Difference between revisions of "Valkyrie" - New World Encyclopedia
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− | In [[Norse mythology]] the '''valkyries''' are '' | + | In [[Norse Mythology|Norse mythology]], the '''valkyries''' are ''dísir'' (minor female deities who served [[Odin]]). Their primary purpose was to choose the most heroic of those who had died in battle and to carry them off to [[Valhalla]] where they became ''einherjar'' <definition req'd>. This was necessary because Odin needed warriors to fight at his side during the preordained battle at the end of the world ([[Ragnarok|Ragnarök]]). In Valhalla, the valkyries also “serve drink and look after the tableware and drinking vessels.”<ref>Snorri Sturluson, ''Gylfaginning'', Brodeur 35.</ref> <add verse #> |
− | It appears, however, that there was no clear distinction between the valkyries and the [[ | + | It appears, however, that there was no clear distinction between the valkyries and the [[norn]]s. Skuld is, for instance, both a valkyrie and a norn, and, in the ''[[Darraðarljóð]]'', the valkyries weave the web of war ([[Valkyrie#Other Valkyries|discussed below]]). According to the Prose Edda, “Odin sends [the valkyries] to every battle. They allot death to men and govern victory. Gunn and Rota [two valkyries] and the youngest norn, called Skuld, always ride to choose who shall be slain and to govern the killings.”<ref>''Gylfaginning'' 35.</ref> <add verse #> |
− | == | + | ==Valkyries in a Norse Context== |
− | + | As Norse deities, the Valkyries belonged to a complex religious, mythological and cosmological belief system shared by the [[Scandinavia|Scandinavian]] and [[Germany|Germanic]] peoples. This mythological tradition, of which the Scandinavian (and particularly Icelandic) sub-groups are best preserved, developed in the period from the first manifestations of religious and material culture in approximately 1000 B.C.E. until the Christianization of the area, a process that occurred primarily from 900-1200 C.E..<ref>Lindow, 6-8. Though some scholars have argued against the homogenizing effect of grouping these various traditions together under the rubric of “Norse Mythology,” the profoundly exploratory/nomadic nature of Viking society tends to overrule such objections. As Thomas DuBois cogently argues, “[w]hatever else we may say about the various peoples of the North during the Viking Age, then, we cannot claim that they were isolated from or ignorant of their neighbors…. As religion expresses the concerns and experiences of its human adherents, so it changes continually in response to cultural, economic, and environmental factors. Ideas and ideals passed between communities with frequency and regularity, leading to and interdependent and intercultural region with broad commonalities of religion and worldview.” (27-28).</ref> The tales recorded within this mythological corpus tend to exemplify a unified cultural focus on physical prowess and military might. | |
+ | |||
+ | Within this framework, Norse cosmology postulates three separate "clans" of deities: the [[Aesir]], the [[Vanir]], and the [[Jotun]]. The distinction between Aesir and Vanir is relative, for the two are said to have made peace, exchanged hostages, intermarried and reigned together after a prolonged war, which the Aesir had finally won. In fact, the most significant divergence between the two groups is in their respective areas of influence, with the Aesir representing war and conquest, and the Vanir representing exploration, fertility and wealth.<ref>More specifically, Georges Dumézil, one of the foremost authorities on the Norse tradition and a noted comparitivist, argues quite persuasively that the Aesir / Vanir distinction is a component of a larger triadic division (between ruler gods, warrior gods, and gods of agriculture and commerce) that is echoed among the Indo-European cosmologies (from Vedic India, through Rome and into the Germanic North). Further, he notes that this distinction conforms to patterns of social organization found in all of these societies. See Georges Dumézil's Gods of the Ancient Northmen (especially pgs. xi-xiii, 3-25) for more details.</ref> The ''Jotun'', on the other hand, are seen as a generally malefic (though wise) race of giants who represented the primary adversaries of the Aesir and Vanir. | ||
− | + | The primary role of Freyja, who was one of the most exalted of the Vanir, was as a goddess of love and sexual desire. | |
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==Origins== | ==Origins== | ||
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[[Image:Arbo-Valkyrien.jpg|thumb|right|The inclination towards romantic depictions of valkyries is evident in ''Valkyries'' by [[Peter Nicolai Arbo]], 1869.]] | [[Image:Arbo-Valkyrien.jpg|thumb|right|The inclination towards romantic depictions of valkyries is evident in ''Valkyries'' by [[Peter Nicolai Arbo]], 1869.]] | ||
− | == | + | ==Depictions== |
− | + | In modern art, the valkyries are sometimes depicted as beautiful [[shieldmaiden]]s on winged horses, armed with helmets and spears. However, ''valkyrie horse'' was a [[kenning]] for [[wolf]] (see [[Rök Stone]]), so contrary to the stereotype, they did not ride [[winged equine|winged horses]]. Their mounts were rather the packs of wolves that frequented the corpses of dead warriors. They were gruesome and war-like. | |
− | + | Whereas the wolf was the valkyrie's mount, the valkyrie herself appears to be akin to the [[raven]], flying over the battlefield and "choosing" corpses<ref> http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/valkyrie.htm </ref>. Thus, the packs of wolves and ravens that scavenged the aftermath of battles may have been seen as serving a higher purpose. | |
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− | + | According to [[Thomas Bulfinch]]'s highly influential work ''Bulfinch's Mythology'' (1855), the armour of the valkyries "sheds a strange flickering light, which flashes up over the northern skies, making what men call the 'Aurora Borealis', or 'Northern Lights'.<ref> http://www.mythome.org/bxxxviii.html</ref>" However, there is nothing in our sources which supports this claim<ref> http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/njordrljos.htm </ref>. | |
− | < | ||
==Notes== | ==Notes== | ||
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<references/> | <references/> | ||
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==References== | ==References== | ||
− | + | * Davidson, Hilda Roderick Ellis. ''Gods and Myths of Northern Europe.'' Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1964. ISBN 0317530267. | |
− | + | * DuBois, Thomas A. ''Nordic Religions in the Viking Age''. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1999. ISBN 0-8122-1714-4. | |
− | + | * Dumézil, Georges. ''Gods of the Ancient Northmen''. Edited by Einar Haugen; Introduction by C. Scott Littleton and Udo Strutynski. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1973. ISBN 0-520-02044-8. | |
− | + | * Lindow, John. ''Handbook of Norse mythology''. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2001. ISBN 1-57607-217-7. | |
− | + | * Munch, P. A. ''Norse Mythology: Legends of Gods and Heroes''. In the revision of Magnus Olsen; translated from the Norwegian by Sigurd Bernhard Hustvedt. New York: The American-Scandinavian foundation; London: H. Milford, Oxford University Press, 1926. | |
− | + | * Orchard, Andy. ''Cassell's Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend''. London: Cassell; New York: Distributed in the United States by Sterling Pub. Co., 2002. ISBN 0-304-36385-5. | |
− | + | * ''The Poetic Edda''. Translated and with notes by Henry Adams Bellows. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1936. 151-173. Accessed online at [http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/poe/poe00.htm sacred-texts.com]. | |
− | + | * Sturlson, Snorri. ''The Prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson: Tales from Norse Mythology''. Introduced by Sigurdur Nordal; Selected and translated by Jean I. Young. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1954. ISBN 0-520-01231-3. | |
− | + | * Sturluson, Snorri. ''The Prose Edda''. Translated from the Icelandic and with an introduction by Arthur Gilchrist Brodeur. New York: American-Scandinavian foundation, 1916. ''Available online at http://www.northvegr.org/lore/prose/index.php''. | |
+ | * Turville-Petre, Gabriel. Myth and Religion of the North: The Religion of Ancient Scandinavia. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1964. ISBN 0837174201. | ||
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[[Category: Philosophy and religion]] | [[Category: Philosophy and religion]] |
Revision as of 00:02, 21 March 2007
In Norse mythology, the valkyries are dísir (minor female deities who served Odin). Their primary purpose was to choose the most heroic of those who had died in battle and to carry them off to Valhalla where they became einherjar <definition req'd>. This was necessary because Odin needed warriors to fight at his side during the preordained battle at the end of the world (Ragnarök). In Valhalla, the valkyries also “serve drink and look after the tableware and drinking vessels.”[1] <add verse #>
It appears, however, that there was no clear distinction between the valkyries and the norns. Skuld is, for instance, both a valkyrie and a norn, and, in the Darraðarljóð, the valkyries weave the web of war (discussed below). According to the Prose Edda, “Odin sends [the valkyries] to every battle. They allot death to men and govern victory. Gunn and Rota [two valkyries] and the youngest norn, called Skuld, always ride to choose who shall be slain and to govern the killings.”[2] <add verse #>
Valkyries in a Norse Context
As Norse deities, the Valkyries belonged to a complex religious, mythological and cosmological belief system shared by the Scandinavian and Germanic peoples. This mythological tradition, of which the Scandinavian (and particularly Icelandic) sub-groups are best preserved, developed in the period from the first manifestations of religious and material culture in approximately 1000 B.C.E. until the Christianization of the area, a process that occurred primarily from 900-1200 C.E..[3] The tales recorded within this mythological corpus tend to exemplify a unified cultural focus on physical prowess and military might.
Within this framework, Norse cosmology postulates three separate "clans" of deities: the Aesir, the Vanir, and the Jotun. The distinction between Aesir and Vanir is relative, for the two are said to have made peace, exchanged hostages, intermarried and reigned together after a prolonged war, which the Aesir had finally won. In fact, the most significant divergence between the two groups is in their respective areas of influence, with the Aesir representing war and conquest, and the Vanir representing exploration, fertility and wealth.[4] The Jotun, on the other hand, are seen as a generally malefic (though wise) race of giants who represented the primary adversaries of the Aesir and Vanir.
The primary role of Freyja, who was one of the most exalted of the Vanir, was as a goddess of love and sexual desire.
Origins
The origin of the valkyries as a whole is not reported in extant texts, but many of the well known valkyries are reported as having mortal parents. It is now believed that the original valkyries were the priestesses of Odin — gruesome old hags who officiated at sacrificial rites in which prisoners were executed (“given to Odin”). These priestesses sometimes carried out the sacrifices themselves, which involved the use of a ritual spear. By the time the Poetic Edda came to be compiled in the late 12th or early 13th century, these rituals had given rise to legends of supernatural battle-maidens who took an active part in human conflict, deciding who should live and who should die (Davidson 1964).
In the mythological poems of the Poetic Edda the valkyries are supernatural deities of unknown parentage; they are described as battle-maidens who ride in the ranks of the gods or serve the drinks in Valhalla; they are invariably given unworldly names like Skogul (“Raging”), Hlok (“Shrieking”) and Gol (“Screaming”).
In the Heroic lays, however, the valkyries are described as bands of warrior-women only the leader of whom is ever named. She is invariably a human woman, the beautiful daughter of a great king, though she shares some of the supernatural abilities of her anonymous companions. In the first of the three Helgi Lays, Helgi Hjörvarðsson is accosted by a band of nine valkyries the leader of whom, Svava, is the daughter of a king called Eylimi. In the second and third lays, the valkyries are led by Sigrun, who is the daughter of King Hogni; she marries the hero Helgi Hundingsbani and bears him sons. The most famous of the valkyries, Brynhildr, is also a human princess. In the Sigrdrífumál (The Ballad of the Victory-Bringer) she is never named, being called simply Sigrdrífa (“Victory-Bringer”), and there are only hints that she is not a deity; what's more, we are told nothing of her parentage. In the corresponding passage in the Volsunga saga, however, she is identified as Brynhildr, the daughter of King Budli. (Sigrdrífa is also identified with Brynhildr in another heroic lay, Helreið Brynhildar, or Bryndhildr's Ride to Hel.)
Etymology
The word "valkyrie" comes from the Old Norse valkyrja (plural "valkyrur"), from the words "val" (to choose) and "kyrja" (slaughter). Literally the term means choosers of the slain. It is cognate to the Old English "wælcyrige". The German form "Walküre" was coined by Richard Wagner from Old Norse.[5]
Notable Valkyries
Various individual valkyries are mentioned in numerous forms of Germanic literature.
Major Valkyries
Several valkyries appear as major characters in extant myths.
- Brynhildr appears in Völsunga saga. Her name means "Byrnie of battle."
- Hildr appears in the legend of Hedin and Högni, in Ragnarsdrápa and in the Edda. Her name means "Battle."
- Sigrdrífa appears in Sigrdrífumál. Her name means "She who Drives Victory."
- Sigrún appears in Helgakviða Hundingsbana II. Her name means "Knower of Mysteries (or spells) of Victory."
- Sváva appears in Helgakviða Hjörvarðssonar.
- Ölrún, Svanhvít, and Alvitr appear in Völundarkviða. "Ölrún" means "Knower of the Mysteries (or spells) of Ale."
- Þrúðr is a daughter of Thor.
Other sources indicate that some other valkyries were notable characters in Norse mythology, such as Gunnr who appears on the Rök Runestone, and Skögul who still appeared on a runic inscription in 13th century Bergen.
Other Valkyries
Apart from the well known valkyries above, many more valkyrie names occur in our sources. In the nafnaþulur addition to Snorri's Edda the following strophes are found.
|
|
In Grímnismál we have Odin reciting the following stanza.
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|
In Völuspá there are still more names.
|
|
More are mentioned in Darraðarljóð (lines 1-52), a poem where their connection with the Norns is evident:
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|
As can be seen from the above, several of the names exist in different versions. Many of them have a readily apparent warlike meaning - Hjörþrimul, for example, means "battle of swords" while Geirahöð means "battle of spears".
To what an extent this multitude of names ever represented individual mythological beings with separate characteristics is debatable. It is likely that many of them were never more than names and in any case only a few occur in extant myths.
Depictions
In modern art, the valkyries are sometimes depicted as beautiful shieldmaidens on winged horses, armed with helmets and spears. However, valkyrie horse was a kenning for wolf (see Rök Stone), so contrary to the stereotype, they did not ride winged horses. Their mounts were rather the packs of wolves that frequented the corpses of dead warriors. They were gruesome and war-like.
Whereas the wolf was the valkyrie's mount, the valkyrie herself appears to be akin to the raven, flying over the battlefield and "choosing" corpses[6]. Thus, the packs of wolves and ravens that scavenged the aftermath of battles may have been seen as serving a higher purpose.
According to Thomas Bulfinch's highly influential work Bulfinch's Mythology (1855), the armour of the valkyries "sheds a strange flickering light, which flashes up over the northern skies, making what men call the 'Aurora Borealis', or 'Northern Lights'.[7]" However, there is nothing in our sources which supports this claim[8].
Notes
- ↑ Snorri Sturluson, Gylfaginning, Brodeur 35.
- ↑ Gylfaginning 35.
- ↑ Lindow, 6-8. Though some scholars have argued against the homogenizing effect of grouping these various traditions together under the rubric of “Norse Mythology,” the profoundly exploratory/nomadic nature of Viking society tends to overrule such objections. As Thomas DuBois cogently argues, “[w]hatever else we may say about the various peoples of the North during the Viking Age, then, we cannot claim that they were isolated from or ignorant of their neighbors…. As religion expresses the concerns and experiences of its human adherents, so it changes continually in response to cultural, economic, and environmental factors. Ideas and ideals passed between communities with frequency and regularity, leading to and interdependent and intercultural region with broad commonalities of religion and worldview.” (27-28).
- ↑ More specifically, Georges Dumézil, one of the foremost authorities on the Norse tradition and a noted comparitivist, argues quite persuasively that the Aesir / Vanir distinction is a component of a larger triadic division (between ruler gods, warrior gods, and gods of agriculture and commerce) that is echoed among the Indo-European cosmologies (from Vedic India, through Rome and into the Germanic North). Further, he notes that this distinction conforms to patterns of social organization found in all of these societies. See Georges Dumézil's Gods of the Ancient Northmen (especially pgs. xi-xiii, 3-25) for more details.
- ↑ "Valkyrie". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved on 9 August 2006.
- ↑ http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/valkyrie.htm
- ↑ http://www.mythome.org/bxxxviii.html
- ↑ http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/njordrljos.htm
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Davidson, Hilda Roderick Ellis. Gods and Myths of Northern Europe. Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1964. ISBN 0317530267.
- DuBois, Thomas A. Nordic Religions in the Viking Age. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1999. ISBN 0-8122-1714-4.
- Dumézil, Georges. Gods of the Ancient Northmen. Edited by Einar Haugen; Introduction by C. Scott Littleton and Udo Strutynski. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1973. ISBN 0-520-02044-8.
- Lindow, John. Handbook of Norse mythology. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2001. ISBN 1-57607-217-7.
- Munch, P. A. Norse Mythology: Legends of Gods and Heroes. In the revision of Magnus Olsen; translated from the Norwegian by Sigurd Bernhard Hustvedt. New York: The American-Scandinavian foundation; London: H. Milford, Oxford University Press, 1926.
- Orchard, Andy. Cassell's Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend. London: Cassell; New York: Distributed in the United States by Sterling Pub. Co., 2002. ISBN 0-304-36385-5.
- The Poetic Edda. Translated and with notes by Henry Adams Bellows. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1936. 151-173. Accessed online at sacred-texts.com.
- Sturlson, Snorri. The Prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson: Tales from Norse Mythology. Introduced by Sigurdur Nordal; Selected and translated by Jean I. Young. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1954. ISBN 0-520-01231-3.
- Sturluson, Snorri. The Prose Edda. Translated from the Icelandic and with an introduction by Arthur Gilchrist Brodeur. New York: American-Scandinavian foundation, 1916. Available online at http://www.northvegr.org/lore/prose/index.php.
- Turville-Petre, Gabriel. Myth and Religion of the North: The Religion of Ancient Scandinavia. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1964. ISBN 0837174201.
Template:NorseMythology
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