Folkvangr- Norse LocationLocation · Realm"Field of the Host"

Also known as: Fólkvangr

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Titles & Epithets

Field of the Host

Domains

afterlifewarriorsdeath

Description

Freyja's afterlife realm, the "Field of the Host," where she receives half of those who die in battle. The other half go to Odin's Valhöll. Her hall Sessrúmnir stands within the field, vast enough to seat multitudes of the chosen slain.

Mythology & Lore

The Field and the Hall

Grímnismál 14 names Fólkvangr as the ninth great dwelling among the gods: "Fólkvangr is the ninth, and there Freyja rules the allotment of seats in the hall; half the slain she chooses each day, and half belong to Odin." This is nearly everything the sources say.

Snorri adds in the Gylfaginning that Freyja's hall is called Sessrúmnir, "Room of Many Seats," and that it is both large and fair. No source describes the field's landscape or the hall's furnishings. No text explains how Freyja and Odin divide the dead, who chooses first, or what distinguishes a warrior destined for Fólkvangr from one bound for Valhöll. What survives is the claim itself: Freyja takes half.

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