Valkyrie
In
Valkyries are attested in the Poetic Edda (a book of poems compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources), the Prose Edda, the Heimskringla (both by Snorri Sturluson) and the Njáls saga (one of the Sagas of Icelanders), all written—or compiled—in the 13th century. They appear throughout the poetry of skalds, in a 14th-century charm, and in various runic inscriptions.
The Old English cognate term wælcyrge appears in several Old English manuscripts, and scholars have explored whether the term appears in Old English by way of Norse influence, or reflects a tradition also native among the Anglo-Saxon pagans. Scholarly theories have been proposed about the relation between the valkyries, the Norns, and the dísir, all of which are supernatural figures associated with fate. Archaeological excavations throughout Scandinavia have uncovered amulets theorized as depicting valkyries. In modern culture, valkyries have been the subject of works of art, musical works, comic books, video games and poetry.
Etymology
The word valkyrie derives from
Other terms for valkyries in Old Norse sources include óskmey ("wish maid"), appearing in the poem Oddrúnargrátr, and Óðins meyjar ("Odin's maids"), appearing in the Nafnaþulur. Óskmey may be related to the Odinic name Óski (roughly meaning "wish fulfiller"), referring to the fact that Odin receives slain warriors in Valhalla.[4]
The name Randalín, which
Old Norse attestations
Poetic Edda
Valkyries are mentioned or appear in the Poetic Edda poems Völuspá, Grímnismál, Völundarkviða, Helgakviða Hjörvarðssonar, Helgakviða Hundingsbana I, Helgakviða Hundingsbana II and Sigrdrífumál.
Völuspá and Grímnismál
In stanza 30 of the poem
In the poem
Völundarkviða
A prose introduction in the poem
Helgakviða Hjörvarðssonar
In the poem
Three times nine girls, but one girl rode ahead,
white-skinned under her helmet;
the horses were trembling, from their manes
dew fell into the deep valleys,
hail in the high woods;
good fortune comes to men from there;
all that I saw was hateful to me.[13]
After Hrímgerðr is turned to stone by the daylight, a prose narrative continues that Helgi, who is now king, goes to Sváva's father—King Eylimi—and asks for his daughter. Helgi and Sváva are betrothed and love one another dearly. Sváva stays at home with King Eylimi, and Helgi goes raiding, and to this the narrative adds that Sváva "was a valkyrie just as before".[14] The poem continues, and, among various other events, Helgi dies from a wound received in battle. A narrative at the end of the poem says that Helgi and his valkyrie wife Sváva "are said to be reincarnated".[15]
Helgakviða Hundingsbana I
In the poem
Then light shone from Logafell,
and from that radiance there came bolts of lightning;
wearing helmets at Himingvani [came the valkyries].
Their byrnies were drenched in blood;
and rays shone from their spears.[16]
In the stanza that follows, Helgi asks the valkyries (who he refers to as "southern goddesses") if they would like to come home with the warriors when night falls (all the while arrows were flying). The battle over, the valkyrie
Towards the end of the poem, valkyries again descend from the sky, this time to protect Helgi amid the battle at Frekastein. After the battle, all the valkyries fly away but Sigrún and wolves (referred to as "the troll-woman's mount") consume corpses:
The battle won, Sigrún tells Helgi that he will become a great ruler and pledges herself to him.[22]
Helgakviða Hundingsbana II
At the beginning of the poem Helgakviða Hundingsbana II, a prose narrative says that King Sigmund (son of Völsung) and his wife Borghild (of Brálund) have a son named Helgi, who they named for Helgi Hjörvarðsson (the protagonist of the earlier Helgakviða Hjörvarðssonar).[23] After Helgi has killed King Hunding in stanza 4, a prose narrative says that Helgi escapes, consumes the raw meat of cattle he has slaughtered on a beach, and encounters Sigrún. Sigrún, daughter of King Högni, is "a valkyrie and rode through air and sea", and she is the valkyrie Sváva reincarnated.[24] In stanza 7, Sigrún uses the phrase "fed the gosling of Gunn's sisters". Gunnr and her sisters are valkyries, and these goslings are ravens, who feed on the corpses left on the battlefield by warriors.[25]
After stanza 18, a prose narrative relates that Helgi and his immense fleet of ships are heading to Frekastein, but encounter a great storm. Lightning strikes one of the ships. The fleet sees nine valkyries flying through the air, among whom they recognise Sigrún. The storm abates, and the fleets arrive safely at land.
Sigrdrífumál
In the prose introduction to the poem Sigrdrífumál, the hero Sigurd rides up to Hindarfell and heads south towards "the land of the Franks". On the mountain Sigurd sees a great light, "as if fire were burning, which blazed up to the sky". Sigurd approaches it, and there he sees a skjaldborg with a banner flying overhead. Sigurd enters the skjaldborg, and sees a warrior lying there—asleep and fully armed. Sigurd removes the helmet of the warrior, and sees the face of a woman. The woman's corslet is so tight that it seems to have grown into the woman's body. Sigurd uses his sword Gram to cut the corslet, starting from the neck of the corslet downwards, he continues cutting down her sleeves, and takes the corslet off of her.[28]
The woman wakes, sits up, looks at Sigurd, and the two converse in two stanzas of verse. In the second stanza, the woman explains that Odin placed a sleeping spell on her she could not break, and due to that spell she has been asleep a long time. Sigurd asks for her name, and the woman gives Sigurd a
A narrative relates that Sigrdrífa explains to Sigurd that there were two kings fighting one another. Odin had promised one of these—Hjalmgunnar—victory in battle, yet she had "brought down" Hjalmgunnar in battle. Odin pricked her with a sleeping-thorn in consequence, told her she would never again "fight victoriously in battle", and condemned her to marriage. In response, Sigrdrífa told Odin she had sworn a great oath that she would never wed a man who knew fear. Sigurd asks Sigrdrífa to share with him her wisdom of all worlds. The poem continues in verse, where Sigrdrífa provides Sigurd with knowledge in inscribing
Prose Edda
In the
References to valkyries appear throughout the book Skáldskaparmál, which provides information about skaldic poetry. In chapter 2, a quote is given from the work Húsdrápa by the 10th century skald Úlfr Uggason. In the poem, Úlfr describes mythological scenes depicted in a newly built hall, including valkyries and ravens accompanying Odin at Baldr's funeral feast:
There I perceive valkyries and ravens,
accompanying the wise victory-tree [Odin]
to the drink of the holy offering [Baldr's funeral feast]
Within have appeared these motifs.[33]
Further in chapter 2, a quote from the anonymous 10th century poem Eiríksmál is provided (see the Fagrskinna section below for more detail about the poem and another translation):
What sort of dream is that, Odin?
I dreamed I rose up before dawn
to clear up Val-hall for slain people.
I aroused the Einheriar,
bade them get up to strew the benches,
clean the beer-cups,
the valkyries to serve wine
for the arrival of a prince.[34]
In chapter 31, poetic terms for referring to a woman are given, including "[a] woman is also referred to in terms of all Asyniur or valkyries or norns or dísir".
In chapter 48, poetic terms for "battle" include "weather of weapons or shields, or of Odin or valkyrie or war-kings or their clash or noise", followed by examples of compositions by various
Some manuscripts of the feature Nafnaþulur section of Skáldskaparmál contain an extended list of 29 valkyrie names (listed as the "valkyries of Viðrir"—a name of Odin). The first stanza lists: Hrist, Mist, Herja, Hlökk, Geiravör, Göll, Hjörþrimul, Guðr, Herfjötra, Skuld, Geirönul, Skögul and Randgníð. The second stanza lists: Ráðgríðr, Göndul, Svipul, Geirskögul, Hildr, Skeggöld, Hrund, Geirdriful, Randgríðr, Þrúðr, Reginleif, Sveið, Þögn, Hjalmþrimul, Þrima and Skalmöld.[39]
Hrafnsmál
The fragmentary skaldic poem
Wise thought her the valkyrie; were welcome never
men to the bright-eyed one, her who the birds' speech knew well.
Greeted the light-lashed maiden, the lily-throated woman,
The hymir's-skull-cleaver as on cliff he was perching.
The valkyrie, previously described as fair and beautiful, then speaks to the gore-drenched and corpse-reeking raven:
"How is it, ye ravens—whence are ye come now
with beaks all gory, at break of morning?
Carrion-reek ye carry, and your claws are bloody.
Were ye near, at night-time, where ye knew of corpses?"[40]
The black raven shakes himself, and he responds that he and the rest of the ravens have followed Harald since hatching from their eggs. The raven expresses surprise that the valkyrie seems unfamiliar with the deeds of Harald, and tells her about his deeds for several stanzas. At stanza 15, a question and answer format begins where the valkyrie asks the raven a question regarding Harald, and the raven responds in turn. This continues until the poem ends abruptly.[41]
Njáls saga
In chapter 156 of
The song consists of 11 stanzas, and within it the valkyries weave and choose who is to be slain at the
Now awful it is to be without,
as blood-red rack races overhead;
is the welkin gory with warriors' blood
as we valkyries war-songs chanted.[43]
At the end of the poem, the valkyries sing "start we swiftly with steeds unsaddled—hence to battle with brandished swords!"[43] The prose narrative picks up again, and says that the valkyries tear their loom down and into pieces. Each valkyrie holds on to what she has in her hands. Dörruð leaves the chink in the wall and heads home, and the women mount their horses and ride away; six to the south and six to the north.[42]
Heimskringla
At the end of the
In Hákonarmál, Odin sends forth the two valkyries Göndul and Skögul to "choose among the kings' kinsmen" and who in battle should dwell with Odin in Valhalla. A battle rages with great slaughter, and part of the description employs the kenning "Skögul's-stormblast" for "battle". Haakon and his men die in battle, and they see the valkyrie Göndul leaning on a spear shaft. Göndul comments that "groweth now the gods' following, since Hákon has been with host so goodly bidden home with holy godheads". Haakon hears "what the valkyries said", and the valkyries are described as sitting "high-hearted on horseback", wearing helmets, carrying shields and that the horses wisely bore them.[45] A brief exchange follows between Haakon and the valkyrie Skögul:
Hákon said:
"Why didst Geirskogul grudge us victory?
though worthy we were for the gods to grant it?"
Skogul said:
"'Tis owing to us that the issue was won
and your foemen fled."[46]
Skögul says that they shall now ride forth to the "green homes of the godheads" to tell Odin the king will come to Valhalla. The poem continues, and Haakon becomes a part of the einherjar in Valhalla, awaiting to do battle with the monstrous wolf Fenrir.[47]
Fagrskinna
In chapter 8 of
'What kind of a dream is it,' said Óðinn,
in which just before daybreak,
I thought I cleared Valhǫll,
for coming of slain men?
I waked the Einherjar,
bade valkyries rise up,
to strew the bench,
and scour the beakers,
wine to carry,
as for a king's coming,
here to me I expect
heroes' coming from the world,
certain great ones,
so glad is my heart.[48]
The god Bragi asks where a thundering sound is coming from, and says that the benches of Valhalla are creaking—as if the god Baldr had returned to Valhalla—and that it sounds like the movement of a thousand. Odin responds that Bragi knows well that the sounds are for Eric Bloodaxe, who will soon arrive in Valhalla. Odin tells the heroes Sigmund and Sinfjötli to rise to greet Eric and invite him into the hall, if it is indeed he.[49]
Ragnhild Tregagás charm
A
I send out from me the spirits of (the valkyrie) Gondul.
May the first bite you in the back.
May the second bite you in the breast.
May the third turn hate and envy upon you.[50]
Old English attestations
The Old English wælcyrge appears several times in Old English manuscripts, generally to translate foreign concepts into Old English. It is used in the sermon
Archaeological record
Female figures, cups, and horn-bearers
Viking Age stylized silver amulets depicting women wearing long gowns, their hair pulled back and knotted into a ponytail, sometimes bearing drinking horns, have been discovered throughout Scandinavia. These figures are commonly considered to represent valkyries or dísir.[52] According to Mindy MacLeod and Bernard Mees, the amulets appear in Viking Age graves, and were presumably placed there because "they were thought to have protective powers".[50]
The Tjängvide image stone from the Baltic island of Gotland, Sweden features a rider on an eight-legged horse, which may be Odin's eight-legged horse Sleipnir, being greeted by a female figure, which may be a valkyrie at Valhalla.[53] The 11th century runestone U 1163 features a carving of a female figure bearing a horn that has been interpreted as the valkyrie Sigrdrífa handing the hero Sigurd (also depicted on the stone) a drinking horn.[54]
In 2013, a small figure dated at around 800 AD was discovered in
-
Both silver, a female figure touches her hair while facing forward (left) and a figure with a 'winged' spear clamped under her leg and sword in her hand sits atop a horse, facing another female figure who is carrying a shield (right).
-
A female figure bears a horn to a rider on an eight-legged horse on the Tjängvide image stone in Sweden.
-
A female figure bearing a horn on runestone U 1163.
Runic inscriptions
Specific valkyries are mentioned on two
Among the
Against the harmful skag-valkyrie,
so that she never shall, though she never would –
evil woman! – injure (?) your life.[57]
This is followed by "I send you, I look at you, wolfish perversion, and unbearable desire, may distress descend on you and jöluns wrath. Never shall you sit, never shall you sleep ... (that you) love me as yourself." According to Mindy MacLeod and Bernard Mees, the inscription "seems to begin as a benevolent formulation before abruptly switching to the infliction of distress and misery, presumably upon the recipient of the charm rather than the baleful valkyrie", and they posit the final line appears "to constitute a rather spiteful kind of charm aimed at securing the love of a woman".[58]
MacLeod and Mees state that the opening lines of the charm correspond to the Poetic Edda poem Sigrdrífumál, where the valkyrie Sigrdrífa provides runic advice, and that the meaning of the term skag is unclear, but a cognate exists in Helgakviða Hundingsbana I where Sinfjötli accuses Guðmundr of having once been a "skass-valkyrie". MacLeod and Mees believe the word means something like "supernatural sending", and that this points to a connection to the Ragnhild Tregagás charm, where a valkyrie is also "sent forth".[58]
Valkyrie-names
The Old Norse poems
Some valkyrie names may be descriptive of the roles and abilities of the valkyries. The valkyrie name Herja has been theorised as pointing to a connection to the name of the goddess Hariasa, who is attested from a stone from 187 CE.[61] The name Herfjötur has been theorised as pointing to the ability of the valkyries to place fetters.[62] The name Svipul may be descriptive of the influence the valkyries have over wyrd or ørlog—a Germanic concept of fate.[63]
Theories
Old English wælcyrge and Old English charms
Richard North says that the description of a raven flying over the Egyptian army (glossed as wonn wælceaseg) may have been directly influenced by the Old Norse concept of Valhalla, the usage of wælcyrge in De laudibus virginitatis may represent a loan or loan-translation of Old Norse valkyrja, but the Cotton Cleopatra A. iii and the Corpus Glossary instances "appear to show an Anglo-Saxon conception of wælcyrge that was independent of contemporary Scandinavian influence".[51]
Two Old English charms mention figures that are theorised as representing an Anglo-Saxon notion of valkyries or valkyrie-like female beings; Wið færstice, a charm to cure a sudden pain or stitch, and For a Swarm of Bees, a charm to keep honey bees from swarming. In Wið færstice, a sudden pain is attributed to a small, "shrieking" spear thrown with supernatural strength (mægen) by "fierce" loudly flying "mighty women" (mihtigan wif) who have ridden over a burial mound:
They were loud, yes, loud,
when they rode over the (burial) mound;
they were fierce when they rode across the land.
Shield yourself now, you can survive this strife.
Out, little spear, if there is one here within.
It stood under/behind lime-wood (i.e. a shield), under a light-coloured/light-weight shield,
where those mighty women marshalled their powers, and they send shrieking spears.[64]
Theories have been proposed that these figures are connected to valkyries.[65] Richard North says that "though it is not clear what the poet takes these women to be, their female sex, riding in flight and throwing spears suggest that they were imagined in England as women being analogous to the later Norse valkyrjur."[66] Hilda Ellis Davidson theorizes that Wið færstice was originally a battle spell that had, over time, been reduced to evoke "a prosaic stitch in the side".[67] Towards the end of For a Swarm of Bees, the swarming bees are referred to as "victory-women" (Old English sigewif):
Settle down, victory-women,
never be wild and fly to the woods.
Be as mindful of my welfare,
as is each man of eating and of home.[68]
The term "victory women" has been theorised as pointing to an association with valkyries. This theory is not universally accepted, and the reference has also been theorised as a simple metaphor for the "victorious sword" (the stinging) of the bees.[68]
Merseburg Incantation, fetters, dísir, idisi and norns
One of the two
Once the Idisi sat, sat here and there,
some bound fetters, some hampered the army,
some untied fetters:
Escape from the fetters, flee from the enemies.[69]
The Idisi mentioned in the incantation are generally considered to be valkyries. Rudolf Simek says that "these Idisi are obviously a kind of valkyrie, as these also have the power to hamper enemies in Norse mythology" and points to a connection with the valkyrie name Herfjötur (Old Norse "army-fetter").[69] Hilda R. Davidson compares the incantation to the Old English Wið færstice charm and theorises a similar role for them both.[67]
Simek says that the
Regarding the dísir, Simek states that Old Norse dís appears commonly as simply a term for "woman", just as Old High German itis, Old Saxon idis and Old English ides, and may have also been used to denote a type of goddess. According to Simek, "several of the Eddic sources might lead us to conclude that the dísir were valkyrie-like guardians of the dead, and indeed in
Jacob Grimm states that, though the norns and valkyries are similar in nature, there is a fundamental difference between the two. Grimm states that a dís can be both norn and a valkyrie, "but their functions are separate and usually the persons. The norns have to pronounce the fatum [fate], they sit on their chairs, or they roam through the country among mortals, fastening their threads. Nowhere is it said that they ride. The valkyrs ride to war, decide the issues of fighting, and conduct the fallen to heaven; their riding is like that of heroes and gods".[71]
Origins and development
Various theories have been proposed about the origins and development of the valkyries from Germanic paganism to later Norse mythology. Rudolf Simek suggests valkyries were probably originally viewed as "demons of the dead to whom warriors slain on the battlefield belonged", and that a shift in interpretation of the valkyries may have occurred "when the concept of Valhalla changed from a battlefield to a warrior's paradise". Simek says that this original concept was "superseded by the
MacLeod and Mees theorise that "the role of the corpse-choosing valkyries became increasingly confused in later Norse mythology with that of the Norns, the supernatural females responsible for determining human destiny [...]."[73]
Davidson places emphasis on the fact that valkyrie literally means "chooser of the slain". She compares Wulfstan's mention of a "chooser of the slain" in his Sermo Lupi ad Anglos sermon, which appears among "a blacklist of sinners, witches and evildoers", to "all the other classes whom he [Wulfstan] mentions", and concludes as those "are human ones, it seems unlikely that he has introduced mythological figures as well." Davidson points out that
Freyja and Fólkvangr
The goddess
Siegfried Andres Dobat comments that "in her mythological role as the chooser of half the fallen warriors for her death-realm Fólkvangr, the goddess Freyja, however, emerges as the mythological role-model for the Valkyrjar [sic] and the dísir".[77]
Modern art
Valkyries have been the subjects of various poems, stories, works of art, and musical works. In poetry, valkyries appear in "Die Walküren" by H. Heine (appearing in Romanzero, 1847), "Die Walküren" (1864) by H. v. Linge, and "Sköldmon" (appearing in Gömda Land, 1904).[72] In music, they appear in Die Walküre by Richard Wagner (1870), from which the "Ride of the Valkyries" is the best-known theme. In literature, Valkyries make an appearance in Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale "The Marsh King's Daughter".
Works of art depicting valkyries include Die Walküren (sketch, 1818) by J. G. Sandberg, Reitende Walküre (fresco), previously located in Munich palace but now destroyed, 1865–66 by M. Echter, Valkyrien and Valkyriens død (paintings, both from 1860), Walkürenritt (etching, 1871) by A. Welti, Walkürenritt (woodcut, 1871) by T. Pixis, Walkürenritt (1872) by A. Becker (reproduced in 1873 with the same title by A. v. Heyde), Die Walkyren (charcoal, 1880) and Walkyren wählen und wecken die gefallenen Helden (Einherier), um sie vom Schlachtfield nach Walhall zu geleiten (painting, 1882) and Walkyrenschlacht (oil painting, 1884) by K. Ehrenberg, Walkürenritt (oil painting, 1888, and etching, 1890) by A. Welti, Walküre (statue) by H. Günther, Walkürenritt (oil painting) by H. Hendrich, Walkürenritt (painting) by F. Leeke, Einherier (painting, from around 1900), by K. Dielitz, The Ride of the Valkyries (painting, from around 1900) by J. C. Dollman, Valkyrie (statue, 1910) and Walhalla-freeze (located in the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen, 1886–87), Walkyrien (print, 1915) by A. Kolb, and Valkyrier (drawing, 1925) by E. Hansen.[78]
See also
- Apsara
- Aston Martin Valkyrie, a hybrid sports car launched by Aston Martin in 2018
- Keres § Keres and Valkyries
- Valravn, a supernatural "raven of the slain" appearing in 19th century Danish folk songs
Citations
- ^ Orchard (1997:36) and Lindow (2001:104).
- ^ Byock (2005:142–143).
- ^ Orel (2003:442).
- ^ Simek (2007:254 and 349).
- ^ McTurk 1991, p. 178.
- ^ Dronke (1997:15). Valkyrie name etymologies from Orchard (1995:193–195).
- ^ Larrington (1999:57). Valkyrie name etymologies from Orchard (1995:193–195).
- ^ Orchard (1997:83).
- ^ Simek (2007:251).
- ^ Larrington (1999:102).
- ^ Orchard (1997:81).
- ^ Larrington (1999:125).
- ^ Larrington (1999:128).
- ^ Larrington (1999:129).
- ^ Larrington (1999:130–131).
- ^ Larrington (1999:116).
- ^ a b Orchard (1997:194).
- ^ Larrington (1999:116–117).
- ^ Larrington (1999:119).
- ^ Larrington (1999:120).
- ^ Larrington (1999:121).
- ^ Larrington (1999:122).
- ^ Larrington (1999:132).
- ^ Larrington (1999:133).
- ^ Larrington (1999:133 and 281).
- ^ Larrington (1999:135).
- ^ Larrington (1999:141).
- ^ Thorpe (1907:180).
- ^ Larrington (1999:166–167).
- ^ Larrington (1999:167).
- ^ Byock (2005:44–45).
- ^ Byock (2005:67).
- ^ Faulkes (1995:68).
- ^ Faulkes (1995:69).
- ^ Faulkes (1995:94).
- ^ Faulkes (1995:102).
- ^ Faulkes (1995:117–119).
- ^ Faulkes (1995:157).
- ^ Jónsson (1973:678).
- ^ Hollander (1980:54).
- ^ Hollander (1980:54–57).
- ^ a b Hollander (1980:66).
- ^ a b Hollander (1980:68).
- ^ Hollander (2007:124–125).
- ^ Hollander (2007:125).
- ^ Hollander (2007:126).
- ^ Hollander (2007:126–127).
- ^ Finlay (2004:58).
- ^ Finlay (2004:59).
- ^ a b c MacLeod (2006:37).
- ^ a b c North (1997:106).
- ^ Orchard (1997:172) and Lindow (2001:96).
- ^ Lindow (2001:276).
- ^ Wessén & Jansson (1953–58:621).
- ^ Kennedy (2013).
- ^ Andrén (2006:11).
- ^ MacLeod (2006:34–35).
- ^ a b MacLeod (2006:34–37).
- ^ Davidson (1988:96).
- ^ Examples include Davidson (1988:96–97) and Simek (2007:349).
- ^ Simek (2007:143). For Hariasa, Simek (2007:131).
- ^ Simek (2007:142).
- ^ Simek (2007:308).
- ^ Hall (2007:1–2).
- ^ Greenfield (1996:257).
- ^ North (1997:105).
- ^ a b Davidson (1990:63).
- ^ a b Greenfield (1996:256).
- ^ a b c Simek (2007:171).
- ^ a b Simek (2007:61–62).
- ^ Grimm (1882:421).
- ^ a b Simek (2007:349).
- ^ MacLeod (2006:39).
- ^ Davidson (1990:61).
- ^ Davidson (1990:61–62).
- ^ Näsström (1999:61).
- ^ Dobat (2006:186).
- ^ Simek (2007:349–350).
General and cited references
- Andrén, A.; Jennbert, K.; Raudvere, C. (2006) "Old Norse Religion: Some Problems and Prospects" in Old Norse Religion in Long Term Perspectives: Origins, Changes and Interactions, an International Conference in Lund, Sweden, 3–7 June 2004. Nordic Academic Press. ISBN 91-89116-81-X
- Byock, Jesse (trans.) (2006). The Prose Edda. ISBN 0-14-044755-5
- ISBN 0-7190-2579-6
- Davidson, Hilda Roderick Ellis (1990). Gods and Myths of Northern Europe. ISBN 0-14-013627-4
- Dobat, Siegfried Andres (2006). "Bridging mythology and belief: Viking Age functional culture as a reflection of the belief in divine intervention" in Andren, A.; Jennbert, K.; Raudvere, C. Old Norse Religion in Long Term Perspectives: Origins, Changes and Interactions, an International Conference in Lund, Sweden, 3–7 June 2004. Nordic Academic Press. ISBN 91-89116-81-X
- ISBN 0-19-811181-9
- Faulkes, Anthony (Trans.) (1995). Edda. ISBN 0-460-87616-3
- Finlay, Alison (2004). Fagrskinna, a Catalogue of the Kings of Norway: A Translation with Introduction and Notes. ISBN 90-04-13172-8
- Friðriksdóttir, Jóhanna Katrín (2020) Valkyrie: The Women of the Viking World (Bloomsbury Academic) ISBN 9781788314770
- Greenfield, Stanley B.; Calder, Daniel Gillmore; Lapidge, Michael (1996). A New Critical History of Old English Literature. ISBN 0-8147-3088-4
- Grimm, Jacob (1882) translated by James Steven Stallybrass. Teutonic Mythology: Translated from the Fourth Edition with Notes and Appendix by James Stallybrass. Volume I. London: George Bell and Sons.
- Hall, Alaric (2007). Elves in Anglo-Saxon England. ISBN 1-84383-294-1
- Kennedy, Maev (2013). "Flight of the valkyrie: the Viking figurine that's heading for Britain". Theguardian.com, Monday 4 March 2013. Online: [1]
- ISBN 1-60506-715-6
- Hollander, Lee Milton (Trans.) (2007). Heimskringla: History of the Kings of Norway. ISBN 978-0-292-73061-8
- Finnur Jónsson (1973). Den Norsk-Islandske Skjaldedigtning. Rosenkilde og Bagger. (in Danish)
- Larrington, Carolyne (Trans.) (1999). The Poetic Edda. ISBN 0-19-283946-2
- ISBN 0-19-515382-0
- MacLeod, Mindy; Mees, Bernard (2006). Runic Amulets and Magic Objects. ISBN 1-84383-205-4
- ISBN 0-907570-08-9.
- Näsström, Britt-Mari (1999). "Freyja: The Trivalent Goddess" in Sand, Reenberg Erik; Sørensen, Jørgen Podemann (1999). Comparative Studies in History of Religions: Their Aim, Scrope and Validity. Museum Tusculanum Press. ISBN 87-7289-533-0
- North, Richard (1997). Heathen Gods in Old English Literature. ISBN 0-521-55183-8
- Orchard, Andy (1997). Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend. ISBN 0-304-34520-2
- ISBN 9004128751
- ISBN 0-85991-513-1
- Wessén, Elias; Sven B.F. Jansson (1953–58). Sveriges runinskrifter: IX. Upplands runinskrifter del 4.[ISSN 0562-8016(in Swedish)
- Beyblade Burst (2015-2022) - The Tops: Valkyrie, Victory Valkyrie, God Valkyrie, Winning Valkyrie, Cho-Z Valkyrie, Slash Valkyrie, Brave Valkyrie, Saviour Valkyrie and Ultimate Valkyrie
External links
- MyNDIR (My Norse Digital Image Repository) Illustrations of valkyries from manuscripts and early print books.