The Waelcyrge

 

The Old English poem 'Exodus' refers to Ravens as wealceasega - 'Choosers of the Slain', and various Old English words equate the Waelcyrge with the Greek 'Erinnes' - the 'Furies' - which is something far more primitive than the 'Valkyries' we read of in most Norse Myths, and more akin to those in Njal's Saga -

Twelve riders approach a woman's bower, inside they set up a loom, men's heads being used instead of weights, men's intestines for the weft and warp, a sword as the beater, the shuttles an arrow.

"Blood rains from the cloudy web,

On the broad loom of slaughter, 

The web of men, grey as armour,

Is now being woven;

The Valkyries will cross it with a crimson weft.

The warp is made of human entrails,

Human heads are used as weights,

The heddle-rods are blood-wet spears,

The shafts are iron-bound,

The arrows are the shuttles,

With swords we will weave the Web of Battle.

The Valkyries go weaving with drawn swords,

Hild and Hjorthrimul,Sanngrrel and Svipul,

Spears will shatter, shields will splinter,

Swords will gnaw like wolves through armour.

Let us now wind the Web of War...

Only the Valkyries can choose the slain,

It is horrible now to look around, 

As a blood-red cloud darkens the sky,

The heavens are stained with the blood of men,

As the Valkyries sing their song.

We sang with victory-songs...

Hail to our singing!

Let him who listens

To our Valkyrie Song

Learn it well

And tell it to others."

They tore the woven cloth to pieces, each keeping a shred in their hands. Six rod North, six rode South.

The Greek 'Furies' I believe had much the same treatment, being turned from slaughter-women to a far less fierce outlook. It seems rather obvious that, like the Irish Morrigan, the Waelcyrge were Raven-Women who chose the slain on the battlefield. The Waelcyrge are also more akin to the Norns, since there were usually three of them - the Three Sisters of Wyrd.