Folkvangr

Folkvangr

In Norse mythology, Fólkvangr (Old Norse: [ˈfoːlkˌwɑŋɡz̠], meaning "field of the host," "field of the people," or "army field") is a meadow or field ruled by the goddess Freyja. It is the destination for half of those who die in battle, while the other half are taken to Odin in Valhalla.

Others beyond warriors were also said to enter Fólkvangr after death. For example, in the Egils Saga, a weary female character expresses that she will not eat again until she dines with Freyja.

Fólkvangr is mentioned in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional material, and in the Prose Edda, written by Snorri Sturluson in the 13th century. According to the Prose Edda, Freyja's hall, Sessrúmnir, is located within Fólkvangr. Scholars have developed various theories about the significance of this place.

References

Grímnismál

In the poem Grímnismál, collected in the Poetic Edda, Odin (disguised as Grímnir) tells the young Agnar that Freyja assigns seats to half of those who die in her hall, Fólkvangr, while Odin receives the other half. Different translations present this description as follows:

  • Benjamin Thorpe: Fôlkvang is the ninth; there Freyja directs the seating in the hall. She chooses half of the fallen each day, but Odin the other half.

  • Henry Adams Bellows: The ninth is Folkvang, where Freyja decides who shall have seats in the hall. The half of the dead she chooses each day, and the half Othin has.

Prose Edda

In Gylfaginning (Chapter 24), High tells Gangleri (the disguised King Gylfi) that Freyja is "the most glorious of the ásynjur." High explains that Freyja has a dwelling in the heavens called Fólkvangr and that "when she rides to battle, she takes half of the slain, while Odin takes the other half," referencing the stanza from Grímnismál. High then continues with a description of Freyja's hall, Sessrúmnir.

 

Theories

Egils Saga

In the Egils Saga, Egill Skallagrímsson refuses to eat, prompting his daughter Þorgerðr (anglicised as "Thorgerd") to declare that she will also refuse food and starve herself in order to meet the goddess Freyja. She says:

"Thorgerd answered loudly: 'I have not eaten supper, and I shall not do so until I meet Freyja. I know no better course than that of my father. I do not wish to live if my father and brother are dead.'"

Britt-Mari Näsström suggests that Freyja's realm, as a receiver of the dead, is also open to women who have experienced a noble death. She uses this passage from the Egils Saga as an example, noting a possible connection with the Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks. In the latter, a queen hangs herself in the dísarsalr (Old Norse "hall of the Dís") after discovering that her husband had betrayed both her father and brother. Näsström comments:

"This Dís can hardly be anyone other than Freyja herself, the natural leader of the collective female deities known as the Dísir. Therefore, the site of the queen's suicide seems to be associated with Freyja."

Implications

John Lindow proposes that if the Fólk- element of Fólkvangr is understood as "army," then Fólkvangr can be seen as an alternative to Valhalla. He adds that, like Odin, Freyja is associated with warriors, as she presides over the eternal battle of Hjaðningavíg.

Rudolf Simek theorises that the name Fólkvangr is "certainly no older than Grímnismál itself." He observes that the description in Gylfaginning closely follows that in Grímnismál, with the addition that Sessrúmnir is located within Fólkvangr.

Hilda Ellis Davidson remarks that while Valhalla is "very well known because of its prominent role in imagery of war and death," the significance of other halls in Norse mythology, such as Ýdalir, where the god Ullr resides, and Freyja's Fólkvangr, has been lost.

Britt-Mari Näsström emphasises Gylfaginning's account that every time Freyja rides to battle, she claims half of the slain. She interprets Fólkvangr as "the field of warriors" and adds:

"Freyja receives the slain heroes of the battlefield as respectfully as Óðinn. Her hall is called Sessrúmnir, 'filled with many seats,' and it likely serves the same function as Valhöll, 'the hall of the slain,' where warriors eat and drink beer after battle. Yet we must question why the Norse conception of the afterlife includes two warrior paradises. It may be a result of differing forms of warrior initiation, with one group belonging to Óðinn and another to Freyja. These examples suggest that Freyja was a goddess of war, and she even appears as a Valkyrie, literally 'one who chooses the slain.'"

Siegfried Andres Dobat comments that:

"In her mythological role as the chooser of half of the fallen warriors for her afterlife realm Fólkvangr, the goddess Freyja appears as a mythological prototype for the Valkyries and the Dísir."

Stone Ships and Proto-Germanic Afterlife Locations

In a 2012 study, Joseph S. Hopkins and Haukur Þorgeirsson proposed a connection between Fólkvangr, Sessrúmnir, and the numerous stone ships found throughout Scandinavia. According to Hopkins and Haukur, Fólkvangr and Sessrúmnir together evoke the imagery of a ship and a field, which has broader implications and may link Freyja with the "Isis" of the Suebi as described by Tacitus:

"Perhaps each source has preserved part of the same truth, and Sessrúmnir was conceived in Fólkvangr as both a ship and a location in the afterlife. 'A ship in the field' is a somewhat unexpected idea, but it strongly recalls the stone ships found in Scandinavian burial sites. 'A ship in the field' in the mythical realm could have been imagined as a reflection of actual burial customs and vice versa. It is possible that the symbolic ship bestowed a form of blessing upon the land, such as the good seasons and peace attributed to Freyr's burial mound in the Ynglinga saga."

Evidence of ships from the pre-Christian era and associated folklore may similarly be reinterpreted in this context. For example, if Freyja is seen as the possessor of a ship, this ship imagery could reinforce arguments linking a Vanir goddess with the "Isis" of the Suebi, who is associated with ship symbolism in Tacitus's Germania. Afterlife beliefs that include strong nautical elements, as well as afterlife fields, have been identified in numerous Indo-European cultures.

Connection to Proto-Germanic Language

Hopkins and Haukur also suggest a link between Fólkvangr and several other Germanic words related to the afterlife that are extensions of the Proto-Germanic term wangaz, including the Old English Neorxnawang. This term may indicate an early Germanic concept of a "field of the dead."

Modern Influence

In the early 20th century, Karl Ernst Osthaus developed the "Folkwang Idea" or "Folkwang Concept," which emphasized the harmony between art and life. Several cultural institutions were founded on this concept, including:

  • The Museum Folkwang in Essen (opened in 1902)
  • Folkwang Publishing House (founded in 1919)
  • The Folkwang Chamber Orchestra Essen (founded in 1958)
  • Folkwang Music School in Essen (founded in 1974)
  • Folkwang University of the Arts, specializing in music, theatre, dance, design, and academic disciplines.
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