Valkyrie is a mythical character? Who are the Valkyries, and what were these warrior-maidens?

No matter how many years passed, and however many new fabulous legends appear, the world will always be interested in such an extraordinary story about those who still excite the minds of many. Tales of the charming servants of one God. But who are the Valkyries really? Beautiful, divine creatures or still cruel and merciless dark female warriors? Most likely, no one will ever find out the exact answer, but no matter what, ancient myths are always ready to tell us their ghostly truth.

Virgo-warrior Valkyrie - who is she and what is her destiny?

As the German-Scandinavian mythology says , the story of extraordinary and courageous girls originates at a time when the gods led an open life and fully controlled the earth. It was then that they appeared - the Valkyries. They were called so for good, since from the Old Norse language this word, connected from the other two, means "choosing the killed", which directly relates to the purpose that each warrior of the Valkyries dedicated to her life. A dedicated service to the god Odin - that was what was important to them. And the main task facing them was the decision of who will become the winner, and who will be the loser in all battles taking place at that time.

The ways and methods by which brave girls achieved their goals

Originally, according to legend, all warlike virgins were described as cruel and bloodthirsty angels of death who loved to see the suffering and pain of dying soldiers, but since that time history has changed and they have acquired new, brighter and brighter features. Flying through the air on their swift and mighty horses, they hovered over the heads of those who fought hard, and when the battle came to an end, the warriors picked up the heroes who had fallen in this battle and carried them back to where Lord One had ordered.

A special place for further existence, after earthly life

The world where the valkyrie brought the dead on his horse was the heavenly abode of all Scandinavian gods, Asgard. It was here, in an ancient castle called Valhalla (which translates as "the chamber of the dead"), the chosen victims were found in the shelter. Every day, under the roofs of golden ceilings and glowing swords instead of lamps, in order to protect the divine city from the unwanted invasion of giants, all the warriors to one were engaged in improving their own skills and practiced steadily from dawn to sunset. And then they delighted and satiated their tired and exhausted bodies at the feasts arranged by the gods. And at that time the beautiful warriors served them at the tables and each of them was presented with delicious dishes and drinks.

Valkyrie is an innocent beautiful and enchanting virgin with its brightness

Although the warriors, as indicated a little earlier, initially represented merciless and cruel women, yet after a certain time in later writings of the Scandinavian mythology the notion of them acquired somewhat different features. Since then, the question of who the Valkyries are and what their true face is, you could hear that these girls were golden-haired, virgin-pure beauties with pale skin.

And on the battlefield, they appeared in the form of swans, or they cut the air on amazing and fantastically beautiful horse-clouds, whose manes were able to cover the earth with hoarfrost and dew.

Therefore, considering all the above, to say that the Valkyrie is a certain type of ruthless warrior, or, conversely, only a sensual virgin, it is impossible. Because this archetype has many versatile and fantastic features.

The Origin of the Servants of Odin and the Ancient Literature

As the legends of the Anglo-Saxon people say, some of the Valkyries were created from elves, but most of these maidens were of noble origin, and they were the daughters of princes who had become, during their lifetime, one of the virgin warriors endowed with the gift of turning into graceful swans.

At present, we know about their existence thanks to such a fine example of ancient literature as the "Elder Edda". It is here that we learn a lot, including the names of the Valkyries.

Value of names

None of them was so that her name was given simply for beauty, on the contrary, each of them meant something special, capable of giving an accurate description of its owner. And although a large part of the oldest names has not been translated, but still a few of them have become accessible and understandable to all comers, with the help of which it becomes even easier to understand who the Valkyries are and what they are.

For example, Hilda means "battle", and Hleck has, although similar, but still a slightly different translation - "the noise of battle." Christ means "amazing", and Mist - "foggy". Hervotur is "the bonds of the army," Labor is "power."

As the translation shows, each name has its own power and character, due to which the images of female warriors become more clear, and it becomes even clearer that the Valkyrie is not just a loyal subject of her god, but also a woman who has her own individual and independent traits And ability. And it was these unique images that became the inspiring factor in the creation of the famous German epic "The Song of the Nibelungs."

The Legend of Love

Reading this epic, we learn how, having dared to violate Odin's order, one of the Valkyries, a girl named Sigrdriva, performed a real feat in the name of her own love. She, at the risk of everyone, defended the one she wanted with all her heart, and instead of giving victory on the battlefield to the one whom Odin had commanded, the warrior awarded her her lover, King Agnar, with it. For this, in the end, she paid a long and unrestrained sleep, and when she awoke she became an ordinary, earthly woman.

The story of another Valkyrie, whose name is Brunhild, began with the fact that she married a mortal, and eventually, like Sigrdriva, lost her former strength by becoming a simple girl. And soon her descendants wove their lives with the threads of destiny spinning at the well of fate by the goddesses - norns.

Rejection of former life

After a while, the cult of the divine Odin grew to incredible heights. He became more powerful than others, due to which he began to acquire in his image more and more human features, while other gods became more demonized at that time. Each Valkyrie, The value of which in this period has greatly decreased, acquired a pair of wings, and from now on they all became half-women half-breeders.

Now the warriors no longer decided who to live with, but to whom to die on the battlefield, these powers were completely concentrated in Odin's hands. Even at solemn feasts they did not have a place left. After all, if before it was so, that the Valkyrie is the most valuable decoration and the main toilers of these holidays and evenings, then from now on their place was taken up by the liberated, sexual and fascinating gurias.

And since even to deliver the chosen warriors to Valhalla, the virgins were categorically denied, they had no choice but to embrace and carefully nurture the Einheries until the eight-legged horse that Odin had ridden behind them and Will deliver them to the final destination.

That's how their mission ended, but the story of deeds and exploits lives to this day. Cruel and unfeeling or romantic and tender - it does not matter. The main thing is how much they could bring and open for many of us. After all, even after a huge number of years, interest in them and their lives is still not quenched, but flutters, as before, lighting up everything with its bright and majestic light.