"...a celestial retirement home for old soldiers..." (p. 64)
- as a description of Valhalla.
We remember the Eddas and the retellings of North mythology by Roger Lancelyn Green, Poul Anderson and Neil Gaiman as well as
In any case, they still live in the imagination.
Afterword: Aegir's Hall is a marine retirement home for old sailors whereas Hel is the cheerless public authority retirement home for everyone else.
9 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I remember that line you quoted from Chapter Four of THE SKY BLUE WOLVES abotu Valhalla being a retirement home for old soldiers and I too thought it was sardonically amusing! But not the bit about Aegir's Hall.
If we go by what the Eddas and sagas say, however, Valhalla was more like Odin's recruiting hall for the warriors who would fight the last battle alongside the "gods" at Ragnarok. With everybody else having to settle for that grimly utilitarian public authority retirement home called Hel.
Sean
Sean,
I added Aegir's Hall and Hel to the comparison.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
I didn't remember any mention of "Aegir's Hall."
Sean
Sean,
No, that was my addition.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
I get it now! (Smiles)
Sean
Kaor, Paul!
Speaking of Norse mythology, there is also Folkvangr, the field of the folk, where Freyja has her hall. It doesn’t seem to have been developed as much as the idea of Valhalla, but according to at least one statement, Freyja gets half the slain, Odin the other half. Perhaps Folkvangr could also be called a celestial retirement home or recruiting hall for soldiers, or a retirement home for women who behaved nobly.
Best Regards,
Nicholas
Kaor, Nicholas!
Do you recall where you saw that bit about Freyja and the Folkvangr? Was it in one of the poems collected in the ELDER EDDA? I have a copy of Lee M. Hollander's translation of that work.
Regards! Sean
Kaor, Sean!
I have not actually read the Elder Edda; I probably should some day. I saw something about Freyja and her Field of the Folk in someone’s Internet post, which led me to Google and Wikipedia. The original poster wrote something to the effect that you had to die in battle to go to Valhalla, but could get into Folkvangr by working in search and rescue, or something hazardous and worthy like that. I don’t know whether he was an actual Aesirtru pagan, or speaking humorously.
Best Regards,
Nicholas
Kaor, Nicholas!
Dang, I should have done that first, google "Freyja." Which I will! And your other comments makes me think someone was indeed merely speaking humorously.
Regards! Sean
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