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
Völuspá, a
völva (a travelling
seeress in Norse society) tells Odin that "she saw" valkyries coming from far away who are ready to ride to "the realm of the gods". The völva follows this with a list of six valkyries:
Skuld (Old Norse, possibly "debt" or "future") who "bore a shield",
Skögul ("shaker"),
Gunnr ("war"),
Hildr ("battle"),
Göndul ("
wand-wielder") and
Geirskögul ("Spear-Skögul"). Afterwards, the völva tells him she has listed the "ladies of the War Lord, ready to ride, valkyries, over the earth". In the poem
Grímnismál, Odin (disguised as
Grímnir), tortured, starved and thirsty, tells the young
Agnar that he wishes that the valkyries
Hrist ("shaker") and
Mist ("cloud") would "bear him a [drinking]
horn", then provides a list of 11 more valkyries who he says "bear
ale to the
einherjar";
Skeggjöld ("axe-age"), Skögul, Hildr,
Þrúðr ("power"),
Hlökk ("noise", or "battle"),
Herfjötur ("host-fetter"),
Göll ("tumult"),
Geirahöð ("spear-fight"),
Randgríð ("shield-truce"),
Ráðgríð ("council-truce") and
Reginleif ("power-truce"). While most detailed written sources about Valkyries were compiled in the 13th century after Christianization, they drew upon older oral traditions and skaldic poetry from the pre-Christian era. • Sinister "Death Demons": In the oldest layers of belief, Valkyries were potentially seen as spirits of carnage, akin to the Greek Keres. One vivid poem in the
Njáls Saga (likely based on an older oral poem) describes twelve Valkyries at a loom, weaving the fate of warriors using human entrails as thread, severed heads as weights, and swords and arrows as weaving tools. Beholding one was compared to "staring into a flame". • Warrior Women on Horseback: They were consistently described as powerful, spear-wielding women, often wearing helmets and chainmail, who rode horses into battle. The Northern Lights were sometimes thought to be the reflection of their armor as they rode across the sky. • Associated with Ravens and Wolves: As spirits associated with Odin (the god of battle and death), Valkyries were often linked to ravens, the carrion birds of the battlefield. Some interpretations suggest their "horses" in the oldest myths were actually wolves, and the Valkyries themselves resembled ravens flying overhead. • Swan-Maidens and Shapeshifters: Some poems, like those in the
Poetic Edda, portray Valkyries as "swan-maidens" who could shapeshift into birds using magical feathered cloaks. These stories sometimes involve them living with mortal heroes for a time before flying away to battle. Archaeological finds from the Viking Age support the image of armed female figures. Small, stylized silver amulets found across Scandinavia, such as the Hårby figurine (c. 800 AD), depict women with long dresses and ponytails, armed with a sword and shield. These are widely interpreted as depictions of Valkyries. The Tjängvide image stone from Gotland, Sweden, features a female figure holding a drinking horn, welcoming a rider on an eight-legged horse (likely Odin's Sleipnir or a deceased warrior) to Valhalla. A similar image appears on the 11th-century Sigurd Stone.
Völundarkviða A prose introduction in the poem
Völundarkviða relates that the brothers
Slagfiðr,
Egil and
Völund dwelt in a house sited in a location called Úlfdalir ("wolf dales"). There, early one morning, the brothers find three women spinning linen on the shore of the lake Úlfsjár ("wolf lake"), and "near them were their
swan's garments; they were valkyries". Two daughters of King Hlödvér are named
Hlaðguðr svanhvít ("swan-white") and
Hervör alvitr (possibly meaning "all-wise" or "strange creature"); the third, daughter of
Kjárr of
Valland, is named
Ölrún (possibly meaning "
beer rune"). The brothers take the three women back to their hall with them—Egil takes Ölrún, Slagfiðr takes Hlaðguðr svanhvít and Völund takes Hervör alvitr. They live together for seven winters, until the women fly off to go to a battle and do not return. Egil goes off in snow-shoes to look for Ölrún, Slagfiðr goes searching for Hlaðguðr svanhvít and Völund sits in Úlfdalir.
Helgakviða Hjörvarðssonar located in
Churchill Park at
Kastellet in
Copenhagen, Denmark In the poem
Helgakviða Hjörvarðssonar, a prose narrative says that an unnamed and silent young man, the son of the Norwegian King Hjörvarðr and Sigrlinn of Sváfaland, witnesses nine valkyries riding by while sitting atop a
burial mound. He finds one particularly striking; this valkyrie is detailed later in a prose narrative as
Sváva, King Eylimi's daughter, who "often protected him in battles". The valkyrie speaks to the unnamed man, and gives him the name
Helgi (meaning "the
holy one"). The previously silent Helgi speaks; he refers to the valkyrie as "bright-face lady", and asks her what gift he will receive with the
name she has bestowed upon him, but he will not accept it if he cannot have her as well. The valkyrie tells him she knows of a hoard of swords in Sigarsholm, and that one of them is of particular importance, which she describes in detail. Further into the poem, Atli
flytes with the female
jötunn Hrímgerðr. While flyting with Atli, Hrímgerðr says that she had seen 27 valkyries around Helgi, yet one particularly fair valkyrie led the band: 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". 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".
Helgakviða Hundingsbana I and Sigrún (1919) by
Robert Engels In the poem
Helgakviða Hundingsbana I, the hero
Helgi Hundingsbane sits in the corpse-strewn battlefield of Logafjöll. A light shines from the
fell, and from that light strike bolts of lightning. Flying through the sky, helmeted valkyries appear. Their waist-length
mail armour is drenched in blood; their spears shine brightly: 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
Sigrún ("victory-
rune"), informs him from her horse that her father
Högni has betrothed her to
Höðbroddr, the son of king
Granmar of the
Hniflung clan, who Sigrún deems unworthy. Helgi assembles an immense host to ride to wage battle at Frekastein against the Hniflung clan to assist Sigrún in her plight to avoid her betrothment. Later in the poem, the hero
Sinfjötli flytes with Guðmundr. Sinfjötli accuses Guðmundr of having once been female, and gibes that Guðmundr was "a witch, horrible, unnatural, among Odin's valkyries", adding that all of the einherjar "had to fight, headstrong woman, on your account". Further in the poem, the phrase "the valkyrie's airy sea" is used for "
mist". 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.
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). 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. 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. 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. Helgi dies in battle, yet returns to visit Sigrún from Valhalla once in a burial mound, and at the end of the poem, a prose epilogue explains that Sigrún later dies of grief. The epilogue details that "there was a belief in the pagan religion, which we now reckon [is] an old wives' tale, that people could be reincarnated" and that "Helgi and Sigrun were thought to have been reborn" as another Helgi and valkyrie couple; Helgi as Helgi Haddingjaskaði and Sigrún as the daughter of
Halfdan; the valkyrie
Kára. The epilogue details that further information about the two can be found in the (now lost) work
Káruljóð.
Sigrdrífumál wakes and greets the day and
Siegfried, illustration of the scene of
Wagner's Ring inspired by the
Sigrdrífumál, by
Arthur Rackham (1911). 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. 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
horn of
mead to help him retain her words in his memory. The woman recites a heathen
prayer in two stanzas. A prose narrative explains that the woman is named
Sigrdrífa and that she is a valkyrie. 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
runes, mystic wisdom, and prophecy.
Prose Edda In the
Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by
Snorri Sturluson, valkyries are first mentioned in chapter 36 of the book
Gylfaginning, where the enthroned figure of
High informs
Gangleri (King
Gylfi in disguise) of the activities of the valkyries and mentions a few goddesses. High says "there are still others whose duty it is to serve in Valhalla. They bring drink and see to the table and the ale cups." Following this, High gives a stanza from the poem
Grímnismál that contains a list of valkyries. High says "these women are called valkyries, and they are sent by Odin to every battle, where they choose which men are to die and they determine who has victory". High adds that
Gunnr ("war" In chapter 49, High describes that when Odin and his wife
Frigg arrived at the funeral of their slain son
Baldr, with them came the valkyries and also
Odin's ravens. 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: 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): 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 41, while the hero
Sigurd is riding his horse
Grani, he encounters a building on a mountain. Within this building Sigurd finds a sleeping woman wearing a helmet and a
coat of mail. Sigurd cuts the mail from her, and she awakes. She tells him her name is Hildr, and "she is known as
Brynhildr, and was a valkyrie". 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
skalds that have used the name of valkyries in said manner (
Þorbjörn Hornklofi uses "Skögul's din" for "battlefield",
Bersi Skáldtorfuson uses "Gunnr's fire" for "sword" and "Hlökk's snow" for "battle",
Einarr Skúlason uses "Hildr's sail" for "shield" and "Göndul's crushing wind" for "battle" and
Einarr skálaglamm uses "Göndul's din"). Chapter 49 gives similar information when referring to weapons and armor (though the term "death-maidens"—Old Norse
valmeyjar—instead of "valkyries" is used here), with further examples. In chapter 57, within a list of names of
ásynjur (and after alternate names for the goddess
Freyja are provided), a further section contains a list of "Odin's maids"; valkyries: Hildr, Göndul, Hlökk, Mist, Skögul. And then an additional four names; Hrund,
Eir, Hrist and Skuld. The section adds that "they are called norns who shape necessity". 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.
Hrafnsmál after
Frederick Sandys, 1862 The fragmentary skaldic poem
Hrafnsmál (generally accepted as authored by 9th century Norwegian skald
Þorbjörn Hornklofi) features a conversation between a valkyrie and a raven, largely consisting of the life and deeds of
Harald I of Norway. The poem begins with a request for silence among noblemen so that the skald may tell the deeds of Harald Fairhair. The narrator states that they once overheard a "high-minded", "golden-haired" and "white-armed" maiden speaking with a "glossy-beaked raven". The valkyrie considers herself wise, understands the speech of birds, is further described as having a white-throat and sparkling eyes, and she takes no pleasure in men: The valkyrie, previously described as fair and beautiful, then speaks to the gore-drenched and corpse-reeking raven: 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.
Njáls saga In chapter 156 of
Njáls saga, a man named Dörruð witnesses 12 people riding together to a stone hut on
Good Friday in
Caithness. The 12 go into the hut and Dörruð can no longer see them. Dörruð goes to the hut, and looks through a chink in the wall. He sees that there are women within, and that they have set up a particular
loom; the heads of men are the weights, the entrails of men are the
warp and
weft, a sword is the
shuttle, and the
reels are composed of arrows. The women sing a song called
Darraðarljóð, which Dörruð memorizes. The song consists of 11 stanzas, and within it the valkyries weave and choose who is to be slain at the
Battle of Clontarf (fought outside
Dublin in 1014
CE). Of the 12 valkyries weaving, six have their names given in the song: Hildr,
Hjörþrimul,
Sanngriðr,
Svipul,
Guðr and Göndul. Stanza 9 of the song reads: At the end of the poem, the valkyries sing "start we swiftly with steeds unsaddled—hence to battle with brandished swords!" 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. A brief exchange follows between Haakon and the valkyrie Skögul: 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.
Fagrskinna as they carry a dead man to Valhalla (1906) by
Lorenz Frølich In chapter 8 of
Fagrskinna, a prose narrative states that, after the death of her husband
Eric Bloodaxe,
Gunnhild Mother of Kings had a poem composed about him. The composition is by an anonymous author from the 10th century and is referred to as
Eiríksmál. It describes Eric Bloodaxe and five other kings arriving in Valhalla after their death. The poem begins with comments by Odin (as Old Norse
Óðinn): 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.
Ragnhild Tregagás charm A
witchcraft trial held in 1324 in
Bergen,
Norway, records a spell used by the accused
Ragnhild Tregagás to end the marriage of her former lover, a man named Bárd. The charm contains a mention of the valkyrie
Göndul being "sent out": ==Old English attestations==