In my novel, A Deal with Odin, I stepped into the world of Norse mythology for many of my characters and for my setting. Much of the book takes place in Odin’s Hall of Valhalla. You’ve probably heard of Valhalla–along with Odin and Thor, it’s the most recognizable part of Norse mythology. 

Valhalla is located in Asgard, the world of the gods, and it is a place of honor for those men who died fighting, men killed by weapons. When the time comes for the Norse mythology end-of-the-world scenario, Ragnarok, which is often referred to as “twilight of the gods”, Odin’s army of fighting men will help the gods fight the forces of evil.  

There is speculation among some Norse scholars that the creation of Valhalla was a reaction to the Christian heaven, that the Norse poets wanted a place for the dead, although with a decidedly Viking twist. Valhalla is no gentle place of peace–Valhalla is as rough and violent as the Viking world itself. 

Odin’s army of the dead, the einherjar (eyn-HAIR-ee-are), spend their days and nights feasting on pork and mead and fighting each other to keep their skills sharp for that end of the world battle with evil. If they are injured or killed in this fighting, they come back to life to fight again the next day. 

A far cry from the Christian idea of heaven.

That being said, I tend to agree with the scholars who think Valhalla is a reaction to Christianity. Even though it is considerably rougher than the Christian heaven, Valhalla still has the feel of an afterlife that is something desirable–it just happens to be very different!  

The building of Valhalla itself is very Viking. It is a huge feast hall with 540 doors that are so wide 800 warriors can walk through them. It’s a frightening visual to imagine thousands of Viking warriors spilling out of hundreds of doors that must be so tall they soared into the clouds. Over one of the doors–I’m assuming the main door–hangs a wolf and above him, an eagle, although it is unclear if they are alive or not. I assume they are because that fits with the theme of the hall. 

The hall was held up by spear shafts and roofed by shields. Everything about this place shouted war. Even the benches were lined with chain mail! Apparently, Odin did not want his elite warriors to be softened by the creature comforts of life. 

The meat the warriors eat comes from a boar and it never runs out and they drink mead produced by a goat. How a goat can produce mead is a mystery. It’s mythology, so nothing really needs to make sense. And for some reason, the goat stands on top of Valhalla. Another mystery. Of course, the mead produced from her udders never runs out. 

It’s interesting to me that this idyllic afterlife is exclusively male and created specifically for warriors. 

I have a theory…the poets whose poems were most likely remembered and then later written down, were those in the employ of powerful people, like kings. Viking age kings had an affinity for Odin, so it comes as no surprise to me that the afterlife they created was done so with these kings and their warriors in mind. To keep his job, a king’s poet had to flatter the king and proclaim his power, wealth, and generosity to everyone, and if that king worshiped Odin or believed he was a favorite of Odin, then it makes sense that Valhalla became the afterlife of choice and the one we remember. 

I like to imagine other halls of other gods where people could go after death. Female warriors to Freya’s hall, farmers to Frey’s, warriors who didn’t go to Valhalla, to Thor’s hall or Tyr’s. Healers and midwives to Frigg’s hall, and poets to Bragi’s hall. 

It’s strange to me that a polytheistic religion with many gods would limit itself with a binary heaven/hell afterworld, and that’s why I think it’s a reaction to Christianity and its version of Heaven and Hell.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!