 Regarding the dísir , Simek states that Old Norse dís appears commonly as simply a term for " woman " , just as Old High German itis , Old Saxon idis and Old English <unk> , and may have also been used to denote a type of goddess . According to Simek , " several of the Eddic sources might lead us to conclude that the dísir were valkyrie @-@ like guardians of the dead , and indeed in <unk> I 19 the valkyries are even called <unk> dísir " Odin 's dísir " . The dísir are explicitly called dead women in <unk> 28 and a secondary belief that the dísir were the souls of dead women ( see <unk> ) also underlies the <unk> of Icelandic folklore . Simek says that " as the function of the matrons was also extremely varied — fertility goddess , personal guardians , but also warrior @-@ goddesses — the belief in the dísir , like the belief in the valkyries , norns and matrons , may be considered to be different manifestations of a belief in a number of female ( half- ? ) goddesses . " 
