VALKYRIES (Old Norse valkyriur, "choosers of the slain ")  , figures of Northern mythology, generally represented as divine (less frequently human) maidens who ride through the air on Odin's service . Clad in full armour they are sent forth ' The form valectus led to the spelling valeet in transcribing from Latin documents . to determine the course of battles and to select brave warriors for Valhalla (q.v.) . Beings with the same name (waelcyrgean) were known also in England, where we find them associated with witches . The name is used in Anglo-Saxon glossaries to translate various Latin terms for " War-goddess " or " Fury " (Bellona, Erinys, (Sec.) . See TEUTONIC PEOPLES, ad fin . (H . M .