Valhalla, Where Warriors Gather
What do fallen warriors do in the hall?
Valhalla is Odin's hall. The Einherjar, brave warriors who have died in battle, gather there. Spears form its rafters, and shields cover its roof. The Sayings of Grimnir sings that it must have 540 doors.
In Gylfaginning, the warriors arm themselves every day and go out into the courtyard. They fight and strike one another down. When it is time to eat, they return to the hall, take their seats, and drink. They feast on the meat of the boar Saehrimnir. Though he is cooked every day, he is whole again by evening.
On the roof, the goat Heidrun eats a tree's leaves and branches. Mead flows from her teats, enough for all the warriors to drink their fill. The deer Eikthyrnir feeds on the same tree. Drops fall from his antlers and flow into a spring. In Skaldskaparmal, Glasir, a tree with golden leaves, stands before the doors.
Sources for this story (5)Valhalla, Where Warriors Gather
sköftum er rann reft,
skjöldum er salr þakiðr,
The hall's rafters are spears, and its roof is covered with shields.
“The Sayings of Grimnir” Stanza 9
“The Sayings of Grimnir”Grímnismál
“The Beguiling of Gylfi”Gylfaginning
“The Sayings of Vafthrudnir”Vafþrúðnismál
“The Language of Poetry”Skáldskaparmál
“Edda Fragments”Eddubrot


Image details
Emil Doepler “Walhall by Emil Doepler” 1905 Public domain View original image
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