Host refers to a large sum of people. I have some doubts about whether Odin actually had any say in who entered Valhalla: Obviously this wouldn't be how the Norse explained it but this sounds to me like it could be a compromise resulting from the "war of the functions" discussed by Mallory and others - the suggestion that the Aesir-Vanir distinction (and war) reflects a historical fusion of two ancestral pantheistic religions. Does Windows know physical size of external monitor? The Norse mythological texts record three primary places where the dead were perceived to go: Helheim (Old Norse Helheimr, “the home of the goddess Hel“), Valhalla (Old Norse Valhöll, “the hall of the fallen”), and Folkvang (Old Norse Fólkvangr, “the field of the people” or “the field of warriors”). These examples indicate that Freyja was a war-goddess, and she even appears as a valkyrie, literally 'the one who chooses the slain'. [8] According to Hilda Ellis Davidson, Valhalla "is well known because it plays so large a part in images of warfare and death," yet the significance of other halls in Norse mythology such as Ýdalir, where the god Ullr dwells, and Freyja's Fólkvangr have been lost.[9]. According to the Prose Edda, within Fólkvangr is Freyja's hall Sessrúmnir. http://norse-mythology.org/tales/the-aesir-vanir-war/, http://www.germanicmythology.com/PoeticEdda/GRM14.html. The Road to Hel: A Study of the Conception of the Dead in Old Norse Literature. Folkvangr is where the other "half" goes. "Egils saga" as collected in various (2001). To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. So not all the best warriors even go to Valhalla. This page was last edited on 10 April 2020, at 04:54. Leaving aside speculation about relative status, start with the fact that there's a lot we don't know about Norse mythology, and there's no central canon that makes everything match up. Why would Odin and Freyja send fallen men to Helheim? The only difference that is pointed out, is in the way that the dead are chosen to stay. Folkvangr receives the rest of the warriors. Is there something wrong with my fictional lighthouse? Even Christianity has a number of options, although only one paradise. In Egils saga, when Egill Skallagrímsson refuses to eat, his daughter Þorgerðr (here anglicized as "Thorgerd") says she will go without food and thus starve to death, and in doing so will meet the goddess Freyja: Britt-Mari Näsström says that "as a receiver of the dead her [Freyja's] abode is also open for women who have suffered a noble death." "[7], John Lindow says that if the Fólk- element of Fólkvangr is to be understood as "army", then Fólkvangr appears as an alternative to Valhalla. Freya went on to live with the Aesir in Asgard with her brother Freyr, Fólkvangr is in Asgard rather than Vanaheim, Freya's home world. In this case, a compromise between two different existing (Vanir and Aesir) explanations of what happens after death. Is the system of capitalism inherently irrational? Aesir (ft Heldom) 05. In Norse mythology, Fólkvangr (Old Norse "field of the host" or "people-field" or "army-field") is a meadow or field ruled over by the goddess Freyja where half of those that die in combat go upon death, while the other half go to the god Odin in Valhalla. Why do some investment firms publish their market predictions? What operation is this aircraft performing? Fólkvangr means field of the host. As a practice of Asatru, I have read alot into Norse mythology. Valhalla: home of the heros who did not yield, the valiant dead, Eitenjar the first into the fight when ragnarok begins. Fólkvangr is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson. ::::The Official Facebook page for Pagan Metal band Folkvangr ::::: Established March 2010 Intro 02. Odin gave this right to Freya as a sign of friendliness for the Vanir, to end the war between them and the aesir and get their friendship. "Eventually the two tribes of divinities became weary of fighting and decided to call a truce. p. 85-86. source: 1996 Carolyne Larrington in The Poetic Edda “Grimnir’s Sayings”. Album: Skapanir Tracklist: 01. In a 2012 paper, Joseph S. Hopkins and Haukur Þorgeirsson propose a connection between Fólkvangr, Sessrúmnir, and numerous stone ships found throughout Scandinavia. If I was going to speculate on why Odin and Freyja share fallen warriors between them, I would go back to the Aesir - Vanir war, and suggest that since it ended in a draw, one deity from each side gets half the dead. We're a far-stretch from the original worshipers and they left us only so much evidence of their faith, so it's hard to tell what Freya's criteria may be (a heart of valor vs many men slain in combat for example), but I hope that this helps answer the question. This is the accepted belief. http://norse-mythology.org/tales/the-aesir-vanir-war/. It only takes a minute to sign up. Stack Exchange network consists of 176 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers.