Valkyrie - Copenhagen, Denmark
Posted by: 
neoc1
N 55° 41.273 E 012° 35.634
33U E 348745 N 6173966
A Valkyrie riding a horse and carrying a spear is located in Churchill Park in the northern part of Copenhagen.
Waymark Code: WMF779
Location: Denmark
Date Posted: 09/04/2012
Views: 21
In Norse mythology, a Valkyrie is a female figure serving the god Odin. They decide who dies and who lives in battle, select from those are killed, and bring them to the afterlife hall of the slain, Valhalla, which is ruled over by Odin.
Valkyries also appear in literature as lovers of mortals, especially heroes, where they are described as royalty, sometimes accompanied by ravens, swans or horses.
This life-size bronze Valkyrie sculpture was created by the Norwegian sculptor Stephan Sinding (1846-1922), and installed in this Copenhagen park in 1910. The horse is depicted in full gallop on a downhill slope. Its left front leg is raised and its mouth is agape. The Valkyrie is a dramatic figure. She is large compared to the horse, her long hair is swept forward, a cape is open to the wind, her knees press in on the shoulders of the saddle-less horse and she hold a spear in a throwing position in her right hand.
The statue rests on a stone base set on bricks which are inlaid in the grass. The front of the stone base is inscribed:
SINDING
VALKYRIE