The Valkyrie Speak by FireHawk

Background
The Valkyrie are among the most ancient of goddesses. They are both giver of life and wielder of death. Representations of them are found all over northern Europe. They are very often portrayed in the form of a bird such as a raven, which has long been associated with death and magic. Other descriptions of them include fierce warrior maidens on winged horses who devour the carnage at battlefields. The name Valkyrie means "chooser of the slain" and the face of the Valkyrie is the last thing someone sees before death.

The Valkyrie are psychopomps, which means that they lead the dead to the underworld. The "darkness" that they represent is one of fertility and abundance. The Valkyrie remind us to not be afraid of the dark, that a seed is born in darkness and that sometimes we need the darkness to grow.

The following Goddess story was channeled after spending some time developing a relationship with the Valkyrie. The resulting text was their response to my question "What would you have me tell others about you?"

Their Story
We are the Valkyrie, we are creatures of the dark, the ever embracing dark that brings rest and rebirth. By some accounts, our number is 9 x 9 x 9, but by our counting it is what it is and what it needs to be. Our purpose is to serve human kind but we are not servants. We do no one's bidding but our own. We alone decide who is carried away and who is returned to the living. Our steeds are swift and sure and our mission is true. We do not falter in our duties.

Our missions are widespread and varied because our collecting of warrior souls is not limited to the battlefields. Warriors can be found in many places where battles are not waged with swords and axes. Warriors come in varied forms with some being almost unrecognizable from outward appearance. They fight to protect those who can not fight for themselves, waging battles for justice and truth and ending reigns of terror, protecting the innocent and slaying the demons created by the foul stench of inhumanity.

We have chosen to collect the warriors of the world for these are the ones who are not afraid to die. They surrender to death with dignity and a sense of peace about them that makes it our honor to carry them to their place of rest. We collect these strong righteous souls and we show them the way home. We show them back to the darkness from which they came. In the darkness, the seed that was them was born, in the darkness they prepared themselves for the life ahead, in the darkness they made their contracts with the lifetime to come. And now, that they have earned their peace, we return them to the darkness and bring them full circle. To an ending that becomes a beginning. There in the womb, they will rest and regenerate themselves and begin the cycle again.

raven in flight, courtesy of Dawn M Turner and morgueFile.

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The Valkyrie Speak by FireHawk Background The Valkyrie are among the most ancient of goddesses. They are both giver of life and wielder of death. Representations of them are found all over northern Europe. They are very often portrayed in the form of a bird such as a raven, which has long been associated with death and magic. Other descriptions of them include fierce warrior maidens on winged horses who devour the carnage at battlefields. The name Valkyrie means "chooser of the slain" and the face of the Valkyrie is the last thing someone sees before death. The Valkyrie are psychopomps, which means that they lead the dead to the underworld. The "darkness" that they represent is one of fertility and abundance. The Valkyrie remind us to not be afraid of the dark, that a seed is born in darkness and that sometimes we need the darkness to grow. The following Goddess story was channeled after spending some time developing a relationship with the Valkyrie. The resulting text was their response to my question "What would you have me tell others about you?" Their Story We are the Valkyrie, we are creatures of the dark, the ever embracing dark that brings rest and rebirth. By some accounts, our number is 9 x 9 x 9, but by our counting it is what it is and what it needs to be. Our purpose is to serve human kind but we are not servants. We do no one's bidding but our own. We alone decide who is carried away and who is returned to the living. Our steeds are swift and sure and our mission is true. We do not falter in our duties. Our missions are widespread and varied because our collecting of warrior souls is not limited to the battlefields. Warriors can be found in many places where battles are not waged with swords and axes. Warriors come in varied forms with some being almost unrecognizable from outward appearance. They fight to protect those who can not fight for themselves, waging battles for justice and truth and ending reigns of terror, protecting the innocent and slaying the demons created by the foul stench of inhumanity. We have chosen to collect the warriors of the world for these are the ones who are not afraid to die. They surrender to death with dignity and a sense of peace about them that makes it our honor to carry them to their place of rest. We collect these strong righteous souls and we show them the way home. We show them back to the darkness from which they came. In the darkness, the seed that was them was born, in the darkness they prepared themselves for the life ahead, in the darkness they made their contracts with the lifetime to come. And now, that they have earned their peace, we return them to the darkness and bring them full circle. To an ending that becomes a beginning. There in the womb, they will rest and regenerate themselves and begin the cycle again. Graphics Credits raven in flight, courtesy of Dawn M Turner and morgueFile.
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