/ ˈvælkɪri; vælˈkɪəri; NAmE vælˈkɪri; -ˈkaɪri/ noun
(in ancient Scandinavian stories) one of the twelve female servants of the god Odin, who selected men who had been killed in battle and took them to Valhalla
••
WORD ORIGIN
from Old Norse Valkyrja , literally chooser of the slain, from valr the slain + kyrja chooser.