(Redirected from Freya):''For other meanings of Freya, see
Freya (disambiguation).''
In
Norse Mythology and
Germanic Mythology, 'Freyja' (sometimes anglicized as 'Freya') is sister of
Freyr and daughter of
Njord. She is usually seen as a
Norse fertility goddess.
''Freyr'' and ''Freyja'' come from Germanic words meaning "the Lord" and "the Lady" respectively (cf.
Gothic ''Fráuja'' "lord, master", ''Fráujo'' "lady, mistress",
Old Norse ''Frú'' "mistress, lady, woman",
Danish ''Frue'',
Swedish ''Fru'',
German ''Frau'' "miss, woman, wife",
Old High German ''Frouwa'',
Anglo-Saxon ''Freo'', ''Frea''). While there are some sources
[1] suggesting that she was called on to bring fruitfulness to fields or wombs, in the
Eddas, she was portrayed as a
goddess of
fertility,
love,
beauty, and
attraction. Freyja was also a goddess of
war,
battle,
death,
magic,
prophecies and
wealth. Freyja is cited as receiving half of the dead lost in battle in her hall
Fólkvangr, whereas
Odin would receive the other half.
A depiction of Freyja riding a cat-driven chariot and flanked by
putti in a painting by
Nils Blommér.
and Freyja are the two principle Norse goddesses, and the highest amongst the
Asynjur. Frigg is the foremost of the
Æsir cult, while Freyja is the foremost of the
Vanir cult. They were especially worshipped. In
Droplaugarsona Saga, it is described that in a temple at Ölvusvatn in
Iceland, statues of Frigg and Freyja have been seated upon higher thrones opposite those of Thor and Freyr. These statues were arrayed in drapery and ornaments of gold and silver. In his
Heimskringla,
Snorri Sturluson told us that most temples and statues of
heathen deities were raided and destroyed by
Olaf Tryggvason and
Saint Olaf.
In ''History of the Norse Kings'', Freyja is a mythological Princess of Sweden. Her father Njord is seen as the second
mythological King of Sweden, and her brother Freyr is the third. Freyr and Freyja's mother is Njord's sister, as it is a custom of the Vanir.
The Prose Edda
Gylfaginning
In Snorri Sturluson's
Prose Edda, Freyja is introduced as follows.
| :Njörðr í Nóatúnum gat síðan tvau börn, hét sonr Freyr en dóttir Freyja. Þau váru fögr álitum ok máttug. ... Freyja er ágætust af ásynjum, hon á þann bœ á himni er Fólkvangar heita, ok hvar sem hon ríðr til vígs, þá á hon hálfan val, en hálfan Óðinn ...:Salr hennar, Sessrýmnir, hann er mikill ok fagr. En er hon ferr, þá ekr hon köttum tveim ok sitr í reið. Hon er nákvæmust mönnum til á at heita, ok af hennar nafni er þat tignarnafn er ríkiskonur eru kallaðar fróvur. Henni líkaði vel mansöngr. Á hana er gott at heita til ásta. ::''Gylfaginning'', Eysteinn Björnsson's edition [1] | :Njördr in Nóatún begot afterward children: the son was called Freyr, and the daughter Freyja; they were fair of face and mighty. ... Freyja is the most renowned of the goddesses; she has in heaven the dwelling called Fólkvangr, and where so ever she rides to the strife, she has one-half of the kill, and Odin half ...:Her hall Sessrúmnir is great and fair. When she goes forth, she drives her cats and sits in a chariot; she is most conformable to man's prayers, and from her name comes the name of honor, Frú, by which noblewomen are called. Songs of love are well-pleasing to her; it is good to call on her for furtherance in love. ::''Gylfaginning'', Brodeur's translation [2] | |
| :Freyja er tignust með Frigg. Hon giftist þeim manni, er Óðr heitir. Dóttir þeira er Hnoss. Hon er svá fögr, at af hennar nafni eru hnossir kallaðar, þat er fagrt er ok gersimligt. Óðr fór í braut langar leiðir, en Freyja grætr eftir, en tár hennar er gull rautt. Freyja á mörg nöfn, en sú er sök til þess, at hon gaf sér ýmis heiti, er hon fór með ókunnum þjóðum at leita Óðs. Hon heitir Mardöll ok Hörn, Gefn, Sýr. Freyja átti Brísingamen. Hon er ok kölluð Vanadís.::''Gylfaginning'', Eysteinn Björnsson's edition [3] | :Freyja is most gently born (together with Frigg): she is wedded to the man named Ódr. Their daughter is Hnoss: she is so fair, that those things which are fair and precious are called hnossir. Ódr went away on long journeys, and Freyja weeps for him, and her tears are red gold. Freyja has many names, and this is the cause thereof: that she gave herself sundry names, when she went out among unknown peoples seeking Ódr: she is called Mardöll and Hörn, Gefn, Sýr. Freyja had the necklace Brísingamen. She is also called Vanadís.::''Gylfaginning'', Brodeur's translation [4] | |
Freyja's attendants are named right after her in ''Gylfaginning'' (35):
Sjöfn (a goddess of love),
Lofn (a goddess of marriage), and
Vár (a goddess of oaths between men and women). It is unclear whether these minor goddesses are simply different aspects/names of Freyja herself (cf.
Avatar).
Skáldskaparmál
"How should one periphrase Freyja? Thus: by calling her Daughter of Njord, Sister of Freyr, Wife of Ódr, Mother of Hnoss, Possessor of the Slain, of Sessrúmnir, of the Gib-Cats, and of Brísingamen; Goddess of the Vanir, Lady of the Vanir, Goddess Beautiful in Tears, Goddess of Love."
''Skáldskaparmál (20)'', Brodeur's translation
[5]
"How should gold be periphrased? Thus: by calling it Ægir's Fire, and Needles of Glasir, Hair of Sif, Snood of Fulla, Freyja's Tears, Talk and Voice and Word of Giants, Draupnir's Drop and Rain or Shower of Draupnfir, or of Freyja's Eyes, Otter's Ransom, Forced Payment of the Æsir, Seed of Fýris-Plain, Cairn-Roof of Hölgi, Fire of all Waters and of the Hand, Stone and Reef or Gleam of the Hand."
''Skáldskaparmál (32)'', Brodeur's translation
[6]
"Gold is called Freyja's Tears, as was said before. So sang Skúli Thorsteinsson:
Many a fearless swordsman
Received the Tears of Freyja
The more the morn when foemen
We murdered; we were present.
And as Einarr Skúlason sang:
Where, mounted 'twixt the carvings,
The Tear of Mardöll lieth,
We bear the axe shield-splitting,
Swollen with Serpent's lair-gold."
''Skáldskaparmál (37)'', Brodeur's translation
[7]
Appearances in Myths
★ Divine twins born after the war of the gods: The war between the Æsir and the Vanir was ignited by the ill treatments of the Æsir to Gullveig, as written in
Völuspá:
:The war I remember, the first in the world,
:When the gods with spears had smitten Gullveig,
:And in the hall of Hor had burned her,
:Three times burned, and three times born,
:Oft and again, yet ever she lives.
:On the host his spear did Odin hurl,
:Then in the world did war first come;
:The wall that girdled the gods was broken,
:And the field by the warlike Wanes was trodden.
:Then sought the gods their assembly-seats,
:The holy ones, and council held,
:Whether the gods should tribute give,
:Or to all alike should worship belong.
The war ended in a peace treaty, and both sides exchanged hostages. Njord was chosen by the Vanir, and sent from Vanaheim to Asgard where he later begot two fair children, as written in ''Gylfaginning'':
| :Hinn þriði áss er sá er kallaðr er Njörðr, hann býr á himni þar sem heitir Nóatún. Hann ræðr fyrir göngu vinds ok stillir sjá ok eld. Á hann skal heita til sæfara ok til veiða. Hann er svá auðigr ok fésæll at hann má gefa þeim auð landa eða lausafjár er á hann heita til þess. Eigi er Njörðr ása ættar. Hann var upp fœddr í Vanaheimum, en vanir gísluðu hann goðunum ok tóku í mót at ása gísli gu þann er Hœnir heitir. Hann varð at sætt með goðunum ok vönum. Njörðr í Nóatúnum gat síðan tvau börn, hét sonr Freyr en dóttir Freyja... | :The third among the Æsir is Njördr: he dwells in heaven, in the abode called Nóatún. He rules the course of the wind, and stills sea and fire; on him shall men call for voyages and for hunting. He is so prosperous and abounding in wealth, that he may give them great plenty of lands or of gear; and him shall men invoke for such things. Njördr is not of the race of the Æsir: he was reared in Vanaheim, but the Vanir delivered him as hostage to the gods, and took for hostage in exchange him that men call Hoenir; he became an atonement between the gods and the Vanir. Njördr in Nóatún begot afterward two children: the son was called Freyr, and the daughter Freyja... | |
★ The robbery of
Brísingamen: The evil giant Loki once stole the necklace Brísingamen as one of his pranks, and Freyja had to enlist the help of Heimdall. Heimdall won the fight with Loki and brought the necklace back to Freyja. Therefore Heimdall is called "Seeker of Brísingamen" and Loki is called "Thief of Brísingamen".
"How should one periphrase
Heimdall? By calling him Son of Nine Mothers, or Watchman of the Gods, as already has been written; or White God, Foe of Loki, Seeker of Freyja's Necklace..."
::''Skáldskaparmál'', Brodeur's translation
[8]
"How should one periphrase
Loki? ... Thief of the Giants, of the Goat, of Brísingamen, and of Idunn's Apples, Kinsman of Sleipnir, Husband of Sigyn, Foe of the Gods, Harmer of Sif's Hair, Forger of Evil, the Sly God."
::''Skáldskaparmál'', Brodeur's translation
[9]
Heimdall brings Brisingamen back to Freyja.
★ The owner of
Svadilfari: This giant came to offer to build a citidel for the gods in three seasons. He demanded to marry fair Freyja, also the sun and the moon as his rewards. Following Loki's advice, the gods accepted the deal, but they later deceived the giant to protect Freyja, and he was killed by Thor before the deal was completed.
★ The abduction of
Idun: The giant
Thjazi captured Loki and forced him to lure Idun out to kidnap her along with the golden apples. The gods later found out that Idun was missing, and they wanted to kill Loki. Loki borrowed the hawk's plumage of Freyja to go and free Idun.
Thjazi is father of
Skadi, who later became Freyr and Freyja's stepmother.
★
Thor's duel: The champion of the giants,
Hrungnir, came to Asgard. He boasted that he would destroy
Valhalla, kill all the gods, and take Freyja and Sif home with him. Thor later came back and killed Hrungnir in a duel. This is one of the reasons why the Hill Giants are amongst the gods' enemies at the final battle.
★
Baldur's funeral: Baldur, the best of the Æsir, was murdered by the evil giant Loki's trickery. "People of many races visited this burning. First is to be told of Odin, how Frigg and the Valkyries went with him, and his ravens; but Freyr drove in his chariot with the boar called Gold-Mane, or Fearful-Tusk, and Heimdall rode the horse called Gold-Top, and Freyja drove her cats..."
The Poetic Edda
Freyja appears in various poems of the
Poetic Edda.
Grimnismál
''Grimnismál'' (The Sayings of Grímnir), Benjamin Thorpe's translation
[10]
"Fólkvangr is the ninth,
there Freyja directs
the sittings in the hall.
She half the fallen chooses each day,
but Odin the other half."
It was written by Snorri Sturluson in the
Prose Edda that "whenever she rides to the strife, she has one-half of the slain".
Finnur Magnússon arranged the twelve abodes of Norse deities mentioned in ''Grimnismál'':
::01.
Ydalir -
Ullr: Sagittarius / November (Ninth month)
::02.
Alfheim -
Freyr: Capricorn / Decemcer (Tenth month)
::03. Valaskjolf -
Váli: Aquarius / January (Month of Janus)
::04.
Sökkvabekkr -
Sága: Pisces / February (Month of festivals)
::05.
Gladsheim -
Odin: Aries / March (Month of Mars)
::06.
Thrymheim -
Skadi: Taurus / April (Month of Aphrodite)
::07.
Breidablik -
Baldur: Gemini / May (Month of Maia)
::08.
Himinbjorg -
Heimdall: Cancer / June (Month of Juno)
::09.
Fólkvangr - Freyja: Leo / July (Month of Julius Caesar)
::10.
Glitnir -
Forseti: Virgo / August (Month of Augustus)
::11.
Nóatún -
Njördr: Libra / September (Seventh month)
::12. Landvidi -
Vidar: Scorpio / October (Eighth month)
Magnússon's arrangement is fascimating and accurate, for example, Ullr is the archer, Odin is god of war, Sága is goddess of feasts. Freyja is associated with cats (
Leo), and battles (
Julius Caesar). Her abode,
Fólkvangr, means Folk's Field, which can be interpreted as Field of Dead People, or Battle Field.
Völuspá
''Völuspá'' (Prophecy of the Seeress), Benjamin Thorpe's translation
[11]
"Then sought the gods their assembly-seats,
The holy ones, and council held,
To find who with venom the air had filled,
Or had given Ódr's bride to the giants' brood.
In swelling rage then rose up Thor,
Seldom he sits when he such things hears,
And the oaths were broken, the words and bonds
The mighty pledges between them made."
These two stanzas is part of the story mentioned in the Prose Edda, when the gods tried to break the deal with the owner of Svadilfari to protect Freyja. Here Freyja is mentioned as "Ódr's bride". Parts of this story was lost because Völuspá, like most other Eddic Poems, were in very poor shape.
Þrymskviða
''Þrymskviða'' (The Song of Thrymr), Benjamin Thorpe's translation
[12]
Thor's mighty warhammer
Mjolnir was stolen. He came with Loki to Fólkvangr to borrow Freyja's hawk's plumage.
★ Thor:
"Wilt thou me, Freyja,
thy feather-garment lend,
that perchance my hammer
I may find?"
★ Freyja:
"That I would give thee,
although of gold it were,
and trust it to thee,
though it were of silver."
Loki then used the feathered cloak to seek for Thor's hammer. He discovered that
Thrymr, King of the
Rime Jotuns had hidden the hammer somewhere, and demmanded to marry Freyja in return. He came back to Asgard.
★ Loki:
"Bind thee, Freyja,
in bridal raiment,
for we two must drive
to Jotunheim."
★ Freyja:
"Know me to be
of women lewdest,
if with thee I drive
to Jotunheim."
When saying this, she was so wrathful that the mighty necklace Brísingamen broke off from her neck. Later, in the council of the gods and goddesses...
★ Heimdall:
"Let us clothe Thor
with bridal raiment,
let him have the famed
Brisinga necklace.
Let by his side
keys jingle,
and woman’s weeds
fall round his knees,
but on his breast
place precious stones,
and a neat coif
set on his head."
★ Thor:
"Me the Æsir will
call womanish,
if I let myself be clad
in bridal raiment."
★ Loki:
"I will with thee
as a servant go:
we two will drive
to Jotunheim."
Thor and Loki borrowed Brísingamen. They went to the wedding banquet as "Freyja and her maid", where the Jotuns eventually gave "Freyja" the hammer. Thor sprang out from his disguise, killed Thrymr and all his kin, and robbed all his numerous treasures.
"Laughed Hlorridi’s
soul in his breast,
when the fierce-hearted
his hammer recognized.
He first slew Thrymr,
the Thursar’s lord,
and the Jotun’s race
all crushed."
This is the reason why the Frost Giants are amongst the gods' enemies at the final battle, but they have no leader.
Ægisdrekka or Lokasenna
''Lokasenna'' (Loki's Wrangling), Benjamin Thorpe's translation
[13]
After the giant
Ægir got a mighty kettle, he brew ale and invited the
Æsir,
Asynjur, and
Alfar. Of all the Æsir came
Odin,
Njord,
Freyr,
Bragi,
Týr,
Vidar. Of all the Asynjur came
Frigg,
Freyja,
Gefjon,
Idun,
Skadi,
Sif. Loki came although he was not invited. There, he slew one of Ægir's servant, gods and goddesses traded insults with him. Loki called the Asynjur "sluts", while the goddesses all called him a "shameless liar".
★ Loki
to
Idun:
"Be silent, Idun!
of all women I declare thee
most most fond of men,
since thou thy arms,
carefully washed, didst twine
round thy brother´s murderer."
to
Gefjon:
"Be silent, Gefjon!
I will now just mention,
how that fair youth
thy mind corrupted,
who thee a necklace gave,
and around whom thou thy limbs didst twine?"
to
Frigg:
"Be thou silent, Frigg!
Thou art Fjorgyn´s daughter,
and ever hast been lustful,
since Ve and Vili, it is said,
thou, Vidrir´s wife, didst
both to thy bosom take."
★ to Freyja:
"Be thou silent, Freyja!
I know thee full well;
thou art not free from vices:
of the Æsir and the Alfar,
that are herein,
each has been thy paramour."
★ Freyja:
"False is thy tongue.
Henceforth it will, I think,
prate no good to thee.
Wroth with thee are the Æsir,
and the Asyniur.
Sad shalt thou home depart."
★ Loki:
"Be silent, Freyja!
Thou art a sorceress,
and with much evil blended;
since against thy brother thou
the gentle powers excited.
And then, Freyja! what didst thou do?"
★ Loki
to
Skadi:
"Milder was thou of speech
to Laufey´s son,
when to thy bed thou didst invite me.
Such matters must be mentioned,
if we accurately must
recount our vices."
to
Sif:
"So alone shouldst thou be,
hadst thou strict and prudent been
towards thy mate;
but one I know,
and, I think, know him well,
a favoured rival of Hlorridi,
and that is the wily Loki."
After this, Thor came and drove Loki away. Loki cast himself into the waterfall of Franangr, where the [Æsir eventually caught him, and bound him with the entrails of his son Nari. His other son, Narfi, was changed into a wolf. (In
Prose Edda, it is said that Narfi killed Nari after becoming a wolf). Skadi took a serpent, and fastened it upon Loki’s face. The venom trickled down from it. Sigyn, Loki’s wife, sat by and held a basin under the venom; and when the basin was full, she carried the venom out. Meanwhile the venom dropped on Loki, who shrank from it so violently that the whole earth trembled, causing earthquakes. (This prose ending part of the poem does not make it clear, but all these punishments are for the murder of Baldur.)
Hyndlulíoð
''Hyndlulíoð'' (The Lay of Hyndla), Benjamin Thorpe's translation
[14]
Freyja rode on her boar Hildisvini to enlist the help of the giantess
Hyndla (She-Dog) to find the pedigree of
Ottar, her favorite disciple. Hyndla quickly realized that the boar is Ottar in disguise.
★ Hyndla:
"False art thou, Freyja!
who tempest me:
by thy eyes thou showest it,
so fixed upon us;
while thou thy man hast
on the dead-road,
the young Ottar,
Innstein's son."
★ Freyja:
"Dull art thou, Hyndla!
methinks thou dreamest,
since thou sayest that my man
is on the dead-road with me;
there where my hog sparkles
with its golden bristles,
hight Hildisvini,
which for me made
the two skilful dwarfs,
Dain and Nabbi."
Hyndla came with Freyja, riding on a wolf. On the road, Freyja explained her duty, and how Ottar had induced her to help him.
★ Freyja:
"A wager was made in the foreign metal
Ottar the young and Angantir,
We must guard, for the hero young to have
His father's wealth, the fruits of his race.
For me a shrine of stones he made
And now to glass the rock has grown
Oft with the blood of beasts was it red
In the goddesses ever did Ottar trust.
Tell to me now the ancient names,
And the races of all that were born of old..."
Hyndla gave a long list of heroes' names as Ottar's ancestors (this is the main part and purpose of the poem). Freyja then confirmed that the boar is Ottar in disguise. She further requested Hyndla to give Ottar a potion that would enable him to remember all that he had been told. The giantess refused.
★ Hyndla:
"Hence shalt thou fare, for fain would I sleep
From me thou gettest few more favors
My noble one, out in the night thou leapest
As Heidrun goes the goats among
To Ódr didst thou run who loved thee ever
And many under thy girdle have crawled."
★ Freyja:
"Around the giantess flames shall I raise
So that forth unburned thou mayst not fare."
★ Hyndla:
"Flames I see burning, the earth is on fire
And each for his life the price must lose
Bring then to Ottar's hand the cup
Of venom full for an evil fate."
★ Freyja:
"Thine evil words shall work no ill
Though Jotun maid, bitter thy baleful threats
A drink full fair shall Ottar find
Of all the gods the favors I get."
Oddrúnargrátr
''Oddrúnargrátr'', Benjamin Thorpe's translation
[15]
This poem belongs to the myths of heroes. In this song, Princess Borgny called upon Frigg and Freyja to bless Oddrun.
"At last were born a boy and girl,
Son and daughter of Hogni's slayer;
Then speech the woman so weak began,
Nor said she aught ere this she spake:
"So may the holy ones thee help,
Frigg and Freyja and favoring gods,
As thou hast saved me from sorrow now."
Frigg and Freyja are the two foremost Norse goddesses, and both are goddesses of fertility.
Other Sagas
Ynglinga Saga:
"Njord's daughter Freyja was priestess of the sacrifices, and first taught the Æsir the magic art, as it was in use and fashion among the Vanir. While Njord was with the Vanir he had taken his own sister in marriage, for that was allowed by their law; and their children were Freyr and Freyja. But among the Æsir it was forbidden to intermarry with such near relations."
After the deaths of Odin, Njord, and Freyr: "Freyja alone remained of the gods, and she became on this account so celebrated that all women of distinction were called by her name, whence they now have the title Frú (Frau in German); so that every woman is called frú (frau in German), or mistress over her property, and the wife is called the house-Frú (Ehefrau in German). Freyja continued the blood-sacrifices. Freyja had also many other names. Her husband was called Ódr, and her daughters Hnoss and Gersemi. They were so very beautiful, that afterwards the most precious jewels were called by their names."
Egils Saga:
When Þorgerðr threatened to commit suicide, she said: "No supper have I had, and none will I have till I sup with Freyja. I can do no better than does my father: I will not overlive my father and brother."
Hálfs Saga:
Queen Signy, wife of King Alfrek, prayed for the help of Freyja in an ale-brewing contest. Her opponent, Geirhild, however, had the help of Odin, who gave her his drools as yeast. And so Signy lost.
As written in
Harbardsljod, while Odin was popular with warriors, Thor was popular with peasants, but Freyja was especially popular with noblewomen, who expect go to Fólkvangr in the afterlife. Freyja and her husband Ódr represent the common situation of noble families in old Scandinavia: due to harsh environments and war campaigns, the man often goes away long journeys, the woman is left in charge of the house and has considerable powers (as also written in the Prose Edda, Gylfaginning (35)).
Húsdrápa:
A part of this poem relates the story of the theft of Brísingamen by Loki. When Freyja wakes up she enlists the help of Heimdall to help her search for it. Eventually they find the thief, who turns out to be Loki who has transformed himself into a seal. Heimdall turns into a seal as well and fights Loki. After a lengthy battle, Heimdall wins and returns Brísingamen to Freyja.
The rivalry of Loki and Heimdall for Brísingamen is an important event, as they are destined to fight again and slay each other at the end of
Ragnarök.
Saga of King Olaf Tryggvason:
Following King Olaf Tryggvason's orders, to prove their piety, people must insult and ridicule major heathen deities when they are newly converted into Christianity. Freyja is named among those major deities, including others like Odin, Thor, Freyr, and Frigg. Norse gods and goddesses are evil demons in Christian point of view.
15th century accounts
Sörla þáttr:
"Freyja is said to be a human in Asia. She was the fairest woman at that time and was the favorite concubine of Odin, King of the Asialand. When this woman wanted to buy a beautiful necklace from four dwarves with gold and silver, they said they do not lack of gold, and demanded a night with her for each of them. She agreed, but a man called Loki somehow knew the deal, and he came to tell Odin. King Odin was very angry, he ordered Loki to steal the necklace. Loki turned into a fly to sneak into Freyja's bower and stole the necklace. When Freyja found her necklace missing, she came to ask King Odin. Odin said he would only return the necklace to her if she could put a curse on some Kings to cause an eternal war until the arrival of a great
Christian Lord. She said it would be done and got that necklace back. Under the spell, the Kings fought and slew others but as soon as they fell down, they had to stand up and continued fighting. Chaos lasted for hundreds of years. But in the end, King
Olaf Tryggvason arrived with his Christian army, and whoever slain by a Christian would stay dead. The evil
heathen curse was finally dissolved, and
Christianity brought peace to the land."
The necklace in this Christian account has no name, but people assume that it refers to
Brísingamen. The story was later rewritten by
Gabriel Turville-Petre[ Turville, Petre. E.O.G. Myth and Religion of the North: The Religion of Ancient Scandinavia. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1964.] and some others, with most parts altered and removed to make it sound like an original myth.
19th century accounts
Rural Scandinavians remained dependent on the forces of nature, fertility gods remained important and in rural
19th century Sweden, Freyja retained elements of her role as a fertility goddess.
[2] In the province of
Småland, there is an account of how she was connected with sheet lightning in this respect
:
| Jag minns en söndag på 1880-talet, det var några gubbar ute och gick bland åkrarna och tittade på rågen som snart var mogen. Då sa Måns i Karryd: "Nu ä Fröa ute å sir ätter om råjen är mogen." [...] När jag som liten pojke satt hos den gamla Stolta-Katrina, var jag som alla dåtida barn mycket rädd för åskan. När kornblixtarna syntes om kvällarna, sade Katrina: "Du sa inte va rädd barn lella, dä ä bara Fröa som ä ute å slår ell med stål å flenta för å si etter om kornet ä moet. Ho ä snäll ve folk å gör dä bare för å hjälpa, ho gör inte som Tor, han slår ihjäl både folk å fä, när han lynna [...] Jag har sedan hört flera gamla tala om samma sak, på ungefär samma sätt.[3] | I remember a Sunday in the 1880s, when some men were walking in the fields looking at the rye which was about to ripen. Then Måns in Karryd said: "Now Freyja is out watching if the rye is ripe" [...] When as a boy I was visiting the old Proud-Katrina, I was afraid of lightning like all boys in those days. When the sheet lightning flared in the nights, Katrina said: "Don't be afraid little child, it is only Freyja who is out making fire with steel and flintstone to see if the rye is ripe. She is kind to people and she is only doing it to be of service, she is not like Thor, he slays both people and livestock, when he is in the mood" [...] I later heard several old folks talk of the same thing in the same way.[4] | |
In
Värend, Freyja could also arrive at Christmas night and she used to shake the apple trees for the sake of a good harvest and consequently people left some apples in the trees for her sake.
Moreover, it was dangerous to leave the plough outdoors, because if Freyja sat on it, it would no longer be of any use.
Receiver of half the slain
Snorri writes in
Gylfaginning (24) that "wherever she rides to battle, she gets half the slain" (Faulkes translation); he does not say whether or not Freyja actively participates in the battle in any way. Though Freyja receives some of those warriors slain on the battlefield, there is no record of how that occurs. Does Freyja pick them herself? Or do Odin or the Valkyries decide? There are no answers to these questions.
It is said in ''
Grímnismál'':
:The ninth is Folkvang, where bright Freyja decrees
:where in the hall warriors shall sit:
:Some of the fallen belong to her,
:And some belong to Odin.
In
Egil's Saga,
Thorgerda (''Þorgerðr''), threatens to commit suicide in the wake of her brother's death, saying: "I shall not eat until I sup with Freyja". This should be taken to mean that she expected to pass to Freyja's hall upon her death. Any greater associations with Freyja and death are not supported.
The oral tradition explains that Odin's warriors are "the offensive", or those who dedicate their life to fighting. Freyja’s warriors are "the defensive", or those who only fight to protect their families, clans or goods. The historian Else Roesdahl noticed that a difference between the two cultures in regards to burials containing weapons. In those in
Norway the buried warriors had defensive shields, and in
Denmark they had only offensive weapons.
[5]
Possessions
Surviving tales regarding Freyja often associate Freyja with numerous enchanted possessions.
Jewelry
Freyja, depicted in a painting by J. Penrose.
(Necklace of Flame) is Freyja's famous necklace reputedly made of gold and amber. The necklace is thought to represent the sun's fire and the circle of day and night. According to the notes of
Saxo Grammaticus, Brísingamen was among the items given to the gods by
Alberich. In some mythological writings, Brísingamen is assigned to Frigg.
Cloak
Freyja owned a cloak of feathers (debatedly, either robin's feathers or hawk feathers), which gave her the ability to change into any bird, and to fly between worlds. It is called "hawk's plumage" or "falcon-feathered cloak" in different translations. The same magical cloak was also assigned to Frigg in some tales.
Boar
Freyja rides a boar called
Hildisvini (Battle-Swine) which appeared only in the poem
Hyndluljóð. Later we are told that the boar is Ottar, but it seems that Ottar was temporarily disguised as Hildisvini, not that Hildisvini is Ottar. The boar has special associations within Norse Mythology, both relative to the notion of fertility and also as a protective talisman in war.
Cat-drawn Chariot
According to the
Prose Edda, Freyja often rides on a chariot drawn by a pair of large cats. Freyja has special links with cats. She rode this chariot to Baldur's funeral. These cats are called Gib-cats in the Prose Edda. They are often thought to be
Norwegian forest cats.
Other names
Forms of "Freyja"
★ Freyja
★ Freyju
★ Freja - common Danish and literary Swedish form.
★ Freia
★ Freya
★ Froya
★ Frøya, Fröa - common Norwegian, and rural Swedish form.
★ Friia, Frīa - second
Merseburg Charm
★ Frija - variant of ''Friia''
★ Reija - Finnish form
In 2005, the name ''Freja'' was the fifth most popular given name for
Danish girls born that year and has subsequently become a common female name in
Denmark.
[6]
Other forms
''Härnevi'' which means "Hörn's shrine" was once a sacred location dedicated to Freyja, in
Uppland,
Sweden.
According to
Snorri Sturluson's ''
Gylfaginning''
(35), Freyja also bore the following names:
★ Vanadis, which means "
Dís of the
Vanir".
★ Mardöll, whose etymology is uncertain, also appears in
kennings for gold;
★ Hörn, which may be related to the word ''hörr'' meaning "flax", "linen" (Hörn is also listed in the
þulur as a giantess name);
★ Gefn, which means "the giver", is a suitable name for a fertility goddess;
★ Sýr, whose translation is "sow", illustrates the association of the Vanir with pigs (cf. Freyr's boar
Gullinbursti).
Some of these names (Hörn, Sýr, Gefn, Mardöll) are also listed in a þula which also supplies:
★ Þrungva;
★ Skjálf, which is also the name of the wife and murderer of king
Agni.
Kennings
Gold is called Tears of Freyja:
:Many a fearless swordsman
:Received the Tears of Freyja
:The more the morn when foemen
:We murdered; we were present
:Ródi's Roof's great Ice-Lump
:For the Rain of Freyja's Eyelids
:Grows not less, my fair axe-head;
:His age my lord so useth.
:I received the Ice of Wed Rims,
:With Freyja's golden Eye-Thaw,
:From the upright prince high-hearted;
:We bear in hand the Helm's Hurt.
Gold is called Tears of Mardöll:
:Where, mounted 'twixt the carvings,
:The Tear of Mardöll lieth,
:We bear the axe shield-splitting,
:Swollen with Serpent's lair-gold.
Gold is called Tears of Ódr's Bride:
:The shield, tempest's strong roof-ice,
:With tear-gold is unminished,
:The Eye-rain of Ódr's Bride:
:His age the King so useth.
Jewel is called Child of Hörn:
:Hörn's Child, the glorious adornment,
:I own, gold-wound a jewel
:Most fair to the shield's rim
:Fast is the golden Sea-Flame:
Gem is called Niece of Freyr, Gold is called Tears of Hnoss's Mother:
:On the gem, Freyr's Niece, the tear-drift
:Of the fore-head of her Mother
:She bears; the Raven-Feeder
:Gave me Fródi's seed-gold's fostering.
Gem is called Child of Njördr's Daughter:
:A defence of songs full goodly
:He freely gave me, neighbor
:Of sea-scales: I praise gladly
:Njördr's Daughter's golden gem-child.
Fair things are called Daughter of Freyja:
:The awesome Stately Urger
:Of Odin, he who raises
:The struggle stern, gave to me
:The courage-stalwart daughter
:Of the Vana-Bride, my fair axe;
:The valorous sword-mote's Ruler
:Led Gefn's girl to the Skald's bed,
:Set with the sea-flame's gold-work.
"It is proper to join 'tears' with all the names of Freyja, and to call gold by such terms; and in divers ways these periphrases have been varied, so that gold is called Hail, or Rain, or Snow-Storm, or Drops, or Showers, or Water falls of Freyja's Eyes, or Cheeks, or Brows, or Eyelids." (The
Prose Edda, The poesy of Skalds or Poetical Diction (37),
Snorri's teachings of how Freyja and Hnoss's names can be used as kennings for fair things like gold, jewels, and gems).
Named after Freyja
Places
Many farms in Norway have ''Frøy-'' as the first element in their names, and the most common are the name ''Frøyland'' (13 farms). But whether ''Frøy-'' in these names are referring to the goddess Freyja (or the god Freyr) is questionable and uncertain. The first element in the name ''Frøyjuhof'', in Udenes parish, are however most probably the genitive case of the name Freyja. (The last element is ''hof'' 'temple', and a church was built on the farm in the Middle Ages, which indicates the spot as an old holy place.) The same name, ''Frøyjuhof'', also occur in the parishes
Hole and
Stjørdal.
In the parish of
Seim, in the county of
Hordaland, Norway, lies the farm Ryland (
Norse ''Rýgjarland''). The first element is the genitive case of ''rýgr'' 'lady' (identical with the meaning of the name ''Freyja'', see above). Since the neighbouring farms have the names Hopland (Norse ''Hofland'' 'temple land') and Totland (Norse ''Þórsland'' 'Thor's land') it is possible that ''rýgr'' (lady) here are referring to a goddess. (And in that case most probably Freyja.) A sideform of the word (''rýgja'') may occur in the name of the Norwegian municipality
Rygge.
There's Horn in Iceland and Hoorn in Holland, various places in the German lands are called Freiburg (burg meaning something like settlement).
Plants
Freyja's hair - ''Polygala vulgaris'' - a species of the genus ''Polygala''.
Several plants were named after Freyja, such as ''Freyja's tears'' and ''Freyja's hair'' (''
Polygala vulgaris''), but after the introduction of Christianity, they were renamed after the
Virgin Mary, suggesting her closest homologue in Christianity.
[7]
Friday
Main articles: Friday
The name
Friday comes from the
Old English ''frigedæg,'' meaning the day of
Frige the Anglo-Saxon form of
Frigg, a
West Germanic translation of Latin ''dies Veneris'', "day (of the planet) Venus." However, in most
Germanic languages the day is named after
Freyja—such as ''Freitag'' in Modern
German, ''vrijdag'' in
Dutch, ''fredag'' in
Swedish,
Norwegian, and
Danish—but Freyja and Frigg are frequently
identified with each other.
Misc
The chemical element
Vanadium is named after Freyja via her alternative name Vanadis.
The
Orion constellation was called Frigg's distaff or Freyja's girdle.
Homologues
Freyja might be considered the counterpart of
Venus and
Aphrodite, although she has a combination of attributes no known goddess possesses in the mythology of any other ancient
Indo-European people and might be regarded as closer to the Mesopotamian
Ishtar as being involved in both love and war. It is also sometimes thought that she is the most direct mythological descendant from
Nerthus.
[8]
Britt-Mari Näsström posits in her "Freyja: Great Goddess of the North" that there is a tenable connection from Freyja to other Goddesses worshipped along the migration path of the Indo-Europeans who consistently appeared with either one or two cats/lions as companions, usually in the war Goddess aspect but occasionally also as a love Goddess. These would include:
Durga,
Ereshkegal,
Sekhmet,
Menhit,
Bast,
Anat,
Asherah,
Nana,
Cybele,
Rhea, and others. That the name Freyja translates to the deliberately ambiguous title of "Lady" infers that like Odin, she wandered and bore more names than are perhaps remembered in the modern age.
Der Ring des Nibelungen
Freyja and the apple tree at the end of the world.
Freyja taken away by the giants.
Freyja, in her
German variant name "Freia", appears in
Richard Wagner's massive opera cycle, ''
Der Ring des Nibelungen'' which includes
Das Rheingold,
Die Walküre,
Siegfried, and
Götterdämmerung. This has led to many portrayals based on Wagner's interpretation, although some are closer to pre-Wagnerian models. Since Wagner's time, numerous depictions and references have entered popular culture to varying extents. In Wagner's depiction, Freyja is the goddess who guards the golden apples. When she was captured by two giants Fasolt and Fafner, Odin had to pay them a hefty ransom including the Ring of Nibelung which he robbed from
Alberich to get her back.
Influence in Christmas traditions
Christian beliefs combined with existing pagan feasts and winter rituals to create many long-standing traditions of
Christmas celebrations. For example, ancient Europeans believed that the mistletoe plant held magic powers to bestow life and fertility, to bring about peace, and to protect against disease. Northern Europeans associated the plant with the Norse goddess of love, Freyja, and developed the custom of kissing underneath mistletoe branches. Christians incorporated this custom into their Christmas celebrations, and kissing under a mistletoe branch eventually became a part of secular Christmas tradition.
[9]
Potential connections
Frigg
Main articles: Frigg#Connection_between_Frigg_and_Freyja
Frigg is the highest goddess of the
Æsir, while
Freyja is the highest goddess of the
Vanir. Many arguments have been made both for and against the idea that Frigg and Freyja are really the same goddess, avatars of one another.
[10]
Some arguments are based on linguistic analysis, others on the fact that Freyja wasn't known in southern Germany, only in the north, and in some places the two goddesses were considered to be the same, while in others they were considered to be different.
[11]
Gullveig
Main articles: Gullveig#Turville-Petre
Due to a number of similarities, a hypothesis supported by
Gabriel Turville-Petre[ Turville, Petre. E.O.G. Myth and Religion of the North: The Religion of Ancient Scandinavia. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1964.] is that
Gullveig, a seeress mentioned in ''
Völuspá'' is another name for Freyja.
References and notes
1. Oddrúnargrátr, Volsunga Saga, Hálfs Saga, ancient farmlands named after Freyja
2. Schön, Ebbe. (2004). ''Asa-Tors hammare, Gudar och jättar i tro och tradition''. Fält & Hässler, Värnamo. p. 227-228.
3. The writer Johan Alfred Göth, cited in Schön, Ebbe. (2004). ''Asa-Tors hammare, Gudar och jättar i tro och tradition''. Fält & Hässler, Värnamo. p. 227-228.)
4. Translation provided by Wikipedia editors.
5. Anne Nissen Jaubert. “Vikings, investigation into the secrecies of the Masters of the sea”. Science and life n°80 April 2004. National Institute of Preventive Archaeological Research
6. Statistics Denmark. (January, 13 2006). Fornavne for børn født i 1. halvår 2005.
7. Schön, Ebbe. (2004). ''Asa-Tors hammare, Gudar och jättar i tro och tradition''. Fält & Hässler, Värnamo. p. 228.
8. H. R. Ellis Davidson, Gods and Myths of Northern Europe, 1964.
9. Restad, Penne. ''Christmas in America: A History''.
10. Davidson, Hilda Ellis. (1998). ''Roles of the Northern Goddess,'' page 10. London: Routlege. ''Also:'' Grundy, Stephen, Freyja and Frigg, pages 56-67; Nasstrom, Brit-Mari. Freyja, a goddess with many names, pages 68-77. Billington, Sandra & Green, Miranda (Eds.) (1996). ''The Concept of the Goddess.'' London: Routlege.
11. Welsh, Lynda. (2001). ''Goddess of the North,'' page 75. York Beach: Weiser Books.
★ ''
Prose Edda''
★ ''
Poetic Edda''
★ ''
Heimskringla''
★ ''
Ynglinga Saga''
★ ''
Egils Saga''
★ ''
Gylfaginning''
★ ''
Skáldskaparmál''
★ ''
Völuspá''
★ ''
Grímnismál''
★ ''
Þrymskviða''
★ ''
Lokasenna''
★ ''
Hyndlulíoð''
★
Snorri Sturluson, ''History of the Norse Kings''
★
H. R. Ellis Davidson, ''Gods and Myths of Northern Europe''
★
E. O. G. Turville-Petre, ''Myth and Religion of the North''
★
Jan de Vries, ''Altgermanische Religionsgeschichte'', 2nd Edition (the seminal work of reference on Germanic and Scandinavian religion).
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