Valkyries are part of an extensive mythology that includes everything from battle worn maidens who ride along with Odin as his right hand women to swan maidens that appeared as women in the moonlight, living among humans until such time as they had to return home. These swan maidens are the possible inspiration for the story The Swan Princess and are part of a greater mythology of animal to human shapeshifting.

Valkyries are also connected to the goddess Freya, who owns a legion of them. These seem to serve along side her in collecting the dead and dying from the battle field.

Often Valkyries are depicted as having winged helmets or wings on their back, and have often been drawn as beautiful somewhat scantily clad women. 

Valkyries are linked to the idea of a noble afterlife of ‘glorious’ battle but in recent discussions on them, these women were likely part of an older tradition of women caring for the wounded and the dying and seen as similar to the way many interpret figures like Florence Nightingale. These women may have been actual visitors to the front lines and were likely the closest thing to a field nurse.

It has been suggested in some papers that Valkyries are merely the invention of Christian influence, because they appear almost like angels and likely are the inspiration for many iconographic representations.

However they are recorded or represented, the clear link between the Valkyries and fate are long seen as relevant and meaningful too many who read the myths. They are seen to represent a force that is in direct contact with and working with the gods themselves.