The Vikings had a very distinct picture of what happened after death. The ones who were killed in battle went to Valhalla; the others ended up in Hel.^{1, 2, 3, 4}

The Vikings believed that Valhalla was a huge banquet hall, situated in Asgård, the residence of the Gods.^{1 2 4} According to the myths, it had 540 doors, each so wide so that 800 warriors could pass through it side by side, the roof was made of shields, and there were rafters made of spears.^{1 2 4} Life in Valhalla is described as the ultimate life for a Viking, with everything you could possibly need to be happy. ^{1 2 4} The days were filled with battles and fights, to prepare for the final battle, Ragnarök. ^{1 2 4} In the evening, the injured and killed ones rose again, to join their friends and feast together with the Gods. ^{1 2 4} The Valkyries, the maids of Odin, served them the meat of the boar Särimner, a very special boar that could be slaughtered every night, and mead that came instead of milk from the Goat Heidrun. ^{1 2 3 4}

Hel, on the other hand, was situated deep down. ² No matter if you were in Asgård, Midgård, where the humans lived or Jotunheim, the home of the giants, the way to Hel was always down. ² The entrance to Hel was called Gnipahålan, and a horrible growling hound guarded it. ² There is not much said about what Hel looked like, and how life there was, but all my sources refer to it as a dark terrible place. ^{2 3 4}

An interesting detail that you can find in many mythology books is the ship Nagelfar. When you arrive in Hel, if your nails are not properly cut, someone cuts them, and from all these nails, Nagelfar is built. ² It is said that in when Ragnarök comes, Loki and the other fighters from Hel will sail in this ship. ² My first thought was that this was probably made up by the women who wanted their children and husbands to keep their nails proper. "If you don’t cut your nails, you will help the evil side!"

According to the myths, it seems like the people who came to Hel were often murderers, adulterer, etc, but it does not tell where the rest of the people went. ² There must have been lots of people that did not die in a battle, but were not murderers either, all the women for example. It seems strange to me that all these people went to Hel.

According to FAQ, there was a place called Gimlé, where the righteous men went, but I found no reliable source that confirms it. ⁴ I find it quite unlikely that it would not be mentioned by any of the other sources if it was known to be true. Righteous is a word that I connect more with Christianity than with Norse Mythology, and I think it is possible that this part has been added by a monk afterwards, while writing down the story. If this was true, Gimlé would be mentioned in one version and not in the others. That could explain why the encyclopaedias have chosen not to include it, while FAQ, which is not as critical of the sources, has chosen to mention it.

It is obvious that there are many similarities between the Vikings view of life after death and the Christian view. The most striking one is perhaps the division of Heaven/ Hell and Valhalla/ Hel. Many religions believe in some kind of division, and I think that is natural for the human race. They want a good place that is a reward for the good people, and a bad place that to threaten the children with. Still, you can see larger similarities between the Norse Mythology and the Christianity, than for example Hinduism, where people believe in reincarnation. This is probably because the Christianity has its origin close to the countries where people earlier believed in the Greek Mythology, which is quite similar to the Norse.

In Norse Mythology, Valhalla is described in detail. The details might vary a little depending on which source you read, but some of them are the same, or almost the same, as for example the fact that it had enormously big doors. It is also commonly known what you do when you arrive there, and what you eat. Heaven on the other hand, is much more abstract, and it is up to the individual to make her own interpretation, and to make a picture of what it looks like. Maybe there were more details earlier, when the Bible was written, but they have disappeared over the years as science has developed. Nowadays, people are not as willing to accept a whole concept. Science is generally accepted, and not many people believe that God really created the world. The bible has to be interpreted and so also the descriptions of Heaven. In the Viking age, people did not have the same information as today, and their belief in the Gods was more concrete.

Another difference is the criteria for who went to which place. In both religions, evil people went to Hell. In Christianity, the criterion to go to Heaven is to live a righteous life. For the Vikings, it did not matter very much how you lived, but you had to die in battle. This reflects pretty well the different ideals in society. In the Viking age, the most important thing was to be brave. Nowadays, at least according to our religion, the most important thing is to be good and kind to everyone.  

[ Home ] [ Summary in French ] [ Sources ]

Send mail to gevriye.yusuf@intercollege.se with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 1999  Gabi's group at Internationella Gymnasiet/International College
Last modified: september 23, 1999