Valhalla

noun

Val·​hal·​la val-ˈha-lə 

also

väl-ˈhä- 

1

: the great hall in Norse mythology where heroes slain in battle are received

2

: a place of honor, glory, or happiness : heaven

an academic's Valhalla

Did you know?

In Norse mythology, the souls of warriors who died nobly in battle were brought to a magnificent palace, where they spent their days fighting for diversion, immune from lasting injury, and their evenings lustily feasting on freshly killed boar and quaffing the free-flowing mead. In Old Norse, the word for this warrior heaven is Valhǫll (literally, "hall of the slain"); in German, it is Walhalla. English speakers picked up the name as Valhalla in the 18th century. Nowadays, we can use the word figuratively, and induction or admission into a modern-day Valhalla doesn't require passing from this life. It can be a place of honor (a hall of fame, for example) or a place of bliss (as in "an ice cream lover's Valhalla").

Examples of Valhalla in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This was Valhalla McIlroy, a young 25-year-old cockily strutting through the dark to win the 2014 PGA Championship. —Brody Miller, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025

Photo : Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings PLC A total of 999 examples of the Valhalla will be built, each affording its purchaser the same customization process at the outset. —Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 9 Apr. 2025

The Northern Irishman has not won a major championship since 2014 at Valhalla Golf Club for the PGA Championship. —Savannah Leigh Richardson, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Apr. 2025

The cast also includes Adam John Richardson (Vikings: Valhalla, The Dry), Tom Hanson (Brassic, The Outlaws), Jade Auguste (His Dark Materials, Trauma), Aaron Heffernan (Brassic, Femme) and Aoife Hinds (Normal People, Dune Prophecy). —Max Goldbart, Deadline, 6 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from German and Old Norse; German Walhalla, borrowed from Old Norse Valhǫll, literally, "hall of the slain," from valr "the slain" (akin to Old English wæl "slaughter, the slain" and probably to Latin vulnus "wound") + hǫll "hall"; akin to Old English heall "hall" — more at vulnerable, hall

First Known Use

1768, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for Valhalla

• walhalla
• calla
• gala
• palla
• salah
• valla

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Kids Definition

Valhalla

noun

Val·​hal·​la val-ˈhal-ə 

: the hall of Odin in Norse mythology to which the Valkyries take heroes killed in battle

Etymology

derived from an early Norse word Valhǫll, literally "hall of the slain," from valr "those slain (in battle)" and hǫll "hall"