VALHǪLL is the hall of Óðinn (Odin) in Norse mythology. The fullest descriptions of it are found in the Prose Edda (c. 1220–1230) of the Icelandic mythographer Snorri Sturluson and in the Eddic poem Grímnismál (Lay of Grímnir), one of Snorri's main sources; tenth-century skaldic poems also make particular use of the conception. These and other texts describe Valhǫll as a stately palace, with a roof of shields and spears. A wolf hangs by the west portal and an eagle droops above; both these animals are associated with Óðinn, the god of the spear, and their actions recall his self-sacrifice. Valhǫll had 540 doors, through each of which 800 warriors could pass at once. (These numbers probably employ the Germanic long hundred and should be read as 640 and 960, respectively.)

Valhǫll served specifically as a hall for the einherjar...