Virtues

Eirrún's primary virtues in for her own honor are honesty, hospitality, courage and loyalty. Besides those, Eirrún also admires cunning and luck.

Honesty: The word of a Valkyrie, given in oath, contains the supreme truth. Once the word of a Valkyrie is given it will be kept at any cost, even one’s own life. An oathbreaker has no friends.

However, in everyday life, some situations allow an oath to be broken. In the case of an oath demanded with cruel intentions or to bring harm to the one who gave her word, breaking the oath is allowed. However, if the Valkyrie who gave his word insists in fulfilling the oath, it won’t be her honor to be affected, but the deceiver’s.

Another frequent case of allowed breaking of an oath happens when the word was given to a foreign enemy or to a person of an opposed ideal. This is especially accepted when done through satire, cunning or, mainly, a heroic act.

Hospitality: For a Valkyrie traveler it’s important to know that, in friendly territory, she’ll always have food, shelter and protection. Thus every good Valkyrie has the obligation to treat a guest in the best way possible and to wait nothing else in response. The most popular satirical verse between Valkyrie tells about a stingy host.

Courage: It seems redundant to talk about Valkyrie courage, mainly in battle. However it’s important not to mistake it for self-denial or disdain to one’s own life. A Valkyrie values her own life and will not endanger herself for a cause that he knows to be lost. The unnecessary death is the death of a fool, but the death of a hero is the one that makes the difference.

An important aspect of courage is determination – the powerful desire to see something happen, no matter what is in the way. Once a Valkyrie heroine decides a course of action, nothing withholds her. To take a decision is to give her word to herself. A Valkyrie without decision is not honest to herself and has no honor.

Loyalty: Loyalty commands the relation that exists between the individual and her group. The loyalty of a Valkyrie belongs to her friends, her family, her jarl and her king (or althing), in this order. This order of priority can be modified by an oath of personal loyalty - for example, a huskalar will swear loyalty to her jarl, whose command will become her main priority.

The duty of a follower is to do anything that his jarl commands her to (this includes dying) and to place the interests of her jarl above everything else. The Jarl, from her part, is duty-bound to her followers and, in many cases, this is a more difficult role. She must behave in a good manner and be a just leader if he means to have Valkyrie following her.A deceitful, cruel or unjust leader has no right to be a leader and deserves no loyalty as a result.

Cunning: This is the most curious rule of behavior. Using artifices that deceive an opponent is much appreciated, as they demonstrate the intelligence, wit and malice of the Valkyrie. However, this type of trick must be applied only against those opponents who prove undeserving of respect. The line between cunning and cowardice or disloyalty is narrow and not quite defined, and the reputation for cunning can be changed into notoriety for lie, deception and cowardice. To be smart is a risky move.

Luck: Without luck a Valkyrie can be honest, hospitable, courageous, loyal and smart, without ever obtaining anything, and without earning reputation or fame. A Valkyrie can be born rich and lose everything, but a Valkyrie born with luck never goes hungry. Heroes who have luck are good men to follow.