Chapter 16

Hildr, Gunnr, Thrûðr deserve to be studied the more closely, because their personality turns up in other Teutonic tongues as well, and the presence there of some walachurian argues that of the whole sisterhood. Even in ONorse, Hildr and Gunnr (=Guðr) got generalized into hildr and gunnr (pugna, proelium); of bellona was made bellum: 'hildr hefir þû oss verit,' bellona nobis fuisti, Sæm. 164b. Conversely, beside the AS. hild and gûð we still find a personal Hild and Gûð: gif mec Hild nime (if H. take me), Beow. 899. 2962; Gûð nimeð 5069; Gûð fornam (carried off) 2240; as elsewhere we have 'gif mec deáð nimeð,' Beow. 889, wîg ealle fornam 2154, gûðdeáð fornam 4494, Wyrd fornam 2411 (conf. OS. Wurd farnimid, Hel. 111, 11), swylt fornam 2872, Wyrd forsweop (supra p. 406); conf. 'Hilde grâp' 5009. And as other beings that do us good or harm are by turns aroused and quieted, it is said picturesquely: Hildi vekja (bellonam excitare), Sæm. 160ª 246ª; elsewhere merely vîg vekja (bellum excitare) 105ª. The valkyrs, like Oðinn (p. 147), are accompanied by eagles and ravens, who alight on the battlefield, (44) and the waging of war is poetically expressed as ala gögl gunna systra (aves alere sororum belli), Sæm. 160ª. The forms in OHG. were Hiltia and Gundia (Gûdea), both found in the Hild. lied 6. 60, though already as mere common nouns; composite proper names have -hilt, -gunt. (45) The legend of Hildr, who goes to the val at night, and by her magic wakes the fallen warriors into life again, is preserved both in the Edda (Sn. 164-5) and also in the OHG. poem of Gûdrûn, where she is called Hilde. (46)---Lastly, Thrûðr, which likewise sinks into a mere appellative þrûðr virgo, and in OHG. occurs in a great many female names (e.g. Alpdrûd [Ælfþryð, Elfrida], Wolchandrûd, Himildrûd, Plîddrût, Plihdrût = Plectrud, Kêrdrûd = Gertrude, Mîmidrûd, Sigidrûd, which naturally suggests ghostly beings), has assumed the general meaning of witch, sorceress, hobgoblin. (47) Hans Sachs several times uses 'alte trute' for old witch, and noisy children are quieted with the words: 'hush, the drut will come!' (48) so that here she exactly fills the place of frau Holla or Berhta, and can the more appropriately be the ancient valkyr. An AS. wood-maiden, named Dhryð, comes up in the Vita Offae secundi (supra, p. 388): she is from France, where she had been sentenced to death for her crimes, exposed in a ship, and cast on the shore of Mercia. Here Offa saw the maiden passing fair, and married her, but she soon committed new transgressions. She is called 9ª Drida, 9b Petronilla, 15b Qvendrida (i.e., cwên Thryð; conf. Kemble's preface to Beow. pp. xxxv. xxxvi, and Bäckström 1, 220 (see Suppl.).

Beside the valkyrs named, there must have been many others, and the second section of the Sæmundaredda names several as lovers or wives of heroes. Such are Svava, Sigrlinn, Kâra, Sigrûn, Sigrdrîfa, who are expressly called valkyrjur, Sæm. 142b 145b 157, 169. 194. It also comes out, that they were of human origin, being daughters of kings, Svava of Eylimi, Sigrlinn of Svafnir, Sigrûn of Högni, Kâra of Hâlfdan, Sigrdrîfa of Buðli; Svava was the lover of Helgi Hiörvarðsson, Sigrlinn of Hiörvarðr, Sigrûn of Helgi Hundîngsbani, Kâra of Helgi Haddîngskaði, and Sigrdrifa, who is no other than Brynhildr, of Sigurðr. Grîmhildr (helmet-maiden, p. 238), and above all Brynhildr, Prunhilt, whose very name betokens the mail-clad Hildr, is superhuman: her inaccessible hall stands on a mountain, like those of Veleda and Jetha (pp. 95-6); it was a schildburg (skialdborg), where she herself, bound by the spell, slept under her shield, till Sigurðr released her. Then she prophesied to him, Sæm. 194b, and before her death she prophesies again, 224, 226b. Her hall was encircled with flickering flame, 'oc var um sal hennar vafrlogi,' Sn. 139 (see Suppl.), as was also that of Menglöð (OHG. Maniklata, i.e., monili laetabunda), another valkyr: salr er slûnginn er vîsom vafrloga (Sæm. 110ª, conf. 107ª,b). Before this Menglöð, nine virgins kneel, sit and sing; sacrifice is offered to them all (111ª); conf. ch. XXXVI. Then Vebiörg skialdmr appears in Fornald. sög. 1, 384. And vrô Babehilt, whom Dietrich finds at a fountain, asleep (as Sigurd found Brynhild), and who gives him healing salves, and foretells his fate (Ecke 151-160), must also be reckoned among norns or valkyrs. The valkyrs bestowed on their favourites, as Staufenberger's lover did on him (p. 419), victory and protection in battle (Sigrûn hlîfði honom opt sîðan î orrostom, Sæm. 142b); this relation is technically expressed by verja (tueri 134ª); they hide their heroes' ships (Svava 145ª,b, Sigrûn 153b). The above-mentioned Hildr too, the daughter of king Högni (Hagene), was Heðin's betrothed. The memory of these shield maidens has filtered down even into modern folk-songs: in Arvidsson 1, 189, Kerstin sköldmö with her 8000 maids redeems her betrothed from captivity; at other times it is a sister that rescues her brother, by which is not meant a sister by birth, but a valkyr again, for these higher beings are everywhere called sisters, and fraternize with their protégés (Arvidsson 2, 120-1-2. Nyerup 4, 38-9). Now those women in our medieval poetry, the sight of whom nerves to victory, whose name need only be uttered to bring them to one's side as quickly as a wish can be formed and accomplished, are evidently shield-women of this kind (see Suppl.).

Oðinn then admitted into his band of valkyrs mortal maidens of kingly race, deified women standing by the side of the deified heroes; yet I do not suppose that all valkyrs were of such lineage, but that the oldest and most famous were, like the norns, descended from gods or elves. It is also worth noting, that Kâra and her Helgi were looked upon as a second birth of Svava and the elder Helgi, Sæm. 148b 169. In the Vöundarqviða three other valkyrs make their appearance together: Hlaðguðr svanhvît, Hervör alvitr, and Ölrûn, the first two being daughters of king Löðver, the third of Kiâr; they unite themselves to Slagfiðr, Völundr and Egill, live with them seven years, and then escape, 'at vitja vîga,' to pursue their old trade of war again. On the whole, it seems the union of these half-goddesses with heroes turned out detrimentally to both parties: the heroes came to an early death or other harm, as Staufenberger's example teaches; and 'Sigrûn varð skammlîf,' she grew scant of life, Sæm. 169ª. Perhaps we should be right in assuming that promotion to the valkyr's office took place under an obligation of virginity. (49) which again reminds one of the Amazons. At all events, when Oðinn was angry with Sigrdrifa for letting his favourite fall in battle, (50) he decreed that now she should be given in marriage, 'qvað hana giptaz scyldo,' Sæm. 194ª. Hlaðguðr, Hervör and Ölrûn had been carried off by the men forcibly and against their will (see Suppl.). (51) All these female names are descriptive. Ölrûn was discussed on p. 404. Hlaðguðr is literally bellona stragis; Hervör, like the kindred Gunnvör, alludes to hosts and battles, the adj. alvitr to the gift of prophecy, and svanhvît to the swan-shape. Saxo Gram. 22-23 names another Svanhvita, who has likewise much of the valkyr, is a seer of spirits, and presents a sword to Regner to seal their covenant. As for Slagfiðr (see p. 380), I prefer to explain it not as Slagfinnr, though he is called a son of the Finnakonûngr, but as Slagfiöðr = alatus, pennatus, which goes better with Svanhvît his lover, and is supported by the OHG. word slagifëdara, penna.

How little we are entitled to separate the norns and valkyrs totally from one another, is taught by the tale of these three maidens also. Not to mention the prevalence among valkyrs as well as norns of the number three and sisterly companionship, nor Hervör's having the epithet alvitr (omniscia), which better fits a norn than a valkyr; it is said of all three, that they sat on the sea-beach spinning costly flax, nay, of the same 'all-witting' one (who is repeatedly called ûnga, as Skuld is in other places), that she was about to 'örlög drÿgja,' to dree a weird, Sæm. 133ª 134ª. The award of battle is one part of destiny; not only norns, but valkyrs also were imagined spinning and weaving. This is placed in the clearest light by the fearfully exciting poem in cap. 158 of the Nialssaga. Through a crevice in the rock Dörruðr sees women sit singing over a web, at which human heads serve them for weights, entrails for warp and weft, swords for spools, and arrows for a comb: in their weird song they describe themselves as valkyrjur, and their web as intended for the spectator Dörruðr. (52) At length they tear up their work, mount their steeds, and six of them ride to the south, six to the north. Compare with this the weaving Wyrd of the AS. poet (p. 415). The parting of the maidens into two bands that ride in opposite directions, is like those nine in white and nine in black, who came riding up in succession (p. 421).

I have set norns and moirai side by side; with equal aptness a comparison can be drawn between valkyrs and khrej (without any verbal affinity, for no doubt the likeness is only an aparent one): the khr too might be seen on the battlefield in bloody garments, tending the wounded, dragging away the dead. A khr is allotted to the child as soon as it is born; Achilles had two khrej between whom he might choose, and Zeus put two in the balance, to decide the death of Hector or Achilles. (53) Hesiod (scut. 249-254) makes the dingy white-toothed khrej contend over the fallen warriors, each throws her talons round the wounded man, eager to drink his blood, just as he ascribes talons and a thirst for blood to the moirai (p. 414): a fresh confirmation of the identity of norns and valkyrs. The claws of the moirai and kêres, the wings of the thriai, point to their possession of a bird's shape. The later view [Hesiod's] brings into prominence the sinister side of the kêres.



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