Word
valkyrie
Phoneticsvalkyrie
/ˌvæɫˈkiˌɹiə/
Definition
n. a female figure from old Norse stories who chooses which soldiers die in battle. They take the bravest heroes to a special hall called Valhalla.
n. one of a group of supernatural female figures in Norse mythology who decide the fate of warriors in battle. They escort the souls of those slain in combat to the hall of Odin.
Examples
“The valkyrie rode her horse across the battlefield.”
“In the ancient sagas, a valkyrie appears as a powerful spirit who selects the most courageous fallen soldiers for the afterlife.”
“Wagner's famous opera cycle brought the image of the valkyrie into the modern consciousness, depicting them as warrior maidens descending from the sky on winged steeds.”
Examples
simple
“The valkyrie rode her horse across the battlefield.”
contextual
“In the ancient sagas, a valkyrie appears as a powerful spirit who selects the most courageous fallen soldiers for the afterlife.”
complex
“Wagner's famous opera cycle brought the image of the valkyrie into the modern consciousness, depicting them as warrior maidens descending from the sky on winged steeds.”
Usage
Often capitalised when referring to the specific mythological figures.
Etymology
The proper noun Valkyries was attested before the common noun valkyries. See the entry valkyrie for more.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.