Valhalla

English

Alternative forms

• Valhall

Etymology

New Latin, from Old Norse Valhǫll (from valr (“dead warriors”) +‎ hǫll (“hall”)).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /vælˈhælə/
• (US, Canada) IPA^(key): /vælˈhælə/, /vɑlˈhɑlə/
• Rhymes: -ælə, -ɑːlə

• Audio (CA)

  (file)

Proper noun

Valhalla

1. (Norse mythology) The home of half of all warriors who died gloriously in battle as well as many of the Æsir.
   • 1791 May 1, “Moore's Inquiry into the Subject of Suicide”, in Monthly Review‎^[1], London, pages 24–25:

     [S]uch souls as were detruded from the body by any violent method went strait to Valhalla. (Latin original: Nostratibus sane hoc erat infallibiliter persuasum, animas, non vulgares, neque senio morbove, sec cruenta morte & vi corporibus exeuntes, recta ad Vahlallam ferri)

   • 1996, Carolyne Larrington, The Poetic Edda, Folio Society, published 2016, page xvii:

     In some poems they are envisaged as divine figures, women who serve mead to the dead warriors in Valhall, and who fulfil the will of Odin in overseeing battle and making sure that victory is awarded to the right man.

Derived terms

• Valhallan

Related terms

• Valgrind

Translations

in Norse mythology, the home of warriors slain gloriously in battle

• Arabic: فَالْهُول m (fālhūl), فَالْهَالَا f (fālhālā)
• Belarusian: Вальха́ла f (Valʹxála), Вальга́ла f (Valʹhála)
• Bulgarian: Валха́ла f (Valhála)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 瓦爾哈拉／瓦尔哈拉 (Wǎ'ěrhālā)

• Danish: Valhal c, Valhalla c, (archaic) Valhall c
• Dutch: Walhalla (nl) n
• Esperanto: Valhalo
• Estonian: Valhalla (et)
• Faroese: Valhøll m
• Finnish: Valhalla
• French: Walhalla (fr) m, walhalla (fr) m, Valhalla m, valhalla (fr) m, Valhalle f
• Georgian: ვალჰალა (valhala)
• German: Walhall (de) n, Walhalla (de) n or f
• Greek: Βαλχάλλα f (Valchálla)
• Hebrew: וָלְהַאלַה f (Valhalá)
• Icelandic: Valhöll (is) m
• Italian: Walhalla m, Valalla m, Valhalla m
• Japanese: ヴァルハラ (ja) (Varuhara)
• Korean: 왈홀 (Walhol), 발할라 (Balhalla)
• Latvian: Valhalla f
• Lithuanian: Valhala f
• Macedonian: Валха́ла f (Valhála)
• Norwegian: Valhall n
• Old Norse: Valhǫll f
• Persian: والهالا (vâlhâlâ)
• Polish: Walhalla (pl) f
• Portuguese: Valhalla m or f, Valhala m or f, Walhala m or f
• Romanian: walhalla (ro) f, valhalla f
• Russian: Валга́лла (ru) f (Valgálla), Вальха́лла (ru) f (Valʹxálla)
• Spanish: Valhalla m
• Swedish: Valhall c
• Ukrainian: Вальга́лла f (Valʹhálla)

Noun

Valhalla (plural Valhallas)

1. (by extension) An abode of the gods or afterlife in general.
   • 1915 April, Lord Dunsany [i.e., Edward Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany], “The Return of Song”, in Fifty-one Tales, London: [Charles] Elkin Mathews, →OCLC:

     “The swans are singing again,” said to one another the gods. And looking downwards, for my dreams had taken me to some fair and far Valhalla, I saw below me an iridescent bubble not greatly larger than a star shine beautifully but faintly, and up and up from it looking larger and larger came a flock of white, innumerable swans, singing and singing and singing, till it seemed as though even the gods were wild ships swimming in music.

   • 1959, Tom Lehrer (lyrics and music), “We Will All Go Together When We Go”:

     You will all go directly to your respective Valhallas / Go directly, do not pass 'GO', do not collect two hundred dollars

Danish

Proper noun

Valhalla

1. Alternative form of Valhal

Italian

Proper noun

il Valhalla m

1. Alternative spelling of Walhalla

Norwegian Nynorsk

Proper noun

Valhalla f

1. definite singular of Valhall

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• Valhala, Valíala, Walhala

Etymology

From New Latin, from Old Norse Valhǫll, from valr (“dead warriors”) + hǫll (“hall”).

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /vawˈhalə/

Proper noun

Valhalla m or f

1. (Norse mythology) Valhalla (the home of warriors slain gloriously in battle)