Einherjer

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Einherjer (also Einherjar , Einherier ; old north. "The one who fights alone", "honorably fallen") refers to the fallen warriors in Nordic mythology (e.g. in the Edda ) who, according to Germanic belief, went from the Valkyries from the battlefield to his father Odin be taken to Valhalla and live there carefree in a warrior's paradise. During the day they fight against each other in exercises in which they fight against each other to the death, until only one warrior is standing. Then the Valkyries bring the fallen back to life with a kiss. In the evening they drink together in happy company. They consume thereMead from the udder of the goat Heidrun and meat from the constantly renewing boar Sährimnir and listen to Bragi's songs.

The Einherjer were the warriors who had fallen in battle and who were called to Valhalla to support Odin in the great battle at the end of all time, the Ragnarök , against the giant army (cf. Muspel , Utgard ). According to other sources, it was later believed that all men who died with guns in hand ended up in Valhalla; a violent death was no longer absolutely necessary. The idea of ​​a “warrior's paradise” developed particularly in the Viking Age , presumably under the influence of conversion and compulsory proselytizing and the resulting implicit disintegration of paganism. Valhall is also based on older ideas.

In addition, it was a duty of every warrior to strive for an afterlife in Valhalla. This only succeeded if he died in battle and thus an "honorable death". For example, dying of old age at home was more or less a tragedy. To die honorably in the war, or later with a weapon at hand, was the goal in life of every man in order to get into Valhalla as Einherjer. Those who did not succumb to an “honorable death” ended up in Hel , also known as Helheim , which was considered the real realm of the dead.

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