Gone Medieval – "How to Reach Valhalla"

Podcast: Gone Medieval (History Hit)
Date: October 14, 2025
Host: Dr. Eleanor Janega
Guest: Professor Caroline Larrington (Old Norse literature expert)
Special Narrator: King Gylfie (Narrative character, voiced)

Episode Overview

This episode takes listeners deep into the mythic heart of the Viking afterlife, exploring "How to Reach Valhalla" through story, scholarship, and song. Guided by the legendary King Gylfie, and with expert insights from Professor Caroline Larrington, the show examines Norse beliefs about death, the afterlife, Valhalla itself, the role of gods and goddesses, mythic beings, warriors, and the impact these tales had on medieval and later societies. The discussion ranges from historical evidence for Norse religion to the modern cultural afterlife of these stories.

Main Themes and Key Discussion Points

1. Norse Afterlife Imagined: What is Valhalla?

[03:13]–[11:51] King Gylfie’s Storytelling and Setting the Myth

• The episode opens with a striking narrative told by King Gylfie, painting Valhalla as Odin’s splendid hall for the bravest warriors.
• Valhalla’s Vision: Hall of the slain, where fallen warriors fight by day and feast by night, preparing eternally for Ragnarok (the end of the gods).
  • "At dawn each day, Odin's champions take up their arms and gorge themselves on battle. ... When light dims, their wounds are healed and peace breaks out among them. They file into halls with great hearts alight and sit to eat and revel in their glory." – King Gylfie ([06:45])
• Emphasis on the exclusivity—Valhalla is not for everyone, only those who die in battle; others go to Freya’s hall or to Hel, the land of mist and shadows.
• Mythic details: Mead flowing from magical goats, boar replenished each day, the overwatching presence of Odin.

2. Norse Belief: Lived Experience vs. Literary Legacy

[12:01]–[17:46] Prof. Larrington on Norse Religious Practice

• Uncertain Historical Practice: Unlike Greek or Christian traditions, Norse myth survives through Christianized literary sources (e.g., the 13th-century Icelandic sagas), often shaped by later authors.
  • "The picture that we have of belief is very much filtered through this kind of Christian lens." – Prof. Larrington ([12:32])
• Regional Diversity: Belief systems different across Scandinavia; Thor popular in Norway and Iceland, Freyr/Freya in Sweden, Odin in Denmark.
  • Rituals included animal sacrifice, oath-swearing on rings, possible cult buildings—but details murky due to lack of direct evidence.

3. Archaeological Evidence (or Lack Thereof)

[17:46]–[21:06]

• Remains of large wooden halls may indicate ritual structures, but interpretation is fraught.
• Animal bone layers and picture stones in Sweden offer hints, but identification is difficult—interpretation often relies on correlating archaeology and later texts in a 'difficult circle.'
  • "There's always a kind of ... difficult circle between written texts and archaeology." – Prof. Larrington ([18:30])

4. Mythic Beings Beyond the Gods

[21:40]–[27:12]

• Norse belief included trolls, elves, giants (Jotnar), and other ambiguous or 'third-space' beings.
• Trolls explained disappearances in the wild; elves associated with certain feasts but remain mysterious.
• Giants represent "the Other"—sometimes monstrous, sometimes strangely familiar or even marriageable.
  • "Not all trolls are really hideously ugly. Troll women can be a little bit more attractive than you might expect. ... There are these ambiguous groups of people, because I think it really challenges our assumptions about these kind of neat binaries." – Prof. Larrington & Dr. Janega ([24:16]-[25:42])

5. Valhalla as More Than 'Heaven'

[27:42]–[32:03]

• Valhalla is not an inclusive afterlife: only for chosen slain warriors (dying in battle), not those who die of sickness or old age.
  • "If it is a kind of heaven, it's a very exclusive version of heaven. ... Odin's main hall is Valhall, in Old Norse Valhalla. It's enormous armies of men can march in and out of its doors. It's a place where heroes go on death. And gathered there, they're waiting for Ragnarok." – Prof. Larrington ([28:03])
• The social meaning: valorization of martial ethos tied to the age of Viking raids.
  • "It's one thing to say to the lads on your farm in Norway, 'Hey, kids, I've got a boat. Let's go and raid England.' ... And if you don't live, what's the payback? ... You'll be with Odin." – Prof. Larrington ([32:20])

6. Valkyries and Shield Maidens

[36:05]–[44:54]

• Valkyries: Female figures who guided the slain to Valhalla; depicted both as terrifying and desirable, and their role blends aspects of death goddess, battle guide, and sometimes lover or wife.
  • "The Valkyries ... their job is to fulfill Odin's wishes and they go out to the battlefield riding on horses ... then they appear to the hero and say, okay, sonny, your time's up, in effect, and lead him back to Valhalla." – Prof. Larrington ([36:25])
• Story of Brunhilde—a shield maiden punished by Odin, later entangled in tragic romance with Sigurd.
  • "That's the kernel of her disobedience: she makes her own choice here. ... Odin is very cross. He puts her to sleep on the top of a mountain ..." – Prof. Larrington ([42:00])
• Warrior Women in Reality: While mythic stories abound, there’s little evidence for widespread female warriors, though women were integral to Viking society and large 'armies' included women fulfilling many vital roles.
  • "If you're coming on a big campaign ... you need women. And places like the great cemetery at Repton, for example ... a lot of female bones in there too." – Prof. Larrington ([48:50])

7. Sources of Norse Mythology

[51:03]–[55:19]

• Main sources: Eddic and skaldic poetry (preserved in Christian manuscripts), the Prose Edda (Snorri Sturluson, 13th c.), and archaeology.
• The Christian lens imposed on Norse myths often colored interpretations, especially of afterlife and morality.

8. Ragnarok—the Ultimate Purpose of Valhalla

[55:19]–[57:58]

• Training in Valhalla is in preparation for Ragnarok—the final battle—but ironically, myths suggest the heroes’ preparations are in vain: the bridge to battle may break, or they are destined to lose or even drown before fighting.
  • "As they're riding across the rainbow bridge ... the bridge breaks and they all fall in the river and the battle doesn't happen. And that's incredibly disappointing in all kinds of ways." – Prof. Larrington ([56:07])

9. Enduring Modern Appeal and Misuse

[57:58]–[69:41]

• Enduring fascination: Simplicity, relatability to northern climates, and a sense of wildness and ambiguity—Norse gods "live where there are forests and mountains and the sea," not just sunny Mediterranean landscapes.
  • "They're not living in a kind of perpetual Mediterranean sunlight. They're wandering around through the olive groves in togas and sandals. They're wearing furs and they've got to try and figure out how to keep warm." – Prof. Larrington ([60:07])
• Misuse and Misappropriation: Nazi fascination (esp. Himmler), white nationalist appropriation, and the desire to find "Viking" ancestry in contemporary culture.
  • "This is always enmeshed in the kinds of stories people want to tell themselves ... the idea of blood is always very disturbing here. Who can be part of this? ... It's something that's open to being understood by anybody ... and to be reshaped in different ways." – Prof. Larrington ([64:33])
• Norse myth’s influence on pop culture, from Marvel to Tolkien to Game of Thrones, and its historical role in the construction of British and North American identity.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• King Gylfie’s poetic description of Valhalla:
  "On its benches are breastplates strewn. There hangs a wolf by the western door, and over it an eagle flies." ([05:41])

• On the problem with sources:
  "Our sources ... are all written down by Christians by and large. ... So the picture that we have of belief is very much filtered through this kind of Christian lens." – Prof. Larrington ([12:32])

• On the ambiguity of Norse myth:
  "I love these third spaces ... it really challenges our assumptions about these kind of neat binaries." – Dr. Janega ([25:42])

• On Valkyries and Valhalla’s appeal:
  "If all you like doing is fighting, then you can do it for all eternity. ... You’ve got beautiful women in the hall bringing you horns of mead ... but the other side of these women is that they're also the ones who go to fetch you from the battlefield." – Prof. Larrington ([32:03])

• On Valhalla's exclusivity:
  "If you think of the God Baldr ... he doesn't die in battle. ... So he's not qualified to go to Valhalla ... he has to go down to the world of the dead, to a place called Nippleheim." – Prof. Larrington ([30:20])

• On a famous female warrior burial:
  "The most famous case is a grave labeled as BJ581 ... all the kind of accoutrements ... now the bones are female. ... Is this person now not a high ranking warrior anymore?" – Prof. Larrington ([46:09])

• On Nazi mythmaking:
  "If we have to be fair to the Nazis, it was Himmler who was really, really crazy about this stuff ... The idea of blood is always very disturbing here ... it's something that's open to being understood by anybody from any part of the world." – Prof. Larrington ([63:33])

Key Timestamps

• [03:13] King Gylfie introduces Valhalla in mythic style
• [05:30] Detailed mythic vision: what happens in Valhalla, who gets in, Odin vs. Freya, the punishment of the non-heroic dead
• [12:01] Prof. Larrington begins discussion on historical realities of Norse belief
• [17:46] Archaeological evidence and interpreting the material record
• [21:40] Trolls, elves, giants—Norse supernatural landscape
• [27:42] Valhalla as 'heaven'—exclusive and martial in essence
• [36:05] Valkyries and shield maidens—myth vs. social reality
• [42:00] The legend of Brunhilde
• [51:03] Sources: Eddic/Skaldic poetry and the Prose Edda
• [55:19] The ambiguous fulfillment of Valhalla’s purpose at Ragnarok
• [57:58] Modern allure and reinterpretations—myth in pop culture and identity
• [63:33] Fascist misappropriation and the question of mythic ancestry

Conclusion

This episode of Gone Medieval offers a richly painted, multi-layered view of Valhalla—not just as Viking heaven, but as part of a shifting social, cultural, and mythic landscape. Dr. Janega and Prof. Larrington deftly balance evocative storytelling, critical scholarship, and playful banter, bringing out the complexity, ambiguity, and enduring fascination of Norse mythology—while cautioning against simplistic or politicized readings in the modern era.

For further listening:
Check out previous episodes on Norse cosmology, Odin, Thor, and Loki for more on the tapestry of myths leading up to Ragnarok.
(Available on History Hit and all major podcast platforms)