Viking soldiers would go into battle fearless, typically wearing very little armor; some would have a leather or iron helmet, depending on their status. Most would carry a wooden shield, swords, spears, and an ax. Some warriors were known as Berserkers, and they wore bear or wolf skin and believed that Odin, the god of war, would give them superpowers during battle.
When the Vikings would charge into battle, they would all assume this was their last battle. The belief in Valhalla made going into battle and dying in battle an honor. When a soldier was killed a valkyrie would guide the warriors into Odin's Asgard home. According to Norse Mythology, Asgard is one of the nine worlds within the Norse cosmos, and it is where the Aesir( Æsir) gods are said to reside.
Valhalla is the majestic hall within Asgard and overseen by Odin and home to the fallen Viking warriors, where they await their final battle at Ragnarök. While the Viking warriors were in Valhalla, they worked on their skills in combat during the day, and in the evening, their wounds healed to do it the next day. The nights also would include eating and drinking, all to be renewed in the morning.
Vikings have a belief that the world as they knew it would come to an end; this day is known as Ragnarök. Not only is Ragnarök the end of man, but it is also the end of the Gods.
¨Valhalla was not a place of eternal rest but training for the pre-ordained end of the worlds when the Sun will darken, the stars vanish, the Earth sinks into the sea, and a great battle will take place between the gods, giants and beasts – Ragnarök.¨
It is said that during Ragnarök, Odin, and Thor will perish, and the cosmos will be destroyed; everything in the Norse universe will perish. However, from this apocalyptic scene, a new world will emerge and be rebuilt by the survivors of Ragnarök.
Even though many will perish to the Vikings, the honor lies in being chosen to fight alongside Odin and Thor in the ultimate battle.
Comments / 81