Freyja

Freyja, the sister of Freyr and the daughter of Njǫrðr, is usually seen as the fertility goddess of Norse mythology. While there are no sources suggesting that she was called on to bring fruitfulness to fields or wombs, rather she was a goddess of riches whose tears are gold. She was also goddess of love, sex and attraction, and correspondingly became one of the most popular goddesses. She may have been the same goddess as Frigg. She was also thought to be the most desirable of all goddesses, owner of the attractive piece of jewellery: Brísingamen, which she bought from four dwarves at the price of four nights of her love. This necklace is sometimes seen today as embodying her power over the material world; the necklace has been the emblem of the earth-goddess since the earliest times. She was once married to Óðr, but he disappeared for some time. She cried golden tears afterwards. Óðr was one of Óðinn's names and she does not seem to have been clearly distinguished from Frigg, the wife of Óðinn. They seem to have evolved from the same goddess. This seems to be contradicted by the description of Freyja as a Vanir instead of an Æsir. However, the Vanir Freyja would have become an Áss by marrying Óðinn. Moreover, Gefjun, who some claim was a synonym for Freyja belonged both to the Æsir and Vanir. Freyja is wild: free with her sexual favours and furious when an attempt is made to marry her off against her will; the mistress of Óðinn and several other gods, and, and according to Loki, in Lokasenna, she even let her brother Freyr into her bed.

Table of contents

1 Freyja's possessions 2 Freyja as Battle goddess 3 Freyja's slain 4 Freyja as witch 5 Alternative spellings 6 Other names by which Freyja is known 7 Sources

Freyja's possessions

She was the driver of a wagon drawn by two cats. Freyja was associated with elves. Her chambermaids were Fulla, Hlín and Gná. Her palace was in Fólkvangr and her hall was Sessrúmnir. Along with the necklace, she owned a cloak of feathers which gave her the ability to change into a falcon, and Hildisvín ("battle-boar" see below).

Freyja as Battle goddess

As a battle-goddess, she rides a boar called Hildisvín the Battle-Swine. In the poem Hyndluljóð we are told that in order to conceal her protegé Óttarr the Simple, Freyja transformed him into the guise of a boar. The boar has special associations within Norse Mythology, both relative to the notion of fertility and also as a protective talisman in war. 7th century Swedish helmet plates depict warriors with large boars as their crests, and a boar-crested helmet has survived from Anglo-Saxon time and was retrieved from a tumulus at Benty Grange in Derbyshire. In Beowulf, it is said that a boar on the helmet was there to guard the life of the warrior wearing it.

Freyja's slain

Freyja is a chooser of half the slain on the battlefield whilst Óðinn gets the other half, according to Grímnismál:

The ninth hall is Fólkvangr, where bright Freyja\n:Decides where the warriors shall sit:\n:Half of the fallen belong to her, \n:And half belong to Óðinn.

This association of Freyja with death is underlined in Egil's saga when his daughter, Þorgerðr, threatens to commit suicide in the wake of her brother's death: "I shall not eat until I sup with Freyja".

Freyja as witch

She was a skilled völva (shaman) practicing the seiðr. However, unlikely, it can be speculated that Gullveig was an aspect of Freyja. If so she was stabbed and burnt three times, but arose from the flame each time and transformed herself into Heiðr ("the Glorious"), mistress of magic, in a shamanic initiation (see mystery religion). This also started the war between the Æsir and the Vanir. The giants are always trying to take her away from the gods, and it is clear that this would be a great disaster. She was obviously the embodiment of the holy life-force.

Alternative spellings

\n* Friia\n* Froya\n* Common Danish and literary Swedish form: Freja\n* Common Norwegian, and rural Swedish form: Frøya

Other names by which Freyja is known

\n*Gefn (according to Snorri Gefjun is not the same as Gefn)\n*Heath\n*Vanadís

Sources

\n* Grimnismál\n* Egils Saga\n* Snorri Sturlusson, The Younger Edda\n* H R Ellis Davidson, Gods and Myths of Northern Europe\n* E O G Turville-Petre, Myth and Religion of the North\n* Jan de Vries, Altgermanische Religionsgeschichte, 2nd Edition (the seminal work of reference on Germanic and Scandinavian religion). Category:Love and lust goddesses\nCategory:Norse goddesses \n\n\n\n\n