Hotel Valhalla

Hotel Valhalla is the paradise for warriors, or einherjar, in the service of Odin, located in the Grove of Glasir in Asgard. It was founded and owned by Odin and managed by Helgi.

# Description

Hotel Valhalla has 540 floors with 540 doors leading out into the nine worlds. The Hotel has exit points all over the Nine Worlds. The one that Magnus entered through was from Midgard, specifically in Boston, as Boston is the magical centre of Yggdrasil. The Nine Worlds tend to overlap there more than any other location in the realms, hence the hotel's location is one of convenience. There are a lot of pastimes in Valhalla such as battle training, white water rafting, even, as Halfborn Gunderson says, learning a new language and becoming multi-lingual. Valkyries are people chosen by Odin to be the staff and caretakers of Valhalla. One Valkyrie is assigned to each einherjar. Magnus' Valkyrie is Samirah al Abbas. Out of all the Valkyries a captain is chosen. Gunilla was the previous Valkyrie captain. Samirah was offered the captaincy by Odin at the end of The Sword of Summer, however she declined the offer, instead taking up a high-risk, high-reward assignment. The einherijar of Valhalla all are preparing for Ragnarok, so battle training is of much importance to them. In The Sword of Summer, Odin, the founder and owner of Hotel Valhalla had been absent from the hostel for a long time according to all the einherjar and thanes. Little did they know, Odin had disguised himself as X to inspect what the einherjar and thanes would do when he was not constantly watching them.

# Layout

## Outside

The Midgard entrance to Hotel Valhalla is located on Beacon Street in Boston, Massachusetts. From the outside it looks like an eight-story mansion of white-and-gray stone. The double front doors are made from dark heavy wood bound with iron, with a life-size wolf’s-head door knocker in the center of each wing. In order to prevent mortals and non-einherjar from trespassing, the hotel’s front garden is completely enclosed by a fifteen-foot-tall limestone wall with no entryway. The courtyard area behind the wall is called the Grove of Glasir, where birch trees with leaves of gold grow

## Lobby

The foyer of Hotel Valhalla was compared to the world’s largest hunting lodge – a space twice as big as what the exterior would indicate, with an acre of hardwood floor covered with exotic animal skins. Against the right wall of the lobby, there is a fireplace the size of a bedroom. Over the mantel hangs the stuffed head of a wolf. In the far corner of the room stands an overturned boat’s keel, which serves as Helgi's reception desk.Columns supporting the ceiling are made from rough-hewn tree trunks, and the ceiling itself is lined with spears for rafters. Polished shields gleam on the walls and the entire place seems to be illuminated from every direction. In the middle of the foyer, there is an announcement board displaying the activities for the day.

## Lounge

One of the many lounges in Hotel Valhalla has sofas and fireplaces all around, with various activities such as card games, arcade machines, dice games, and Monopoly. Hunding says the lounge is a "No Impaling" area.

## Feast Hall

The hotel's dining area is the size of a concert hall, with a hundred doors circling the perimeter. Tiers of long tables curve downwards in a bowl-like manner, until they reach the center of the hall, where the tree Læraðr grows. In the tree live immortal animals, each assigned to a particular task. Somewhere high up in the tree lives a stag named Eikthrynir, whose horns spray out water that runs down the tree's branches and falls into a pond at its roots.

## Floor 19

The floor where Magnus Chase and his friends reside. The vaulted ceiling is twenty feet tall, lined with spears for rafters. There are torches burning in iron sconces on the walls, casting warm orange light onto the wall display of swords, shields and tapestries. The floor is laid with blood-red carpet that has tree-branch designs that move. Each room door is made from rough-hewn oak bound in iron, and set about fifty feet apart. There are no doorknobs or locks, as the rooms are personal afterlives which can be accessed with a dagaz rune. Each room has a nameplate the size of a plate, with a name surrounded by a ring of runes.

# Hotel Staff

1. Odin - Also known as the All-Father, he is the third chief of the Æsir tribe of gods. Despite being the owner and founder of the hotel, Odin is very often out on travels in search of knowledge, and leaves the important decisions to his management. His ravens Huginn and Muninn (ON: "Thought" and "memory"), along with the wolves Geri and Freki (ON: "the ravenous" and "[the] greedy one") represent him at the official meetings.
2. Helgi - A Viking from East Gothland. Arrived at Hotel Valhalla in the eighth century, and has been given the position of a manager. Hunding's worst enemy and supervisor. Works at the reception desk.
3. Hunding - King of Saxons, slain by Helgi in 749 C.E. Both arrived at the same time at Valhalla, yet it was Helgi that gained Odin's sympathy, and has been given Hunding as his servant. At the hotel, Hunding is a doorman and a bellhop.
4. Thanes - Lords of Valhalla. Mostly comprised of famous historical figures, chosen personally by Odin as the hotel's board of directors.
5. Valkyries - Odin's handmaidens whose primary job is to choose slain heroes to bring them to Hotel Valhalla. Their other duties include being waitresses during feasts, as well as providing room service.