valkyrie

IPA/ˈvælkəri/
KK[vˌælkˈirˌiə]IPA/ˈvælkəri/

valkyrie — noun

1. In old Norse stories, a female warrior figure who decided which fighters would d

1.nounB2
Definition

In old Norse stories, a female warrior figure who decided which fighters would die in a battle and then led the souls of those chosen to Valhalla, the great hall of the dead ruled by the god Odin.

Example

João read about valkyries in a book of Norse myths and found them exciting.

read about + topic phrase for learning from a book

In the film, the valkyries flew across the sky on large white horses.

prepositional phrase opener: 'In the film...'

Common collocations
  • ride across the sky
  • choose the slain
  • carry souls to Valhalla
  • serve Odin
  • a valkyrie's horse
Synonyms
  • battle maiden

    a general poetic term for a female warrior; less specific than valkyrie which is tied to Norse mythology

  • shieldmaiden

    a human female warrior in Norse sagas, not a supernatural being like a valkyrie

  • chooser of the slain

    a literal translation of the Old Norse valkyrja; used in academic or poetic contexts

Grammar Patterns

Valkyrie (capitalised) as a proper name for the group

Usage Note

Often capitalised (Valkyrie) when referring to the twelve specific figures in Old Norse mythology; lower-case (valkyrie) is more common in general or metaphorical use, such as a female warrior in fiction or games.

Common Mistakes

The angel carried the hero's soul to heaven.
The valkyrie carried the hero's soul to Valhalla.
valkyries are Norse mythological figures, not equivalent to angels in Abrahamic traditions.

Word family

  • valkyrian
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four terms describe female fighters, but valkyrie is the only one rooted specifically in Norse mythology as a supernatural being who serves Odin and selects the dead. 'Battle maiden' is a poetic English term that can refer to any female warrior across cultures, while 'shieldmaiden' appears in Norse sagas to describe human women who fought — never the supernatural choosers of the slain. 'Chooser of the slain' is a direct translation of the Old Norse word valkyrja and is used mainly in scholarly or literary contexts. 'Warrior woman' is the broadest, covering any historical or fictional female fighter. For example: 'The valkyrie flew over the battlefield choosing the bravest dead' (mythological supernatural figure), but 'The shieldmaiden fought beside her brothers in the Viking raid' (a human warrior).

battle maidenshieldmaidenchooser of the slainwarrior woman

Common collocations

Nouns

  • Valkyrie's song
  • Valkyrie mythology
  • valkyrie warrior
  • valkyrie figure

Phrases

  • ride across the sky
  • choose the slain
  • carry souls to Valhalla
  • fly over the battlefield

Etymology

Old NorseGermanEnglish

From Old Norse valkyrja, meaning 'chooser of the slain'. The word combines valr ('the dead in battle') and kjósa ('to choose'). It passed into English through 18th-century German writings about Norse mythology, where scholar-translators adapted the Old Norse term.

First known use

1770

1770, in the meaning defined above