EINHERJAR

ODIN'S ELITE WARRIORS

Norse mythology

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Odin's army of the dead

In Valhalla, Odin‘s hall of the slain, he gathers his ghostly army of battle-hardened warriors, they are called Einherjar. Those fighters have been carefully chosen. Only those who fall in battle are allowed to join Odin‘s hall in the afterlife. Odin’s maidens, the Valkyries, ride to the battlefield with his champions. Tasked to choose the ones to fall so they can be harvested for Odin‘s army of the dead.

Viking warrior afterlife

The selected Vikings are brought to Asgard after their death. Where they become Einherjar, and live their afterlife fighting, feasting, and drinking. Every night Sæhrímnir is cooked by Andhrímnir in Eldhrímnir, and every night Sæhrímnir is renewed. The Valkyries serve the Einherjar horns of ale, from the udders of Heiðrún, the goat. Thirteen Valkyries we know who serve the Einherjar in Valhöll. Their names are Hrist, Mist, Skeggöld, Skögul, Hildr, Þrúðr, Hlökk, Herfjötr, Göll, Geirahöð, Randgríð, Ráðgríð and Reginleif.

When they are not feasting, they prepare for the advent of Ragnarök. An event when the world’s order falls apart and it slides into chaos. Every day they fight in Odin‘s fields, so when their time comes – they are ready. Then they will march to the field Vígríðr, where a great battle will take place in the hope of keeping chaos at bay.

How many are the Einherjar?

Odin’s hall, Valhalla is said to have 640 doors in total, each one wide enough for 960 Einherjar to pass through at once. When the army is called out to fight in Ragnarök, they will all march out the doors together. That means they cannot be fewer than 576.000, probably many more. 

Do all fallen warriors join Odin's army in Valhalla?

Apparently, Odin is not the only one who is gathering an army in his hall. In the Prose Edda, Snorri Sturluson quotes the Eddic poem Grímnismál. Where it is stated that every day half of the slain are chosen to enter the great hall of Fólkvangr, Freya’s home in Asgard, and the other half of the slain are Odin’s:

GRÍMNISMÁL

14.
Fólkvangr er inn níundi,
en þar Freyja ræðr
sessa kostum í sal;
halfan val
hon kýss hverjan dag,
en halfan Óðinn á.

In English means:

14.
Folkvang is the ninth,
there Freyja directs
the sittings in the hall.
She half the fallen chooses each day,
but Odin the other half.

For which reason Freyja gathers her army is not specified, unfortunately. It’s still interesting information, highlighting her status among the gods. That she’s able to command half the warriors from Odin, the chief of the Æsir gods.

What does "Einherjar" mean?

Einherjar is a compound word made up of two words, Ein-herjar. “Ein” means one or once and the word “herjar” refers to those who go to war, soldiers or warriors. It is related to the verb “Að herja”, meaning to go to battle, although here it is a part of a noun.

The name Einherjar can mean “Warriors who go once to war” or “Warriors who fight as one”. The first way of understanding the name is derived from their singular purpose of preparing for the war in Ragnarök. The second is a statement of how proficient Odin’s army is and how harmonious they are when fighting.

When translating Einherjar, it’s more appropriate to use the plural version, rather than the singular “Einheri”. When the singular is used, the translated meaning is contorted. It may seem like a minor detail, but if one were to take the singular version and translate it, it would mean “Warrior who fights alone”, “Army of one” or possibly “Warrior who fights once”. The first two describe the opposite of an elite fighting force. Rather it outlines a group of lone wolves that don’t fight as a team. The name of Herjafaðir (One of Odin’s many names, translates to “Lord of the armies”) would be put to shame if he led a pack like that. The plural translation is likely a more accurate one. That Einherjar means “Warriors who fight as one”.

A warrior in Valhalla is still referred to as an “Einheri”. In that context it means that he’s one of the Einherjar, a soldier in Odin’s army, not that he’s an army of one or a warrior who fights alone.

When Einheri is used as a kenning the meaning can change, depending on the context. An example of this can be found in the Eddic poem, Lokasenna. When Loki is taunting Thor, he calls him “Einheri”.

LOKASENNA

60.
Austurförum þínum
skaltu aldregi
segja seggjum frá
sís í hanskaþumlungi
hnúktir þú, Einherji,
og þóttist-a þú þá Þór vera.

When translated from Old Norse to English means:

60.
“Of your travels to the east,
you should never
speak to people,
for in a glove-thumb,
you cowered, the mighty warrior,
pretending you were then Thor.”

There Loki is referring to a tale that has been preserved in the Prose Edda, specifically in Gylfaginning, where Thor goes to Jötunheim. In that context Loki uses Einheri as a kenning as a placeholder, to mean something on the lines of “hero” or “mighty warrior”.

Mentions of Einherjar in the sources

Below are all the literary sources which form the foundation of present day understanding of Einherjar.

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