What goat produces mead instead of milk for the Einherjar?

What goat produces mead instead of milk for the Einherjar? Heidrun. In Norse mythology, the goat Heiðrún produces mead from her udders for the warriors living in Valhalla.

The story is told in both the Poetic Edda and Snorri Sturluson’s Prose Edda. Heiðrún stands on the roof of Valhalla and feeds on the foliage of Læraðr, a mythic tree or tree-like plant associated with the hall. From her udders flows enough mead to fill a large vat each day, allowing the einherjar to drink after their daily training and battles.

The einherjar are warriors who died in battle and were selected for Odin’s hall by valkyries. In Valhalla they feast, fight, recover, and prepare for Ragnarök. Heiðrún’s unusual produce is therefore part of the hall’s supernatural abundance: she supplies drink rather than ordinary goat’s milk.

Heidrun is an accepted English spelling, while Heiðrún preserves the Old Norse letter ð. She should not be confused with Auðumbla, the primeval cow whose milk nourishes Ymir in the creation myths.