http://deitiesanddemons.tumblr.com/post/71121128050

northfury:

In Norse mythology, a valkyrie (from Old Norse valkyrja ”chooser of the slain”) is one of a host of female figures who decide who falls and dies in battle. Selecting among half of those who die in battle (the other half go to the goddess Freyja’s afterlife field Fólkvangr), the valkyries bring their chosen to the afterlife hall of the slain, Valhalla, ruled over by the god Odin. There, the deceased warriors becomeeinherjar. When the einherjar are not preparing for the events of Ragnarök, the valkyries bear them mead. Valkyries also appear as lovers of heroes and other mortals, where they are sometimes described as the daughters of royalty, sometimes accompanied by ravens, and sometimes connected to swans or horses.