In Norse religion the einherjar or einheriar were spirits of warriors who had died bravely in battle. The name is Old Norse for "one-army-ers". It is often interpreted as "outstanding fighter", but might also signify "those who are all [now] in one army", because when alive on earth they were in many armies and bands, but now they are all in the Army of the Dead.

After they die, the valkyries escort half of the slain from the battlefield to Valhalla (these are the "einherjar"), which is part of Asgard (commonly described as the "Norse Heaven"); the other half went to Fólkvangr (Freyja's hall). The Grímnismál describes Valhalla as having five hundred and forty doors, and through each of them, eight hundred could march abreast (a hundred, hundrağ, in Old Norse could mean either 100 or 120), indicating the size of the hall and the numbers of the einherjar.

Every day the Einherjar are awakened by Gullinkambi, a rooster, and march out to the great field of Idavoll in the heart of Asgard to fight against each other in merry (and mortal) combat. At dusk, when they are all cut to pieces, save perchance a few, they are miraculously healed, and march back into Valhalla, where Andhrímnir, the cook of the gods, has prepared a meal for them from the pork of Sæhrímnir, a pig that is reborn every day, and the mead milked from Heiğrún, a goat feeding on the leaves of the Lærağr tree. The einherjar then spend the evening and night in feast, served by lovely valkyries, until they all fall asleep, solidly drunk.

The einherjar will stand with the forces of the Æsir at Ragnarök, when Odin will call them up to fight the forces of Hel and the giants.

A large majority of Norse mythology has been written or translated by Christians a few centuries after the Viking period.^[1] Another point of view explains a difference between Odin's Einherjar and Freyja's; the oral tradition, or Odal property, explains that Odin's warriors are "the offensive", or those who dedicate their life to fighting. Freyja’s warriors are "the defensive", or those who only fight to protect their families, clans or goods. The historian Else Roesdahl noticed that a difference between the two cultures in regards to burials containing weapons. In those in Norway the buried warriors had defensive shields, and in Denmark they had only offensive weapons.^[2]

According to the oral tradition, the spirits that die a natural or non-fighting death go to Hel where "the quiet and mysterious Hel the goddess of death, who has half face in the shadow of darkness and the other part in the brightness of the life" leads them on a ship which follows the current of one of the twelve rivers Eligavar. One of those rivers brings them to the country of Gimlé (similar to the Greek Elysium).

In Norse mythology every one of the gods' animals has their own name. Animals had an important place in Viking society. The gods are said to be so concerned for their well-being, that they reincarnate them when they die, like the pig, Sæhrímnir, or Thor's goat, which was brought back to life with bones that Thor had preserved.

Einherjar in popular culture

Einherjar continue to play some role in modern Nordic music. For example, Einherjer is the name of a Norwegian Viking metal band and is also a song by Slovenian Death metal band Sweet Sorrow. Many of the bands songs feature a Nordic theme or setting. Similarly, the music also calls on a number of other traditional Norse beings, including Odin.

Einherjar are also found, though relatively uncommonly, in modern literature. For example, the Einheriar is the wild hunt called up by Susan in book 'The Moon of Gomrath' by Alan Garner. Its members form a part of 'The Old Magic' called up to counter the forces of evil, but are based on Celtic rather than Norse mythology.

In the table-top role-playing game Scion, published by White Wolf, Einherjar is one of the many Followers players can acquire as a birthright. They are some of the mightiest Followers so far published in Scion: Hero, and are literally five of Odin's Einherjar that he will "lend" you. They are immortal, but can still die since they are not invulnerable. However, after a battle, offering them a drink will immediately restore them to full health, and they expect this as reward for fighting for you. However, the game suggests that the Valkyries have continued collecting warriors up until the 1970's, so they are not all Viking warriors, but most likely soldiers that died between 1800 and 1970.

The concept of Einherjar play a number of roles in a variety of video games today, identifying primarily with the powerful conceptualization of Nordic warriors. Usually, the Einherjar play a relatively unimportant part in the game, acting as a part of the name of an item, vehicle, or location. However, on occasion, Einherjar play a prominent role, as in the 1999 Sony PlayStation video game Valkyrie Profile and its sequels. There, the player assumes the role of a Valkyrie and the plot centers on locating and recruiting Einherjar for the battle of Ragnarok. Other games use the concept to denote especially important characters, sometimes without basis of mythology, as in the Game Boy Advance title Mega Man Zero 4, in which the 8 bosses refer to themselves as the "Einherjar". These enemies possess great power and are difficult to defeat, similar to theories of the skill harnessed by the Einherjar.

References

•  • [ e] Norse mythology
List of Norse gods • sir • Vanir • Giants • Elves • Dwarves • Troll • Valkyries • Einherjar • Norns • Odin • Thor • Freyr • Freyja • Loki • Baldr • Tr • Yggdrasil • Ginnungagap • Ragnark
Sources	Poetic Edda • Prose Edda • The Sagas • Volsung Cycle• Tyrfing Cycle• Rune stones• Old Norse language• Orthography • Later influence
Society	Viking Age • Skald • Kenning • Blt • Seid • Numbers
People, places and things