WASHINGTON – FBI Director Kash Patel appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday for his first oversight hearing since taking office, where he faced pointed questions from Democrats who accused him of politicizing the Bureau and targeting President Trump’s adversaries. The contentious session unfolded against a backdrop of heightened concern over political violence and internal upheaval within the FBI. Patel vigorously defended his record while addressing inquiries into several high-profile cases, including the investigation of Charlie Kirk’s killing, the handling of Jeffrey Epstein, and the disputed firings of senior officials who allege they were dismissed in acts of political retribution.
Despite the Kirk investigation last week, Patel made other, somewhat unexpected, headlines. Many Pagan, Heathen, and Asatru ears perked up last week, and so did much of the internet, when FBI Director Kash Patel used language more at home in Viking lore than in a federal press briefing
At a press conference on September 12, 2025, Patel announced the arrest of Tyler Robinson, the alleged gunman behind the killing of right-wing podcaster Charlie Kirk. After some backslapping with Utah Governor Spencer Cox, Patel closed his remarks with words that left many stunned.
“Lastly, to my friend Charlie Kirk, rest now, brother,” Patel said. “We have the watch, and I’ll see you in Valhalla.” The FBI later reiterated those remarks in its official summary of Patel’s appearance.
Within minutes, reactions poured in from major outlets in India to memes and comment threads on Instagram, Reddit, and Telegram. One poster called the remark “confused theology,” pointing out the absurdity of “an Indian guy saying he’ll see a Christian in Valhalla.” Another quipped, “We don’t believe in Valhalla, you dork. This is not the time or place to be cute.” Some noted that Robinson had been turned in by his own father, not apprehended by the FBI, and that Patel’s comments only underscored the awkwardness of the event.
Critics highlighted three concerns: (1) disrespectful context: A civilian using a military phrase reserved for fallen comrades; (2) Religious incongruity: A Hindu invoking a Norse afterlife for a Christian; and (3) Political co-opting: The phrase’s ties to extremist rhetoric and alt-right symbolism.
As many readers of The Wild Hunt know, Valhalla is the vast hall in Asgard ruled by Odin, where warriors slain in battle feast and prepare for Ragnarok, the final cataclysm. It is one of the most recognizable images of Norse religion and mythology, widely appropriated in popular culture, gaming, and even extremist politics.
The reference has been used after the shooting at two mosques in Christchurch, NZ, in 2019, which prompted reactions such as Column: After Christchurch, Declarations or Deeds?
So why would Patel, reportedly a Hindu practitioner with that cultural background, invoke a Viking afterlife for a famously evangelical Christian? Kirk prominently spoke about his Christian faith, and why would he go, or perhaps even want to go, to Valhalla?
Valhalla (1905) by Emil Doepler [Public Domain]
Across social media, the reaction ranged from bemusement to confusion to outrage. “The Hindu FBI Director tells a conservative Christian that he will see him in Valhalla. Yeah,” one Redditor posted.
Patel’s phrasing, however, did not emerge from nowhere. “’Til Valhalla” has long circulated in U.S. military culture, particularly among Marines, as a secular farewell to fallen comrades. The phrase traveled to the American military through NATO channels when, in 2008, Norwegian troops in Afghanistan’s Ghormach Province were recorded using “Til Valhall!” as a battle cry. From there, it became a ritualized way of honoring the dead, especially those lost to suicide during the Global War on Terror. By the 2010s, it appeared in tattoos, memorial walls, and official military publications.
The phrase “See you in Valhalla” also gained traction through popular culture, most notably in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla by Ubisoft. Within the game, characters invoke Valhalla in dialogue and battle cries, using it as a declaration of honor in death or victory in combat. The game’s worldwide popularity helped carry the phrase beyond its roots in Norse mythology and its later adoption in U.S. military circles, cementing it as a familiar expression in gaming culture and everyday slang.
Patel’s tribute tapped into this mix, but its delivery in a political press conference was fraught. Critics noted that Patel is not a veteran and had little standing to invoke military idioms of sacrifice. Others objected to the theological confusion of a Hindu referencing a Norse warrior’s paradise as the final destination of an evangelical Christian. And still others pointed to the phrase’s troubling appropriation by the alt-right, where Valhalla has become a meme of toxic masculinity, militant nationalism, and even white supremacist martyrdom.
Patel borrowed romantic imagery that carried all those echoes. His remarks were genuine, but not to exalt the afterlife or Odin’s Hall.
What might have passed in a barracks or at a veterans’ gathering sounded jarring at a podium adorned with the FBI seal. Some called Patel’s words the “cringiest” remark they had ever heard. Others described it as a “dog whistle” cloaked in heroic language.
Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika, fanned the flames of polarization further. “They have no idea what they ignited in this woman,” she wrote on social media, vowing to continue her late husband’s mission.
In truth, Patel’s statement looked less like reverence and more like performance — an attempt to exalt warrior culture with saccharine chest-beating for the cameras. It was delivered in a room full of Christians by a non-Christian borrowing another faith’s imagery for effect.
Patel’s invocation of Valhalla was no tribute; it was theater. By lifting mythic language out of context, he revealed more about America’s culture wars than about Valhalla itself. Whatever the intent, the result was not honor but yet another meme of division.
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