In Norse mythology, one of the goddesses who chooses which warriors die in battle and brings them to Valhalla, the hall of the gods.
From Old Norse 'valkyrja,' composed of 'valr' (the slain) and 'kjósa' (to choose). The Norse people envisioned these fearsome female warriors flying over battlefields on horseback, selecting the worthy dead.
Valkyries inspired Wagner's famous opera 'The Ride of the Valkyries,' and the concept of powerful women choosing fate made them so cool that they've appeared in everything from Marvel to video games—ancient Norse writers basically invented the warrior-woman archetype!
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