Valkyrie

American  

[val-keer-ee, -kahy-ree, vahl-, val-kuh-ree] / vælˈkɪər i, -ˈkaɪ ri, vɑl-, ˈvæl kə ri /

noun

Scandinavian Mythology.

• Valkyries
  plural

1. any of the beautiful maidens attendant upon Odin who bring the souls of slain warriors chosen by Odin or Tyr to Valhalla and there wait upon them.

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Valkyrie British  

/ ˈvælkɪərɪ, vælˈkɪərɪ, ˈvælkɪə- /

noun

1. Norse myth any of the beautiful maidens who serve Odin and ride over battlefields to claim the dead heroes and take them to Valhalla

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Valkyrian
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• Valkyries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Valkyrie

< Old Norse valkyrja chooser of the slain (cognate with Old English wælcyrie witch), equivalent to val ( r ) the slain in battle, slaughter (cognate with Old English wæl ) + kyrja chooser (cognate with Old English cyrie ); akin to choose

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Valkyrie Valkyries

It collects the stories of gods, giants and monsters, as well as tales of Valkyrie romance, the end-times battle of Ragnarok and the feats of legendary warriors such as Sigurd the Dragon-Slayer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

Valkyrie is Kratos’ collaborative combat aircraft, designed to fly alongside crewed fighter jets, including the F-35.

From Barron's ● Apr. 6, 2026

Thompson appeared in three “Creed” pictures, also playing the role of Valkyrie in numerous Marvel movies including “Thor: Ragnarok” and “Avengers: Endgame.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2025

“Thor: Love and Thunder” establishes Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie as bisexual and introduces the husband of Thor’s pal Korg.

From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2025

Brynhild, a Valkyrie, has disobeyed Odin and is punished by being put to sleep until some man shall wake her.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

Then, the Golden State Valkyries scored 13 consecutive points late in the fourth quarter to dissolve a double-digits Sparks lead.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

In a recent game at Golden State, her dribble behind the back to create space for a 3-pointer left a Valkyries player staggering backward and grabbing her ankles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

Fans of the opposing Golden State Valkyries cheered Carrington’s return to Chase Center after the outrage over her Aug. 8 flagrant foul against Cunningham.

From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026

Golden State Valkyries forward Gabby Williams said she would welcome a transgender athlete "on my team or against my team, any time".

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

If you fall bravely in war the Valkyries, beautiful battle-maidens who collect the souls of the noble dead, will take you and bring you to the hall known as Valhalla.

From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman