In Norse mythology, Valhalla ( , ; , )Orchard (1997:171–172) is described as a majestic hall located in Asgard and presided over by the god Odin.
Valhalla is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, in the Prose Edda (written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson), in (also written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson), and in stanzas of an anonymous 10th-century poem commemorating the death of Eric Bloodaxe known as Eiríksmál as compiled in Fagrskinna. Valhalla has inspired innumerable works of art, publication titles, and elements of popular culture and is synonymous with a martial (or otherwise) hall of the chosen dead. The name is rendered in modern Scandinavian languages as in Icelandic, while the Swedish and Norwegian form is ; in Faroese it is , and in Danish it is .
Etymology The Modern English noun Valhalla derives from Old Norse , a compound noun composed of two elements: the masculine noun 'the slain' and the feminine noun which originally referred to a rock, rocks, or mountain; not a hall, thus meaning Valhalla was originally understood as the "rock of the Slain". The form "Valhalla" comes from an attempt to clarify the grammatical gender of the word. has cognates in other Germanic languages such as Old English 'the slain, slaughter, carnage', Old Saxon 'murder', Old High German 'battlefield, blood bath'. All of these forms descend from the Proto-Germanic masculine noun *walaz. Among related Old Norse concepts, also appears as the first element of the noun 'chooser of the slain, valkyrie'.For analysis and discussion, see Orel (2003:256, 443) and Watkins (2000:38).
The second element, , is a common Old Norse noun. It is cognate to Modern English hall and offers the same meaning. Both developed from Proto-Germanic *xallō or *hallō, meaning 'covered place, hall', from the Proto-Indo-European root *kol-. As philologists such as Calvert Watkins note, the same Indo-European root produced Old Norse , a proper noun employed for both the name of another afterlife location and a supernatural female entity as its overseer, as well as the modern English noun hell.
Attestations
Poetic Edda Valhalla is referenced at length in the Poetic Edda poem Grímnismál, and Helgakviða Hundingsbana II, while Valhalla receives lesser direct references in stanza 32 of the Völuspá, where the god Baldr's death is referred to as the "woe of Valhalla",Larrington (1999:8). and in stanzas 1 to 3 of Hyndluljóð, where the goddess Freyja states her intention of riding to Valhalla with Hyndla, in an effort to help Óttar, as well as in stanzas 6 through 7, where Valhalla is mentioned again during a dispute between the two.Larrington (1999:253–254).
Grímnismál In stanzas 8 to 10 of Grímnismál, the god Odin (in the guise of Grímnir) proclaims Valhalla is in the realm of Glaðsheimr. Odin describes Valhalla as shining and golden, and it "rises peacefully" as seen from afar. From Valhalla, every day Odin chooses from those killed in combat. Valhalla has spear-shafts for rafters, a roof thatched with shields, coats of mail are strewn over its benches, a wolf hangs in front of its west doors, and an eagle hovers above it.Larrington (1999:53). The hall is easily recognised by those who come to Óðinn: Spear-shafts are the rafters, the hall is thatched with shields, And the benches are strewn with byrnies.
The hall is easily recognised by those who come to Óðinn: A warg hangs before the western door, And an eagle hovers above . . .
Andhrímnir lets Saehrímnir, best of flesh, Be seethed in Eldhrímnir, the cauldron, Though few know what the Einherjar feast on.
Battle-accustomed, glorious Host-Father feeds Geri and Freki; But weapon-stately Óðinn lives on wine alone.
Huginn and Muninn fly over the mighty earth every day; I fear for Huginn, that he not come back, But I look more for Muninn.
Thundr roars loudly; Thjóðvitnir’s fish sports in the flood; The river roars loudly, The battle-slain think it too strong to wade.
That which stands on the holy fields, Before the holy doors, Is called Valgrind, the Slain-Gate; Those gates are old, And few know how they may be locked.
Five hundred and forty doors: So I know to be in Valhöll; Eight hundred Einherjar go out of one door, When they fare to battle the Wolf.
The goat who stands on Host-Father’s hall Is called Heiðrún, And bites off the limbs of Laeraðr; She shall fill a cauldron with the shining mead, That drink will never be exhausted.
The hart who stands on Host-Father’s hall Is called Eikthyrnir, And bites off the limbs of Laeraðr; And drops fall from his horns into Hvergelmir, To which all waters wend their way.
Shaker and Mist I wish to have bear a horn to me; Skeggjöld and Striker, Shrieker and Battle-Fetter, Loudness and Spear-Striker, Shield-Strength and Rede-Strength, And God-Inheritance, They bear ale to the Einherjar. (Grímnismál 9–10, 18–22, 23–26) Odin, throughout this story is seen to have pet ravens that he sends out, and the warriors of his hall are dead men and ghosts who fight battles and die. There are also women who feed them and serve them alcohol and are the same spirits who chose them to die in the battles they fight. Valhalla in this story can be seen as a beautiful hall for the dead but it can also be seen as a lofty stylization of a battlefield after a fight. There are broken weapons and shields and dead bodies and ghosts cover the hall that gets ravaged by wolves and ravens. To the Vikings of the time, this was not only their desired afterlife, but a way to cope with the horrors of battle.
Helgakviða Hundingsbana II
In stanza 38 of the poem Helgakviða Hundingsbana II, the hero Helgi Hundingsbane dies and goes to Valhalla. In stanza 38, Helgi's glory there is described:
So was Helgi beside the chieftains like the bright-growing ash beside the thorn-bush and the young stag, drenched in dew, who surpasses all other animals and whose horns glow against the sky itself.Larrington (1999:139).
Prose follows after this stanza, stating a burial-mound was made for Helgi. After Helgi arrived in Valhalla, he was asked by Odin to manage things with him. In stanza 39, Helgi, now in Valhalla, has his former enemy Hunding—also in Valhalla—do menial tasks; fetching foot-baths for all of the men there, kindling fire, tying dogs, keeping watch of horses, and feeding the pigs before he can get any sleep. In stanzas 40 to 42, Helgi returns to Midgard from Valhalla with a host of men. An unnamed maid of Sigrún, Helgi's valkyrie wife, sees Helgi and his large host of men riding into the mound. The maid asks if she is experiencing a delusion, if Ragnarök is started, or if Helgi and his men were allowed to return.
In the following stanzas, Helgi responds none of these things occurred, and so Sigrún's maid goes home to Sigrún. The maid tells Sigrún the burial mound is opened, and Sigrún should go to Helgi there. Helgi asked her to come and tend his wounds after they opened and are bleeding. Sigrún goes into the mound, and finds Helgi is drenched in gore, his hair is thick with frost. Filled with joy at the re-union, Sigrún kisses him before he can remove his coat of mail, and asks how she can heal him. Sigrún makes a bed there, and the two sleep together in the enclosed burial mound. Helgi awakens, stating he must "ride along the blood-red roads, to set the pale horse to tread the path of the sky," and return before the rooster Salgófnir crows. Helgi and the host of men ride away, and Sigrún and her servant go back to their house. Sigrún orders her maid to wait for him by the mound the next night, but after she arrives at dawn, she finds he is still journeying. The prose narrative at the end of the poem relates Sigrún dies of sadness, but the two are thought to be re-born as Helgi Haddingjaskati and the valkyrie Kára.Larrington (1999:139–141).
Vafthrúðnismál In the story of Vafthrúðnismál Odin disguises himself as a man named Gagnráð and visits the all knowing giant, Vafthrúðnir, to not only test his knowledge, but gain wisdom from the giant as well. Odin and Vafthrúðnir exchange questions and tests Odin on his knowledge of the afterlife and cosmology. Vafthrúðnir asks Odin about the topography of Valhalla in Stanzas 15 and 16Vafthrúðnir said: Say this, Gagnráðr, since you want to test your talent on the floor: What is the river called that divides the earth among the sons of giants and among the gods?
Óðinn said: The river is called Ífing, which divides the earth among the sons of giants and among the gods.
Then, it is Odin's turn to ask the giant questions but instead of asking questions on the afterlife, Odin asks more esoteric questions like the fate of the gods and the end of the world. Those that are chosen to live in Valhalla with Odin prepare every day for the end of the world, also known as Ragnarök. These Vikings prepare for the battle of the end of the world everyday in the eternal battle and is the main characteristic to daily life in Valhalla. Stanzas 17 & 18 of the poem describe the field in Valhalla where this battle takes placeVafþrúðnir said: Say this, Gagnráðr, since you want to test your talent on the floor: What is the field called where Surtr and the sweet gods will meet in battle?
Óðinn said: The field is called Vígríðr, where Surtr and the sweet gods will meet in battle. It is a hundred leagues in every direction — that is the field determined for them. This poem also describes the picking of slain warriors and their entrance into Valhalla in stanza 41 that statesVafþrúðnir said: All the unique champions in Óðinn’s enclosed fields fight each other every day; they choose the slain and ride from battle; thereafter they sit together in peace. The last question Odin asks, is what he himself whispered into the ear of his dying son, Baldr, at Baldr's funeral pyre. This question, revealed Odin's true identity since only he can know the answer to that question. Vafthrúðnir realizes he has been tricked, and the story concludes with the All-father, Odin, himself humbling the wise giant who must acknowledge his unparalleled wisdom.
Prose Edda Valhalla is referenced in the Prose Edda books Gylfaginning and Skáldskaparmál.
Gylfaginning Valhalla is first mentioned in chapter 2 of the Prose Edda book Gylfaginning, where it is described partially in euhemerized form. In the chapter, King Gylfi sets out to Asgard in the guise of an old man going by the name of Gangleri to find the source of the power of the gods.
The narrative states the Æsir prophesied his arrival and prepared grand illusions for him, so as Gangerli enters the fortress, he sees a hall of such a height, he has trouble seeing over it, and notices the roof of the hall is covered in golden shields, as if they were shingles. Snorri quotes a stanza by the skald Þjóðólfr of Hvinir (c. 900). As he continues, Gangleri sees a man in the doorway of the hall juggling short swords, and keeping seven in the air simultaneously. Among other things, the man says the hall belongs to his king, and adds he can take Gangleri to the king. Gangleri follows him, and the door closes behind him. All around him, he sees many living areas, and throngs of people, some of which are playing games, some are drinking, and others are fighting with weapons. Gangleri sees three thrones, and three figures sitting upon them: High sitting on the lowest throne, Just-As-High sitting on the next highest throne, and Third sitting on the highest. The man guiding Gangleri tells him High is the king of the hall.Byock (2005:10–11).