Valhalla is a great hall in Norse mythology where the souls of heroes slain in battle are received, and it can also refer to a place of honor or happiness.
Valhalla es un gran salón en la mitología nórdica al que son llevadas las almas de los héroes caídos en batalla, y también puede referirse a un lugar de honor o felicidad.
| Word | Valhalla |
|---|---|
| Date | January 25, 2010 |
| Type | noun |
| Syllables | val-HAL-uh |
| Etymology | In Norse mythology, the souls of warriors who died nobly in battle were brought to a magnificent palace, where they spent their days fighting for diversion, immune from lasting injury, and their evenings lustily feasting on freshly killed boar and quaffing the free-flowing mead. In Old Norse, the word for this warrior heaven is "Valhǫll" (literally, "hall of the slain"); in German, it is "Walhalla." English speakers picked up the name as "Valhalla" in the 18th century. Nowadays, we can use the word figuratively, and induction or admission into a modern-day Valhalla doesn't require passing from this life. It can be a place of honor (a hall of fame, for example) or a place of bliss (as in "an ice cream lover's Valhalla"). |
| Examples | "When the time comes, a lot of folks who vote people into baseball's Valhalla will make character a major qualification." (Sid Dorfman, The Star-Ledger [Newark, New Jersey], September 9, 2009) |
| Definition | 1 : the great hall in Norse mythology where the souls of heroes slain in battle are received 2 : a place of honor, glory, or happiness : heaven |
Tags: wordoftheday::noun
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