Valkyries: The Real Story Behind These Warriors of Legend | Fate & Fabled

Vikings were some of the fiercest fighters in human history, using their impressive battle prowess to spread Norse influence between the 8th and 11th centuries. Their bravery as warriors was driven by one ultimate desire: to join Odin in Valhalla. Only the most worthy Vikings would get to spend their afterlives in that hallowed hall, and the choice of who made the cut fell to a group of powerful, but mysterious women: the Valkyries.

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Hosted by Dr. Moiya McTier & Dr. Emily Zarka, FATE & FABLED explores the stories and characters of mythologies from all around the world - why they came to be and how they impact us still today.

Host: Emily Zarka, PhD
Writer: Moiya McTier, PhD
Director: David Schulte
Executive Producer: Amanda Fox
Producer: Thomas Fernandes
Editor / Animator: P.W. Shelton
Assistant Editor: Jordyn Buckland
Illustrator: Sophie Calhoun
Production Intern: Oscar Friend
Script Editors: Emily Zarka, PhD & Moiya McTier, PhD
Consultant: Dr. Madhavi Mallapragada
Fact Checker: Yvonne McGreevy
Additional Footage: Shutterstock
Music: APM Music
Executive in Charge (PBS): Maribel Lopez
Director of Programming (PBS): Gabrielle Ewing
Assistant Director of Programming (PBS): John Campbell

Fate & Fabled is produced by Spotzen for PBS Digital Studios.

Descriptive Audio & Captions provided by The Described and Captioned Media Program

[itwaslikethatwhenigothere]

I always love the art style in these videos, they really bring the story to life

[CM-dhpy]

Interesting. My understanding of Folkvanger was that it was an equal honour to be brought to Freya’s hunting hall, it was simply a matter of whose Valkyries picked you up.

[mhyzon]

My grandma, a woman who was fiercely proud of her Jewish faith and also a lover of opera and classical music, INSISTED that her coffin be wheeled out at the end of her funeral service to Ride of the Valkyries. Probably the first time that ever happened at a Jewish funeral home. It was completely apropos and hilarious.

[hsxbtve]

I always liked valkyries. A pretty cool depiction I have seen of a valkyrie recently was on the movie northman. It was only a nice movie, but the valkyrie looked so freaking terrifying and badass.

[franimal]

Can you guys do Celtic mythology in northern Spain? The gallaeci tribes, astures and general Castro culture of pre-Roman times is super interesting! And it lives on to this day

[theasinclaire]

Freya got first choice of the dead warriors, being a war and death goddess herself.

[joeyc]

Folkvangir "Freya's hall" was most likely just an alliteration of Valhalla, which is the prominent poetic feature of norse poetry. So when Odin and Freya split the dead 50/50 it could mean that ending up with Freya is not a downgrade and she is more on the same level as Odin. That second bit is just speculation though

[manmoy]

Here's my crack hypothesis about the origins of valkyries: They are a combo of some older northern European goddess/goddesses (perhaps one who shares the same origin as the Morrigan of Irish myths, with the same associations with fate, death, war, and birds, or perhaps a triple-goddess like the Norns) and the archetypical swan maiden found all across Eurasia and continents beyond, and irl shield-maidens (like the Scythians for example)

[iosco]

Glad you decided to add more folklore and mythology from Scandinavia. Hope you can find the time to do an episode about the 'Myling', it is a fascinating and horrifying undead creature that I think can teach us alot about sexual freedom and women's rights, even today.

[Swishy_Blue]

Thank you for talking about the Valkyrie!

[godlessqueertheywarnedyouabout]

The point at the end about women's rights in Scandinavia makes me think someone should do a video comparing women's rights across several premodern civilizations.

[AB-qmke]

The way, I was taught Freya takes the first pick, she chooses who she wants and Odin gets to pick from the rest. Also, Odin got specifically battlefield warriors, Freya is more symbolic? in picking - for example, women who died in childbirth were seen as warriors fighting for the life of their children. Freya got the first pick by outsmarting/tricking Odin in bet.

[--Paws--]

The cloak stealing "trope" reminds me of a Japanese tale that relates to the crane.

[cannibalbananas]

I love learning more about the history behind these myths. And thank you for mentioning how women fought on the battlefield irl during Viking times.

[zeropoint]

I´m interested get Sigurd in his story invulnerable from the Dragonblod like in the Nibelungen-Saga ? That would explain why he could easily walk through that fire

[asdkotable]

I find it interesting how many fairytales there are across cultures of magical women bathing in some pool in the mortal world and having their clothing stolen by a voyeuristic mortal man and being forced to marry him. It's a obviously a cross-cultural cautionary tale for women to keep cautious when it comes to their virtue and all, but it's amazing how incredibly similar these tales are.

[mpearson]

I love the animators for the Storied vids!

[Orrenn]

Is it just a coincidence this came out a week before Valkyrie Elyseum? Either way, I already had valkyries on the brain, so this feels uncanny.

[jocatherine]

I know very little about the Valkyries so I'm glad Fate&Fabled did an episode on them!

[HaniSantosa]

Interesting. In Indonesia, there is also a folklore where a man (Jaka Tarub) steals a goddess's "selendang" (long scarf) while she is taking a bath in a lake (with other goddesses), so she can't fly back to heaven. And this goddess eventually marries the man and have a daughter with him. You can look up for Jaka Tarub legend.