In Norse religion the einherjar or einheriar were spirits of warriors who had died bravely in battle. The name is Old Norse for "one-army-ers". It is often interpreted as "outstanding fighter", but might also signify "those who are all [now] in one army", because when alive on earth they were in many armies and bands, but now they are all in the Army of the Dead. Nordic religion is a termed used to abbreviate the religion preferably amongst the Germanic tribes living in Nordic countries under pre-Christian period that are supported by archaeology findings and early written materials. ... Look up war in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Old Norse is the Germanic language spoken by the inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300. ...

After they die, the valkyries escort half of the slain from the battlefield to Valhalla (these are the "einherjar"), which is part of Asgard (commonly described as the "Norse Heaven"); the other half went to Fólkvangr (Freyja's hall). The Grímnismál describes Valhalla as having five hundred and forty doors, and through each of them, eight hundred could march abreast (a hundred, hundrað, in Old Norse could mean either 100 or 120), indicating the size of the hall and the numbers of the einherjar. The Valkyries Vigil, by the Pre-Raphaelite painter Edward Robert Hughes. ... “Valhall” redirects here. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... In Norse mythology, Fólkvangr (folk-plain or host-plain) was the dwelling of Freya (Freyja) in Asgard (Ásgarðr), the world of the Æsir, where stood Sessrúmnir, her hall. ... Information in this article or section has not been verified against sources and may not be reliable. ... Grímnismál (Sayings of Grímnir) is one of the mythological poems of the Poetic Edda. ...

Every day the Einherjar are awakened by Gullinkambi, a rooster, and march out to the great field of Idavoll in the heart of Asgard to fight against each other in merry (and mortal) combat. At dusk, when they are all cut to pieces, save perchance a few, they are miraculously healed, and march back into Valhalla, where Andhrímnir, the cook of the gods, has prepared a meal for them from the pork of Sæhrímnir, a pig that is reborn every day, and the mead milked from Heiðrún, a goat feeding on the leaves of Yggdrasil. The einherjar then spend the evening and night in feast, served by lovely valkyries, until they all fall asleep, solidly drunk. In Norse mythology, Gullinkambi (golden comb) was a rooster who lived in Valhalla, where he woke up the Einherjar every morning. ... In Norse mythology, Idavoll was the central plain in Asgard. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Andhrímnir was the chef for the Æsir and einherjar in Norse mythology. ... Two halves of pork being delivered Pork is the culinary name for meat from pigs. ... In Norse mythology, Sæhrímnir was the cosmic boar killed and eaten every night by the Æsir and einherjar. ... Mead Mead is a fermented alcoholic beverage made of honey, water, and yeast. ... The Heidrun oil field is a Norwegian oil field in the North Sea. ... This tree from the Viking Age Överhogdal tapestries is believed to show Yggdrasil with Viðópnir. ...

The einherjar will stand with the forces of the Æsir at Ragnarök, when Odin will call them up to fight the forces of Hel and the giants. In Old Norse, the Æsir (singular Ás, feminine Ásynja, feminine plural Ásynjur, Anglo-Saxon Ós, from Proto-Germanic *Ansuz) are the principal gods of the pantheon of Norse mythology. ... Odin is depicted falling with his spear Gungnir while Surtr brandishes his sword. ... For other meanings of Odin, Woden or Wotan see Odin (disambiguation), Woden (disambiguation), Wotan (disambiguation). ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Niflheim. ... The giants Fafner and Fasolt seize Freyja in Arthur Rackhams illustration to Richard Wagners version of the Norse myths. ...

A large majority of Norse mythology has been written or translated by Christians a few centuries after the Viking period.^[1] Another point of view explains a difference between Odin's Einherjar and Freyja's; the oral tradition, or Odal property, explains that Odin's warriors are "the offensive", or those who dedicate their life to fighting. Freyja’s warriors are "the defensive", or those who only fight to protect their families, clans or goods. The historian Else Roesdahl noticed that a difference between the two cultures in regards to burials containing weapons. In those in Norway the buried warriors had defensive shields, and in Denmark they had only offensive weapons.^[2] Norse or Scandinavian mythology comprises the pre-Christian religion, beliefs and legends of the Scandinavian people, including those who settled on Iceland, where the written sources for Norse mythology were assembled. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      A Christian () is a person who... The term king commonly denotes the ship-borne warriors, pirates and traders of Norsemen (literally, men from the north) who originated in Scandinavia and raided the coasts of britain and ireland as far east as the Volga River in Russia from the late 8–18th century. ... For other meanings of Odin, Woden or Wotan see Odin (disambiguation), Woden (disambiguation), Wotan (disambiguation). ... Information in this article or section has not been verified against sources and may not be reliable. ...

According to the oral tradition, the spirits that die a natural or non-fighting death go to Hel where "the quiet and mysterious Hel the goddess of death, who has half face in the shadow of darkness and the other part in the brightness of the life" leads them on a ship which follows the current of one of the twelve rivers Eligavar. One of those rivers brings them to the country of Gimlé (similar to the Greek Elysium). It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Niflheim. ... In Norse mythology, Hel (sometimes Anglicized or Latinized as Hela) is the queen of Hel, the Norse underworld. ... In Norse mythology, Gimlé (alternately Gimli) was a place where the survivors of Ragnarok were to live. ... Elysian redirects here. ...

In Norse mythology every one of the gods' animals has their own name. Animals had an important place in Viking society. The gods are said to be so concerned for their well-being, that they reincarnate them when they die, like the pig, Sæhrímnir, or Thor's goat, which was brought back to life with bones that Thor had preserved. Thors battle against the giants, by MÃ¥rten Eskil Winge, 1872 Thor (Old Norse: Þórr) is the red-haired and bearded god of thunder and war in Norse Mythology and more generally Germanic mythology (Old English: Þunor, Old Dutch and Old High German: Donar, from Proto-Germanic *Þunraz). ...

References

Notable references to Einherjar in Modern Media

Einherjar continue to play some role in modern Nordic music. For example, Einherjer is the name of a Norwegian Viking metal band and is also a song by Slovenian Death metal band Sweet Sorrow. Many of the bands songs feature a Nordic theme or setting. Similarly, the music also calls on a number of other traditional Norse beings, including Odin. Einherjer band logo Einherjer was a Viking metal band from Haugesund, Norway, founded in 1993. ... Viking metal is a cross-genre reference usually used to describe the lyrical and thematic elements of bands rather than the music itself. ... Death metal is a subgenre of heavy metal. ... For other meanings of Odin, Woden or Wotan see Odin (disambiguation), Woden (disambiguation), Wotan (disambiguation). ...

Einherjar are also found, though relatively uncommonly, in modern literature. For example, the Einheriar is the wild hunt called up by Susan in book 'The Moon of Gomrath' by Alan Garner. Its members form a part of 'The Old Magic' called up to counter the forces of evil, but are based on Celtic rather than Norse mythology. The Moon of Gomrath is the sequel to The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner. ... Alan Garner (born Congleton October 17, 1934) is an English writer whose work is firmly rooted in his local Cheshire. ...

The concept of Einherjar play a number of roles in a variety of video games today, identifying primarily with the powerful conceptualization of Nordic warriors. Usually, the Einherjar play a relatively unimportant part in the game, acting as a part of the name of an item, vehicle, or location. However, on occasion, Einherjar play a prominent role, as in the 1999 Sony PlayStation video game Valkyrie Profile and its sequels. There, the player assumes the role of a valkyrie and the plot centers on locating and recruiting Einherjar for the battle of Ragnarok. Other games use the concept to denote especially important characters, sometimes without basis of mythology, as in the Game Boy Advance title Mega Man Zero 4, in which the 8 bosses refer to themselves as the "Einherjar". These enemies possess great power and are difficult to defeat, similar to theories of the skill harnessed by the Einherjar. Namcos Pac-Man was a hit, and became a universal phenomenon. ... Year 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar). ... Sony Corporation ) is a Japanese multinational corporation and one of the worlds largest media conglomerates with revenue of $68. ... The Sony PlayStation ) is a video game console of the 32/64-bit era, first produced by Sony Computer Entertainment in the mid-1990s. ... Valkyrie Profile may refer to two different games published by Square-Enix: Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth, the rebranded name for the original Valkrie Profile game. ... The Valkyries Vigil, by the Pre-Raphaelite painter Edward Robert Hughes. ... Mega Man Zero 4 , Rockman Zero 4), commonly abbreviated MMZ4, is an action platforming game video game released and published by Capcom[2]. Developed and released for the Game Boy Advance handheld console, it is the fourth and final title in the Mega Man Zero subseries of the Mega Man...