"Peredur son of Efrawg, and these are the armed witches of Caer Lyow. Also in Welsh mythology, we have nine maidens who tend the fire below the Cauldron of the ""Chief of Annwfn""; this cauldron is the target of Arthur’s raid on the Underworld in Taliesin’s famous poem Preiddeu Annwfn. Groups of Nine Maidens crop up in the Icelandic tales of Thidrandi and in Brand’s saga, in the story of Svipdagr, as Valkyries and as the daughters of the sea goddess Rán. In Norse mythology, the watcher god of Valhalla, Heimdallr is said to be born of nine mothers, and"
"Valkyrie In Norse mythology, a valkyrie (; from Old Norse ""chooser of the slain"") is one of a host of female figures who choose those who may die in battle and those who may live. Selecting among half of those who die in battle (the other half go to the goddess Freyja's afterlife field ), the valkyries bring their chosen to the afterlife hall of the slain, Valhalla, ruled over by the god Odin. There, the deceased warriors become (Old Norse ""single (or once) fighters""). When the are not preparing for the events of Ragnarök, the valkyries bear them mead."
"She's dropped the ball. Because she's not done what she said she would do, nature—or supernature, as it is—abhors a vacuum. The absence of the Valkyrior has opened the door to something terrible. Something awful is waking, and Valkyrie finds that it's really her fault that she's put everything at risk."" The Valkyrior are warrior goddesses of Asgard who ride winged horses. Originally, under the leadership of Brunnhilde, they took mortally wounded human heroes from German and Scandinavian battlegrounds and brought them to Valhalla, an area of the Asgardian dimension where the astral forms of the dead Asgardians and human"
"in a ring of fire, and her rescue by a hero without fear. The Valkyries have a basis in historical fact, within the primitive Teutonic war-cult. According to Cooke, originally they were ""grisly old women who officiated at the sacrificial rites when prisoners were put to death."" They became entwined in legend: in the Poetic Edda they emerge as supernatural warrior maidens carrying out Odin's orders as to who should die. In the Poetic Edda the Valkyries are given names: Skuld, Skogul, Gunn, Hild, Gondul and Geirskogul. Some of these names differ in other sources. The names that Wagner gave"
"""What has happened in the past 40 years through archaeological research, partly fueled by feminist research, is that women have been found to be priestesses and leaders, too... This has forced us to rewrite history."" The image of warrior women was not foreign to the Vikings. There are several examples of female depictions where they are seen wielding weapons. In Norse mythology we find the depiction of a group of supernatural women warriors called the Valkyries. This group of women, mentioned in the Poetic Edda, act as guardians in Valhalla and allot death on the battlefield. They are rarely depicted"
"were linked with death and war due to their predilection for carrion. It is consequently likely that they were regarded as manifestations of the Valkyries, goddesses who chose the valiant dead for military service in Valhalla. A further connection between ravens and Valkyries was indicated in the shapeshifting abilities of goddesses and Valkyries, who could appear in the form of birds. The raven appears in almost every skaldic poem describing warfare. To make war was to feed and please the raven (""hrafna seðja"", ""hrafna gleðja""). An example of this is found in ""Norna-Gests þáttr"", where Regin recites the following poem"
"Shield-maiden A shield-maiden (), in Scandinavian folklore and mythology was a female warrior. They are often mentioned in sagas such as ""Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks"" and in ""Gesta Danorum"". Shield-maidens also appear in stories of other Germanic peoples: Goths, Cimbri, and Marcomanni. The mythical valkyries may have been based on the shield-maidens. The historical existence of shield-maidens is heavily debated, but scholars including Neil Price, argue that they existed while others, like scholar Judith Jesch disagree, citing a lack of hard evidence for trained or regular women warriors. There are few historic attestations that Viking Age women took part in"
"a thrill ride at Blackpool Pleasure Beach in England. Valhalla In Norse mythology, Valhalla (; from Old Norse Valhöll ""hall of the slain"") is a majestic, enormous hall located in Asgard, ruled over by the god Odin. Chosen by Odin, half of those who die in combat travel to Valhalla upon death, led by valkyries, while the other half go to the goddess Freyja's field Fólkvangr. In Valhalla, the dead join the masses of those who have died in combat known as Einherjar and various legendary Germanic heroes and kings, as they prepare to aid Odin during the events of"
"Valhalla In Norse mythology, Valhalla (; from Old Norse Valhöll ""hall of the slain"") is a majestic, enormous hall located in Asgard, ruled over by the god Odin. Chosen by Odin, half of those who die in combat travel to Valhalla upon death, led by valkyries, while the other half go to the goddess Freyja's field Fólkvangr. In Valhalla, the dead join the masses of those who have died in combat known as Einherjar and various legendary Germanic heroes and kings, as they prepare to aid Odin during the events of Ragnarök. Before the hall stands the golden tree Glasir,"
"kings' kinsmen"" and decide who in battle should dwell with Odin in Valhalla. A battle rages with great slaughter, and part of the description employs the kenning ""Skögul's-stormblast"" for ""battle"". Haakon and his men die in battle, and they see the valkyrie Göndul leaning on a spear shaft. Göndul comments that ""groweth now the gods' following, since Hákon has been with host so goodly bidden home with holy godheads."" Haakon hears ""what the valkyries said,"" and the valkyries are described as sitting ""high-hearted on horseback,"" wearing helmets, carrying shields and that the horses wisely bore them. A brief exchange follows"
"poem ""Grímnismál"" that contains a list of valkyries. 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""), Róta, and Skuld—the last of the three he refers to as ""the youngest norn""—""always ride to choose the slain and decide the outcome of battle"". In chapter 49, High describes that when Odin and his wife Frigg arrived at the funeral of their slain son Baldr, with them came the valkyries and also Odin's ravens. References to"
"among the kings' kinsmen"" and who in battle should dwell with Odin in Valhalla. A battle rages with great slaughter, and part of the description employs the kenning ""Skögul's-stormblast"" for ""battle"". Haakon and his men die in battle, and they see the valkyrie Göndul leaning on a spear shaft. Göndul comments that ""groweth now the gods' following, since Hákon has been with host so goodly bidden home with holy godheads"". Haakon hears ""what the valkyries said"", and the valkyries are described as sitting ""high-hearted on horseback"", wearing helmets, carrying shields and that the horses wisely bore them. A brief exchange"
"beings. The Furies were female spirits who exacted vengeance against people who committed specific crimes. Keres were female spirits of death and destruction. Persephone was the goddess of the underworld and the spouse of Hades. Thanatos, the god of death, was said to wear dark robes. The Vikings believed that if a warrior died in battle, he would be taken to the Norse afterlife: the hall of Valhöll, in which the warriors would prepare for Ragnarökk, the battle at the end of the world. Rune stones were erected to commemorate particularly brave warriors. Death in one's sleep (a ""straw death"")"
"Brunhild Brunhild, also known as Brunhilda or Brynhild (Old Norse ""Brynhildr"", Middle High German ""Brünhilt"", Modern German ""Brünhild"" or ""Brünhilde"") is a powerful female figure from Germanic heroic legend. She may have her origins in the Visigothic princess Brunhilda of Austrasia. In the Norse tradition, Brunhild is a shieldmaiden or valkyrie, who appears as a main character in the ""Völsunga saga"" and some Eddic poems treating the same events. In the continental Germanic tradition, where she is a central character in the ""Nibelungenlied"", she is a powerful Amazon-like queen. In both traditions, she is instrumental in bringing about the death"
"mound a woman with a staff in hand. It is his Valkyrie, who has left her seat and come to him in the shape of a bird. Now she is his beautiful ""sigwif"", the hero's benevolent, even loving companion, who revives him with a draught from that chalice and takes him to Valhalla. The horse may be ""Sleipnir"", Woden's famous stallion."" Krause and Becker call attention to the significance of the two trefoil marks or valknutr between the stallion's legs, which denote the realm of death and can be found in similar position on picture stones from Gotland, Sweden like"
"to fall in war."" Davidson says that it appears that from ""early times"" the Germanic peoples ""believed in fierce female spirits doing the command of the war god, stirring up disorder, taking part in battle, seizing and perhaps devouring the slain."" The goddess Freyja and her afterlife field Fólkvangr, where she receives half of the slain, has been theorized as connected to the valkyries. Britt-Mari Näsström points out the description in ""Gylfaginning"" where it is said of Freyja ""whenever she rides into battle she takes half of the slain"", and interprets ""Fólkvangr"" as ""the field of the Warriors"". Näsström notes"
"Norns The Norns (, plural: """") in Norse mythology are female beings who rule the destiny of gods and men. They roughly correspond to other controllers of humans' destiny, such as the Fates, elsewhere in European mythology. In Snorri Sturluson's interpretation of the ""Völuspá"", Urðr (Wyrd), Verðandi and Skuld, the three most important of the Norns, come out from a hall standing at the Well of Urðr or Well of Fate. They draw water from the well and take sand that lies around it, which they pour over the Yggdrasill tree so that its branches will not rot. These three"
"Árvakr and Alsviðr In Norse mythology, Árvakr (Old Norse ""early awake"") and Alsviðr (Old Norse ""very quick"") are the horses which pull the sun, or Sól's chariot, across the sky each day. It is said that the gods fixed bellows underneath the two horses' shoulders to help cool them off as they rode. Both horses are only mentioned in ""Gylfaginning"" and ""Grímnismál"" and their names are frequently associated with descriptions of the Sun. In Nordic mythology, gods govern the passage of days, nights, and seasons, and shape the Sun from a spark of the flame Muspelheim, but the Sun stands"
"the valkyries have over wyrd or ørlog—a Germanic concept of fate. Richard North says that the description of a raven flying over the Egyptian army (glossed as ) may have been directly influenced by the Old Norse concept of Valhalla, the usage of in may represent a loan or loan-translation of Old Norse , but the Cotton Cleopatra A. iii and the ""Corpus Glossary"" instances ""appear to show an Anglo-Saxon conception of that was independent of contemporary Scandinavian influence"". Two Old English charms mention figures that are theorised as representing an Anglo-Saxon notion of valkyries or valkyrie-like female beings; ,"
"services. In addition, many aristocratic Viking women wanted to serve Freyja and represent her in Midgard. They married Viking warlords who had Odin as a role model, and they settled in great halls that were earthly representations of Valhalla. In these halls there were magnificent feasts with ritualized meals, and the visiting chieftains can be likened with the einherjar, the fallen warriors who fought bravely and were served drinks by Valkyries. However, the duties of the mistresses were not limited to serving mead to visiting guests, but they were also expected to take part in warfare by manipulating weaving tools"
"the völva says that from the lake under the tree come three ""maidens deep in knowledge"" named Urðr, Verðandi, and Skuld. The maidens ""incised the slip of wood,"" ""laid down laws"" and ""chose lives"" for the children of mankind and the destinies ("""") of men. In stanza 27, the völva details that she is aware that ""Heimdallr's hearing is couched beneath the bright-nurtured holy tree."" In stanza 45, Yggdrasil receives a final mention in the poem. The völva describes, as a part of the onset of Ragnarök, that Heimdallr blows Gjallarhorn, that Odin speaks with Mímir's head, and then: In"
"realm of the dead, it appears that Valhalla was located somewhere in the heavens. Odin's kingdom was primarily an abode for men, and the women who live there are the valkyries who gather the fallen warriors on the battle field and bring them to Odin's hall, where they pour mead for them. Little information is known on where women went, but both Helgafjell and Hel's realm must have been open for women, and the lavish gifts that could be bestowed on dead women show that they were understood to have an afterlife as well. Fólkvangr is an afterlife field ruled"
"the Icelandic Etta. During the Viking Age a type of female warrior was the ""skjaldmær"", or shieldmaiden. Hard historical evidence of non-mythological female warrior classes have been harder to come by, but some studies have been done (e.g. Birka warrior). However, groups of female warriors typically belong in folkelore and mythology, rather than in reality where there were only exceptional cases of women engaging directly in combat roles. A 2017 study led by Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson produced DNA results confirming the remains excavated in Birka, Sweden, were a female warrior. However, prominent historian and viking specialists, such as Judith Jesch, have"
"to be replaced with other terms. Things are further complicated by the fact that when referring to the elves of Old Norse mythology, scholars have adopted new forms based directly on the Old Norse word ""álfr"". The following table summarises the situation in the main modern standard languages of Scandinavia. The elves of Norse mythology have survived into folklore mainly as females, living in hills and mounds of stones. The Swedish ""älvor"" were stunningly beautiful girls who lived in the forest with an elven king. The elves could be seen dancing over meadows, particularly at night and on misty mornings."
"with Odin in Valhalla. A battle rages with great slaughter. Haakon and his men die in battle, and they see the valkyrie Göndul leaning on a spear shaft. Göndul comments that ""groweth now the gods' following, since Hákon has been with host so goodly bidden home with holy godheads."" Haakon hears ""what the valkyries said,"" and the valkyries are described as sitting ""high-hearted on horseback,"" wearing helmets, carrying shields and that the horses wisely bore them. A brief exchange follows between Haakon and the valkyrie Skögul: Skögul says that they shall now ride forth to the ""green homes of the"
"heroes eternally feast and compete in friendly battles. The Valkyries were no longer able to perform this task when Odin, ruler of Asgard, vowed to the Celestials a millennium ago that he would severely restrict Asgardian contact with Earth. In later years, Brunnhilde became a member of Earth's Defenders. The remaining Valkyries were killed in a war between Odin and Hela over rule of Valhalla. Odin restored the Valkyries to life after he regained possession of Valhalla, but these Valkyries only have physical form within Valhalla; outside it, they exist only in astral form. Valtrauta has taken Brunnhilde's place as"
"had, According to legend, the god of war, Odin, from the Asa line of gods, prepared to fight for the world and its survival. He sent his messengers, the valkyries, to escort the bravest warriors killed in a battle to Valhalla. The warriors who gathered there, called ""Einherjar"", practised the art of warfare during the daytime. In the evening, after their wounds had healed, the army of the dead moved into Odin's hall together, where there was always a filled drinking horn and a good meal. Whether this code of honour existed or not, much of their fighting was, in"
"Valhalla changed from a battlefield to a warrior's paradise"". Simek says that this original concept was ""superseded by the shield girls—Irish female warriors who lived on like the ""einherjar"" in Valhall."" Simek says that the valkyries were closely associated with Odin, and that this connection existed in an earlier role as ""demons of death"". Simek states that due to the shift of concept, the valkyries became popular figures in heroic poetry, and during this transition were stripped of their ""demonic characteristics and became more human, and therefore become capable of falling in love with mortals [...]."" Simek says that the"
"MacLeod and Mees believe the word means something like ""supernatural sending"", and that this points to a connection to the Ragnhild Tregagás charm, where a valkyrie is also ""sent forth"". The Old Norse poems ""Völuspá"", ""Grímnismál"", ""Darraðarljóð"" and the ""Nafnaþulur"" section of the ""Prose Edda"" book ""Skáldskaparmál"", provide lists of valkyrie names. In addition, some valkyrie names appear solely outside of these lists, such as ""Sigrún"" (who is attested in the poems ""Helgakviða Hundingsbana I"" and ""Helgakviða Hundingsbana II""). Many valkyrie names emphasize associations with battle and, in many cases, on the spear—a weapon heavily associated with the god Odin."
"meaning ""wish fulfiller""), referring to the fact that Odin receives slain warriors in Valhalla. Valkyries are mentioned or appear in the ""Poetic Edda"" poems ""Völuspá"", ""Grímnismál"", ""Völundarkviða"", ""Helgakviða Hjörvarðssonar"", ""Helgakviða Hundingsbana I"", ""Helgakviða Hundingsbana II"" and ""Sigrdrífumál"". In stanza 30 of the poem ""Völuspá"", a völva (a travelling seeress in Norse society) tells Odin that ""she saw"" valkyries coming from far away who are ready to ride to ""the realm of the gods"". The völva follows this with a list of six valkyries: Skuld (Old Norse, possibly ""debt"" or ""future"") who ""bore a shield"", Skögul (""shaker""), Gunnr (""war""), Hildr (""battle""),"
"theory, invisible fetters and bonds could be controlled from a loom, and if a lady loosened a knot in the woof, she could liberate the leg of her hero. But if she tied a knot, she could stop the enemy from moving. The men may have fought on the battle field in sweat and blood, but in a spiritual way, their women took part. It is not by coincidence that archaeologists find weaving tools and weapons side by side. A distaff possessed magical powers, and in the world of the gods, the Norns twined the threads of fate. In ""Helgakviða"
"throughout the worlds and bestowed among humanity the runic alphabet; the beautiful, seiðr-working, feathered cloak-clad goddess Freya who rides to battle to choose among the slain; the vengeful, skiing goddess Skaði, who prefers the wolf howls of the winter mountains to the seashore; the powerful god Njörð, who may calm both sea and fire and grant wealth and land; the god Frey, whose weather and farming associations bring peace and pleasure to humanity; the goddess Iðunn, who keeps apples that grant eternal youthfulness; the mysterious god Heimdall, who is born of nine mothers, can hear grass grow, has gold teeth,"
"""battle"". Haakon and his men die in battle, and they see the valkyrie Göndul leaning on a spear shaft. Göndul comments that ""groweth now the gods' following, since Hákon has been with host so goodly bidden home with holy godheads."" Haakon hears ""what the valkyries said,"" and the valkyries are described as sitting ""high-hearted on horseback,"" wearing helmets, carrying shields and that the horses wisely bore them. A brief exchange follows between Haakon and the valkyrie Skögul: Skögul says that they shall now ride forth to the ""green homes of the godheads"" to tell Odin the king will come to"