In Norse mythology, one of a group of women who serve Odin, the chief god. They ride over battlefields and choose which soldiers will die, then carry the souls of the brave ones to Valhalla. The choosing is the important part — they are not simply fighters, they are deciders. In older art and stories they are often shown on horses, in armour, sometimes with wings; opera and film have made that picture very familiar, especially through Wagner's famous music. The plural is Valkyries. Outside the myths, people use it for a woman who seems tall, strong, fierce and impressive — 'she came in like a Valkyrie' — which is a compliment about power, not about gentleness. Games, films and comics use the name constantly, so learners often know the character before they know the word. It usually keeps its capital letter when you mean the mythical beings; some writers use a small v when they mean the type rather than the specific figures.