The Joys of Valhalla

Valhalla is also the place of the Chosen Slain, and the supreme desire of the warrior is to be worthy to enter it. Its walls are covered with shining spears and the roof is bright with golden shields. The bravest hero is accorded special honour, for Odin descends from his high seat and leads him to the feast. The feast is abundant and the main item is the flesh of a wonderful boar, which comes to life again after the heroes have satisfied their appetites. For drink the heroes are supplied abundantly with mead from the she-goat Heidrum. When the heroes are not feasting they amuse themselves with fighting. Every day they ride out into the court or field and fight until they cut each other in pieces. This is their pastime; but when meal-time comes they recover from their wounds and return to feast in Valhalla.

The Valkyries are warlike virgins, mounted upon horses and armed with helmets and spears. Odin wants to collect a great many heroes in Valhalla to be able to repel attacks of the hostile giants in a day when the final battle must come, that’s why he sends the Valkyries down to every battlefield to select those who shall be slain. Thus, the Valkyries apportioned death, not as a punishment but as a reward. They carried off the warriors who had been killed in glory and took them to Valhalla, to the place which was reserved for chosen heroes.

Thor and the Other Gods

Thor, the thunderer, Odin’s eldest son, is the strongest of gods and possesses three very precious things. He is armed with the hammer Mjöllnir, which has the special quality of returning automatically to Thor’s hand when he hurls it. He also has a magic belt, which doubles the strength of its wearer, and a pair of iron gloves.

Thor was the god worshipped by the Vikings, for, like them, he was free.

Balder (Baldur) is the best-loved of the gods. He is the son of Odin and Frigga, and is known as “the Beautiful”.

Balder is the opposite of the others: they are harsh and violent, while he is gentle and kind, pleasant and willing to help. “He is so beautiful to look at and so radiant that he gives out light, he is the wisest of the gods, the most skilful in speech and the most merciful.”

Frey is one of the most celebrated of the gods. He presides over rain and sunshine and all the fruits of the earth. His sister Freya is the most benevolent of the goddesses. She is the patroness of music, love and fertility. From her name the word Friday is derived.

Tiu is the god of war and battles. He is represented as having only one hand, some say because he can only give victory to one side, others because the missing hand was bitten off by the wolf Fenris (Fenrir). From his name the word Tuesday is derived.

Hodur (Hödr), twin brother of Balder, is the blind god of brute force and conflict.

Bragi is the god of poetry, and his songs record the deeds of warriors. His wife, Iduna, keeps in a box the apples which the gods, when they feel old age approaching, have only to taste of to become young again.

Eostre, or Ostara, is the goddess of spring, whose festival was held at the spring equinox. She lent her name to the Christian festival of the Resurrection, Easter. Her favourite animal was the hare, which to this day brings the Easter eggs to the little children.

There is another deity who is described as the evil god. His name is Loki. He is handsome and well made, but his characteristic features are deceit, disorder, malevolence and perversity. He is the father of the most horrible monsters: Hel, a hideous goddess who is the guardian of the world of the dead; the ferocious wolf Fenris (Fenrir); the Midgard serpent, which was of such an enormous size that, holding his tail in his mouth, he encircled the whole earth.

It is Loki who puts obstacles in the way of everybody and everything and forbids the world to be happy.