Valhalla is a paradise for valiant warriors. German-Scandinavian mythology. What is Valhalla? Afterlife ideas of the Vikings Valhalla what does it mean

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.

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...

Valhalla is a heavenly palace for fallen warriors. Valhalla is located in Asgard (the world or city of the gods) and is a real paradise for the valiant Viking warriors who fought and died with honor in arms.

In the paganism of the Slavs of Ancient Rus', we do not find an exact coincidence with the concept of Valhalla. Perhaps the warriors who fought in battles in Rus' had such an idea and even called the place that was prepared for them in another world with some term, but today nothing is known about this, so Valhalla is a truly unique phenomenon that speaks about such a side of pagan culture that has not been preserved in other countries. In Russian paganism there are the concepts of the Upper World, Rule, Navi and (Slavic Paradise). It is quite possible that Iriy was once imagined by the Slavs as a place where the most worthy warriors ended up, but there is no reliable evidence of this. Therefore, it is worth considering the German-Scandinavian version of the structure of the Upper World of Asgard and, in particular, Valhalla (Valhalla, Valhalla).

The world for warriors killed in battle is divided into two parts. Some end up in Valhalla (Palace of the Fallen), while others end up in Folkwang (Human Field). Folkvang is ruled by the goddess of war and love, Freya. Folkwang was also a place of honor for warriors, as it was considered a paradise for the strongest and bravest. By the way, the best women also ended up here, and not only warriors. However, it was Valhalla that enjoyed the greatest respect among the warriors. Valhalla is ruled by the god Odin. The Supreme God, as well as the father and leader of the Aesir (gods) Odin, sits in the Palace of the Fallen on a throne called Hlidskjalf. From this throne he can see all the worlds and all human affairs. Therefore, it will not be possible to deceive Odin. He sees all the battles and how bravely the warriors fight and how fearlessly they die. After another battle, Odin selects the bravest warriors and sends the Valkyries after them.

Valkyries, which translates from Old Norse as “choosers of the slain,” are spirits or goddesses who soar over the battlefield on winged horses and pick up fallen warriors to take them to Valhalla. The image of the Valkyrie goddesses is undoubtedly very interesting, but we will deal with this in one of the following articles. Warrior maidens, who according to various beliefs number nine or thirteen, collect souls and escort their world of fallen warriors to Odin. Here the warriors enter the Palace of Eternal Pleasures.

There is detailed information about what happens in Valhalla. It is not for nothing that God One gathers the best warriors so that they feast and indulge in various pleasures every day. Brave and fearless warriors here are preparing for the decisive battle, which is known as Ragnarok (the death of the gods and the whole world). Valhalla itself looks like a huge hall that can accommodate a large number of people. This hall has 540 doors, through each of which 800 warriors will emerge on the day of the decisive battle. If you do a simple multiplication, it turns out that there are 432 thousand warriors in Valhalla. The roof of Valhalla consists of gilded shields, which is supported by stakes.

The warriors of Valhalla are called Einherjar. Every day, from the very morning, the Einherjar put on armor, train and fight to the death. However, there is no death here and therefore the warriors are resurrected and go hunting for the wild boar of Sehrimnir. After a successful hunt, the boar is cooked in his cauldron by the “cook of Valhalla” Eldhrimnir (Andhrimnir). The boar also does not die, and after the meal it rises again until the next day. The warriors sit down to feast, eat boar meat and drink the honey that Heidrun the goat is milked with. The goat Heidrun lives on the roof of Valhalla and feeds on the leaves of the World Tree Yggdrasil. After the meal, beautiful maidens come to the warriors.

Getting here was the main dream of every warrior and Viking. It was possible to get to a place of pleasures and pleasures that would last until the very end of the world only by being truly brave and fearless. Every Viking, according to these beliefs, had to fight without sparing his strength, and at each battle he had to fight as if for the last time, and die without shame and fear, and always with a sword in his hands. The death of a warrior who at the very last moment lost or dropped his sword was considered a real grief. Then, according to legend, he could not become one of the Einherjars and could no longer meet with the god Odin to participate in the very last battle.

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The word “Valhalla” can be translated from the ancient Icelandic language as “the hall of the fallen” (warriors in battle). You can often come across different spellings of the word "Valhalla". This is Valhalla, Valhalla, Valhalla. Any transcription is acceptable.

According to the legends of the ancient Scandinavians, Valhalla is the palace of Asgard, where the god Odin rules. The owner of Valhalla asks the warriors whether they died with dignity and takes the best into his squad, which will fight with him when Rognarok comes.

The hard road to Valhalla

The road to Valhalla is difficult and only worthy warriors will find it. Not every warrior who fell in battle was worthy to enter Valhalla. Only the best got there. Some of the dead did not reach Valhalla, but were “redirected” to Folkvangr to Freya, which was considered not so honorable. The Vikings who were lucky enough to get to Odin became his personal guard (in some sources they are called ice warriors). In order for the road to Valhalla to lead the warrior specifically to Odin, the Viking had to fall with weapons in his hands. Mortally wounded warriors asked their comrades to put a sword or an ax in their hands, otherwise the road to Valhalla would not open to him.

It should be separately mentioned that the weapon was a kind of conductor to Valhalla. Without a sword or other weapon, the road to Valhalla will not open, and the warrior will forever wander in search of it.

The ice warriors of Valhalla fight each other in the morning until the only survivor remains. After this, all the fallen are resurrected, their wounds heal, and severed limbs grow back. After the battle, the heroes’ path lies to Odin’s hall, where they are met by the owner of Valhalla himself. There the brave men feast until the evening, remembering their exploits and honoring today's winner. At night, the Vikings disperse throughout Valhalla, and lovely maidens come to them, who please them until the morning. Some believe that warriors who find themselves in their paradise have fun with Valkyries, but the beauties of the night are not them at all.

Joining the ranks of Odin's warriors could be done in several ways:

  1. The owner of Valhalla took the best fighters for himself, and the Vikings believed that Odin could specifically send Valkyries to the battlefield so that they would interfere with the heroes’ fight. If a warrior suddenly stumbled or missed, it meant that Odin wanted to quickly get him into his palace;
  2. If a warrior lived to old age, he could commit ritual suicide by hanging himself from an oak tree. Thus, he repeated the sacrificial suicide of Odin, who hanged himself in order to comprehend the wisdom of the runes;
  3. The most severe was the third option - courageous death through a specific execution called “bloody eagle”. If a Viking endured such an execution without screams and groans, the entrance to Valhalla was considered open for him, and he could count on a place of honor among Odin’s ice warriors;
  4. It is believed that there is no other way to Valhalla, but there was another cruel custom. The Vikings rarely allowed captured enemies to die with dignity, but the courageous warriors knew how to get to Valhalla in this case. They asked to rip open their stomachs and nail their intestines to a high pole. Then the brave man walked around the pillar, wrapping his guts around it and taunting his enemies. If he did not lose his composure and bravely endured the pain, his enemies burned his body, asking Odin to accept the valiant warrior.

How Valhalla and the halls of Odin work

The halls of Valhalla are a large banquet hall, but instead of a roof it has the golden shields of Odin's guard (Einherjar). The walls are made of huge copies of the heroes who feast in the hall. In the morning, when leaving for battle, the warriors dismantle the walls and roof, essentially taking the palace with them.

There are a total of 540 doors in the feast hall, from each of which 800 fighters should emerge when Rognarok comes. In total there should be 432,000 warriors ready to support the gods in the final battle with the giants.

Despite the fact that women occupied a rather privileged position in Viking culture and often fought on an equal basis with men, there is not a single mention in the Scandinavian sagas of where beautiful warriors end up. The only woman mentioned in the sagas was Brünnhilde, who was exiled to earth as punishment and deprived of her Valkyrie status. In the ancient sagas, she is considered neither a human nor a Valkyrie.

In the very middle of Valhalla stands the throne of Odin, from which the stern god examines all the worlds with his only eye, so as not to miss the beginning of the end of the world.

It is worth noting that such a wild and harsh life was seen by the pagan Vikings as a real paradise, because their real life was a series of battles, murders and drunken fun.

What was Valhalla like in Christian times?

It is very interesting what opinion the first Christians had about Valhalla when they learned about the paradise of the harsh northern warriors. The first missionaries who visited the Scandinavians and learned aspects of their harsh religion were amazed to the core. Christians already considered the Vikings to be real demons, and when they learned that their paradise resembled Christian hell, they were completely confirmed in their opinion. The daily resurrection of soldiers in order to kill each other again the next day was interpreted by Christians as the torment of sinners in hell. Odin himself in this place was the embodiment of Satan.

The fearless warriors of the north, who rushed into battle against enemy troops several times superior to them and were not afraid of death, caused horror among civilized Europeans. And the Viking elite - berserkers and ulfhednars - suggested thoughts of tamed demons from hell.

Despite the adoption of Christianity by the Norwegians, many pagans fled to Iceland, where the religion of Asatru (which means faith in the Ass) has survived to this day. Modern Icelandic special forces warriors still use the Viking battle cry “Till Valhall!”, which translated into our language means “To Valhalla!”

Gates of Valhalla

To enter Valhalla, dead heroes must unlock the gates of Valgrind. Their meaning is still not clear, although logically they should lock Valhalla from unwanted visitors. This theory is also supported by the fact that one of the Scandinavian Eddas clearly states that only the dead can open the gates of Valgrind. The lock of this gate is one of the unique artifacts that were made by the dark elves.

These characters are the prototype of the dark elves, so widely popularized thanks to modern games. Although, unlike games in which dark and light elves are close relatives, the Scandinavian Eddas say that dark elves have a completely different nature than light elves.

The castle has magical powers; anyone unworthy to touch it will be bound forever when touched.

Some folklorists and publicists in Sweden (in particular Viktor Rydberg) believe that the name of the gates of Valhalla can be translated as “loudly clapping.” This statement is based on an ancient belief that linked the sound of thunder and the opening of the gates of Valgrind into one whole.

Warriors of Odin Einherjar – selected from the best

In the culture of the ancient Scandinavians one can find quite detailed descriptions of the heroes of Valhalla, the Einherjar. Although this word was used to call great heroes, its exact meaning is lost and no one knows what it really means.

Odin's warriors battle each other to hone their skills as they face off against terrible giants during the final battle of the gods. Since the wounds of the Eitherya always heal, they are immortal.

During the feast in the halls, the fallen heroes drink the magical honey that flows from the udder of the goat Heidrun. Scandinavian mythology does not give us an answer to the question of whether this drink is alcoholic, although knowing the life of the Vikings, it is not difficult to imagine that they would be bored in paradise without drinking. The main dish at the feast is the meat of the huge boar Sehrimnir, which, in addition to being able to feed an unlimited number of warriors, is reborn every day.

For many centuries, humanity has been searching for an answer to the question of whether there is an afterlife. In German-Scandinavian mythology, Valhalla is a kind of paradise in which there is a place for every brave warrior. What is this mysterious place, who rules it and how to get there?

Valhalla is heaven

So what is it? Valhalla is a heavenly palace located in the abode of the gods in Asgard. This place is ruled by the powerful Odin, who in German-Scandinavian mythology is revered as the father of all gods. The word “Valhalla” is usually translated as “palace of the fallen.”

Who can go to the heavenly palace after death? Valhalla is a kind of paradise, where only brave warriors who died in battle can find themselves. Death must certainly be worthy, otherwise the path to the domain of Odin is denied to man. Warriors who receive high honor are called Einherjar. This privilege was once the dream of every Viking.

What does Valhalla look like?

The meaning of the word "Valhalla" is not a secret - it is "the palace of the fallen." It hints at what this mysterious place looks like. The image of heaven in German-Scandinavian mythology is defined quite accurately. Valhalla is a huge palace with a roof made of gilded shields supported by spears. There are a lot of doors in this palace - 540.

The heavenly palace from German-Scandinavian mythology can hardly be compared with the Christian paradise, since everything in it is arranged completely differently. Valhalla is a world where every morning begins with a bloody battle. Each inhabitant of the “palace of the fallen” dons armor and participates in the battle. Warriors fight to the death until every participant in the battle falls. After this, all the inhabitants of the heavenly palace are resurrected, the severed body parts grow back, and the wounds are healed. Then it is time for a great feast, in which all the Einherjar participate.

Feast in Valhalla

It is impossible not to tell in more detail about the grand feast in the heavenly palace. The main dish of the feast is the meat of a boar named Sehrimnir. The boar is sacrificed daily, after which it rises from the dead. The meat at the feast never runs out, to the delight of its participants. Of course, there is also a drink, the role of which is played by honey milk, which the goat Heidrun, an animal that also lives in Odin’s domain, generously shares with the Einherjars.

At the feast there are present not only warriors who have received the honor of going to heaven, but also beautiful maidens. The main task of the latter is to please the brave men who met their death in battle. The fun continues throughout the night, and the supreme god Odin is in charge of the feast.

A few words about Odin

The powerful master of Valhalla - who is he? The Aesir are the main group of gods whose names are listed in German-Scandinavian mythology. Their leader is considered Odin - the all-powerful ruler of the “palace of the fallen,” the father of gods and people.

One eyed, he sacrificed his eye in order to receive permission to drink from the source of wisdom, thanks to which all the secrets of the universe were revealed to him. From mythology you can learn that the supreme god Asov is a master of reincarnation. People meet him in various forms as he travels around the world. The most famous incarnation of Odin is an old man dressed in a felt hat and a blue cloak. Traditionally, the leader of the Aesir is accompanied by crows or wolves.

The many-faced god often participates in battles that people wage with each other. With its help, the most worthy warriors defeat their enemies. One is married to Frigg - this goddess is considered the patroness of love and home.

How to get to Valhalla

The above describes what Valhalla is. The meaning of the word, as you remember, is “palace of the fallen.” But how can you become its inhabitant? The easiest way to get to Odin's heavenly palace and join the ranks of his personal guard is to die in battle. Moreover, a warrior who dreams of paradise must meet his end bravely and fight to the last.

Of course, not all Vikings died in battle; many of them lived to old age. In this case, ritual suicide helped them get to the monastery of the leader of the Ases. The applicant had to hang himself on an oak tree, as Odin himself once did, wanting to comprehend the power of the runes.

There is a third way to become an inhabitant of Valhalla. Warriors accused of dishonor were traditionally subject to the "blood eagle" execution. This method of killing causes terrible physical suffering to the victim, but he must not make a sound. If a person sentenced to death survives this test, he has every chance of ending up in the “palace of the fallen.” All three of these ways to get to Valhalla are reflected in the popular TV series “Vikings”.

About Valkyries

Mentioned above is how to get to the mysterious place called Valhalla. Photos of pictures reflecting its main features can also be seen in the article. It is impossible not to mention the guides who help the warriors who have found their death get to the palace of the leader of the Aesir. Of course, we are talking about Valkyries.

Valkyries are warlike maidens, on whom the distribution of deaths and victories in battles directly depends. They obey the supreme god Odin and supply brave fighters for his army. There are various assumptions about the appearance of the Valkyries. For example, in later Scandinavian myths, warlike maidens look like Nordic beauties with long light curls and bright blue eyes. Valkyries are dressed in armor, their helmets are crowned with bird wings or horns, and their weapons are spears and swords.

Valhalla is a place where only a man could become an inhabitant after death. The best of the women went to Folkvvangr - the domain of the beautiful goddess Frigg, Odin's wife. Interestingly, the fair sex did not need to meet their end in battle for this.