Valhalla Odins Hall of the Slain

www.historicmysteries.com |
Kimberly Lin
July 26, 2017

In Norse mythology and religion, Odin lives in and rules the magnificent place in the spirit world called Valhalla, pronounced val-HALL-
uh. The word derives from Old Norse Valhll, which means hall of the slain. As king of all the Norse gods, Odin, along with his helpful
Valkyries, determines which warriors will die in battle and proceed to Odins Hall after death. Once there, the warriors have a critical job.
They must prepare for Ragnarok, the great battle during which the Giants will destroy the cosmos. With this in mind, the Vikings took their
beliefs about Valhalla very seriously. In this article, we will examine these beliefs more closely and look at what the Old Norse sources
have to say about the Hall of the Slain.

Artists depiction of Odins Hall. Max Bruckner 1896, public domain.

Where is Valhalla?

The most common depiction of the Hall of the Slain (also known as the Hall of the Fallen) places it in the splendid realm of the gods, Asgard one of the nine worlds
of the Norse cosmos. The world of Asgard is a place of beauty, order, and justice, and it is cradled within the bright upper branches of the world tree, Yggdrasil.
Within the gods realm, Odins golden hall exists in a place called Gladsheim or Happy Home. This is also Odins favorite abode in Asgard. Additionally,
according to later Old Norse sources, Gladsheim is also the meeting place of the gods where they hold council each day.
Artists depiction of the world of the Norse gods, Asgard. Source: Thor2 game.

However, as was the case for other Norse spirit worlds, some of the mythology also portrayed the Hall of the Slain as existing in an underground world.

The very name Valhll, the hall of the fallen, clearly seems related to the name Valhallr, the rock of the fallen, a title given to certain rocks and hills
where the dead were thought to dwell in southern Sweden, one of the greatest historical centers of the worship of Odin.

Brian McCoy

What Was the Afterlife Like in the Hall of the Fallen?

The Valkyries, choosers of the slain, are beautiful warrior-maidens who assist Odin in a number of ways. Their most important job is to help determine which
warriors live or die in battle. Of those who die, the Valkyries will usher half to Valhalla and they will become Einherjar (pronounced ane-HAIR-yar), Odins elite
warriors. These honored fighters are destined to assist Odin in Ragnarok, the great final battle that will come at the end of the cosmic cycle during which most of all
living things within the cosmos will die.

Meanwhile, the Einherjar spend most of their days honing their skills, fighting, and preparing for the great battle. The rest of their time they merrily feast from an
endless bounty of all the best foods and drinks. The gods cook sacrifices the beast Saehrimnir each day to provide the finest meat. Thereafter, the animal comes back
to life for the Einherjar to eat again the next day. Likewise, the goat Heidrun possesses magic udders that continuously produce the mead that the beautiful Valkyries
serve to the warriors.

The Einherjar feasted daily on Saerimner the beast and drank mead from Heidrun the goat. Credit: unknown.

In the same way that the food and drink have abilities of rejuvenation, so too do the Einherjar. The injuries they suffer in their daily battles magically heal up in the
evening, just in time for the feast. If they die, they come back to life.

It is an afterlife fit for kings and a place that any Viking would have aspired to enter.

Old Norse References to Odins Hall

The main sources of Old Norse mythology and religion stem from two compilations of sagas and poems. These are the Poetic Edda, also known as the Elder Edda,
and the Prose Edda, also known as the Younger Edda. The Poetic Edda consists of various poems and was compiled in the 13th century by an unknown person.
Likewise, the authors of the poems in the Poetic Edda are a mystery as well. However, many scholars agree that most of the contents originate from pre-Christian Old
Norse traditions. The Poetic Edda provides the oldest descriptions of the Hall of the Slain.

The Prose Edda also derives from the 13th century and is the work of the Christian politician, historian, and poet, Snorri Sturluson. This Edda contains sagas,
mythology, and treatises on poetry in the form of both prose and verse. Although Snorri extracted many concepts in the Prose Edda from Old Norse songs and poems,
most scholars agree that he also interjected Christian concepts into the mythology. Additionally, where there may have been voids in the imagery or organization of
concepts, he embellished rather wildly. Nonetheless, the Prose Edda is a very valuable source of Norse mythology, noteworthy heroes, and historic battles.

How Did Valhalla Look?

Grmnisml, The Sayings of Grimnir, is one of the Old Norse poems in the Poetic Edda. It was probably composed in the 10th century and provides the most
common description of Odins Hall. According to Grmnisml, the hall shimmers with golden towers. Its roof consists of battle shields, and spears serve as the
rafters. Armor covers the long benches. An eagle flies above the golden hall, while a wolf hangs above the western gates (some sources suggest the animals were
symbolic carvings).

The branches of the tree, Laerad, presumed to be the same as the world tree Yggdrasil, hang above the golden hall. Heidrun the goat and Eikthyrnir the stag eat the
branches of the tree. Surrounding Odins Hall the river Thund (The Swollen or The Roaring) roars loudly, and there is a sacred and ancient gate called Valgrind
(The Death Gate) on the outer perimeter of the hall. Inside the gate, there are 540 enormous holy doors, and through each door, eight hundred soldiers will exit to
fight the beastly wolf, Fenrir, in the battle of Ragnarok.

The following is an excerpt from Grimnisml :

8. The fifth is Glathsheim, | and gold-bright there

Stands Valhall stretching wide;
And there does Othin [Odin] | each day choose
The men who have fallen in fight.
9. Easy is it to know | for him who to Othin
Comes and beholds the hall;
Its rafters are spears, | with shields is it roofed,
On its benches are breastplates strewn.

10. Easy is it to know | for him who to Othin

Comes and beholds the hall;
There hangs a wolf | by the western door,
And oer it an eagle hovers.

Artist depiction of the gate to the Hall of the Fallen. Source: Deviant Art by najtkriss.

Other Mentions of the Hall

Eirksml is a skaldic poem anonymously composed during the second half of the 10th century. It honors the slain warrior and king, Eric Bloodaxe and provides the
first known mention about Valhalla (c. 885-954). Erics widow and queen, Gunnhild, commissioned this poem in which Odin prepares for the arrival of Eric and the
other kings/heroes at his golden hall:

Whats that dream? said Odin

I thought that before day rose
to clear Valhalla for the coming of slain men.
I woke the einherjar
told them to rise quickly
for benches to be strewn
dishes to be washed
I bade the Valkyries to bring the wine
for the great kings will be coming.

Additional Old Norse sources that mention Valhalla:

Vlusp, from the Poetic Edda, author unknown. A few brief mentions of Odins Hall.
Helgakvia Hundingsbana II, from the Poetic Edda, author unknown. In stanza 38, Helgi Hundinsbane dies and goes to the Hall of the Slain.
Hyndlulj, from Flateyjarbok, a compilation from circa 1400, author unknown. Stanza 1 refers to Odins Hall as a sacred hall.
Skldskaparml, from the Prose Edda, author Snorri Sturluson. Several mentions of Odins Hall.
Gylfaginning, from the Prose Edda, author Snorri Sturluson. Here, the prose story of Gangleri takes place in Odins Hall.
Heimskringla, author Snorri Sturluson. This provides a simple description of the golden hall as a place where the dead will arrive with their possessions in the
afterlife.

How Did a Warrior Get Into Odins Golden Hall?

As noted, Odin and his Valkyries select half of the dead Viking warriors to go to Valhalla. The other half go to the afterworld of Folkvang, field of the people, or
field of the army. Odins wife, Freya, rules over Folkvang. According to Daniel McCoy, author of The Viking Spirit, there is nothing in the extant pre-Christian
Norse sources that highlights exactly what the selection process was for entry into Odins Hall. Therefore, just how or why Odin and his Valkyries chose certain
people and not others is not explicit. It appears that the Norse afterlife was simply a continuation of this one and that Norse religion did not assign people to certain
places in the afterlife based on moral merit or lack thereof, such as in the concepts of heaven and hell in Christianity.

It wasnt until the 13th century, hundreds of years after Christianity had taken root in Iceland, that Snorri Sturluson filled in the conceptual gaps within Norse
mythology using colorful embellishments. Additionally, Christianity influenced parts of the imagery that he added some of which had nothing to do with the
ancient Norse religion. Quoting McCoy, According to Snorri, those who die in battle are taken to Odins Hall, while those who die of sickness or old age find
themselves in Hel, the underworld, after their departure from the land of the living.
It is logical, however, that Odin would have picked the crme de la crme of the warriors to join him in Valhalla to prepare for Ragnarok.

What Did the Hall of the Slain Mean to the Vikings?

Today when we hear or read about Norse mythology, we think of the stories like fanciful fairy tales: the imaginative stuff of books and movies designed to entertain
us. However, for the Germanic and Norse people, their religious beliefs and pantheon of gods had a pervasive bearing on their everyday lives. For them, the gods
truly existed.

As such, the Vikings tried to do what was necessary to appease the gods with their actions. For example, they held regular rituals on a private and community basis.
They made sacrifices in exchange for specific divine blessings such as fertility, a bountiful harvest, or a successful battle. Additionally, they worshipped the
animating spirits/gods in nature, such as rocks, mountains, and water sources.

For the Viking warrior, Odins Hall may have been foremost in his mind during every encounter on the battlefield. Perhaps their beliefs about Valhalla were the
reason why the Vikings were among the bravest and fiercest warriors in history. Their battles in this life may have been merely a tryout for the elite army in the
afterlife.

Therefore, one might surmise that the Vikings beliefs resulted in fighters who trained and fought without reservation or fear of death, as Odin may have been waiting
just beyond the veil to honor them into his spirit world. If they could prove themselves, perhaps the king of the gods would select them to live out the last days of the
cosmos like brave and honored kings in preparation for the final battle of Ragnarok.

References:
Norse Mythology for Smart People
Voluspa