Valhalla

In Norse mythology, Valhalla (from Old Norse Valhöll "hall of the slain") is a majestic, enormous hall, ruled over by the god Odin. Chosen by Odin, half of those who die in combat travel to Valhalla upon death, led by valkyries, while the other half go to the goddess Freyja's field Fólkvangr. In Valhalla, the dead join the masses of those who have died in combat known as Einherjar, as well as various legendary Germanic heroes and kings, as they prepare to aid Odin during the events of Ragnarök. Before the hall stands the golden tree Glasir, and the hall's ceiling is thatched with golden shields. Various creatures live around Valhalla, such as the stag Eikþyrnir and the goat Heiðrún, both described as standing atop Valhalla and consuming the foliage of the tree Læraðr. Some say valhalla is located in Asgard but the Old Norse sources say no such thing. The closest thing to this notion that one can find in the sources comes from the Eddic poem Grímnismál, which states: “That land is hallowed/ Which I see lying/ Near gods and elves.”[5] The poem then lists many of the halls of the gods and offers terse descriptions of them, and Valhalla receives the most extensive consideration. But this “hallowed land” could be anywhere; it’s at least as likely, given the pantheistic and animistic character of pre-Christian Norse/Germanic religion, that this “hallowed land” refers to the cosmos as a whole rather than to Asgard alone. The Grímnismál, after all, goes on to describe much of the rest of the cosmos after describing the halls of the gods – and there’s no indication that the rest of the cosmos is any less a part of this “hallowed land.” Where, then, is Valhalla located? The literary sources, as well as archaeological and place-name evidence, powerfully suggest that it’s part of the underworld, and hardly distinguishable from Hel, the most general designation for the underworld.