Skáldskaparmál - 01.01.1997, Síða 134

132
The Valkyries in the Heroic Literature
I
1. We had best start with the etymology. As the word valkyrja is entirely
transparent, there will be little controversy here. The second part of the composite
is a feminine derivation of the verb kjósa\ “to choose”. The first is from valr, a
collective masculine noun: “the slain on the battlefield”. Hence, it can be
concluded that a valkyrie must be a female being, who chooses the slain on the
battlefield10.
The other most important compounds with val- as first element are: Valhöll
and Valfaðir. The latter is one of the many designations of Óðinn, the “father” of
the dead warriors; Valhöll\s the name of the place where he receives these warriors.
There is usually a link between Óðinn and the valkyries.
Asynonym of valkyrie is ósknuer (Wagners “Wunschmadchen”). This must be
a younger word, although its meaning is not entirely clear. According to the
dictionary óskbarn is an adoptive child; in modern Icelandic óskabarn can also
mean “a dearly beloved child”. Perhaps the valkyries were thought of as the
adoptive daughters of Óðinn.11 Grimm considered the word to be a derivative of
Óski, a surname of Óðinn, and then it would mean “servant of Óðinn”12.
Alternatively one might romanticize it into “dear, desired maiden, fulfillment of
the warriors’ desire”, as Wagner probably did.
In Vóluspá 30 the valkyries are named the “nönnur Herjans”, presumably the
“young women of Óðinn”. The singular of this word, nanna, is also the name of
Baldr’s wife. If De Vries is right in assuming that Baldr’s death referred to the
initiation of young warriors, it would be suitable for Baldr to have a valkyrie for
his wife.13 The problems of the Baldr story, however, are beyond the scope of the
present article.
2. There are valkyries who make the impression of being very primitive beings
and belonging to a primitive stratum of thought. In this case there is no special
link with Óðinn. They appear and act only in groups, and not individually like
the heroic valkyries.
They are thought to have been female demons who haunted the battlefields
and fed on the flesh and blood of the slain. In some Old-Icelandic texts men have
dreams and visions about terrifying women and these are thought to be valkyries.
In Sturlunga saga, for example, they appear before or after battles and other terrible
events.14 The bad dream-woman of the Gísla saga Súrssonar must have been
10 Grimm (1875, p. 346) derived “ val' from the verb “ veljá’ that also means “to choose”, thus
making the verb a tautological compound. The argument against this etymology must be that
it isolates the word both from “valr' and from the other compounds with “val
11 Fritzner (1891), p. 918.
12 Grimm (1856), pp. 335-6.
13 De Vries (1955 and 1965).
13 Sturlunga saga (1954). For instance after the battle ofVíðness, it is said that (II, p. 38-9): “þar
sátu konur tvœr bláSgur ok reru jram. Honum þótti þar rigna blóSi í Ijórina. Önnur kvað kona: