When people talk about Vikings today, they often mention how they believed they’d go to Valhalla when they died—a sort of paradise for warriors run by the god Odin. But what did you have to do to get into Valhalla? What was this place like, and what did it mean to be one of the Einherjar? Plus, what about those Vikings who didn’t make the cut? The old texts hint at various afterlife scenarios, but it’s not always clear how they all connect.
Belief in Life After Death
We actually don’t know a ton about Norse afterlives, which might surprise you. Most of what we do know comes from texts written after the Vikings had converted to Christianity, so their views on the afterlife were pretty influenced by Christian beliefs.
That said, it’s clear that the Vikings believed in life after death based on how they buried their dead. They often included personal items in graves, hinting that they thought people would need those things in the afterlife.
The stuff found in burials usually reflected the person’s life. For example, they might be laid to rest with tools from their job, jewelry showing off their social rank, or weapons. Swords were especially prized because they were tough to make and costly. So, when a warrior was buried with their sword, it was often bent to deter grave robbers.
You’ve probably heard about Viking ship burials, but those were really only for the richest and most significant folks. This practice again shows that they believed the afterlife would resemble their current life, as the ship was something that served them while they were alive.
There’s also some evidence that super wealthy individuals might have been buried with slaves, almost like human sacrifices. At a site in Flakstad, Norway, multiple bodies were found in one grave, and DNA tests suggest these were slaves buried alongside their master. Plus, a 10th-century traveler named Ahmed ibn Fadlan mentioned witnessing a woman being sacrificed during a Viking chief’s funeral, though it seems this wasn’t a common practice.
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Transitioning Between Life and Death
The Vikings thought the soul had four parts. First up is the Hamr, which is basically how someone looks, and it could change thanks to shapeshifting rituals. Then there’s the Hugr, which represents a person’s personality or character. The Flygia is like a spirit guide or totem that a Volva (a witch) might send out to explore the world for them. Lastly, we have the Hamingja, which refers to a person’s natural qualities or success in life, and it seems like this was something passed down through families.
When it came to the afterlife, it was likely the Hugr that moved on, but there were various afterlife options available. Most people believed the dead went to Helgafjell, meaning the holy mountain. This wasn’t a specific spot but more of a general area for the deceased.
Sometimes, the dead would pop back to visit the living. One common place for this was their burial mound, where the boundary between the living and the dead was thought to be really thin.
This could be pretty unsettling. Take Helgi, for example—he comes back from Valhalla to see his wife Sigrun at his burial mound, still covered in battle wounds, but he spends the night with her. After that first visit, Sigrun looks for him every night, but he never shows up again, and she ends up dying from heartbreak. Despite this sad story, most accounts of life in Helgafjell are about a happy and pleasant existence that resembles life on earth.
On the flip side, a much worse fate was to get stuck in limbo as a draugr, which is kind of like a zombie. Norse legends say that usually, it was evil folks or those with unfinished business who ended up as draugrs. They had supernatural strength and looked pretty grotesque, with blue skin and terrifying eyes that could freeze you in fear. They caused chaos by killing livestock, destroying homes, and harming servants.
The only way to take out a draugr was by chopping off its head. If people suspected a draugr was causing trouble, they’d weigh down the recently deceased with rocks or put a blade across the neck of the body so it would decapitate itself if it tried to rise.
But back to those who did move on—besides being in the general area of Helgafjell, there were several specific afterlife realms they could end up in.
Valhalla: Realm of the Einherjar
In Norse mythology, Odin, along with his Valkyrie shieldmaidens, picked out the bravest warriors who fell in battle to bring them to Valhalla. This grand hall is located in Asgard, home of the Aesir gods. Odin is sometimes referred to as Valfodr, meaning father of the slain. The warriors, known as the Einherjar (which translates to lone warriors), would feast and train there, gearing up to fight alongside the gods during Ragnarök, the apocalypse.
Most of what we know about Valhalla comes from Christian writers, especially Snorri Sturluson from the 13th century, but the concept itself is way older. It even pops up in some 10th-century poems.
Snorri paints a picture of Valhalla as this massive, impressive hall with a roof made of golden shields. It’s got tons of doors and enough room for all the warriors, who have been piling up since time began.
The Valkyries serve the warriors mead, which comes from the goat Heidrun that lives on the roof of Valhalla. Heidrun munches on leaves from a tree called Laeradr, possibly part of Yggdrasil, the world tree. The warriors also chow down on meat from a magical boar named Saehrimnir, cooked by a chef named Andhriminir in a pot called Eldhrimnir. They can feast as much as they want every night because the boar magically comes back to life each day, kind of like Thor’s two goats.
When the warriors arrive, they’re welcomed by Bragi, a divine poet who might’ve been a real guy, the 9th-century skald Bragi Boddason, brought to Valhalla for his talent. He writes poems about their heroic acts, similar to what poets did in the halls of living chiefs.
Valhalla was seen as the ultimate afterlife, reserved for those who died heroically in battle. There are stories suggesting that when older warriors were close to death, their families would stab them to trick the Valkyries into thinking they deserved a spot in Valhalla. The poem The Hakonarmal hints that magical words were spoken over Hakon’s grave to help his spirit reach Valhalla.
The Valknut, a symbol made up of three interlocking triangles, represented Valhalla. We don’t really know what the Vikings called it, but it often shows up alongside Odin and the dead, linking it directly to Valhalla. When found on graves, it might have been used to suggest that the deceased had made it to Valhalla or to summon the Valkyries to take them there.
Folkvangr: Field of Freyja
So, Valhalla isn’t the only place for warriors who die in battle. There’s also Folkvangr, which is ruled by the goddess Freyja. The name means “field of the people,” and she’s one of the Vanir goddesses who moved to Asgard after the Aesir-Vanir War.
From what we know, Freyja picked out brave warriors from the battlefield to take them to Folkvangr. It seems like she got to choose first, which has led to some confusion about whether she was a Valkyrie too, and if managing Folkvangr was part of that job.
But it looks like Folkvangr wasn’t just for fallen warriors. In one story, when Egil refuses to eat, his daughter says she’ll do the same until she starves and ends up at Freyja’s table, probably in Folkvangr. So, it seems like Freyja might have had different ways of choosing those she welcomed.
Helheim: Traveling Downward
Check out this cool illustration of Hermod’s journey to Hel from an old Icelandic manuscript! So, while Valhalla and Folkvangr are up in Asgard, Helheim is down below in Niflheim, which is all about cold and mist near the roots of Yggdrasil. This underworld is named after Hel, a giantess who’s in charge of it.
Hel is the daughter of Loki, the trickster giant, and Angrboda. She’s got a pretty unique look, being half-black and half-white, which symbolizes her connection to both life and death. Because of this, the gods were pretty freaked out by her and thought she was scary, so they sent her off to rule over the underworld.
But don’t get it twisted—Helheim isn’t just for bad folks. When Balder, Odin and Frigg’s son and one of the most honorable Aesir gods, died thanks to Loki’s tricks, he ended up in Helheim. Unfortunately, once you’re there, you can’t come back. Even Odin couldn’t save his son. He sent Hermod to try and negotiate Balder’s release, but that didn’t work out. Most of what we know about Helheim comes from Christian writers, who kinda mixed it up with their own ideas of Hell.
Now, the path to Helheim is called Helvegr, and it takes you through a dark, misty area before hitting a sunny spot where herbs grow all year. Then you have to cross a wild river full of weapons called Gjoll, which means “loud noise.” After that, you walk over a bridge named Gjallarbru and meet a giantess named Modgudgr, which means “furious battle.” She watches over a field of warriors who are stuck fighting forever. Finally, you reach Helheim’s gates, where you face Garm, the guard dog.
According to Sturluson, Helheim is a gloomy place called Elvidner (which means misery). Hel eats from a dish called hunger with a knife named famine, implying that no matter how much they eat, the dead can never feel full. There’s also a bed called sick bed, hinting that even sleep won’t ease the tiredness of those who have passed on.
Death Reflects Life
So, the Vikings had some interesting ideas about what happens after you kick the bucket. One of those places is called Ran, named after a sea giantess who hangs out at the ocean floor surrounded by all the treasure she collects from sinking ships. She’s known for trapping sailors in her nets and dragging them down to her underwater domain. There might have been other similar realms that we just don’t know about anymore.
Basically, it seems like the Norse thought your actions during life and the way you died could really affect where you ended up in the afterlife. It’s like they believed that life after death was just a continuation of your earthly existence, so how you live and die really counts.
