Who would you recruit into the Einherjar?

[beachhead1973]

Just what the title says.

Historical characters with your reasoning.

This should be interesting. Go.

[Becq]

Well, not Chuck Norris -- because the only way he could be defeated in battle would be if he fought against himself...

(Sorry!)

[Becq]

In seriousness, though, a good place to start might be the following site I found:

http://www.history.army.mil/moh.html

Medal of Valor recipients seem like a likely pool of candidates (or at least, those of whom died in battle, as is commonly the case for Medal of Valor recipients).  Of course, this list would be limited to the last century and a half, and to Americans.

[toturi]

Victoria Cross holders

Gurkhas, quite recently this guy http://www.neatorama.com/2011/01/29/40-train-robbers-vs-1-gurkha/

[Kiero]

In seriousness, though, a good place to start might be the following site I found:

http://www.history.army.mil/moh.html

Medal of Valor recipients seem like a likely pool of candidates (or at least, those of whom died in battle, as is commonly the case for Medal of Valor recipients).  Of course, this list would be limited to the last century and a half, and to Americans.

What's dubious about the Medal of Honour is that it took a posthumous review of many after action reports to recognise the efforts of non-white soldiers throughout the various wars the US has been in over the last century and a half. There could be lots of others with either lesser awards or ignored altogether who should be up there, but for the colour of their skin.

[beachhead1973]

I refer you to; www.badassoftheweek.com

also; I propose that once you've earned it, it matters little how you die. Otherwise the reward for surviving the unsurvivable is to NOT go to Valhala, which seems not in the spirit of the thing to me. Your thoughts?

[TheMouse]

The vast majority of Einherjar are going to be people you've never heard of. They're just brave warriors who've died in battle and were spotted by a Valkyrie. I would imagine that the World Wars alone would potentially have produced thousands and thousands of them.

[beachhead1973]

raised the serious question of exactly how large the Einherjar has the potential to be...

We know they have quite the Armoury

[ARedthorn]

Well... resident Viking buff to the rescue, I guess...
The Vikings were fatalists... they firmly believed that fate was undeniable, in the grand scheme: not to say there was no free will... it was the broad strokes like when you were going to die that couldn't be changed... so if you were slated to die on the 5th of March next year, you were going to die on the 5th of March whether you spent every day until then jumping out of airplanes without a parachute, or lounging on your couch eating cheetos...
For them, it was an aid to courage- you may as well go into battle, and go for broke being a complete and total badass, cause if you weren't slated to die, nothing could kill you... and if you were, you may as well at least be remembered as a total badass, right?

I'd say that's the big litmus test... because the Einherjar are slated to do the exact same thing again- the battle Odin's saving them up for is a LOSING one... and he knows it, and so do they... but they're on board anyway. I think the Valkyries are interested in any warrior who has the exact kind of courage to dedicate themselves to a losing battle- whatever the reason (be it personal glory or doing what's right). Those who died in the process of pursuing (personal glory or doing what's right or whatever) have already proven themselves dedicated... and those who do so in battle are already proven warriors.

If anything, the losing side in a given battle's likely to have more candidates.... especially in a massacre like Gallipoli or Custer's Last Stand, etc.

Survivors may still stand a chance- after all, it just wasn't their time, and that's no mark against them... but they ARE less likely to be noticed by a valkyrie if they die in a hospital bed... maybe if you made a name for yourself- they might be on the lookout for Medal of Honor winners being hospitalized.

And Odin probably has way way more of them than anyone realizes.

[Silverblaze]

That sums it up quite nicely.  The only thing I would add is that according to their beliefs you were supposed to die with weapon in hand.  (I think that is too literal, but it could very well be the truth.)  I figure as long as they die physically fighting, then they're in.

Since we don't know if Ragarok occurred yet in the Dresden Files ( it happened in Marvel like three times....).

(click to show/hide)

  One could assume no, since Odin is alive...or one could assume that is what has caused his children to forget whom/what they are.

That could alter the ranks of the honored dead.  The events of Ragnarok I mean.

[martellian]

It looks like these guys would pass Odin's litmus test: http://www.cracked.com/article_19534_5-soldiers-who-kicked-ass-in-face-death-and-logic.html

[Richard_Chilton]

Based on how the Vikings behaved, I'd say outlaw bikers would make good recruits.  Many love a good fight.

Richard

[HumAnnoyd]

All of the guys at the Alamo (William Travis, James Bowie, Davy Crockett etc.) would be a good choice I would think.  As well as the Foreign Legion chaps who fought at Cameron. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Camar%C3%B3n.

The British at Rorke's Drift also seem likely candidates. 

[Silverblaze]

Based on how the Vikings behaved, I'd say outlaw bikers would make good recruits.  Many love a good fight.

Richard

There are indeed some norse pagan biker clubs in existence.

[Richard_Chilton]

I didn't mean the pagan ones - most of them are much less violence than the "one percenters".

I'm thinking of outlaw bikers.  The type who enjoy fighting (basically over nothing).  Hell Angels, Outlaws, Bandidos - and their fellow riders.  Their love of fighting and their disregard of external authority are similar to how the Vikings lived.

Richard