and Mistress of the Valkyries in general<ref>[[Grimm]]'s ''Teutonic Mythology and Folklore'', Chapter XIII.</ref> (cf. Valfadir, Valkyrja).


References to valkries appear various times within the book ''[[Skáldskaparmál]]''. In chapter 48, names for "battle" include "by calling it weather of weapons or shields, or of Odin or valkyrie or war-kings, or their clash or noise," followed by examples of compositions by various [[skald]]s that have used the name of valkyries in said manner ([[Þorbjörn Hornklofi]] uses "Skögul's din" for "battlefield," [[Bersi Skáldtorfuson]] uses "Gunnr's fire" for "sword" and "Hlökk's snow" for "battle", Einar uses "Hildr's sail" for "shield" and "Göndul's crushing wind" for "battle," and [[Einarr Helgason|Einarr skálaglamm]] uses "Göndul's din"). Chapter 49 gives similar information for referring to weapons and armor, referring to "death-maidens" instead of "valkyries", and futher examples are given.<ref name=FAULKES117-119>Faulkes (1995:117–119).</ref>) In chapter 57, within a list of names of [[ásynjur]] (and after names for the goddess [[Freyja]] are given), a section is given containing a list of "Odin's maids"; valkyries: Hildr, Göndul, Hlökk, Mist, Skögul. High then provides an additional four names; Hrund, [[Eir]], Hrist, and Skuld, and adds that "they are called norns who shape necessity."<ref name=FAULKES157>Faulkes (1995:157).</ref>
[[Snorri Sturluson]] wrote that "whenever she rides into battles, she gets half of the slain, and Odin half" (The Prose Edda, ''Gylfaginning'' (24)) . Freyja is also called [[Vanadís]], which suggests that she is related to the [[dísir]]. Like the Valkyries, Freyja also sometimes pours the wine at banquets of the Æsir (The Prose Edda, ''Skáldskaparmál'' (17)).


==Old English attestations==
== Modern perception ==
The Old English ''wælcyrge'' appears several times in Old English manuscripts, generally to translate foreign concepts into Old English. In the sermon ''[[Sermo Lupi ad Anglos]]'', written by [[Wulfstan II]], where the term is considered to appear as word for a human 'sorceress'. An early 11th century manuscript of Aldhelm's ''De laudis virginitatis'' (Oxford, Bodleian library, Digby 146) [[gloss]]es ''ueneris'' with ''wælcyrge'' (with ''gydene'' meaning "goddess"). ''Wælcyrge'' is used to translate the names of the classical [[furies]] in two manuscripts (Cotton Cleopatra A. iii, and the older ''Corpus Glossery''). In the manuscript Cotton Cleopatra A. iii, ''wælcyrge'' is also used to gloss the Roman goddess [[Bellona (goddess)|Bellona]]. A description of a raven flying over the Egyptian army appears as ''wonn wælceaseg'' (meaning "dark one choosing the slain"). Theories have been produced about whether these attestations point to an indigenous belief among the Anglo-Saxons shared with the Norse or if they were a result of later Norse influence.<ref name=NORTH106>North (1997:106).</ref>
[[Image:Valkyries by Robert Engels.jpg|thumb|right|175px|A depiction of valkyries (1919) by Robert Engels.]]
<!--ATTENTION: Please do not add references to Valkyries in modern popular culture here! Use the Valkyrie (disambiguation) page above!-->
[[Richard Wagner]] incorporated Norse tales that included the valkyrie Brünnhilde ([[Brynhild]]r) and her punishment and subsequent love for the warrior Siegfried ([[Sigurd|Sigurðr]]) into his opera cycle [[Der Ring des Nibelungen]]. This masterpiece includes his [[opera]] ''[[Die Walküre]]'', which contains the well known ''[[Ride of the Valkyries]]'', as well as three others, ''[[Das Rheingold]]'', ''[[Siegfried]]'' and ''[[Götterdämmerung]]''. These depictions and others have subsequently led to modern representations of valkyries less as figures of death and warfare and more commonly as romanticized, pristine white and gold clad figures riding winged horses.
<!--ATTENTION: Please do not add references to Valkyries in modern popular culture here! Use the Valkyrie (disambiguation) page above!-->


==See also==
==Theories==
===Anglo-Saxon ''wælcyrge''===
*[[Dísir]]
Richard North says that the description of a raven flying over the Egyptian army (glossed as ''wonn wælceaseg'') may have been directly influenced by the Old Norse concept of Valhalla, the usage instance in ''De laudibus virginitatis'' may represent a loan or loan-translation of Old Iceland ''valkyrja'', but the Cotton Cleopatra A. iii and the ''Corpus Glossary'' instances "appear to show an Anglo-Saxon conception of ''wælcyrge'' that was independant of contemporary Scandinavian influence."<ref name=NORTH106/>
*[[Fylgja]]
*[[Grendel's mother]]
*[[Norns]]
*[[Shieldmaiden]]
*[[Swan maiden]]
*[[List of women warriors in folklore, literature, and popular culture]]


==Notes==
==Notes==
{{Reflist|2}}
{{reflist|2}}


==References==
==References==
{{commons|category:Valkyries|Valkyries}}
{{refbegin}}
{{refbegin}}
* Byock, Jesse (Trans.) (2006). ''The Prose Edda''. [[Penguin Classics]]. ISBN 0140447555
* Damico, Helen. ''[[Beowulf]]'s [[Wealhtheow]] and the Valkyrie Tradition.'' Madison, Wis.: University of Wisconsin Press, 1984.
* [[H. R. Ellis Davidson|Ellis Davidson, H. R.]] (1990). ''Gods And Myths Of Northern Europe''. [[Penguin Books|Penguin]]. ISBN 0140136274
* ---. "The Valkyrie Reflex in Old English Literature." ''New Readings on Women in Old English Literature''. Eds. Helen Damico and Alexandra Hennessey Olsen. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1990. 176-89.
* Dronke, Ursula (Trans.) (1997). ''The Poetic Edda: Volume II: Mythological Poems''. [[Oxford University Press]]. ISBN 0198111819
*{{cite book
* Faulkes, Anthony (Trans.) (1995). ''Edda''. [[Everyman's Library|Everyman]]. ISBN 0-4608-7616-3
|last=Davidson
* Larrington, Carolyne (Trans.) (1999). ''The Poetic Edda''. [[Oxford World's Classics]]. ISBN 0192839462
|first=H. R. Ellis
* North, Richard (1997). ''Heathen Gods in Old English Literature''. [[Cambridge University Press]]. ISBN 0521551838
|authorlink=H. R. Ellis Davidson
* Orchard, Andy (1997). ''Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend''. [[Cassell]]. ISBN 0 304 34520 2
|title=''Gods and Myths of Northern Europe''
|publisher=Penguin Books
|year=1964
|doi=
|isbn=0-14-013627-4}}
{{refend}}
{{refend}}


----
{{Valkyries}}
{{Valkyries}}
{{Norse mythology}}
{{Norse mythology}}
{{Anglo-SaxonPaganism}}


[[Category:Valkyries| ]]
[[Category:Valkyries| ]]

Revision as of 02:47, 17 December 2008

For other uses, see Valkyrie (disambiguation).
"The Ride of the Valkyrs" (1909) by John Charles Dollman.

In Norse mythology, a valkyrie (Old Norse valkyrja "chooser of the slain"[1]) is one of a host of female figures that choose who will win or die in battle. The valkyries bring their chosen who have died bravely in battle to the afterlife location of Valhalla, ruled over by the god Odin, where the deceased warriors become Einherjar. There, when the Einherjar are not preparing for the events of Ragnarök, the valkyries look after their tableware and drinks. Valkyries also appear as lovers of human beings and heroes, where they are sometimes described as the daughters of royalty.

Valkyries are attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson, Njáls saga, a Sage of Icelanders written in the 13th century, Volsunga saga, a legendary saga composed in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, throughout the poetry of skalds, and in runic inscriptions. The Old English cognate term wælcyrge appears in several Old English manuscripts, and theories have been proposed as to whether the term is the result of a Norse influence or an indigenous tradition from Anglo-Saxon paganism. Archaeological finds have been theorized as depicting valkyries. Scholarly theories have been proposed about the relation between the valkyries, the norns, the dísir, and völvas.

Etymology

The word valkyrie derives from Old Norse valkyrja (plural valkyrjur), and is composed of two words: the noun valr (referring to the slain on the battlefield) and kjósa (meaning "to choose"). Together, the compound means 'chooser of the slain'. Old Norse valkyrja is cognate to Old English wælcyrge.[2]

Old Norse attestations

Poetic Edda

"Walkyrien" by Emil Doepler.

Völuspá

In stanza 30 of the poem Völuspá, a völva tells Odin that "she saw" valkyries coming from far away and ready to ride to "the realm of the gods", which the völva follows with a list of 6 valkyries: Skuld (Old Norse, possibly "debt" or future") who "bore a shield", Skögul ("shaker") who "was with her", Gunnr ("war"), Hildr ("battle"), Göndul ("wand-wielder"), and Spear-Skögul (Old Norse Geirskögul). After, the völva says that she has listed the "ladies of the War Lord, ready to ride, valkyries, over the earth."[3]

Grímnismál

The valkyries Hildr, Þrúðr and Hlökk bearing ale in Valhalla (1895) by Lorenz Frølich.

In the poem Grímnismál, Odin (disguised as Grímnir), torturted, starved and thirsty, tells the young Agnar that he wishes that the valkyries Hrist ("shaker") and Mist ("cloud") would "bear him a horn", and then provides a list of 11 more valkyries who he says "bear ale to the Einherjar": Skeggjöld ("axe-age"), Skögul, Hildr, Þrúðr, Hlökk, Herfjötur ("host-fetter"), Göll ("tumult"), Geirahöð ("spear-fight"), Randgríð ("shield-truce"), Ráðgríð ("council-truce"), and Reginleif ("power-truce").[4]

Völundarkviða

A valkyrie speaks with a raven (1862) by Anthony Frederick Augustus Sandys.

In the poem Völundarkviða, the prose introduction relates that the brothers Slagfiðr, Egil, and Völund dwelt in a house they built in Úlfdalir ("wolf dales"). Early one morning there, at a lake called Úlfsjár ("wolf lake"), the brothers find three women spinning linen on the shore. The narrative continues that "near them were their swan's garments; they were valkyries." The three women consist of two daughters of the King Hlödvér named Hlaðguðr svanhvít ("swan-white") and Hervör alvitr (possibly meaning "all-wise" or "strange creature"[5]) , and a third woman named Ölrún (possibly meaning "beer rune"[6]), the daughter of Kjárr of Valland. The brothers take the three women back to their hall with them—Egil took Ölrún, Slagfiðr took Hlaðguðr svanhvít, and Völund took Hervör alvitr. They lived together for seven winters, and thent he women flew off to go to a battle and did not return to the brothers. Egil goes off in snow-shoes to look for Ölrún, Slagfiðr goes searching for Hlaðguðr svanhvít, and Völund sits in Úlfdalir.[7]

Helgakviða Hundingsbana I

"Valkyrie" (1908) by Stephan Sinding.

In the poem Helgakviða Hundingsbana I, the hero Helgi Hundingsbane sits in a corpse-strewn battle field Logafjöll. A light shines from the fell, and from that light bolts of lightning strike. Flying through the sky, helmeted valkyries appear. Their waist-length mail armor is drenched in blood, and their spears shine brightly:

Then light shone from Logafell,
and from that radiance there came bolts of lightning;
wearing helmets at Himingvani [came the valkyries].
Their byrnies were drenched in blood;
and rays shone from their spears.[8]

In the stanza that follows, Helgi asks the valkyries (referred to as "southern goddesses") if they would like to come home with the warriors when night falls (all the while arrows flying). The battle over, the valkyrie Sigrún ("victory-rune"[9]), informs him from her horse that her father Högni has betrothed her to Höðbroddr, the son of king Granmar of the Hniflung clan, who Sigrún deems unworthy. Helgi assembles an immense host to ride to battle at Frekastein against the Hniflung clan to assist Sigrún in her plight to avoid her betrothal to Höðbroddr.[10] Later in the poem, the hero Sinfjötli flyts with Guðmundr. Sinfjötli accuses Guðmundr of having once been a female, including that he was "a witch, horrible, unnatural, among Odin's valkyries" and that all of the Einharjar "had to fight, headstrong woman, on your account".[11] Further in the poem, the phrase "the valkyrie's airy sea" for is used for "mist".[12] Towards the end of the poem, valkyries again descend from the sky, this time to protect Helgi amid the battle at Frekastein. After, all the valkyries fly away but Sigrún, and wolves consume corpses:

Helmeted valkyries came down from the sky
—the noise of spears grew loud—they protected the prince;
then said Sigrun—the wound-giving valkyries flew,
the troll-woman's mount was feasting on the fodder of ravens:[13]

The battle won, Sigrún tells Helgi that he will become a great ruler, and she pledges herself to him.[14]

Prose Edda

"Valkyrie" (1834-1835) by Herman Wilhelm Bissen.

In the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson, valkyries are first mentioned in chapter 36 of the book Gylfaginning, where, the enthroned figure of High tells Gangleri (King Gylfi in disguise) tells about the activities of the valkyries and mentions a few goddesses. High says "there are still others whose duty it is to serve in Valhalla. They bring drink and see to the table and the ale cups." The stanza containing a list of valkyries from the poem Grímnismál is then quoted. High says "these women are called valkyries, and they are sent by Odin to every battle, where they choose which men are to die and they determine who has victory." High adds that Gunnr ("war"[9]), Róta, and Skuld—the latter of the three he refers to as "the youngest norn"—"always ride to choose the slain and decide the outcome of battle."[15] In chapter 49, High describes that Odin and his wife Frigg arrived at the funeral of their son Baldr, and with them came the valkyries, and Odin's ravens.[16]

References to valkries appear various times within the book Skáldskaparmál. In chapter 48, names for "battle" include "by calling it weather of weapons or shields, or of Odin or valkyrie or war-kings, or their clash or noise," followed by examples of compositions by various skalds that have used the name of valkyries in said manner (Þorbjörn Hornklofi uses "Skögul's din" for "battlefield," Bersi Skáldtorfuson uses "Gunnr's fire" for "sword" and "Hlökk's snow" for "battle", Einar uses "Hildr's sail" for "shield" and "Göndul's crushing wind" for "battle," and Einarr skálaglamm uses "Göndul's din"). Chapter 49 gives similar information for referring to weapons and armor, referring to "death-maidens" instead of "valkyries", and futher examples are given.[17]) In chapter 57, within a list of names of ásynjur (and after names for the goddess Freyja are given), a section is given containing a list of "Odin's maids"; valkyries: Hildr, Göndul, Hlökk, Mist, Skögul. High then provides an additional four names; Hrund, Eir, Hrist, and Skuld, and adds that "they are called norns who shape necessity."[18]

Old English attestations

The Old English wælcyrge appears several times in Old English manuscripts, generally to translate foreign concepts into Old English. In the sermon Sermo Lupi ad Anglos, written by Wulfstan II, where the term is considered to appear as word for a human 'sorceress'. An early 11th century manuscript of Aldhelm's De laudis virginitatis (Oxford, Bodleian library, Digby 146) glosses ueneris with wælcyrge (with gydene meaning "goddess"). Wælcyrge is used to translate the names of the classical furies in two manuscripts (Cotton Cleopatra A. iii, and the older Corpus Glossery). In the manuscript Cotton Cleopatra A. iii, wælcyrge is also used to gloss the Roman goddess Bellona. A description of a raven flying over the Egyptian army appears as wonn wælceaseg (meaning "dark one choosing the slain"). Theories have been produced about whether these attestations point to an indigenous belief among the Anglo-Saxons shared with the Norse or if they were a result of later Norse influence.[19]

Theories

Anglo-Saxon wælcyrge

Richard North says that the description of a raven flying over the Egyptian army (glossed as wonn wælceaseg) may have been directly influenced by the Old Norse concept of Valhalla, the usage instance in De laudibus virginitatis may represent a loan or loan-translation of Old Iceland valkyrja, but the Cotton Cleopatra A. iii and the Corpus Glossary instances "appear to show an Anglo-Saxon conception of wælcyrge that was independant of contemporary Scandinavian influence."[19]

Notes

  1. ^ Orchard (1997:172).
  2. ^ Byock (2005:142–143).
  3. ^ Dronke (1997:15). Valkyrie name etymologies from Orchard (1995:193 –195).
  4. ^ Larrington (1999:57). Valkyrie name etymologies from Orchard (1995:193 –195).
  5. ^ Orchard (1997:83).
  6. ^ Simek (2007:251).
  7. ^ Larrington (1999:102).
  8. ^ Larrington (1999:116).
  9. ^ a b Orchard (1997:194).
  10. ^ Larrington (1999:116–117).
  11. ^ Larrington (1999:119)
  12. ^ Larrington (1999:120).
  13. ^ Larrington (1999:121).
  14. ^ Larrington (1999:122).
  15. ^ Byock (2005:44–45).
  16. ^ Byock (2005:67).
  17. ^ Faulkes (1995:117–119).
  18. ^ Faulkes (1995:157).
  19. ^ a b North (1997:106).

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Valkyries.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Valkyrie&oldid=258493974"