Valkyrie

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈvælˌkɪ.ɹi/

Definitions

1. A supernatural being from Norse lore who determines the fate of warriors in battle by choosing who will perish or survive
2. A maiden associated with a deity, responsible for escorting fallen heroes to the afterlife
3. A mythic character in Norse legends who selects those who die in combat ; a female spirit associated with gods who escorts the dead heroes to their afterlife

Etymology: In Norse mythology, the valkyries were female figures who rode over battlefields and chose which slain warriors would be carried off to Valhalla, the hall of the gods. The name is Old Norse "valkyrja", meaning "chooser of the slain", built from "valr" (the slain) and a word for choosing. The same compound existed in Old English as "wælcyrġe", and both trace back to a Proto-Germanic form, so the figures were part of a shared Germanic inheritance rather than something borrowed from one neighbouring culture. English first met the name as a proper noun, referring to these mythological beings, in the 1770s. Only in the 1880s did it begin appearing as a common noun, used loosely for any formidable or commanding woman, a sense that drifted far from the battlefield.

Synonyms: warrior, battle maid, chooser of the slain, female warrior, INVALID