Walkuren, Bodbs, Sirenen

This work considers Valkyries in the mythology and literature of medieval Scandinavia and places them in the broader context of the early history of European religion in general. Drawing on both the textual and archaeological sources, a detailed review of Celtic, Etruscan and Graeco-Roman female demons of the battlefield and ofdeath is presented, and their remarkable similarity with the Valkyries analysed against the background of Mediterranean-transalpine cultural contacts.