Editing Valhalla (section)

== Cultural practices ==
The belief in Valhalla influenced many cultural practices in Norse society, specifically those surrounding death and commemoration. These practices during the death and burial of a Viking reflects the society's greater understanding of honor, legacy, and the afterlife. Valhalla and the practices that occurred were deeply tied to its role in immortalizing and honoring the dead. these customs later evolved with the introduction of Christianity and created a complex tradition of the Norse afterlife. 

=== Horse burial: transportation to Valhalla ===
Horses played a critical role in the burial and funeral processions of Viking burials. They were seen to be the dead's main transportation to Valhalla. In ''[[Egil's Saga|Egils saga Skallagrímssonar]]'', for instance, [[Skalla-Grímr|Skallagrímr]] is buried with his horse, weapons, and smith’s tools, illustrating the belief in the horse’s importance for the deceased’s passage to Odin’s hall. It is also noted that Old Norse sources mention only horses, not ships, as a means of traveling to and from Valhalla.<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal |last=Shenk |first=Peter |date=2002 |title=To Valhalla by Horseback?: Horse Burial in Scandinavia During the Viking Age |journal=University of Oslo}}</ref> This belief in horses being the main way of getting to Valhalla is also supported in the story, [[Sögubrot af nokkrum fornkonungum|Sögubrot]], where the character [[Harald Wartooth]] is buried with his horse and a wagon so he could ride to Valhalla.<ref name=":5" /> The riding of a horse to Valhalla is also mention in the story, ''[[Helgakviða Hundingsbana II]]'', where the hero Helgi rides to Valhalla after his burial and later returns on horseback to visit his living bride.<ref name=":5" />

=== Death chants as appeals to Valhalla ===
Death chants were poetic compositions made to appease Odin and to earn a dead loved one's place in Valhalla. These death chants recorded a loved one's deed and accounted their victories to prove their worthiness to the hall of hero's.<ref name=":4" /> The witnesses of these death chants were often daughters of the dying Vikings who acted at intermediaries by recording these poems in runes or orally. “By witnessing and recording these poems, they are in essence lending their fathers’ deaths a certain amount of weight”.<ref name=":4" /> These rituals ensured that the deeds of the fallen would remain influential, securing their place among the honored dead in Valhalla. This also once again placed women as a central role in death and the procession of death in Viking society. 

=== Political continuity through death ===
The belief in Valhalla also committed to the deification of political leaders and heroes. Instead of being a hall for those that died in battle, it became a symbol of honor and continuity in a heritage-based society. As Gundarsson notes, “The purpose of the deification of a dead leader or hero is clear. It offers a sense of continuity”, with rulers often seated on their forebears’ burial mounds to evoke the authority of the dead.<ref name=":2" /> As Scandinavia transitioned into larger and more unified nations, the importance of the deification of political leaders grew and Valhalla became a resting place for kings and political heroes. So, to enter Valhalla was not to achieve a "good death" but to secure a legacy among the gods and kings.