einherjar means the warriors who died fighting bravely and were brought by valkyries to Valhalla, where they feast and prepare for Ragnarok. It carries an Arena rating of 1637, earned across 4 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, einherjar ranks #1,054 of 17,124 for Most Sublime Words, #1,933 of 17,149 for Most Exacting Words, #2,689 of 17,140 for Most Whimsical Words, #2,853 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words.
einherjar is pronounced /eɪnˈhɛɹ.jɑɹ/.
Why “einherjar” is a great word
The chosen dead of Norse myth, selected by valkyries to feast and fight in Odin's hall of Valhalla until the final battle of Ragnarok. The word derives from Old Norse *einherjar*, literally 'those who fight alone' (from *einn*, 'one, alone' + *herr*, 'army, host' + the agent suffix *-jar*). Unlike "valkyrie," the divine chooser, or "berserker," the frenzied living warrior, the einherjar are the eternal chosen, a collective of singular champions. They are the sound of practice swords ringing in a gold-lit hall, the taste of mead that never sours, and the feel of wounds that heal each dawn only to be earned again each dusk—an army of splendid individuals bound in an endless, glorious rehearsal for a world's ending.
Etymology
From Old Norse einherjar (plural, literally “lone fighters”) (rarely attested singular einheri).
noun
- The warriors who died fighting bravely and were brought by valkyries to Valhalla, where they feast and prepare for Ragnarok.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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