The Ride Of The Valkyries ~ Apocalypse Now ~ by Richard Wagner

The Ride Of The Valkyries is a song which I just love to listen to over and over again. Of course, this piece was made famous by the movie Apocalypse Now: And 3 famous lines came out of that movie: "I love the smell of napalm in the morning, it smells like victory and charlie don't surf." What I find interesting about the history of this piece of music is that a German composer referenced Norwegian mythology via the selection of it's title. I find this rather peculiar, since the Germans and Norsemen were vicious enemies way back in historical times. Perhaps this compostion reflects Wagner's deep respect of the Norwegian warriors? Naturally, this is a musical piece about war and battle anyways. However, I'm sure that Richard Wagner must have had something in mind much deeper when he wrote this. Perhaps, someone from the local Sons Of Norway Club would be able to fill me in on the details a little bit better? Or, perhaps a music professor at a university? But what do I know? If it sounds good, then I listen to it....

From Wikipedia:

[QUOTE/] In Norse mythology, a valkyrie (from Old Norse valkyrja "chooser of the slain") is one of a host of female figures who decides who dies in battle. Selecting among half of those who die in battle (the other half go to the goddess Freyja's afterlife field Fólkvangr), the valkyries bring their chosen to the afterlife hall of the slain, Valhalla, ruled over by the god Odin. There, the deceased warriors become einherjar. When the einherjar are not preparing for the events of Ragnarök, the valkyries bear them mead. Valkyries also appear as lovers of heroes and other mortals, where they are sometimes described as the daughters of royalty, sometimes accompanied by ravens, and sometimes connected to swans.

The word valkyrie derives from Old Norse valkyrja (plural valkyrjur), which is composed of two words; the noun valr (referring to the slain on the battlefield) and the verb kjósa (meaning "to choose"). Together, they mean "chooser of the slain". The Old Norse valkyrja is cognate to Old English wælcyrge. Other terms for valkyries include óskmey (Old Norse "wish girl"), appearing in the poem Oddrúnargrátr, and Óðins meyjar (Old Norse "Odin's girls"), appearing in the Nafnaþulur. Óskmey may be related to the Odinic name Óski (Old Norse, roughly meaning "wish fulfiller"), referring to the fact that Odin receives slain warriors in Valhalla. [/UNQUOTE]

Category:

Music

Tags:

• norsemen
• the
• ride
• of
• valkyries
• sons
• norway
• norwegians
• warriors
• fjords
• tundra
• finse
• lofoten
• svalbard
• oslo
• valhalla
• odin
• norse
• men
• gods
• richard
• wagner