Einherjar festivals

The Valkyries would choose the Einherjar and win them. Some warriors who wished to survive these battles, did not roll their eyes so as not to attract the attention of the Valkyries who could kill them to take them away..

They escaped for their greatest satisfaction "death of straw" that is to say the natural death in their bed which destined these spirits to take the path of Hel where the sweet Hela, goddess of death whose face is half submerged in the shadow of darkness and the other half in the light of life, led them on a vessel to follow the current of one of the twelve rivers, the Élivagars, one of which led to the Gardens of Ásgard. The goddess Hela is not the horrible creature described by Christian texts.

A whole different destiny awaited these Einherjar. The warrior goddess Freyja mounted on her horse and accompanied by the Valkyries, relieved these glorious fighters to accompany them to Ásgard. Half of these heroes went to Valhöll, in Odin's palace, the other half to Fólkvangr (the plain of the troops) the palace of Freyja.

The warriors assigned to Odin are those among them who dedicate their existence to war and battles, "the offensives". The warriors assigned to Freyja are those among them who lead battles to protect their families, their clans and their property, “the defensive”. The historian Else Roesdahl has indeed noticed that, in the graves containing weapons, the warriors had shields that she calls the defensive, the others only had their attack weapons that she calls the offensives..

The warriors of Odin are awakened every day by the rooster Gullinkambi, to travel to the vast Idavoll field located in the center of Asgard to fight against each other in joyous and deadly battles. At dusk, the dead come back to life, the wounded heal and all meet at Odin's banquet, where they feast served by the delicious Valkyries. They drink the mead of the Heidrun goat which itself feeds on the leaves of the Yggdrasil tree.

Andhrímnir, the cook of the Gods, prepared a sumptuous meal with the huge pig Sæhrímnir. The animals of the Gods all have a name, which is to say the importance they attach to their companions, they are so concerned about their well-being that they go so far as to give them life again when it happens to them. consume them. Also the generous Sæhrímnir pork comes alive every morning to be eaten every evening. It happened to Thor to keep the bones of one of his goats that he had been forced to eat, in order to bring it back to life as quickly as possible.