Skáldskaparmál - 01.01.1997, Page 133

Riti Kroesen
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Saga named after her (FAN II, p. 23). The stories ofvalkyries often end in a tragic
way, but if it comes to marriage, they seem to adjust to a more traditional way of
life, too, though eventually, owing to circumstances, they can once more return
to the battlefield (Skuld).
Valkyries and shield maidens look the same and behave in the same way. Yet
shield maidens are human and valkyries are supernatural. Valkyries can fly
through the air, they can be invisibly present on the battlefield, and it is their
function to control the fortunes of war.
The present article is about valkyries, and it will try to steer clear of shield
maidens. It will also try to steer clear of psychology. Valkyries originally belonged
to the realms of myth, and where psychology starts, myth is at an end2 Nor does
it have any specific feminist orientation, although its author is a woman.
Certain valkyries always appear in groups. In some texts they can be grim
female demons who satiate themselves on the blood and flesh of the newly slain.
According to Golther,5 6 7 these valkyries are of the oldest type, and they are not
associated with Óðinn yet. At the other end of the development we find the
individual valkyries who serve Óðinn and are the beloved of heroes, yet however
beautiful and radiant they have become, they can still inspire people with feelings
of horror.
On the whole scholars have followed up Golters opinion. As far as I know, it
was only challenged by Marstrander on account of his interpretation of the rune
inscripdon of the Vimose buckle.8 According to him this Gothictext must be read
as “aasau wija gaadagas alu,” Runic-Norse "a(n)sin wigju gand(a)aganda alu ,
which he translates as: “with a terrible magic I dedicate (this buckle) to the god
of the Æsir, alu (a magic rune)”. This god he interprets as Óðinn. He goes on to
establish an old connection between Óðinn and the valkyries, because the
(necessarily much younger) word Göndul (derived from ganda-, magic object
according to Marstrander) is known as a valkyrie’s name. We can hardly quarrel
with his opinion here, but it seems to be stretching the evidence of a dubious
interpretation of one short text a good deal.9
We will pursue the theory of Golther, because it seems to us the most probable
one. This article consists of three parts. First we will give a sketch of the
development of the valkyries according to the guide-lines set out by Golther with
some additions. Next the stories about the heroic valkyries will be analyzed. We
will finish by trying to determine what the underlying meaning of these stories
could be.
5 Steblin-Kamenskij’s article “Valkyries and Heroes” (1982) is about the psychological aspect of
valkyries. Therefore it will not be discussed.
6 Golther (1888).
7 See Neckel (1944).
8 Marstrander (1929), esp. p. 84.
7 This interpretation has been refuted by Antonsen (1975 and 1987).