Valhalla
| Map | Basic Data | Planetary Image | |
|---|---|---|---|
  Valhalla[8b] |
Name: | Valhalla | 
|
| Segmentum: | Ultima Segmentum[8b] | ||
| Sector: | |||
| System: | |||
| Population: | |||
| Affiliation: | Imperium[8a] | ||
| Class: | Civilised World[7], Ice World[8a] | ||
| Tithe Grade: | Unknown | ||
Valhalla is an Imperial ice world classified as a Civilised World[7], famous as the home world of the Valhallan Ice Warriors regiments of the Imperial Guard.[8a]
Contents
History
When it was first settled, Valhalla was a verdant world of forests and broad, fertile plains, a paradise compared to the frozen ice world it would become. In legends - the only history of the early days of its colonisation that survives - Valhalla was a world perfect for human settlement.[8a] During the Great Scouring, an event known as the Doom of Valhalla took place.[12]
Ten thousand years ago, however, the planet was struck by an immense rogue comet which forever destroyed the paradise of the world. The defence lasers surrounding the planet blasted the comet with shot after shot, but only succeeded in breaking off fragments, as the comet was found to consist of almost pure iron. A mile-wide fragment of the comet struck the northern continent, causing great earthquakes and destruction. The main comet hit the vast ocean which spanned most of the planet.[8a][11]
The boiling seas and the pall of vapour and dust blocked off the sunlight. The temperature of the planet fell to freezing levels. Most significantly the comet had knocked the planet from its orbit, and over a period of ten years the planet spun eccentrically, drifting fifteen million miles away from its sun. By this point the planet had entirely changed.[8a]
Valhalla was now a frozen world of ice. The survivors of the comet apocalypse found themselves pushed to the equator as glaciers engulfed the contents and the land beneath their feet disappeared until none was left and they found themselves forced to live on ice itself.[11] The vast majority of life had been destroyed, and the whole planet was covered in glaciers and a frozen ocean.[8a] The people nevertheless persisted, building cities deep beneath the ice upon the frozen ocean where what little farmable life remained: nutrient slimes and algae in vats heated by ocean thermals could be cultivated. Fate had dealt the world a cruel blow, but it had not ended life on Valhalla.[11]
War of Survival
Just as the world's inhabitants found stability from starvation, the Orks came,[11] and the War of Survival, a major event in Valhallan history, began.[3] From the Warp itself, their damaged fleet crashed upon the ice, and finding little to sustain their appetite they turned upon the Valhallans, but were rebuffed.[11] Ever since then, the Valhallans, particularly their sons and daughters enlisted in the Imperial Guard, have hated the Orks more than any other xenos race, and become especially adept at fighting them on other worlds throughout the Imperium.[1][8a]
Later History
During the War of the Beast in 544.M32, Valhalla was invaded by Orks. A Deathwatch Kill-Team was dispatched to the world in search of a Greenskin Psyker to capture as part of Lord Commander Koorland's plan to slay The Beast.[6]
Dark Imperium
Following the resurrection of Roboute Guilliman and the formation of the Great Rift, Valhalla was one of the worlds which became stranded in the Dark Imperium.[9]
Geography
After the impact of the comet, the planet's surviving population built vast subterranean cities that the Valhallans continue living in to this day, since the sub-freezing temperatures on the surface of the planet make it uninhabitable.[1][8a]
Some of the cities on Valhalla are large enough to be classed as hives.[2]
Flora and Fauna
- Tanna - A leafy plant that grows in the ice caverns, used to brew a tea that is highly popular among the natives.[10]
- Traki - A large, slow-moving creature prized for its meat and its soft fur. "Traki shoot" is a common expression among Ice Warrior regiments to describe a combat situation that overwhelmingly favours one side and/or is minimally risky.[5]
Society
The settlements on Valhalla are significantly overcrowded. As a result, life is considered cheap on Valhalla and most crimes carry a death sentence.[8a]
The primary foodstuff on Valhalla are nutrient slimes; those Valhallans who do not enlist in the military cultivate the slime in the planet's caverns.[8a]
Culture
Valhallans are renowned for their stoic and determined natures.[1][8a]
Valhallan Dialect of Low Gothic
See also
Sources
- 1: Codex: Imperial Guard (2nd Edition), pg. 12
- 2: Codex: Imperial Guard (3rd Edition, 2nd Codex), pg. 58
- 3: Codex: Cityfight, pg. 31
- 4: Caves of Ice (Novel), Chapter One
- 5: The Traitor's Hand (Novel) — Ciaphas Cain: Hero of the Imperium (Omnibus), Chapter Nineteen, pg. 741, Fn. 1
- 6: The Last Son of Dorn (Novel) Chapter 1
- 7: Warhammer 40,000 5th Edition Rulebook
[Help] - 8: Codex: Imperial Guard (5th Edition):
- 9: Warhammer Community
- 10: Death or Glory (Novel) - Chapter 7
- 11: White Dwarf 183 (UK), pgs. 6-11 – Ice Warriors of Valhalla
- 12: Warhammer Community: The Scouring timeline – How the Warhammer Studio worked with Black Library authors on the new series (archived from the original 12 March 2026, last accessed 12 March 2026)
