VAlHALS: Future Burials
Proposal to create Valhals for future Druan burial grounds
Proposal: Establish a network of ceremonial burial sites called Valhals for the Druan people—grassy tumuli with rock‑cut inner chambers that function as both tomb and temple.
Each Valhal will serve as a communal place of interment, ritual remembrance, and ongoing cultural practice, preserving ancestral remains within carved catacombs beneath a protective earthen mound and providing a dedicated space for memorial stones, ceremonies, and community gatherings.
The traditional time for visiting such locations would be around August 1-2 which coincides with harvest festivals and would be a time of leaving votive expressions of this time of year as a sort of thanks giving to those who gave of themselves in various ways that allowed for the current generations to come into being.
Housing for those that watch over and tend to such locations can also be established as waled up locations without undermining the intended inclusion of such burial sites as temple/tomb of families, friends and neighbors (and can be open for friends, family and neighbors of Druans themselves if requested).
What it really Means
Valhal is composed from West Germanic elements: val + hal. In Dutch val means “fall” (a fall, a tumble, or figuratively a downfall) and appears in related West Germanic forms such as Dutch vallen and Afrikaans val for the verb “to fall.”
The second element hal corresponds to the Germanic word for a large room or entrance hall (Dutch hal, English hall), so the compound Valhal reads naturally in West Germanic and Dutch‑influenced form as “Hall of the Fallen.” In Old Norse the cognate form is Valhöll.
Valhalla emerged in English translations during the 17th–19th centuries as translators anglicized the original Old Norse Valhöll, adding an -a to match Latin/Greek endings; the modern common form Valhalla reflects that anglicizing process. Valhal as used here emphasizes the translation “Hall of the Fallen,” highlighting communal, funerary meaning rather than a narrow martial reading.
Figurative and linguistic notes
Val as valr in Scandinavian dialects is often used in contexts meaning “fallen” is figuratively applied as “the slain,” but the English word slain derives from Old English (ge)slegen (past participle of slean, “to smite”), from Proto‑Germanic slahan (“to hit”).
Related Germanic words for killing include Old English cwel, Old Saxon quell, and Old Norse kvelr. The basic word for “dead” across Germanic languages appears in forms such as Saxon dod, Danish død, Swedish död, Middle Dutch doot, Dutch dood, Old High German tot, and Old Norse dauðr.
Precision in these connections matters for accurate naming and cultural framing; conflating roots across languages leads to misapplication and misrepresentation.
Moving on
Europe contains many multifamily burial mounds (tumuli/barrows), from Neolithic megalithic tombs in Ireland and Sweden to large Celtic and Roman tumuli in Germany and the UK. These structures often hold multiple burials and may have influenced later monumental forms.
Some artificial mounds also served as habitation platforms, lookouts, or signal sites where large fires were lit for communication. In this context a Valhal (plural Valhallan or Valhals) is proposed as a specific type of tumulus: a grassy mound concealing rock‑based chambers and catacombs that combine burial, ritual, and memorial functions.
Typical features and appearance
Exterior — a low, grassy mound rising from the landscape, often ringed by stones or kerbstones that mark the monument’s perimeter.
Entrance — a stone portal or passage leading into the mound; alignments to celestial events are possible design features.
Interior — one or more rock chambers or catacombs with burial niches, carved benches, alcoves, or communal ossuaries carved into bedrock or built from dressed stone.
Function — funerary interment, ritual feasting, ancestor veneration, and ongoing cultic remembrance; the interior serves as a communal hall for rites and offerings.
Memorial stones and communal practices
Each Valhal will include traditional memorial stones placed at the entrance, around the mound, and within the interior chambers. These stones serve to honor the memories and legacies of those interred: inscribed names, short epitaphs, clan symbols, or carved motifs that record lineage, deeds, and relationships. Memorial stones act as focal points for personal and collective remembrance, and they can be arranged to create processional paths, contemplative alcoves, or family plots.
These memorial stones will se the concepts from actual historic Rune stones. Runestones are ancient Scandinavian monuments, typically consisting of large upright stones (or sometimes inscriptions on boulders or bedrock) carved with runes from the runic alphabet. They originated as early as the 4th century CE but proliferated during the late Viking Age (roughly 950–1100 CE), primarily in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway.
As memorial markers for the dead, they were often erected by surviving family members or kin to honor deceased individuals—frequently warriors, chieftains, or relatives who had died at home, in battle, or during voyages abroad.
Common elements include:
Sponsor's name(s): The person or people who commissioned and raised the stone, often sons, widows, siblings, or other relatives. In some cases (about 10–12% of known examples), women are listed as sponsors, either alone or with male kin.
Relation to the deceased: Specifies the family tie, such as "his son," "her husband," "their brother," or broader kin like "grandfather."
Deceased's name and status: The name of the honored individual, along with their social role or titles (e.g., "warrior," "chieftain," or simply a descriptor of their character).
Circumstances of death or exploits: Details on how or where the person died (e.g., "who fell in battle in England," "who died in the East," or simply "who died at home"—noting that most commemorated deaths occurred locally rather than abroad). This section often includes an account of their achievements, heroic deeds, or travels.
Epitaph or praise: A brief laudatory phrase highlighting virtues like bravery, generosity, or piety (e.g., "He was the most valiant of men" or references to honorable actions).
Prayer or invocation: Earlier pre-Christian examples tended to reference a mix of honoring ancestors and their deeds and given mythological or folkloric references (many of these references now largely lost to time).
Carver's signature: Many end with the name of the runemaster (author) who carved it, such as "Öpir carved these runes."
We can use our own Warlock Runes which can also be called the Druish Alphabet and Numbers symbols connecting ancient usage with modern forms for clear distinction.
Another important distinction unlike many of the more ancient Runestones is the rejection of the boasting of the sponsor's own deeds or marking property, but the core memorial function emphasizes remembrance and legacy and can/will include poetic and/or narrative based focus on the memory of the departed (out of proper respect).
Valhals are designed to be living memorials:
spaces where the community regularly gathers to maintain stones, renew inscriptions, lay offerings, and tell stories. Annual rites, seasonal commemorations, and rites of passage strengthen intergenerational bonds and ensure that the Valhal remains an active center of cultural memory rather than a static monument.
Sense of connection and community value
A Valhal is intended to bring a deep sense of connection—between the living and the dead, between families and the wider Druan community, and between present practice and ancestral continuity. By combining burial, ritual architecture, and memorial stones, Valhals create a shared locus for mourning, celebration, education, and social cohesion. Communal activities—cleaning the mound, carving or renewing memorial stones, hosting remembrance feasts—reinforce mutual responsibility and the cultural value of honoring predecessors.
Cultural framing and use
Valhal intentionally blends modern West Germanic vocabulary with an evocative sense of a communal hall for the dead while remaining distinct from the mythic emphasis of Norse Valhalla. As a toponym and cultural concept, a Valhal can be used for:
Heritage sites that conserve and interpret ancient or newly constructed tumuli.
Ritual centers where the Druan community performs seasonal commemorations and funerary rites.
Educational spaces where younger generations learn genealogy, oral history, and stone‑carving traditions.
Literary or artistic settings that require a name evoking burial, assembly, and sacred architecture.
Closing
A Valhal is both a physical monument and a cultural practice: a Hall of the Fallen—a grassy mound over rock chambers where the dead are interred, memorial stones record their names and legacies, and the living gather to honor, remember, and renew community bonds. Built and maintained with archaeological sensitivity and community consent, Valhals can preserve ancestral remains, provide a focal point for ritual life, and anchor Druan burial practice in a named tradition that respects linguistic precision and communal meaning.
Important to Know Context:
The Mound is already explained as the Valhal proper. The Memorial Stone is also rather straightforward. However, what is often overlooked is a custom of such a ceremonial pool/well near to such a structure often forgotten or left out of discussions.
Purpose of the pool/well:
Rites of Dedication, Initiation, and Seasonal Ceremonies: Pools and wells were frequently used in ceremonial contexts such as rites of dedication, initiation, oaths, or seasonal festivals like blóts (blessings). The reflective surface of water symbolized purity and the liminal space between the mundane and the sacred, providing a natural setting for solemn or communal acts.
Purification: Water served as a medium for purification. Clergy, temple attendants, and participants often used these pools for cleansing before ceremonies—a practice still observed in various cultures today. Cleanliness was both a practical necessity and a symbolic marker of ritual readiness. The popular image of “dirty Northern barbarians” is largely myth; Norse and other Northern peoples maintained high standards of personal hygiene, which were closely tied to ritual propriety.
Seeking Visions and Guidance: Looking into sacred wells or pools was commonly associated with divination or seeking visions. Individuals sought guidance from ancestors, gods, or spirits, reflecting a widespread European practice of “seeing into water” as a medium for prophecy. This motif appears in folklore across many regions:
Ireland: Sacred wells, such as the St. Brigid’s wells, were believed to provide visions or healing.
Scotland: The Lochs and holy wells often feature in tales where ancestral spirits impart wisdom.
Scandinavia: Norse sagas recount seers using pools or reflecting surfaces to receive guidance from the dead or gods.
Germanic/Celtic regions: Wells were sites for offerings and ritual reflection, often connected with sacred trees and groves.
Votive Offerings and Maintaining Favor: Archaeology demonstrates that votive offerings—including weapons, jewelry, and coins—were sometimes deposited in wells and ponds near temples. These gifts were offered to the dead but later told in a disconnected sense of gifts to more generic "spirits or deities," intending to secure their favor. This practice is remembered in folklore, such as the enduring tradition of wishing wells, which echoes the same principle of offering in exchange for blessings or protection.
Integration with Christianity
When Christianity spread across Europe, local populations did not abandon their traditional practices entirely. Instead, they synchronized the Old Ways with the New Ways. Sacred wells, ceremonial baths, and other water rites were incorporated into Christian customs such as baptism or holy water rituals.
This integration was not a matter of theft or suppression; it was a practical and cultural adaptation, allowing communities to retain familiar sacred spaces while embracing the Christian faiths (even when such were fighting over their own brands of Christianity). The continuity of ritual water use illustrates the enduring human connection to these liminal, reflective, and sacred spaces.
