valkyries

Valkyries are figures from Norse mythology—female spirits who choose which warriors die in battle and escort the worthy to Valhalla.

The word literally means "choosers of the slain." In modern use, valkyrie often describes a fierce, powerful woman: She descended on the meeting like a valkyrie.

Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" has made the term synonymous with dramatic, thunderous arrivals. (Capitalized Valkyries refers to the mythological beings specifically.)