Valkyries must remain virgins in order to keep their invulnerability and immortality. Brunhild is put to sleep until she is awakened by a fearless man to marry. She is awakened by the legendary figure,
It was because the Valkyrie needed to remain virgins so that they could remain immortal. You might think this requirement would prevent any tales of humans forming relationships with Odin's own, but no, the original tales often included mention of human/valkyrie relationships.
Punishment for Valkyries
Based on some other stories, it also seems that getting married means a woman must quit her position as Valkyrie. And a marriage might even be used as a punishment for a disobedient Valkyrie, which is another part of the retribution against Brynhild in the Volsungs legends.
Valkyrie are all female. They reproduce by mating with the males of other species, Humans, Nephilim, Cambions, Angels, and Demons, to be exact. In all cases, the Valkyrie has dominant genes. This almost always ensures that the child is a Valkyrie.
In Norse Mythology, it is not mentioned that Odin had any daughters (he could have produced illegitimate daughters during his travels through the cosmos though). Odin had many sons including the gods Thor, Baldur, Vidar, and Vali. The Valkyries are described as the daughters of Odin, but they are...
Valkyries can become pregnant and carry the fetus to term, but they die in childbirth (Let Them Burn). Upon a Valkyrie's last death they disintegrate into particles of light.
If a male human steals a Valkyrie's swan feathers, legend has it that the Valkyrie will fall in love with and marry him. Valkyries are also associated with horses as they are sometimes depicted as riding winged horses over the battlefields.
The film does confirm her sexuality though, when Korg (Waititi) mentions that Valkyrie's girlfriend died in battle. There is also a blink-and-you'll-miss-it scene in which Valkyrie kisses another woman's hand. However, that is really the full extent of Valkyrie's bisexual storyline.
Women that fought were in the Norse literature called vakyries or shield-maidens (skjoldsmøyer). There were several kinds of female warriors.
It's thought that the Valkyries' legend evolved from an older Germanic idea of female war spirits, who gathered at battlefields and decided the fates of the warriors. These were not the virtuous caretakers of slain fighters who captivated men with their beauty and carried them off to a wondrous afterlife.
Valkyrie is the name given to all female soldiers who serve in the Ragnanival army. Their male counterparts are the Berserkers.
This article argues that the medieval Scandinavian valkyrie and shield-maiden, overlapping categories of warrior, are best understood as a third gender, a hybrid of masculine and feminine attributes.
Keres and Valkyries
Both deities are war spirits that fly over battlefields during conflicts and choose those to be slain. The difference is that Valkyries are benevolent deities in contrast to the malevolence of the Keres, perhaps due to the different outlook of the two cultures towards war.
Gefion, the Norse Goddess of Unmarried Women
According to The Prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson, Gefion (also spelled Gefjon) was the fourth goddess of the Æsir, following Frigg (the wife of Odin), Sága, and Eir (the best of physicians). Gefion, we are told, was a virgin, and was thus served by women who died unmarried.
While the fourth Thor film does confirm that Valkyrie is canonically queer, it takes place during a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment where Waititi's character Korg points out that Valkyrie is sad and drinks too much because her girlfriend died in battle.
Biological Traits. Valkyries are all female and use males from other races to reproduce, they are able to produce milk from their breasts and are able to give birth. Valkyries also have avian wings on their backs.
The written sources portray Viking women as independent and possessing rights. Compared to women elsewhere in the same period, Viking women had more freedom. However, there were limits to this. Even if women had a relatively strong position, they were officially inferior to men.
We have arguably saved the best for last, considering the fact that Freydis Eiríksdóttir has been included in numerous historical accounts, and is therefore considered the most famous female Viking warrior.
Some men would have two to three wives, but the Norse sagas say that some princes had limitless numbers. "So raiding was away to build up wealth and power. Men could gain a place in society, and the chance for wives if they took part in raids and proved their masculinity and came back wealthy.
One is just a flirtatious moment with one of Zeus' (Russell Crowe) handmaidens when Valkyrie kisses her hand, and the other comes in a conversation with Korg (Taika Waititi).
Superhuman Longevity: Like all Asgardians, Valkyrie is extremely long-lived, as she ages far slower than humans. Despite being over 5,000 years old; she still maintains the physical appearance of a woman in her prime.
Valkyrie shares many similarities with her voice actress, Erika Ishii: They are both mixed race, they are both queer, and they have similar outgoing personalities. Valkyrie had a Caucasian father and a Japanese mother.
The Valkyries are usually depicted as beautiful maidens riding on horses through the skies over the battlefield. With shrieking cries they swoop down and take their pick of fallen men. They bear the bodies to Valhalla to spend eternity with Odin, waiting for Ragnarok.
In the Eddas and sagas, Valkyries are mortal human women born of mortal human parents. It is not their origin, but their service to Odin, which bestows on the Valkyries certain supernatural powers. Freyja and Gondul are both mentioned as strong Valkyries who drive the myths forward.
The origins of the traditional Valkyrie symbol are unknown, but it's thought the wings represent the speed with which the Valkyries fly through the air. The Valknut or Odin's knot signifies the transition between life and death meaning.