Valkyries

The Valkyries are supernatural beings found in Norse (or Viking) mythology. The Vikings were northern Germanic peoples, who lived in modern Scandinavia. Their main homelands were Norway and Denmark, but there were also many settlements in today's Sweden and even Finland. They were an expansionist people, and founded settlements in Russia, Iceland, England and Scotland, Ireland, Greenland, and even North America. This resulted in their mythology spreading over a large area, and resulted in certain differences in some creatures and tales. The Valkyrie does have different attributes in different places, but the underlying features remain the same.
Valkyries are female warriors, and are servants of the god Odin. They are usually depicted with flaming red hair, although some artwork shows them with the more common fair hair of the north. They are almost always shown dressed in battle armour, often made of bronze or a similarly-coloured metal. This helps protect them from evil, and the likes of other enemies. Some are also shown with white or golden wings, as they must travel between this world and that of the gods, Valhalla. Other tales claim they ride horses with wings, sometimes identified as creatures in likeness to Pegasus.
The Valkyries have a crucial duty; one that is supposedly of the utmost importance. According to Viking legends, evil and good are locked in a never-ending war. In the final days, there will be a great battle to decide the fate of the heavens and the Earth. The world will crumble, and this time is called "Ragnarok". From these ashes a new world will rise from the oceans, and will be filled with light.
It is the job of the Valkyries to train and prepare warriors for this final battle. To do this, they visit battlefields on Earth, where many soldiers are dying. From these they pick a select few to take back to Valhalla. Some tales describe how the Valkyries may even join in the battles, to ensure they choose only the best warriors. To prepare these warriors for the final battle, the Valkyries force the fallen soldiers to fight in Valhalla. These fights may be against other fallen warriors, the Valkyries themselves, or even some lesser gods. The Valkyries show these warriors to Odin and Freya, in the hope they are suitable. Half of the warriors are actually chosen by Freya herself, as she has been known to visit the battlefields of Earth.
For more information visit:

• http://www.mythicalcreatureslist.com/mythical-creature/Valkyrie
• http://norse-mythology.org/gods-and-creatures/valkyries/
• http://www.mythicalrealm.com/legends/valkyries.html
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valkyrie
• http://www.mythical-creatures-and-beasts.com/valkyrie.html

And for information on Ragnarok: http://www.pantheon.org/articles/r/ragnarok.html