Facts about Valhalla
- 12
The great hall of Valhalla is called Valhöll in Old Norse, meaning 'hall of the slain,' and is described in the Poetic Edda and Prose Edda as located in Asgard.
- 11
Each evening in Valhalla, the Einherjar's wounds completely healed overnight, allowing them to resume their endless combat training the following morning without permanent injury or disability.
- 10
Odin sacrificed his eye at Mimir's well to gain the wisdom necessary to construct Valhalla as an eternal fortress for the chosen slain.
- 09
Mead flowed perpetually from the udders of the goat Heiðrún, who stood atop Valhalla's roof eating leaves from Yggdrasil's branches to supply the endless drinking needs of the Einherjar.
- 08
Valhalla's walls were described in Norse texts as gleaming with gold and silver, with the rafters constructed from the spears of fallen warriors arranged in intricate patterns.
- 07
Half of all warriors who died in battle were believed by Norse peoples to go to Valhalla, while the other half joined the goddess Freyja in her hall Folkvangr.
- 06
Three golden roofs crowned Valhalla's great hall, with the highest made entirely of shields arranged in overlapping rows to symbolize eternal protection.
- 05
According to Norse texts, Valhalla's mead hall was built by the god Odin and housed the most skilled warriors who would fight alongside the Aesir gods during Ragnarok's final battle.
- 04
Einherjar warriors in Valhalla trained daily for Ragnarok by fighting each other to death, only to be fully healed and resurrected each evening to repeat the combat.
- 03
Warriors selected by the Valkyries for Valhalla were exclusively those who died honorably in battle, never those who perished from sickness, age, or accident according to Norse belief.
- 02
In Norse mythology, 540 doors line the walls of Valhalla's great hall Gladsheim, each wide enough for 800 warriors to march through abreast during the final battle of Ragnarok.
- 01
Norse warriors in Valhalla were believed to feast daily on an inexhaustible boar named Sæhrímnir that regenerated each night after being slaughtered.