Do only those who have proven their valor in battle reach Sovngarde or all those who worship Shor?

I thought it was all Nords who died in battle. Regardless of class.

There are Archmages in there, so no.

It's those who die in battle bravely, no?

What would be the Nord's counterpart of Niflheim?

There are three heroes that look like mages in the Hall of Valor there although their classes and skill set seems to indicate they are warriors. Also Tsun says that mages do throng the halls.

But is it only for those who die in battle? Or any Nord who believes in Shor, regardless what he does or how he dies?

I personally think that it depends. Aslong as he/she has proven his/her worth. That does not immediatly mean that they have to die in battle.

I'm pretty sure Jurgen didn't died bravely..

My guess it's those who proven themselves worthy in the eyes of Shor. Doesn't necessarily mean you have to die in battle. Along with Jurgen I don't think Olaf One-Eye or even Ysgramor himself died in battle either.

I believe that the bit of 'warriors' and 'those who died violently in battle' is a misconception on behalf of many Nords, since http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Svaknir can also appear in Sovngarde.

It seems to be reserved for Nords who lived virtuously in one way or another.

Perhaps it's those who die with honor?

sovngarde is a place for do-gooders and nancies.

Nancies that will split your head with a warhammer...

Dying with honor mostly. Despite what the modern Nords think, The "Clever Craft" is still honored among Sovngarde.

Thieves and Assassins on the other hand...

All warriors go to Alduins refrigerator Sovngrade.

Not sure how or why though. Maybe they have to want to go?..

I think so too.

It's a bit of a mix-up, I think, since Sovngarde obviously is inspired by Valhall - and Valhall was reserved for warriors who died in battle. The rest ended up in Hel's realm. Which wasn't as bad as the name makes you think, but it surely wasn't the all-night-party of Valhall.

I admire Norse Mythology. It predates Christianity, and there's no absurd afterlife full of eternal torture and punishment.

I still thnk Sovngarde is reserved for those who die in battle. Remember Tsun's dialogue when you tell him that you're the arch-mage? Nord's used to appreciate magic, their hate for magic is recent.

Actually, the later myths are quite heavily influenced by Christianity. That's when Loki became evil (inspired by the devil), Hel became hell, and Balder became Jesus. Just talking about the old myths, now, people, not comparing with modern religion!

It's possible that Sovngarde, lore version, is reserved for those who die in battle, but it seems like Sovngarde, in-game version, contains a few persons who might have died of old age, and have been put there just because they are persons of historical significance the player would recognize.

That's only because Scandinavia was Christianized. They built their churches on the ashes of your old temples. I think?

I have a similar view. I've always seen the games merely as a representation of what Tamriel might be like.

Well, temples might not really be the word... Very few, if any, actual temple buildings are verified. But the oldest churches are often built on, or very close to, known cult sites, burial mounds, or places that by name can be believed to have been pre-Christian cult sites, that's correct.

And that's why Varg Vikernes didn't deserve 16 years in prison.

Damn I wish I went to school. Instead I'm just an unwashed teen who dosen't leave the house. :'(

I hate being uneducated.

With all due respect, Varg Vikernes is an idiot. But I think we should drop this subject before it goes too far astray...

Well, you're the true Swedish Nord. So you know best. I didn't mean anything by it. Even though we English are technically Nords, surrounded left right and centre by Celts.

Sovngarde.. as I said earlier, I think the TES games are a representation of what Tamriel might be like. I don't think the games do the lore justice personally.

Obviously, the lore Sovngarde would be a little more crowded, and probably a LOT bigger, or they wouldn't be able to squeeze in all those Nords who must have died in battle.

It's the same case as with the cities, or the scale of the country itself. In lore, the cities would obviously have more than, what 50? inhabitants. And I recall The Real Barenziah state that it took a caravan a couple of weeks or so to travel from Whiterun to Riften.

I remember a discussion on the forums a while back that basically came to this conclusion: If Skyrim were scaled correctly, Whiterun would be practically the size of Skyrim itself. But obviously there's no way Bethesda could possibly pull that off. I agree about Sovngarde also.