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Both developed from Proto-Germanic * xallō or * hallō, meaning 'covered place, hall', itself from the Proto-Indo-European root * kol. It is cognate to Modern English hall and has the same meaning. The second element, hǫll, is a common Old Norse noun. Among related Old Norse concepts, valr also appears as the first element of the noun valkyrja 'chooser of the slain, valkyrie'.

All of these forms descend from the Proto-Germanic masculine noun * walaz. Valr has cognates in other Germanic languages such as Old English wæl 'the slain, slaughter, carnage', Old Saxon wal-dād 'murder', Old High German 'battlefield, blood bath'. The form " Valhalla" comes from an attempt to clarify the grammatical gender of the word. The Modern English noun Valhalla derives from Old Norse Valhǫll, a compound noun composed of two elements: the masculine noun valr 'the slain' and the feminine noun hǫll 'hall'. The name is rendered in modern Scandinavian languages as Valhöll in Icelandic, while the Swedish and Norwegian form is Valhall, in Faroese it's Valhøll and in Danish it's Valhal. Valhalla has inspired various works of art, publication titles, and elements of popular culture, and has become a term synonymous with a martial (or otherwise) hall of the chosen dead. Valhalla is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, in the Prose Edda (written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson), in Heimskringla (also written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson) and in stanzas of an anonymous 10th century poem commemorating the death of Eric Bloodaxe known as Eiríksmál as compiled in Fagrskinna. Various creatures live around Valhalla, such as the stag Eikþyrnir and the goat Heiðrún, both described as standing atop Valhalla and consuming the foliage of the tree Læraðr. Before the hall stands the golden tree Glasir, and the hall's ceiling is thatched with golden shields.

In Valhalla, the dead warriors join the masses of those who have died in combat (known as the Einherjar) and various legendary Germanic heroes and kings, as they prepare to aid Odin during the events of Ragnarök. Chosen by Odin, half of those who die in combat travel to Valhalla upon death, led by valkyries, while the other half go to the goddess Freyja's field Fólkvangr.

In Norse mythology, Valhalla ( / v æ l ˈ h æ l ə, v ɑː l ˈ h ɑː l ə/ from Old Norse: Valhǫll "hall of the slain") is a majestic, enormous hall located in Asgard, ruled over by the god Odin.