Nicole (119:45)
Today's cereal topic is the Valkyries. I'm so excited to finally do the cereal. First things first, what are the Valkyries? The Valkyries Valkyries are our first tier of Patreon members, but that's not what we're talking about here today because Nicole already covered it. The Valkyries used to be a clan of female warriors from another territory. Their territory is gone now, incorporated into others, assumably after the war 500 years ago. Valkyrie is a title, the highest honor in their land, but it's not a race. The Valkyrie warriors hailed from every type of Fae. Usually recruited recruited from birth or early childhood. They fought when the bravest males wouldn't, and they never let a male boss them around. In other words, they were badass female warriors. Alright, let's get into their history. The Valkyries existed for millennia. According to Amren, they had a quote foolish king who she says is as much to blame for their deaths as the Illyrians who walked away during that battle. I feel like there's something important to that mention of a king like we talked about earlier, but alas, we don't know any more about him. The Valkyries fought during the war 500 years ago. And we at least know Cassian and the Yyans fought beside the Valkyries for five battles. Since they fought on the same side, it's safe to assume the Valkyries fought for the humans freedom. I also feel like that would be something the Valkyries would absolutely 100% do. Let's talk about this battle that led to most of their deaths during the war. Five hundred years ago, most of the Valkyries died at the Battle of Menier Pass, located in the Galian Mountains. I hope I'm probably pronouncing that right. And no, unfortunately, we have no idea where that is. But rumor claims its rock remains barren to this day. As if the earth still mourns the loss of these brave female warriors. The Valkyries knew this was a suicide mission from the start, but they went in anyway in an effort to save the past. By this emphasis on saving the past, I wonder if Meniere Pass was in their territory or what its significance was. Was it protecting innocence? I. I don't know. Know. No one, not even Cassian, knows why they fought to save it, or what the politics were behind protecting the past. But we know that unfortunately the Illyrians refused to help the Valkyries. And it seems the Valkyries went into this battle completely on their own. According to Gwyn, the few survivors were elderly enough to quickly fade into old age and die afterwards from the shame they let themselves die rather than face the shame of their lost battle and surviving when their sisters had not. The history and training of the Valkyries was passed down. Or so any accounts we have come from what passing historians, philosophers or tradespeople wrote down, which equals out to bits and pieces scattered in various books. Like one military tome in the Priestess's library included only one paragraph on Valkyrie ambush strategies. There are no primary sources beyond a few precious scrolls. Wouldn't it be nice if they talked to somebody who had also fought beside the Valkyries, Huh? There may not be a whole lot about the Valkyries all in one place. Until now, as Merrill currently writes a book about the comprehensive history of of the Valkyries. And it is of course being revived by Nesta, Archeron, Gwyneth Badara, and Emry, to which Meryl will soon include a chapter about them in her book about the Valkyries. Now it's time to talk Valkyrie training. Like I mentioned, they were recruited from birth or early childhood. There are three stages of training. Number one, novice. Number two, blade. And number three. Finally, Valkyrie. They fought with shields, swords and knives. Valkyries learned to use their shields as deadly weapons. In addition to their swords, they'd also use shields as springboards for launching a fellow Valkyrie into the skies. Valkyries were fearless and brilliant individual fighters. They trained their minds to be weapons as sharp as any blade, so they were unshakable opponents. And their true strength lay in being a highly trained unit. Training exercises include Valkyrie lunge, which I'LL be honest, I'm unsure what makes this unique, but apparently it's really hard to hold Valkyrie sprints, which are 10 seconds at a full sprint, 30 seconds trotting, another 10 seconds of sprinting for 15 minutes straight. Once they can get through that, add the shields, and after they achieve that, add the swords. This is designed to build their stamina and focus on controlling their breathing between bursts of attack and retreat. They also do their abdominal curls bearing the weight of their shields. And Valkyries learn to fight in all kinds of weather, especially the cold. And then, of course, we have mind stealing. The Valkyrie version of meditation trains them to calm their minds and emotions. Because heightened feelings are distracting in the face of an opponent. They use it to stay calm, up against their fears, to calm themselves after a hard struggle, and to fight the inner demons they possess. Mind stilling involves breathing and becoming aware of one's own body, and then learning to let go. It is the act of quieting your mind. Now, listeners, I'm going to do something that I don't think I've ever done before, and that is give you homework. We are all going to practice mind stealing after this episode, so listen up, because I'm about to go through it step by step. Step one. Get into a comfortable seated position. Step two, Take three deep breaths. In through your nose, out through your mouth for a count of six each, and be sure to close your eyes. Step three, Let your breathing steady and focus on the sounds around you. Acknowledge them and then let them fade away. Step four, Survey your body, starting at your head, slowly working down toward your toes, and assess how you're feeling. Don't dwell on it, simply acknowledge it. Step five, back to breathing for 10 sets. If a thought pops up, acknowledge it and then send it on its way. Tell yourself, I am the rock against which the surf crashes. Your thoughts are the surf. Let them crash over you. And hey, if you lose count, start over. When you finish your next set of 10, stop counting your breaths and just let your mind do as it wishes. After a few heartbeats, stop. The goal is to work up to longer and longer periods of this. It should feel like the mind lingers and doesn't wander. It's just sitting there, contented and rested, like a cat curled up at your feet. Begin to sink back into your body. Mark the sounds around you, mark the feelings in your fingers and your toes. Then open your eyes when you're ready. And that's mind stealing. After mastering mind stealing, Valkyrie mind training continues to ultimately go from seated calm, which we were just doing to active soothing to be able to steady the mind, focus it while in the midst of chaos. Like a battle, Valkyries have a test for whether their training is complete and they're ready for battle. A ribbon hangs from a beam and the goal is to cut the ribbon in half. Once the ribbon is cut, you are crowned with its severed half and anointed Valkyrie. Trust me, this is harder than you might expect. The new current Valkyries use a mix of Illyrian and Valkyrie fighting techniques since they are being trained by two Illyrian warriors. Last thing to note about Valkyries, the only Valkyrie from before the war whose name we know is Tanwin. And current Valkyries include Nesta, Gwyn, Emry, Roslyn, Diedre, Ananka, Alanna and Lorelai. And that friends, is a surreal tea time on Valkyries.
