... and so in an age now long gone, an old Volva came before Odin all
father, whose names are many among Elves and Men and foretold upon him
so: for a time will soon come when six divine shield-maidens, Valkyries
she called them, brave, and strong and fair, shall come upon the lands
of mortals and gods.

And Odin called the Valkyries to him, and by his will he named them: Skogul, and Gunnr, and Hildr, and
Gondul, and Geirskogul, and Skuld, the shield bearer. And he bestowed
them with mighty gifts, and garbed them in tokens of his majesty, and
vested upon them great tasks of valor untold. And even the keys to
Valhalla were given to Skuld, forever to safe-keep by her might.
And the old Volva was wise, and much did she know of the affairs of men and
of the ways of the world. And her keen gaze saw through vast land and
time. But not all was given to her to see, and one Valkyrie came to the
world unknown to her. And odin knew not of her either, and he gave her
no name.

And for millennia upon millennia far and wide did she tour across the lands: in the shape of a young maiden, fair and
merry, Or in the guise of a gray raven, ever watchful, or as a strange
old woman, wise with counsel. And she became known as Uzbada by the
dwarves, and the elves named her Aengwen, and by men she was called
Elyssia, and by some Elicia, daughter of the sky. And from her many a
woman, both great and small were named, though most thought her naught
but a figure of legend and myth. And through this great time she took no
lover and made no friend, for the sorrow of the world was her
companion, and she sought no purpose but its salvation. 

At last a time of great strife and woe came upon the lands of mortals. And
unknown to all but a few she stood, with a hero among mortals by her
side, the greatest of his ilk at that time. And they had aided the free people of the world in their time of
greatest need, and were victorious. But her sacrifice in that affair was
great, for her body was broken and her soul shattered. Then Odin heard
her soft lament, and sought her out, and he embraced her in his arm, and
kissed her on her head, and called her his kin and his daughter. And by
his power he cured her body, but her soul was of divine sort, and her
cuts ran deep. And so he came to lay her in a haven of his faithful,
high above the roof of the world, to find solace in the silence.

Then Odin, in his grief, called forth another Volva. And she was kin to the
Volva that spoke before him in the dawn of time. And he spoke to her
with terrible anger and sorrow, and so said why have you wronged me so
Volva? For you have told me of the six, and spared me the seventh, and
for my ignorance now my kin lays broken, and I am without redemption.
And so the Volva had said do not despair all father. For a time of great
peril must soon come once more upon these lands, and in my ears echo
the steps of a new hero of mortal-kind. Then the seventh Valkyrie shall
rise again from her bed of malady, and bring peace to the world, and
through this companion find remedy for her spirit …