Valhalla
pronunciation
How to pronounce Valhalla in British English:
UK [vælˈhælə]
How to pronounce Valhalla in American English:
US [vælˈhælə, vɑlˈhɑlə]
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- Noun:
- (Norse mythology) the hall in which Odin received the souls of slain heroes
Word Origin
- Valhalla (n.)
- heavenly hall in which Odin receives the souls of heroes slain in battle, 1696 (in Archdeacon Nicolson's "English Historical Library"), from Old Norse Valhöll "hall of the battle-slain;" first element from valr "those slain in battle," from Proto-Germanic *walaz (cognates: Old English wæl "slaughter, bodies of the slain," Old High German wal "battlefield, slaughter"), from PIE root *wele- (2) "to strike, wound" (cognates: Avestan vareta- "seized, prisoner," Latin veles "ghosts of the dead," Old Irish fuil "blood," Welsh gwel "wound"). Second element is from höll "hall," from PIE root *kel- (2) "to conceal" (see cell). Reintroduced by 18c. antiquaries. Figurative sense is from 1845.
Example
- 1. Das rheingold : entry of the gods into valhalla .
- 2. That 's the road to valhalla .
- 3. Heroes visiting the hall of valhalla in a stronghold become better warriors .
- 4. Valhalla blocks is a remarkable remake of classic tetris in viking style .
- 5. The ultimate postmortem destination for viking warriors was valhalla , or " odin 's hall " , made famous in the old norse sagas .