Valhal
VALHALLA, or WAL- HALLA, in Northern mythology, the chief hall in Asgard, the banqueting house of the Æsir, there entertained by Odin along with the Valr or Einherjar chosen by the Valkyrjur. Valhal has 540 doors, through each of which 800 Einherjar may pass abreast. In front is the grove Glasir, whose leaves are golden. W. of the door is a great wolf, and overhead a crouching eagle. Gleaming swords light up the hall. The roof trees are spears, the roof itself is formed of shields, and the seats are covered with shirts of mail. The Einherjar eat the flesh of the boar Sæhrîmnir, which is cooked every day, and at night is restored whole as before; and drink mead, which flows from the udder of the goat Heidrun. Every day the Einherjar, as soon as dressed, array themselves in armor, and go forth into the fields to fight and fell one another. This is their pastime; as it draws to breakfast time they ride back to Valhal, where they sit down to feast. After Odin's Valhal is named the Walhalla or Temple of Fame built by King Ludwig I. of Bayern at Donaustauf, near Regensburg.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Valhalla
. See Odin
Only in Aiton's Encyclopedia
Valkyrior
. See Choosers Of The Slain
Only in Aiton's Encyclopedia
Valla
LORENZO DELLA, an Italian humanist; born presumably in Rome in 1407; studied Greek and Latin under the leading masters; and having failed to succeed to an uncle's post of apostolic secretary, took orders (1431), and accepted the chair of Latin eloquence at Pavia. About this time his "Elegance of the Latin Language" (Rome, 1444) established him as the supreme authority on Latin style; and having lectured successively at Milan, Genoa, and Florence, he received from Alfonso V. of Naples a private secretaryship along with the poet's crown (1437). The feud between Rome and Aragon made Alfonso glad to secure so fierce an opponent of the papal see as Valla, who in "The Forgery of the Donations of Constantine" (1440) assailed Pope and cardinals, and demolished a lie imposed upon Christendom for centuries. The storm excited by this treatise drove Valla awhile to Barcelona, but returning to Naples he continued his assaults, impeaching the Vulgate's Latinity, the authenticity of the Apostles' Creed, and of Christ's letter to Abgarus; and when cited before the Inquisition, declaring the Church knew nothing yet he believed with her. Pope Nicholas V., however, succeeding Eugenius in 1447, summoned Valla to Rome, and made him secretary; and he passed his remaining years in translating from the Greek, and in furious literary feuds with Poggio, Trapezuntios, and others among his compeers. He died in Naples, Aug. 1, 1457, leaving behind him Latin translations of Herodotus, Thucydides, and the "Iliad," "Notes on the New Testament," etc.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Vallandigham
CLEMENT LAIRD, an American politician; born in New Lisbon, O., July 29, 1820; was a member of Congress in 1858-1863, and during the Civil War was a strong friend of the Southern Confederacy. He was arrested in May, 1863, by United States troops, on a charge of uttering disloyal sentiments; was tried by court martial; and sentenced to confinement till the end of the war. This was afterward commuted to banishment to the Confederate received there, he went to Canada. the same year he was nominated as candidate for governor of Ohio, and was beaten by the largest majority ever given in that State. He was a member of the Democratic National Convention in 1864, at which General McClellan was nominated for the presidency. He died in Lebanon, O., June 17, 1871.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Vallejo
city of a Solano co., Cal.; on the N. E. shore of San Pablo Bay, at the mouth of Napa creek, and on the Southern Pacific and the San Francisco, Napa and Calistoga railroads; opposite Mare Island navyyard, 27 miles N. N. E. of San Francisco. It has a large and safe harbor, accessible to the largest ships. Here are a high school, public library, Orphans' Home, banks, electric lights, waterworks, and several daily and weekly newspapers . The city has flour mills, shipyards , shoe factories, manufactories of steam engines, cement, boilers, elevators, etc. Pop. (1910) 11,340; (1920) 21,107.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Valleyfield
a town in Beau- Lawrence river and on the Grand Trunk and the St. Lawrence and Adirondack railways; 38 miles from Montreal. Near by is the head of Beauharnois canal, constructed past the rapids of St. Lawrence. The river here is crossed by a splendid railway bridge. The town contains a cathedral, a number of beautiful public buildings, and the residence of a Roman Catholic bishop. Pop. about 10,000.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Vallombrosa
a celebrated valley in the Apennines about eighteen miles southeast of Florence. The name is Italian, meaning "shady valley." The Abbey of St. Benedict is situated here. It occupies beautiful buildings. During the French Revolution it became a place of refuge for French priests. The abbey was pillaged by Napoleon in 1808. It is now occupied by the Italian government as a school of forestry. The valley is noted for its beautiful scenery. It is visited annually by thousands of tourists for whose accommodation numerous hotels have been built. Milton touches on the beauty of the vale in his well known quotation: Thick as autumnal leaves that strow the brooks In Vallombrosa, where th' Etrurian shades High over-arch'd imbower.
Only in Aiton's Encyclopedia
Valparaiso
val-pa-ri'so, the chief seaport of Chile. It is situated opposite Santiago, the capital. Charleston, South Carolina , and Valparaiso are about equally distant from the equator. The city has a fine harbor and is advantageously situated to command a large amount of the Pacific coast trade. There are large floating docks. The city is substantially built, with railroads, telegraphs, and telephone lines, and a sewage system. A bountiful supply of water is obtained from an artificial reservoir in the mountains capable of holding, it is said, 25,000,000,000 gallons. The population in 1907 was 160,800. See Chile
Only in Aiton's Encyclopedia
Valtelline
the rich and fertile valley of the Upper Adda down to its influx into the Lake of Como. In a wider sense the term covers the whole of that part of Lombardy which includes this valley as well as Chiavenna and Bormio, corresponding to the modern province of Sondrio. The 120,000 inhabitants speak a dialect of Italian akin to the Romansch. In the 16th century the district became subject to the Swiss canton of Grisons; the latter, however, steadily resisted the efforts of the Val tellines to secure citizenship, which resulted in the bloody Valtelline war (1620). The Grisons was victorious, and governed the Valtelline more oppressively than ever, till at the petition of the inhabitants Napoleon incorporated the country with the Cisalpine republic, and the Valtelline has since shared the fortunes of Lombardy and Italy.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia