The Valkyries

Medieval · Norse Mythology

First attested

10th centuryGotland picture stones (e.g. Tjängvide, Lärbro) and Poetic Edda.

Fierce maiden psychopomps of Odin who choose the slain on the battlefield and guide them to Valhalla.

In Old Norse myth (from valr "the slain" and kjósa "to choose"), the Valkyries were Odin’s celestial warrior maidens who rode through air and sea upon winged steeds. Surveying mortal battlefields, they determined victory and selected the most valiant slain heroes (Einherjar) to feast in Valhalla and prepare for Ragnarök. Depicted on Gotland picture stones offering horns of mead to arriving warriors, they embody the courageous bridge between mortal struggle and transcendent honor.