Einheri: Odin’s Warrior

Only the most fortunate warriors are chosen to die heroically in battle and become Einherjar in the afterlife. Odin gathers his greatest champions for his army in Valhalla, the Hall of the Slain.

Handpicked by the Valkyries, the Einherjar are brought to Asgard. There, the fallen warriors live a life of eternal feasting and relentless combat.

The Einherjar have a single purpose: to prepare for Ragnarök, the final battle that will bring the world as it is known to an end.

About the Einheri runic writing:
The runes spell Einheri using the Younger Futhark alphabet, which was commonly used in Scandinavia during the Viking Age.

There is no direct runic evidence from the Viking Age for either the singular Einheri or the plural Einherjar. As a result, the word must be reconstructed by examining attested Old Norse words and names that contain the same sounds.

On the Swedish island of Öland, there is a well-preserved runestone dating from the Viking Age, catalogued as Öl 28 (Gårdby). This inscription contains all the phonetic elements needed to construct the word Einheri. On this stone, the word for “stone” (steinn) is written as ᛋᛏᛅᛁᚾ (“stain”), which provides the ᛅᛁᚾ (ein) element.

The second part of the word is supported by the name Herþrúðr, whose first element (Her) is written ᚼᛅᚱ on the same stone. The final -i sound is attested in words such as sitr (“to sit”), written ᛋᛁᛏᚱ. Combined, these elements form the reconstructed spelling ᛅᛁᚾᚼᛅᚱᛁ.

It should be noted that spelling during the Viking Age was not standardized, and alternative reconstructions are possible. For example, on runestone Sö 88 (dated to approximately 1010–1050), the word steinn is written as “stin”, and the first element of the name Hermóðr appears as “hir”. Based on this evidence, Einheri could also plausibly be rendered as ᛁᚾᚼᛁᚱᛁ.

For this design, the former reconstructed spelling was chosen, as it remains linguistically sound while offering a more visually balanced runic composition.

A word from the illustrator:
„With this design, the primary goal was to capture an ideal Einheri. A seasoned warrior, with a majestic beard, battle-ready in armor that has seen a fair bit of use, and a stern gaze that has seen it all. Since the Einherjar are all dead, I had to choose how dead this warrior should appear. I didn‘t want to go full undead with the design, as I imagine their afterlife is made to inspire awe, not that they live in an eternal horror scene. However, I did want to maintain some ghostly aspects, which indicates that he has passed over the veil. I did that mainly through the choice of colors, a cool blue hinting at the faded life.“
-Eiður Eyþórsson, creator of the Einheri design.

Manufacturing details:
• Bella + Canvas 3001
• 100% combed and ring-spun cotton (Heather colors contain polyester)
• Fabric weight: 4.2 oz./yd.² (142 g/m²)
• Pre-shrunk fabric
• Side-seamed construction
• Shoulder-to-shoulder taping
• Blank product sourced from Nicaragua, Mexico, Honduras, or the US

This product is made especially for you as soon as you place an order, which is why it takes us a bit longer to deliver it to you. Making products on demand instead of in bulk helps reduce overproduction. Thank you for making a thoughtful purchase decision!