Fólkvangr facts for kids
Fólkvangr is a special place in Norse mythology. It means "field of the host" or "people's field." This beautiful meadow or field is ruled by the goddess Freyja. When warriors die in battle, half of them go to Fólkvangr. The other half go to the god Odin in Valhalla. Sometimes, other people also went to Fólkvangr after they died. For example, in the Egils Saga, a character says she will not eat again until she dines with Freyja.
We learn about Fólkvangr from two old books. One is the Poetic Edda, put together in the 1200s from older stories. The other is the Prose Edda, written by Snorri Sturluson in the 1200s. The Prose Edda tells us that Freyja's great hall, Sessrúmnir, is located within Fólkvangr.
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What Ancient Texts Say About Fólkvangr
Ancient texts like the Poetic Edda and Prose Edda describe Fólkvangr. These writings help us understand this mythical place.
Fólkvangr in the Poetic Edda
The poem Grímnismál is found in the Poetic Edda. In this poem, Odin, who is disguised as Grímnir, tells a young man named Agnar about Fólkvangr. He explains that Freyja chooses half of the warriors who die each day. The other half go to Odin.
Here is a part of the poem:
Benjamin Thorpe translation:
- Fôlkvang is the ninth, there Freyia directs
- the sittings in the hall.
- She half the fallen chooses each day,
- but Odin th' other half.
Henry Adams Bellows translation:
- The ninth is Folkvang, where Freyja decrees
- Who shall have seats in the hall;
- The half of the dead each day does she choose,
- And half does Othin have.
Fólkvangr in the Prose Edda
In the Prose Edda, there is a book called Gylfaginning. In this book, a character named High talks to Gangleri (who is secretly King Gylfi). High says that Freyja is the "most glorious of the ásynjur" (goddesses). He explains that Freyja lives in the heavens in a place called Fólkvangr. High also says that when Freyja rides into battle, she gets half of the warriors who are slain. Odin gets the other half. The book then quotes the same lines from Grímnismál that you read above. After that, High describes Freyja's hall, Sessrúmnir.
Understanding Fólkvangr: Different Ideas
Scholars have many ideas about what Fólkvangr means and how it relates to other parts of Norse mythology.
The Story of Egil's Daughter
In the Egils saga, a character named Egill Skallagrímsson refuses to eat. His daughter, Þorgerðr (Thorgerd), says she will also stop eating and starve to death. She says she will do this to meet the goddess Freyja.
Here is what Thorgerd says:
- Thorgerd replied in a loud voice, 'I have had no evening meal, nor will I do so until I join Freyja. I know no better course of action than my father's. I do not want to live after my father and brother are dead.'
Some experts believe this shows that Fólkvangr was also a place for women who died a noble death. Another story, Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks, tells of a queen who took her own life after her husband betrayed her family. This might be another example of someone going to Freyja's realm.
What Fólkvangr Means for Warriors
If "Fólk-" in Fólkvangr means "army," then Fólkvangr seems like another place for warriors to go after death, similar to Valhalla. Like Odin, Freyja is connected to warriors. She is even linked to a never-ending battle called Hjaðningavíg.
Some scholars think the name Fólkvangr might not be much older than the poem Grímnismál itself. The description in Gylfaginning is very similar to Grímnismál, but it adds that Sessrúmnir is inside Fólkvangr. While Valhalla is well-known for its connection to war, the meaning of other halls like Fólkvangr has been partly lost over time.
Freyja receives fallen heroes from the battlefield, just like Odin does. Her hall, Sessrúmnir, means "filled with many seats." It probably served a similar purpose to Valhalla, where warriors would feast after battles. It's interesting that there are two places for heroes in the Norse afterlife. This might be because different groups of warriors had different traditions. These ideas suggest that Freyja was a war-goddess. She even appears as a valkyrie, which means "the one who chooses the slain."
Stone Ships and Afterlife Ideas
Some researchers have suggested a link between Fólkvangr, Sessrúmnir, and the many stone ships found in Scandinavia. A "stone ship" is an ancient burial site shaped like a ship, made from large stones.
These experts think that Fólkvangr and Sessrúmnir together might suggest a ship in a field. This idea is like the stone ships found in burial sites. It's possible that the mythical idea of a ship in a field was a reflection of how people buried their dead. It might also mean that the symbolic ship was thought to bring good things to the land, like good seasons.
This idea also connects Freyja to an ancient goddess mentioned by the Roman writer Tacitus. This goddess, sometimes called the "Isis" of the Suebi people, was also linked to ship symbols. Beliefs about the afterlife that involve ships or special fields have been found in many ancient cultures.
Fólkvangr's Impact Today
In the early 1900s, a man named Karl Ernst Osthaus developed an idea called "Folkwang-Gedanke" or "Folkwang-Konzept." This idea was about bringing art and life together. Several cultural places in Germany are named Folkwang (the German spelling of Fólkvangr) because of this idea. These include the Museum Folkwang in Essen (opened 1902), the publishing house Folkwang-Verlag (founded 1919), Folkwang Kammerorchester Essen (founded 1958), Folkwang-Musikschule in Essen (founded 1974), and Folkwang University of the Arts, which focuses on music, theater, dance, design, and academic studies.
See also
In Spanish: Fólkvangr para niños
- Valfreyja, a name meaning 'lady of the slain' or 'Freyja of the slain'
- Þrúðvangr, the field of the god Thor
- Neorxnawang, an old English word for Christian paradise, where the last part means 'field'
