Within the Scandinavian worldview, death occupied a special place as a form of redemption and reunion with the gods and old friends or relatives.
It is quite common to find a veneration of death among ancient peoples, even recording forms and treaties on how one should correctly transcend to the world of the dead, the processes that the "souls" went through and the tests they had to follow to determine their resting place in other dimensions or worlds.
Popular and modern Norse theology indicates that Valhalla is the place where all the Viking dead go, however, speaking of Valhalla as the only post-mortem meeting place and speaking of Vikings is totally erroneous, although unfortunately it is a premise widely used today as a popular myth.
The truth is that the Eddas and Sagas show us a variety of places and gods that welcome souls, depending on their death and their exploits in life. That's right, as you just read, not all the dead went to Valhalla or met Odin.
Odin passing through Helheim
First of all, we must clear up this myth of Catholic/Christian influence a little: Within Nordic theology there were not only two resting places for souls, unlike the Catholic heaven and hell, there were more options. Likewise, we must banish the Catholic idea of a single supreme god attributed to Odin. Not everyone wanted to see Odin, it was not a monotheistic theological system, nor was Odin an omnipresent, omnipotent and all-powerful god who collected the souls of his faithful to try to save them from the fire of the flames.
On the contrary, the Norse gods had unique characteristics that allowed each human being to devote himself to a cult, rite or faith of their own (depending on his needs). The Norse gods worked for themselves, had their own worries and problems, their own wars and quarrels (both military and mental).
So where did the dead go? Odin did not have the first-hand power to choose those who would come to Asgard and enter Valhalla. During battles, the one who decided someone's death was one of the minor goddesses, one of the Norns (the weavers of time): The Norn Skuld.
Hela, Guardian of Helheim
According to Grímnismál, once a warrior's fate and death had been determined, Skuld (who was considered a Valkyrie) allowed Freyja to choose half of those killed in battle and take them to her chambers, which were called Folkvang or "Field of the People or of the Armies". The Younger Edda mentions that Freya's hall within Folkvang was called Sessrumnir, "Hall with spacious seats" or "Hall with many seats".
Then Odin would gather the most skilled and strongest warriors, those who had more experience and who had succumbed in war.
So, the glory of the long-awaited Valhalla was only possible under certain specific war conditions and those who were chosen had a history of enviable glories and war events. The rest went with Freyja to her chambers (which was also not inconsiderable).
When it came to warriors or sailors who perished at sea, seeking glory by conquering new lands across the rough seas of the north, the god in charge of collecting their souls was Rán. In the Sagas of Friðþjóf, Sonatorrek, the Volsunga Saga and the Younger Edda, mention is made of the reception of the dead who perished by drowning at sea during a storm in the chambers of Rán, who also lived in Asgard, but had a separate hall.
It was said that if you saw the ghost of your friends or relatives who drowned in the sea, it was because they were well received by Rán.
In Snorri's Younger Edda it is also mentioned that there are places for the dead in Jötunheim (The land of the giants), a place called Gimle, located in Utgard, a place where drink abounds.
The death of the God Balder, who is condemned to descend into the underworld.
Some preferred to stay on their lands, according to some sources. There are records in the “Eyrbyggja Saga” that a character named Þórolfr Muestraskegg said that after his death he would live in Helgafjell, a sacred mountain near his home. It is also known from archaeological finds that some funeral ships were not burned, but buried, and those who wished to stay would do so by placing an anchor directly into the ground where they would be buried, as was the case with the Oseberg ship.
Up to this point we have seen that there are various spaces to accommodate the dead, however, there was one space that was much more common: We are talking about Helheim.
Helheim was the underworld, a space beneath the roots of Yggdrassil, guarded by the daughter of the god Loki, called Hela.
In this space fall all the souls of those who died quietly and peacefully, of those who lived a life without surprises and without glory. In other words, almost the entire population would fall into Hellheim if we take into account that the main activities were fishing, goldsmithing, livestock, agriculture and jewelry.
In Helheim there is also a separate space for criminals and people who have broken the law. A segregated space far from ordinary souls.
The curious thing about Helheim is its conception: In some cases it is described as a gloomy and cold place, full of darkness and hardship (which responds to an attempt to bring it closer to the Christian hell with the difference of heat and burning flames). And another curious fact is what the existence of Helheim generates within Nordic theology and its conception of the end of the world, Ragnarök.
The texts tell that, once Ragnarok arrives, the hosts of Hella will ally themselves with the Giants and the sons of Loki to start the war with the gods Aesir (Odin, Thor, etc.) and Vanir (Freyja, Freyr, etc.). In other words, the peaceful people, who died of old age and without glory or honor, would form armies against the gods they worshipped in life.
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