Valhalla is a paradise for valiant warriors. Germanic-Scandinavian mythology

Valhalla, or Valhalla, is the name of a place that in later times played the role of a kind of paradise for warriors. We will talk in more detail about what Valhalla is, as well as about various features of the Viking underworld in this article.

Definition of Valhalla

The monuments of the Scandinavian epic brought to us a certain image of Valhalla, which, apparently, was a reflection of the beliefs and afterlife aspirations of these warlike tribes. Usually, when answering the question of what Valhalla is, mythological researchers say that it is something like a heavenly palace belonging to the supreme god Odin, where after death the bravest and most worthy warriors who died during the battle go. After moving to Valhalla, they are called Einherjar. The word “Valhalla” itself is most often translated as “palace of the fallen.” And this place is localized in Asgard - the highest world on the Yggdrasil tree.

Character of Valhalla

Although, when talking about what Valhalla is, it is often compared to heaven, this analogy is still quite conventional. Of course, getting there after death was the dream and cherished desire of any Viking. But the expectations of these warlike people from paradise were somewhat different from those with which the heavenly heights are associated with us - the heirs of centuries-old Christian culture.

Valhalla, as imagined by the ancient Viking, is a huge palace (one might say, just a hall or a tent, taking into account the concepts of palaces among the ancient Scandinavians), the roof of which is made of gilded shields propped up by spears. There are 540 gates leading to this palace. Morning in Valhalla begins with a bloody massacre. All its inhabitants put on armor and fight each other to the death until no one is left alive. Then all the warriors are miraculously resurrected, their wounds heal, and the severed body parts grow back. The resurrected and healed warriors continue their day with a grand feast. The main dish of this feast is the inexhaustible meat of a boar named Sehrimnir. He is stabbed daily by Odin's cook, and, like the warriors themselves, he rises from the dead daily, unharmed. And the drink for the feasting Einherjars is honey milk, which the goat Heidrun gives abundantly. This animal also lives in Valhalla and feeds on the leaves of the Yggdrasil tree. The picture of a warrior's paradise is, of course, completed by girls called Valkyries. They appear every evening, at the end of the feast, and throughout the night they please the inhabitants of this wonderful place. And all these events of the daily program are led by the god Odin - the head of the Scandinavian divine pantheon.

This is how the ancient Vikings imagined their ideal world - rude, down-to-earth and somewhat mercantile. However, what else did the ancient soldier require, besides the extremes of battle and sensual pleasures? But there was another alternative after death for the Viking, since Valhalla is not the only refuge of the dead.

The afterlife of the Scandinavians - Folkvangr

When the battle ends, according to Viking legends, Odin descends to earth and takes half of the souls from those killed, which he takes with him to Valhalla. For the rest, another place awaits, namely Folkvangr. The name of this place translates as “field of people,” and it is in charge. Just as we study myths to understand what Valhalla is, we must also approach the question of the role and character of Volkvangr. However, much less information about him has been preserved. It is only known that, like Odin’s palace, this is the palace or throne room of Freya, the goddess of love and war among the pagan Vikings. However, in addition to half of the killed warriors, the best of women also end up in this world. Moreover, the latter were not even required to die in war. Unfortunately, nothing is known about what the inhabitants of Folkvangr were doing while spending the countless days and nights of their heavenly existence. However, it appears that being there was just as honorable and was seen as a blessing.

Dark World of Hel

In addition to the two described afterlife havens, it is also necessary to mention the world called Hel. According to the scheme, this is the bottom, characterized as a dark and joyless place. For the ancient Viking, all other afterlife worlds were preferable to this place. Its name comes from a word meaning “to hide.” The inhabitants of Hel do not have their own name. And their pastime consists of feasting with Hel, the goddess and mistress of this world that bears her name. However, later legends mention that sinners and oathbreakers are tormented in the northern part of Hel. However, this may be a later Christian accretion. In general, it is believed that Hel is the most archaic form of Scandinavian ideas about the afterlife. All the dead went there. With the further development of mythology and differentiation of worlds, Hel began to be considered as a refuge primarily for those who died from illness or old age.

Development of ideas about Valhalla

Since we are talking primarily about Valhalla, we need to say a few words about the development of ideas about this place. It was not originally the seat of the Viking fighting elite after their death. The most archaic meaning of the root valr- is associated in Indo-European with the dead in general. And only on the basis of German spirituality does it gradually acquire a highly specialized meaning. But even in its narrowest sense, in its earliest stages, Valhalla acted as a place where the souls of enemy captured warriors ended up, who were then sacrificed to Odin. This is where the name of the girls - the inhabitants of Valhalla - comes from, that is, Valkyries. Valkyries were originally called women who walked among the ranks of captured soldiers and chose from them those who were to be brought to the altar of Odin. “He who chooses the dead” is how the word “Valkyrie” is translated. Only later did they turn into supernatural warriors, helping Odin select souls for himself on the battlefield. The road to Valhalla for the chosen ones was also provided and accompanied by them.

Scandinavian eschatology

But the stay in Valhalla, as the Scandinavians believed, would be temporary. When the day of the final battle of Ragnarok comes, eight hundred warriors will come out to each gate of Valhalla and will face the entire army of monsters, as well as the dead from the world of Hel, on the side of the Aesir (gods). In the end, almost everyone will die: people, monsters and gods. Valhalla, like all other afterlifes, will no longer exist. Only a few aces and two people will survive - Liv and Livtrasir, from whom a new human race will arise.

He selects half of the warriors who died in battle, and the Valkyries deliver them to the palace. The other half of the fallen goes to Fólkvangr (en: Fólkvangr “Human Field”) to the goddess Freya.

According to legend, Valhalla is a gigantic hall with a roof of gilded shields supported by spears. This hall has 540 doors and through each 800 warriors will come out at the call of the god Heimdall during the last battle - Ragnarok. The warriors who live in Valhalla are called Einherjar. Every day in the morning they put on armor and fight to the death, and then they are resurrected and sit down to feast at a common table. They eat the meat of the boar Sehrimnir, which is slaughtered every day and every day it is resurrected. The Einherjar drink the honey that is used to milk the goat Heidrun, who stands in Valhalla and chews the leaves of the World Tree Yggdrasil. And at night beautiful maidens come and please the warriors until the morning.

In order to displace pagan cultures, Christianity and the baptists of Northern Europe identified Valhalla with hell. The Aesir were identified with demons, the Einherjar (heroes) with great sinners, the principle of endless carnage and the daily feast after resurrection from the dead (and the regrowth of severed limbs) were identified with the infinity of hellish torment.

see also

• Bilskirnir, Thor's chambers

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Literature

• Ludwig Buisson: Der Bildstein Ardre VIII auf Gotland. Reihe: Abhandlungen der Akademie der Wissenschaften in Göttingen, Philologisch-historische Klasse, Dritte Folge Nr. 102. Göttingen 1976
• Grettis saga: Die Geschichte vom starken Grettir, dem Geächteten. In: Sammlung Thule Bd. 5 Düsseldorf, Köln 1963.
• Gutalag och Gutasaga utg. af Hugo Pipping, København 1905-1907 (Samfund 33)
• Sögubrot af Fornkonungum. In: Sögur Danakonunga, udg. av C. af Petersens och E. Olson, København 1919-1925 (Samfund 46.1). Dänische Übersetzung: C. Ch. Rafn, Nordiske Kaempe-Historier, Bd. III (1824).
• Saxo Grammaticus, Gesta Danorum, rec. et ed. J. Olrik et H. Ræder, Bd. I (1931), Lib. VII, c.X.; Lib. VIII, c.IV.
• H. Uecker: Die altnordischen Bestattungsriten in der literarischen Überlieferung(Diss. München 1966).
• Elder Edda: Icelandic epic. - S.P.: Azbuka, 2011. - p. 87, 415. - ISBN 978-5-389-02679-7 /

Links

• // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.

Basics Characters Deities: Creatures: Events Places Sources: Society see also

Excerpt describing Valhalla

On May 29, Napoleon left Dresden, where he stayed for three weeks, surrounded by a court composed of princes, dukes, kings and even one emperor. Before leaving, Napoleon treated the princes, kings and emperor who deserved it, scolded the kings and princes with whom he was not entirely pleased, presented the Empress of Austria with his own, that is, pearls and diamonds taken from other kings, and, tenderly hugging Empress Maria Louise, as his historian says, he left her saddened by the separation, which she - this Marie Louise, who was considered his wife, despite the fact that another wife remained in Paris - seemed unable to bear. Despite the fact that diplomats still firmly believed in the possibility of peace and worked diligently for this purpose, despite the fact that Emperor Napoleon himself wrote a letter to Emperor Alexander, calling him Monsieur mon frere [Sovereign my brother] and sincerely assuring that he did not want war and that he would always be loved and respected - he went to the army and gave new orders at each station, with the goal of hastening the movement of the army from west to east. He rode in a road carriage drawn by six, surrounded by pages, adjutants and an escort, along the highway to Posen, Thorn, Danzig and Konigsberg. In each of these cities, thousands of people greeted him with awe and delight.
The army moved from west to east, and the variable gears carried him there. On June 10, he caught up with the army and spent the night in the Vilkovysy forest, in an apartment prepared for him, on the estate of a Polish count.
The next day, Napoleon, having overtaken the army, drove up to the Neman in a carriage and, in order to inspect the area of ​​the crossing, changed into a Polish uniform and went ashore.
Seeing on the other side the Cossacks (les Cosaques) and the spreading steppes (les Steppes), in the middle of which was Moscou la ville sainte, [Moscow, the holy city,] the capital of that similar Scythian state, where Alexander the Great went, - Napoleon, unexpectedly for everyone and contrary to both strategic and diplomatic considerations, he ordered an offensive, and the next day his troops began to cross the Neman.
On the 12th, early in the morning, he left the tent, pitched that day on the steep left bank of the Neman, and looked through the telescope at the streams of his troops emerging from the Vilkovyssky forest, spilling over three bridges built on the Neman. The troops knew about the presence of the emperor, looked for him with their eyes, and when they found a figure in a frock coat and hat separated from his retinue on the mountain in front of the tent, they threw their caps up and shouted: “Vive l" Empereur! [Long live the emperor!] - and alone others, without being exhausted, flowed out, everything flowed out of the huge forest that had hidden them hitherto and, upset, crossed three bridges to the other side.
– On fera du chemin cette fois ci. Oh! quand il s"en mele lui meme ca chauffe... Nom de Dieu... Le voila!.. Vive l"Empereur! Les voila donc les Steppes de l"Asie! Vilain pays tout de meme. Au revoir, Beauche; je te reserve le plus beau palais de Moscow. Au revoir! Bonne chance... L"as tu vu, l"Empereur? Vive l" Empereur!.. preur! Si on me fait gouverneur aux Indes, Gerard, je te fais ministre du Cachemire, c"est arrete. Vive l"Empereur! Vive! vive! vive! Les gredins de Cosaques, comme ils filent. Vive l"Empereur! Le voila! Le vois tu? Je l"ai vu deux fois comme jete vois. Le petit caporal... Je l"ai vu donner la croix a l"un des vieux... Vive l"Empereur!.. [Now let's go! Oh! as soon as he takes charge, things will boil. By God... Here he is... Hurray, Emperor! So here they are, the Asian steppes... However, a bad country. Goodbye, Bose. I will leave you the best palace in Moscow. Goodbye, I wish you success. Have you seen the emperor? Hurray! If I am made governor in India, I will make you minister of Kashmir... Hurray! Emperor Here he is! Do you see him? I saw him twice like you. Little corporal... I saw how he hung a cross on one of the old men... Hurray, emperor!] - said the voices of old and young people, of the most diverse characters and positions in society. All the faces of these people had one common expression of joy at the beginning of the long-awaited campaign and delight and devotion to the man in a gray frock coat standing on the mountain.

For those killed in battle, a paradise for valiant warriors.

According to legend, Valhalla is a gigantic hall with a roof made of gilded shields supported by spears. This hall has 540 doors and through each one 800 warriors will emerge at the call of the god Heimdall for the final battle Ragnarok. The warriors who live in Valhalla are called Einherjar. Every day in the morning they put on armor and are hacked to death, and then they are resurrected and sit down at a common table to feast. They eat the meat of the boar Sehrimnir, which is slaughtered every day and every day it is resurrected. The Einherjar drink the honey that is used to milk the goat Heidrun, who stands in Valhalla and chews the leaves of the World Tree Yggdrasil. And at night beautiful maidens come and please the warriors until the morning.

In order to displace other cultures, Christianity and the baptists of Northern Europe identified Valhalla with hell. The Aesir were identified with demons, the Einherjar (heroes) with great sinners, the principle of endless carnage and the daily feast after resurrection from the dead (and the regrowth of severed limbs) were identified with the infinity of hellish torment.

Attention, the classic pronunciation is Valhalla, not etc.

Literature

• Ludwig Buisson: Der Bildstein Ardre VIII auf Gotland. Reihe: Abhandlungen der Akademie der Wissenschaften in Göttingen, Philologisch-historische Klasse, Dritte Folge Nr. 102. Göttingen 1976
• Grettis saga: Die Geschichte vom starken Grettir, dem Geächteten. In: Sammlung Thule Bd. 5 Düsseldorf, Köln 1963.
• Gutalag och Gutasaga utg. af Hugo Pipping, København 1905-1907 (Samfund 33)
• Sögubrot af Fornkonungum. In: Sögur Danakonunga, udg. av C. af Petersens och E. Olson, København 1919-1925 (Samfund 46.1). Dänische Übersetzung: C. Ch. Rafn, Nordiske Kaempe-Historier, Bd. III (1824).
• Saxo Grammaticus, Gesta Danorum, rec. et ed. J. Olrik et H. Ræder, Bd. I (1931), Lib. VII, c.X.; Lib. VIII, c.IV.
• H. Uecker: Die altnordischen Bestattungsriten in der literarischen Überlieferung(Diss. München 1966).

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Synonyms:

See what "Valhalla" is in other dictionaries:

- (Scand. valhalla, from other German. wal a pile of dead, and hall the royal castle). 1) according to the beliefs of the ancient Scandinavians, a paradise where only those who died a heroic death could go. 2) a building near Munich, the capital of Bavaria, built by King Ludwig for... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

- (foreign) collection of images (names) of prominent figures of the country. Wed. Should we point to such examples as Aksakov, Gogol, Gr. Tolstoy, Turgenev, Goncharov, Dostoevsky... The gap in this Russian Valhalla was created by the era of the 60s... ... Michelson's Large Explanatory and Phraseological Dictionary (original spelling)

See Valhalla... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

See Valhalla... Historical Dictionary

Noun, number of synonyms: 3 valhalla (1) palace (17) paradise (24) ASIS synonym dictionary. V.N. Three … Synonym dictionary

- (foreign) collection of images (names) of prominent figures of the country Wed. Should we point to such examples as Aksakov, Gogol, gr. Tolstoy, Turgenev, Goncharov, Dostoevsky... The gap in this Russian Valhalla was left by the era of the 60s... ... Michelson's Large Explanatory and Phraseological Dictionary

See Valhalla. * * * VALHALLA VALHALLA, see Valhalla. (see VALHALLA) ... encyclopedic Dictionary

Valhalla- ы, = Walcha/llaonly units, w. In Scandinavian mythology: the heavenly home of brave warriors who fell in battle, belonging to the supreme god Odin. Etymology: From Swedish Valhall (← other scand. vallhöll ‘hall of the dead’ ← valr ‘fallen’, ‘killed’ and höll… … Popular dictionary of the Russian language

- (Scand.) A type of heaven (Devachan) for fallen warriors, called by the ancient Scandinavians the hall of blessed heroes; it has five hundred doors. Source: Theosophical Dictionary... Religious terms

Valhalla- Valg Allah, s... Russian spelling dictionary

Books

• Valhalla from op. "The Ring of the Nibelungs", S. 449, Franz Liszt. Reprint sheet music edition of Liszt, Franz "Walhall aus Der Ring des Nibelungen, S. 449". Genres: Paraphrases; For piano; Scores featuring the piano; For 1 player. We have created especially for you...

“See you again in Valhalla,” the wounded Viking shouted, laughing madly, and rushed into battle, picking up a bloody axe. Ax of a fallen brother. And the Viking was not afraid of death, for he knew that One All-Father was waiting for him.

Hello Friend. My name is Gavrilov Kirill and this is my Northern diary. I am interested in the history, mythology and philosophy of medieval Scandinavia and the entire north in general. You can read about me and my diary.

Now I will tell you about Valhalla or Valhalla, both options are correct and it makes no difference what you call it.

What is and where is Valhalla?

From Old Germanic " Walhall" or Icelandic "Valholl"- a palace or palace of the fallen. To put it as simply as possible, this is a paradise for worthy warriors. Home of the supreme god Odin. A large heavenly palace with high ceilings and wide passages. Brave warriors who fell in battle, after death, end up in Valhalla.

At the very top of the world tree Yggdrasil, above Midgard - the world of mortals, is Asgard - the world of the Scandinavian gods. Valhalla stands on a high hill in the middle of Asgard and proudly rises above everyone. According to another version of the myth, Valhalla is part of Gladsheim, the “Abode of Joy,” the palace of Odin.

What does Valhalla look like and who lives in it?

In the Elder Edda, the heavenly palace is described as a huge structure with a roof of gilded shields and walls of strong battle spears. High ceilings, wide passages and large doors.

Valhalla has five hundred and forty doors and eight hundred warriors will come out of each. In total, the palace can accommodate almost half a million warriors.

In the center of the hall of the fallen is a great hall. In this hall, at a large table, they feast and tell the legends of the Einherjar - the fallen warriors, the sons of Odin. Each Einherjar is considered the adopted son of Odin, which is why he is often called.

The Supreme God and his squad are served by Valkyrie maidens. They distribute the most delicious drink - the honey of the goat Heidrun and the best meat - the boar Senkhrimir. This boar is prepared every day by the cook Andhrimnir, and the next day the animal is reborn again.

Every day, warriors fight each other in mortal combat, honing their fighting skills. Every evening they feast and enjoy songs and heroic stories. Every night they are pleased by beautiful maidens.

How to get to Valhalla

Only the strongest and bravest warriors, who died with dignity in battle, will go to the owner of the halls - Odin. After death, accompanied by the Valkyries, on the way to Valhalla, the Einherjar will be ascended to the entrance - the large high gate.

Having stepped onto the sacred ground and entered them, he will see his fallen brothers, sit on a bench covered with chain mail, in the large main hall, where beautiful music and legendary battle songs flow. He will sit next to the gods and feast and listen to stories about military exploits.

Valhalla in Norse mythology

The heavenly palace is found throughout German-Scandinavian mythology. It is a key and significant place - a meeting place for gods and heroes.

Mentions of Valhalla can be found in:

1. Younger Edda
2. Speeches of Greenmere - part of the Elder Edda

Valhalla - illustration to the Prose Edda by Snorri Sturluson, 13th century.

Valhalla

The heart is drawn not to home, but to battle,
The soul rejoices before battle!
This is how the Scandinavian hero was born -
He only delights in war!

Let us raise, warriors, cups of wine
To the glory of the upcoming victories!
Our swords were given to us by the All-Father,
Cast from the wrath of the mourners.

Mourning those who fell on the battlefields
Heroes whose wrath is boundless;
He froze in his eyes flickering with vengeance,
The burning soul has become familiar.

Let us raise our cups for sweet revenge,
Yes, we will exchange death for death!
A warrior's honor will not be violated,
We will not tire of defeating our enemies.

Helheim will tremble with moans and pleas
Slain by our weapons;
Even the enemy knows deep pain -
Our anger is merciless and terrible!

Let us raise our cups to the glory of the gods,
Let's sing songs about the Valkyries.
We are ten steps away from Valhalla,
And there - every warrior will be resurrected.

The desire to win is a trait of a brave man,
The Son of the North cannot give up;
He goes to his goal to the end,
It will destroy obstacles in battle!

Let us raise our cups to those who fell in battle,
Who fought bravely and faithfully,
Substituting your chain mail under the sword,
And he gave up his life with dignity!

Let's raise our cups to those who are now
He sits with me in this room.
There is only one hour left before the battle...
Well, we'll meet, friends, in Valhalla!

Valhalla is Germany's Hall of Fame. This complex contains sculptural images of the great sons and daughters of the nation, who became famous in the fields of politics, art, literature, and science.

Walhalla, photo by Monika Haberlein

Valhalla, photo by Erik’s Liberation

Valhalla, photo photowolf

By the time of Ludwig's coronation, 60 busts had been created for the Hall of Fame. Construction of the grandiose building began in 1830.

Valhalla was completed in October 1842. The architect completed the large-scale structure in the ancient Roman style with powerful antique white marble columns and a classic triangular pediment. The friezes of the building are decorated with reliefs with allegorical images of German states and battle scenes. 358 steps lead to the pantheon from the bank of the Danube.

Valhalla, photo by cinxxx

For the opening, 96 busts and 64 memorial plaques were installed in the Hall of Fame (the plaques were dedicated to those people whose lifetime images could not be found). Representatives from different countries are in the Valhalla assembly. Russia is represented by four busts of prominent people, among them the Empress Catherine the Great.

Since the Hall of Fame opened, 32 busts and one commemorative plaque have been added to the collection. The main condition for considering the candidacy of a new hero of Valhalla: at least twenty years must have passed since the date of his death.

Walhalla, photo Rainer Lott / Steffi Esch

Among the illustrious names of the Valhalla assembly approved in recent decades are: Albert Einstein, Johann Brahms, Caroline Gerhardinger, Carl Friedrich Gauss, Heinrich Heine. A separate statue is dedicated to the founder of the Hall of Fame, Ludwig of Bavaria. The “Moon King” sits on a marble throne in the guise of an ancient hero and looks at the embodiment of his great idea.

Walhallastraße 48 93093 Donaustauf, Germany
walhalla-regensburg.de‎

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