Nordic Valkyries and Hindu Apsaras

a comparative perspective on two religioi-deologies

The Ride of the Valkyrs by John Charles Dollman, 1909. --Illustration by John Charles Figarro

Dr. UDAY DOKRAS,

B.Sc., B.A. (Managerial Economics), LL.B., Nagpur University, India
Certificat' en Droit, Queens University, Canada,
MBA CALSTATE, USA, Ph.D. Stockholm University, Sweden,
Consultant HR and ADMIN, Essel Tourism Infra Pvt. Ltd., India

1
"What kind of a dream is it," said
Óðinn,
in which just before daybreak,
I thought I cleared Valhǫll,
for coming of slain men?
I waked the Einherjar,
bade valkyries rise up,
to strew the bench,
and scour the beakers,
wine to carry,
as for a king's coming,
here to me I expect
heroes' coming from the world,
certain great ones,
so glad is my heart.1
The most famous painting Valhalla (1896) by de:Max Brückner
Here comes the Apsara, straight
from the heavens
Her presence has lit up the earth
Her moonlit smile has
brightened the stage
Here she comes bathed in
moonlight 2
अप्सरा आली
इन्द्रपुरी तुन खाली
पसरली लाली रत्नप्रभा तनु ल्याली
ती हसली गाली चाांदणी रां गमहाली
अप्सरा आली पुनव चाांदणां न्द्हाली
2
Hemkomst: My interest in Scandinavian mythology and history stems not only from the fact that I lived
in Sweden for 12 years and enjoyed the courtesies and hospitality and friendly disposition of the Swedes
but also from an inheritance of intellectual curiosity from my father who did his PhD from Columbia
University in the city of New York in 1951 in Rare Metals and from my grandfather who invented the
Dokrad Cotton breed in 1936. In 1990, I did my hemkomst to India-which is a Swedish word for
homecoming. It also symbolizes my return to writing about Sweden – a debt I owned that society where
the Valkiries chose me to sit at Odin’s table.Well not literally but festivity wise.

How to read this Paper: This is not a long paper but because it deals with two completely different
perspectives of celestial creatures, which are both incomparable; the comparison, if any, will come later.
First let us understand what both these fictional elements are. Also the concepts are Scandinavian not
Norweigian.

Valhalla, the hall of the slain, is the great house in Asgard where the heathen gods live according to
myths. Valhalla is the counterpart of Paradise, but Vikings did not get there by being good. Only men
killed in battle made it to Valhalla.Valkyries greet the valiant warriors (called einherjar) who play games,
drink beer and eat pork from the boar Sæhrimnir. This pig resurrects each morning to be butchered again.
The rest of the time, the einherjar spend in combat. Those killed revive the next day, too.
Valhalla is a huge building. It is golden, and the roof is made of spear shafts. In the walls are set 640
doors, so wide that 960 einherjar may exit each doorway at the same time. They do this when it is time for
the final battle against the enemies of the gods.

The deeper meaning of Valhalla is to promote boldness. Encourage people to be fighters. Viking society
was not full of fighters- there were farmers, potters, carpenters, ironsmiths sailers, ship builders etc. It is
doubtful if pagan Vikings really believed in an afterlife. The safest way of attaining immortality was
instead to acquire a worthy reputation. Wealth and family will vanish and everyone will die; only one's
renown is of lasting value. A Viking earned his repute by being brave and bold, and beyond all to make
little of hardship. To die defending your chieftain was the highest honor.

Talking of the dead only half of those who die in combat travel to Valhalla upon death, led by valkyries,
while the other half go to the goddess Freyja's field Fólkvangr. In Valhalla, the dead warriors join the
masses of those who have died in combat (known as the Einherjar) and various legendary Germanic
heroes and kings, as they prepare to aid Odin during the events of Ragnarök. Before the hall stands the
golden tree Glasir, and the hall's ceiling is thatched with golden shields. Various creatures live around

3
Valhalla, such as the stag Eikþyrnir and the goat Heiðrún, both described as standing atop Valhalla and
consuming the foliage of the tree Læraðr.Valhalla is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th
century from earlier traditional sources, in the Prose Edda (written in the 13th century by Snorri
Sturluson), in Heimskringla (also written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson) and in stanzas of an
anonymous 10th century poem commemorating the death of Eric Bloodaxe known as Eiríksmál as
compiled in Fagrskinna. Valhalla has inspired various works of art, publication titles, and elements
of popular culture, and has become a term synonymous with a martial (or otherwise) hall of the chosen
dead.

The Modern English noun Valhalla derives from Old Norse Valhöll, a compound noun composed of two
elements: the masculine noun valr 'the slain' and the feminine noun höll 'hall'. Valr has cognates in other
Germanic languages such as Old English wæl 'the slain, slaughter, carnage', Old Saxon wal-
dād 'murder', Old High German 'battlefield, blood bath'. All of these forms descend from the Proto-
Germanic masculine noun *walaz. Among related Old Norse concepts, valr also appears as the first
element of the nouns valkyrja 'chooser of the slain, valkyrie' and Valfreyja, one of the goddess Freyja's
several names.

The second element, höll, is a common Old Norse noun. It is cognate to Modern English hall and has the
same meaning. Both developed from Proto-Germanic *xallō or *hallō, meaning 'covered place, hall',
itself from the Proto-Indo-European root *kol-. As philologists such as Calvert Watkins have noted, the
same Indo-European root produced Old Norse hel, a proper noun employed for both the name of another
afterlife location and a supernatural female entity who oversees it, as well as the modern English
noun hell. In Swedish folklore, some mountains that were traditionally regarded as abodes of the dead
were also called Valhall; it is therefore possible that the höll element derives from hallr, "rock", and
originally referred to an underworld, not a hall.

Valkyries in a the Scandinavian and Germanic context

As Norse deities, the Valkyries belonged to a complex religious, mythological and cosmological belief
system shared by Scandinavia as such. This mythological tradition, of which the Scandinavian (and
particularly Icelandic) sub-groups are best preserved, developed in the period from the first manifestations
of religious and material culture in approximately 1000 B.C.E. until the Christianization of the area, a
process that occurred primarily from 900-1200 C.E. The tales recorded within this mythological corpus
tend to exemplify a unified cultural focus on physical prowess and military might. Within this framework,
Norse cosmology postulates three separate "clans" of deities: the Aesir, the Vanir, and the Jotun. The

4
distinction between Aesir and Vanir is relative, for the two are said to have made peace, exchanged
hostages, intermarried and reigned together after a prolonged war.

In fact, the most significant divergence between the two groups is in their respective areas of influence,
with the Aesir representing war and conquest, and the Vanir representing exploration, fertility and
wealth. The Jotun, on the other hand, are seen as a genrally malefic (though wise) race of giants who
represented the primary adversaries of the Aesir and Vanir.The primary role of the Valkyries was to swell
the ranks of Odin's deathless army by spiriting the "best of the slain" from the battlefield, away to
Valhalla.

However, it appears that there was no clear distinction between a Norn and a Valkarie he Valkyrie's Vigil,
by the Pre-Raphaelite painter Edward Robert Hughes. Hughes downplays the warrior aspect of
the Valkyrie, depicting instead a beautiful young woman in an ethereal dress. Her armor and weapons are
present, but set aside and unused. were the priestesses of Odin - old women who officiated at sacrificial
rites in which prisoners were executed (“given to Odin”). These priestesses sometimes carried out the
gruesome sacrifices themselves, which involved the use of a ritual spear. By the time of the Poetic
Edda's compilation (in the late twelfth or early thirteenth century), these rituals had given rise to legends
of supernatural battle-maidens who took an active part in human conflict deciding who should live and
who should die. In the mythological poems of the Poetic Edda, the Valkyries are supernatural deities of
unknown parentage; they are described as battle-maidens who ride in the ranks of the gods or serve the
drinks in Valhalla; they are invariably given unworldly names like Skogul ("Shaker"), Hlok ("Noise,"
"Battle") and Gol ("Tumult").

5
 Valhalla-Fantasy Art

Conversely, in the Heroic lays section of the same text, the Valkyries are described as bands of warrior-
women, of whom only the leader is ever named. She is invariably a human woman, the beautiful daughter
of a great king, though she shares some of the supernatural abilities of her anonymous companions. In the
first of the three Helgi Lays, Helgi Hjörvarðsson is accosted by a band of nine Valkyries the leader of
whom, Svava, is the daughter of a king called Eylimi. In the second and third lays, the Valkyries are led

6
by Sigrun, who is the daughter of King Hogni; she marries the hero Helgi Hundingsbani and bears him
sons. The most famous of the Valkyries, Brynhildr, is also a human princess. In the Sigrdrífumál (The
Ballad of the Victory-Bringer) she is never named, being called simply Sigrdrífa (“Victory-Bringer”), and
there are only hints that she is not a deity; what's more, we are told nothing of her parentage. In the
corresponding passage in the Volsunga saga, however, she is identified as Brynhildr, the daughter of King
Budli.

Several Valkyries appear as major characters in extant myths. As mentioned above, they are often
depicted as the daughters of human kings who, for whatever reason, were given the task of leading the
legion of Valkyries.

• Brynhildr appears in Völsunga saga. Her name means "bright battle."

7
 • Hildr appears in the legend of Hedin and Högni, in Ragnarsdrápa and in the Edda. Her name means
"battle."
• Sigrdrífa appears in Sigrdrífumál. Her name means "victory-urger."
• Sigrún appears in Helgakviða Hundingsbana II. Her name means "victory rune."
• Sváva appears in Helgakviða Hjörvarðssonar. Her name means "sleep maker."[12]

Other Valkyries: Apart from the well-known Valkyries listed above, the extant mythic corpus also
contains numerous lists of additional Valkyries. As can be seen from the above, several of the names exist
in different versions. Many of them have a readily apparent warlike meaning - Hjörþrimul, for example,
means "battle of swords" while Geirahöð means "battle of spears." However, to what an extent this
multitude of names ever represented individual mythological beings with separate characteristics is
debatable. It is likely that many of them were never more than names, a contention that is compatible with
the fact that only a few occur in extant myths.

With the wind. Robert Edward Hughes

An apsara, on the other hand had nothing to do with war since the world of Hindu religion was not so
concentrated on warlike actions on the earth. She is a type of female spirit of the clouds and waters

8
in Hindu and Buddhist culture. Hindu Dharma is home to many mystical creatures each bestowed with
their own existence purpose and role in cosmic harmony. The Gandharvas are often associated with music
while the Apsaras are known for their beauty which often plays the catalyst in bringing down a deeply
meditating guru or a Rakshasa (demon). They are portrayed as semi-divine beings; who do not seem to be
able to curse humans (except on one occasion) or grant them boons as gods can, but we do see them as
adept in magic and knowledgeable in all of the 64 performing arts; additionally, we see many Gandharvas
skilled in warfare. Apsaras are beautiful, supernatural female beings. They are youthful and elegant, and
superb in the art of dancing. They are often the wives of the Gandharvas, the court musicians of Indra.
They dance to the music made by the Gandharvas, usually in the palaces of the gods, entertain and
sometimes seduce gods and men. As ethereal beings who inhabit the skies, and are often depicted taking
flight, or at service of a god, they may be compared to angels. Apsaras are said to be able to change their
shape at will, and rule over the fortunes of gaming and gambling.

They figure prominently in the sculpture, dance, literature and painting of many South
Asian and Southeast Asian cultures. There are two types of apsaras; laukika (worldly), of whom thirty-
four are specified, and daivika (divine), of which there are
]
ten. Urvasi, Menaka, Rambha, Tilottama and Ghritachi are the most famous among them. English
translations of the word "Apsara" include "nymph", "fairy", "celestial nymph", and "celestial
maiden".In Indian mythology, apsaras are beautiful, supernatural female beings. They are youthful and
elegant, and superb in the art of dancing. They are often wives of the Gandharvas, the court musicians
of Indra. They dance to the music made by the Gandharvas, usually in the palaces of the gods, entertain
and sometimes seduce gods and men. As ethereal beings who inhabit the skies, and are often depicted
taking flight, or at service of a god, they may be compared to angels.Thus there is no comparison between
the valkyrie and the Apsara.

Origins of the Apsaras

It is believed that the origin of the apsaras, as told by the Institutes of Manu, are said to be the creations of
the Seven Manus, the progenitors of mankind. In the Epic poems more is said about them—the Rāmāyana
attributing their origin to the churning of the ocean, and with this, the Purānic account of their origin
agrees. It is said that when they rose from the waters neither gods nor asuras would wed them, so they
became the common property of both classes.

9
The earliest mention of apsaras is as river nymphs, and companions to the Gandharvas. They are also seen
to live on trees, such as the banyan and the sacred fig, and are entreated to bless wedding processions.
Apsaras dance, sing, and play around. They are exceedingly beautiful, and because they can cause mental
derangement, they are beings who are to be feared. They have been beautifully depicted in sculpture and
painting in India and throughout areas of South and Southeast Asia influenced by Hinduism and Apsaras
are sometimes compared to the muses of ancient Greece, with each of the 26 Apsaras at Indra's court
representing a distinct aspect of the performing arts. They are associated with fertility rites.
The Bhagavata Purana also states that the apsaras were born from Kashyapa and Muni.

A statue of an Apsara holding a door frame from Baitala Deula in Odisha.

Rigveda

The Rigveda tells of an apsara who is the wife of Gandharva; however, the Rigveda also seems to allow
for the existence of more than one apsara. The only apsara specifically named is Urvashi. An entire hymn
deals with the colloquy between Urvashi and her mortal lover Pururavas.[4] Later Hindu scriptures allow
for the existence of numerous apsaras, who act as the handmaidens of Indra or as dancers at his celestial
court. Four apsaras, Urvashi, Menaka, Rambha, and Tilottama were the most prominent. In the Hindu
texts, the “Rig Veda” and “Mahabharata”, the stories of these four apsaras were told. The “Rig Veda
“refers to one apsara, Urvasi, who was the wife Glandharva, a male nature spirit.

10
 Golden apsara in Majapahit style, Java, Indonesia.

Mahabharata

In many of the stories related in the Mahabharata, apsaras appear in important supporting roles. The epic
contains several lists of the principal Apsaras, which lists are not always identical. Here is one such list,
together with a description of how the celestial dancers appeared to the residents and guests at the court of
the gods:

Ghritachi and Menaka and Rambha and Purvachitti and Swayamprabha and Urvashi and Misrakeshi and
Dandagauri and Varuthini and Gopali and Sahajanya and Kumbhayoni and Prajagara and Chitrasena and
Chitralekha and Saha and Madhuraswana, these and others by thousands, possessed of eyes like lotus
leaves, who were employed in enticing the hearts of persons practising rigid austerities, danced there. And
possessing slim waists and fair large hips, they began to perform various evolutions, shaking their deep
bosoms, and casting their glances around, and exhibiting other attractive attitudes capable of stealing the
hearts and resolutions and minds of the spectators.

In the Vedas : The oldest conception of the apsaras is as river nymphs, and companions to the
gandharvas. Their beauty is such that they can cause mental derangement therefore they are beings who
are to be feared. The Rig Veda mentions one apsara by name; she is Urvasi, wife to Pururava, who is an
ancestor of the Kauravas and Pandavas. The story is that Urvasi lived with Pururava, a human king, for a
while and then left him to return to her apsara and gandharva companions. The distraught Pururava, while
wandering around in a forest, spotted Urvasi playing in a river with her friends, and begged her to return
to the palace with him. She refused.

11
 किमेता वाचा िृणवा तवाहं प्राक्रममषमुषसामग्रियेव । पुरूरवः पुनरस्तं परे हह दरु ापना वात इवाहमस्स्म ॥
न वै स्रैणानन सख्यानन सस्तत सालावि ृ ाणां हृदयातयेता ॥
I have moved on from you like the first rays of dawn. Go home, Pururava; I am as hard to catch as the
wind. Female friendship does not exist; their hearts are the hearts of jackals. [Rig Veda, 10.95]

The gandharvas are companions to the apsaras. They are handsome, possess brilliant weapons, and wear
fragrant clothes. They guard the Soma but do not have the right to drink it. How they lost this right has a
story: in one version, the gandharvas failed to guard the Soma properly, resulting in it being
stolen. Indra brought back the Soma and, as a punishment for their dereliction of duty, the gandharvas
were excluded from the Soma draught. In another version, the gandharvas were the original owners of the
Soma. They sold it to the gods in exchange for a goddess - the goddess Vach (speech) - because they are
very fond of female company.

Angkor Wat Apsaras

Exploits of individual Apsaras

The Mahabharata documents the exploits of individual apsaras, such as Tilottama, who rescued the world
from the rampaging asura brothers Sunda and Upasunda, and Urvashi, who attempted to seduce the
hero Arjuna

12
.

The Nymph and the Sage

A story type or theme appearing over and over again in the Mahabharata is that of an apsara sent to
distract a sage or spiritual master from his ascetic practices. One story embodying this theme is that
recounted by the epic heroine Shakuntala to explain her own parentage. Once upon a time, the
sage Viswamitra generated such intense energy by means of his asceticism that Indra himself became
fearful. Deciding that the sage would have to be distracted from his penances, he sent the
apsara Menaka to work her charms. Menaka trembled at the thought of angering such a powerful ascetic,
but she obeyed the god's order. As she approached Viswamitra, the wind god Vayu tore away her
garments. Seeing her thus disrobed, the sage abandoned himself to lust. Nymph and sage engaged in sex
for some time, during which Viswamitra's asceticism was put on hold. As a consequence, Menaka gave
birth to a daughter, whom she abandoned on the banks of a river. That daughter was Shakuntala herself,
the narrator of the story.

Apsaras are found in many civilizations and cultural norms (Not discussed in details)

1. Natya Shastra: Principal work of dramatic theory for Sanskrit drama

2. Malay Archipelago culture: In the Malay language throughout medieval times, apsaras are also
known as 'bidadari', being conflated with the 'vidyadharis' ( from sanskrit word

13
 vidhyadhari, vidhya: knowledge, dharya: having, bearer, or bringer) known as Bidadari in the
modern Malay language (surviving in both Indonesian] and Malaysian standards),
3. Java: The Apsara of Borobudur, the flying celestial maiden depicted in a bas-relief of the 9th-
century Borobudur temple, Java, Indonesia. At Borobudur apsaras are depicted as divinely
beautiful celestial maidens, pictured either in standing or in flying positions, usually holding lotus
blossoms, spreading flower petals, or waving celestial clothes as if they were wings enabling
them to fly. The temple of Mendut near Borobudur depicted groups of devatas, divine beings
flying in heaven, which included apsaras. In Prambanan temple compound, especially in Vishnu
temple, along the gallery, some images of male devata are found flanked by two apsaras.
4. Manipur, India
5. Cambodia Khmer Culture
Apsaras represent an important motif in the stone bas-reliefs of the Angkorian temples
in Cambodia (8th–13th centuries AD. Angkor Wat, the largest Angkor temple (built in 1113-1150
AD), features both Apsaras and Devata, however the devata type are the most numerous with
more than 1,796 in the present research inventory. Angkor Wat architects employed small apsara
images (30–40 cm as seen below) as decorative motifs on pillars and walls. They incorporated
larger devata images (all full-body portraits measuring approximately 95–110 cm) more
prominently at every level of the temple from the entry pavilion to the tops of the high towers. In
1927, Sappho Marchal published a study cataloging the remarkable diversity of their hair,
headdresses, garments, stance, jewelry and decorative flowers, which Marchal concluded were
based on actual practices of the Angkor period. Some devatas appear with arms around each other
and seem to be greeting the viewer.
6. Champa: Apsaras were also an important motif in the art of Champa, medieval Angkor's
neighbor to the east along the coast of what is now central Vietnam. Especially noteworthy are
the depictions of apsaras in the Tra Kieu Style of Cham art, a style which flourished in the 10th
and 11th centuries AD.
7. China: Apsaras are often depicted as flying figures in the mural paintings and sculptures of
Buddhist cave sites in China such as in the Mogao Caves, Yulin Caves, and
the Yungang and Longmen Grottoes. They may also be depicted as dancers or musicians. They
are referred to as feitian in Chinese.

14
In Modern Times: The word apsara is used in Hindi, and other similar languages descended from
the Indo-European, to generally denote an exceedingly beautiful woman or a talented dancer.

15
 REFERENCE

1.Finlay, Alison (2004). Fagrskinna, a Catalogue of the Kings of Norway: A Translation with
Introduction and Notes. Brill Publishers

2.Hit song “Apsara Ali” from the Movie Natarang( 1.5 billion Views)

3. Women in the Viking Age,Judith Jesch,Boydell & Brewer Ltd, 1991 - 239 sidor

16