Have you ever seen the Netflix hit TV series entitled Vikings: Valhalla? We have too, and if you’re anything like us, you might be wondering if the famed land of Valhalla is a real place. Don’t click away just yet- we’ve done our research, and there are two unlikely places that will allow you to actually travel to Valhalla!
Ways You Can Travel to Valhalla
The Legend of Valhalla
Valhalla, the mythical land in the Norse tradition, is where heroes went after they died in battle. Located in Asgard, it is a majestic, enormous hall ruled over by the god Odin. The ceiling is made of fighting shields and the slain warriors’ feast on the fresh flesh of a wild boar.
Pretty hardcore, right? The boar is put to death daily only to be made whole again by the evening. They drink from the udders of a goat and they battle with each other every day for sport.
According to Norse legend, they will remain there until Doomsday, when 540 of them will emerge to fight with Odin against an army of the giants.
Well, that’s how the story goes anyway. In all actuality, it wasn’t giants that saw the end of the Norse era but the spread of Christianity. But have you ever wondered where Valhalla or Asgard is? You might be thinking it’s in Scandinavia, where the Norse religion spread from, and where the Vikings resided.
Those fearless warriors didn’t stay put though, did they? They took to their longboats and conquered everywhere they landed from Britain and Ireland all the way across the oceans to Canada. Believe it or not, there is evidence of a Viking settlement in Newfoundland.
Enough about history- let’s travel to Valhalla!
Ways to (Actually) Travel to Valhalla
Norse myths are woven into our collective cultural landscape. Most of us are aware of the lightning god Thor from Marvel’s wildly successful superhero movies.
However, the myths and the reality get woven into each other, and sometimes it is hard to unpick them. This can often leave people questioning: how can I travel to Valhalla?
You might be surprised to learn that you can travel to Valhalla by simply booking yourself a trip to The Emerald Isle. But wait, you might wonder what Vikings have to do with Ireland. How can it be the home of Norse mythology, when it is famously known for leprechauns and fairies?
It is all thanks to TV! Both the original Vikings series and its latest incarnation, Vikings: Valhalla, were shot in Ireland. While the stories are based in England, Denmark, and parts of the Mediterranean, the film locations are mostly further west in the land of shamrocks, banshees, and changelings.