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The Aesir family of Gods were the chief gods of Norse Mythology...Odin, king of the gods. His two black ravens, Huginn (Thought)
and Muninn (Memory), flew forth daily to gather tidings of events all over the world. As god of war, Odin held court in Valhalla,
where all brave warriors went after death in battle. His greatest treasures were his eight-footed steed, Sleipner, his spear,
Gungnir, and his ring, Draupner. Odin was also the god of wisdom, poetry, and magic, and he sacrificed an eye for the privilege
of drinking from Mimir, the fountain of wisdom. Odin's three wives were earth goddesses, and his eldest son was Thor, the
god of Thunder. Odin was worshipped under different names, throughout northern Europe. The Germans called him Wotan, and the
English Woden. Thor, the god of thunder, eldest son of Odin and Jord, the earth goddess. Thor was the strongest of the Aesir,
whom he helped protect from their enemies, the giants. Thunder was believed to be the sound of his rolling chariot. Also,
thursday is named for Thor (Thor's day). Named after the Germanic word for thunder, Thor wielded a hammer, called Mjollnir,
which represented a powerful thunderbolt. If thrown, the hammer would return to him like a boomerang.
The Valkyries carry out the will of Odinn in determining the victors of the battle, and the course of the war. Their primary
duty is to choose the bravest of those who have been slain, gathering the souls of dying heros or warriors found deserving
of afterlife in Valhalla. They scout the battle ground in search of mortals worthy of the grand hall. If you are deemed by
the Valkyries as un-worthy of the hall of Valhalla you will be received after death by the goddess Hel in a cheerless underground
world.
The Valkyries, virgin warriors, were the daughters of Odin. The literal meaning of their name is Choosers of the Slain.
These Amazonian warriors were sent by Odin to the earth to prove the valor and strength of the Viking fighters. When a battle
ended, the Valkyries took those heroes slain in battle to Valhalla, the happy eternity of the Vikings.
Although the sources consulted are not clear on this, the chief of the Valkyries seems to have been the goddess Freyja.
She is the Norse goddess of love, fertility, and beauty, sometimes identified as the goddess of battle and death. Blond, blue-eyed,
and beautiful, Freyja travels on a golden-bristled boar or in a chariot drawn by cats. She resides in the celestial realm
of Folkvang. Like Odinn, she received half of those slain in battle, but since ladies go first she was allowed first choice!
Freyja possessed a magical cloak of falcon feathers that allowed her to take the shape of a falcon if she wished, making the
swan maidens similar to the goddess by having "feather coats" or cloaks that enable their shape-shifting abilities
and the power of flight.
The descriptions of Odinn's hall describe the Valkyries as foster-daughters, just as the einherjar (the chosen warriors
of Odinn) are foster sons Freyja is said to be the first of the Valkyries, called Valfreyja, "Mistress of the Slain,"
she pours ale at the feasts of the Aesir . The Valkyries also have duties in the great hall. There, having exchanged their
armor for pure white robes, they will serve the warriors they have chosen.
Valhalla, the great hall of slain warriors is located in Asguard, the realm of Odinn. It contains 540 doors each of which
leads to a room which can accommodate 800 warriors. The roof is made of warrior's shields. There the warriors spend their
days fighting and their nights feasting, until Ragnarok, the day of the final world battle, in which the old gods will perish
and a new reign of peace and love will be instituted.
The Valkyries, were warrior maidens who attended Odin, ruler of the gods. The Valkyries rode through the air in brilliant
armor, directed battles, distributed death lots among the warriors, and conducted the souls of slain heroes to Valhalla, the
great hall of Odin. Their leader was Brunhild. Freya or Freyja, goddess of love, fertility, and beauty, sometimes identified
as the goddess of battle and death. Her father was Njord, a fertility god. Blond, blue-eyed, and beautiful, Freya traveled
on a golden-bristled boar or in a chariot drawn by cats. She resided in the celestial realm of Folkvang, where it was her
privilege to receive half of all the warriors slain in battle; the god Odin received the other half at Valhalla. In Germany,
Freya was sometimes identified with Frigg, the wife of Odin. Friday originates from Frigga's day.
Enter the Gate
Gods and Heroes
Besides Odin, the major deities of Scandinavian mythology were his wife, Frigg, goddess of the home; Thor, god of thunder,
who protected humans and the other gods from the giants and who was especially popular among the Scandinavian peasantry; Frey,
a god of prosperity; and Freya, sister of Frey, a fertility goddess. Other, lesser gods were Balder, Hermod, Tyr, Bragi, and
Forseti; Idun, Nanna, and Sif were among the goddesses. The principle of evil among the gods was represented by the trickster
Loki. Many of these deities do not seem to have had special functions; they merely appear as characters in legendary tales.
Many ancient mythological heroes, some of whom may have been derived from real persons, were believed to be descendants
of the gods; among them were Sigurd the Dragon-slayer; Helgi Thrice-Born, Harald Wartooth, Hadding, Starkad, and the Valkyries.
The Valkyries, a band of warrior-maidens that included Svava and Brunhild, served Odin as choosers of slain warriors, who
were taken to reside in Valhalla. There the warriors would spend their days fighting and nights feasting until Ragnarok, the
day of the final world battle, in which the old gods would perish and a new reign of peace and love would be instituted. Ordinary
individuals were received after death by the goddess Hel in a cheerless underground world.
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