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For other uses see Valhalla (disambiguation). Valhalla (Old Norse Valhöll, "Hall of the slain") is Odin's hall in Norse mythology, located in Gladsheim and is the home for those slain gloriously in battle (known as Einherjar) who are welcomed by Bragi and escorted to Valhalla by the valkyries. The main gate is called Valgrind, which is described in Grímnismál as a "sacred gate", behind which are the "holy doors" and "there are few who can tell the manner by which it is locked". The hall itself has 540 doors, so wide that 800 warriors could walk next to each other, walls made of spears, a roof made of shields and benches covered with breastplates. It is said that there is room enough for all those chosen. Here, every day, the slain warriors who will assist Odin in Ragnarök, the gods' final conflict with the giants, arm themselves for battle and ride forth by the thousands to engage in mock combat on the plains of Asgard. At night, they return to Valhalla to feast on roasted boar and drink intoxicating mead. Those who do not get to Valhalla end up in the home of the dead (Hel), a place beneath the underworld (Niflheim), or one of various other places. Those who are lost at sea, for example, are taken to Ægir's hall at the bottom of the sea. In addition to the valkyries and the Einherjar, a rooster named Gullinkambi lives there. In Beowulf, it is called the shining citadel.
Modern Etymology The English word 'hell' comes from the Teutonic 'Hel', which originally meant 'to cover' and later referred to the goddess of the Norse underworld, Hel. Compare Anglo-Saxon helan and Latin celare = to hide. Valhalla is a 19th century English mistranslation of the singular Valhöll into a genitival plural form. A more literally-correct English translation is Val-hall, but Valhalla is by far the more common form in general use. Popular Culture References to Valhalla appear irregularly in modern popular culture. | ||||||||
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