Valhalla— Norse Mythical Place"Hall of the Slain"

Hall of the Slain

Valhalla—"Hall of the Slain"—is Odin's great mead hall in Asgard, where warriors who die gloriously in battle are brought by the Valkyries. It is not a place of rest but of eternal preparation: a warrior's paradise where the brave feast, fight, and ready themselves for the final battle at the end of days.

The Architecture of Glory

Valhalla's construction defies mortal comprehension. It has 540 doors, each wide enough for 800 warriors to march through side by side. The roof is thatched with golden shields, the rafters are spears, and coats of mail are draped on the benches. The wolf Geri and the eagle perch at the western door. Before the gates stands the grove Glasir, whose trees have leaves of red gold.

The Einherjar

The warriors in Valhalla are called einherjar—the "lone fighters" or "once-warriors." Each day they don their armor, go to the courtyard, and battle each other to the death. Each evening, the fallen rise healed, and all feast together on the inexhaustible boar Sæhrímnir and drink mead that flows from the udder of the goat Heiðrún.

Odin's Army

Valhalla exists for a purpose: Odin is gathering an army for Ragnarök. He needs the bravest warriors humanity has ever produced to stand against the giants, monsters, and forces of chaos at the end of the world. Every fallen hero strengthens this force. Odin knows it will not be enough—the gods will fall—but he gathers them anyway.

The Other Half

Not all fallen warriors go to Valhalla. Half are chosen by Freya for her hall Fólkvangr, "field of the host." Little is known of this alternative afterlife, but it suggests that glory in death offered multiple paths. Those who died of illness, old age, or without honor went instead to Hel's cold realm—a fate the Vikings dreaded above all others.