Thursday, February 14, 2008

Valhalla and Valinor

So, I just read on Wikipedia (the most reliable source in the world) that elves go to a place called Valinor when they die, much like warriors would go to Valhalla when they died in battle in Norse mythology. Anybody else see connections here?
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3 comments:

Doug Simms said...

Valinor here is less of a Valhalla type of place, and more of an Avalon.

Avalon is a mythical realm to the West where the dead go to.

February 18, 2008 at 8:23 AM
Editwright said...

Is Valinor the "West" that all the elves are going to in the trilogy? If so, I could definitely see some very direct connections. I thought that Avalon, though, was more of a permanent resting place. Elves get to return to Middle-Earth, if they so choose, after a certain amount of time spent in Valinor, correct?

I know this doesn't really parallel Valhalla, where they get to battle every day and party every night, but I see a connection with the continuation of activity after death.

February 19, 2008 at 4:14 PM
Doug Simms said...

Valinor is pretty much end of the line, as I understand it. In the passing of Middle Earth from the age of elves to the age of men, the elves leave for good.

I'll see if I can't find any references to coming back from Valinor. In a way it's the elf equivalent of heaven.

February 25, 2008 at 8:54 PM

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