Norse Goddess Freya - as beautiful as she is dangerous
The Norse goddess Freya
Meet Freya, a versatile and complex goddess in Norse mythology. She is as beautiful as she is dangerous. As well as her equally famous twin brother, the god Frey, and daughter of the god Njord, she has a high position among Asgård's gods and goddesses. She is as highly ranked as Frigg, another powerful goddess in Norse mythology. On her travels around the world, she travels in different ways. Sometimes she travels in a beautiful carriage pulled by cats. Sometimes she chooses to ride her boar, which in the sagas also says her lover Ottar, but in the guise of a boar. Freya also has a cloak of falcon feathers that she can dress in, and thus gain wings and fly among the clouds.
Freya's cloak of falcon feathers inspired me to forge this pendant. Find more info about the pendant here
Aesir and Vanir
The goddess Freya does not belong to the same family as the other Aesir gods. She and her twin brother Freyr are members of the Vanir. In a great war between Aesir and Vanir, Freya and Freyr had to travel to Aesir gods as a sign of truce. In return, two Aesir were sent to the Vanir to live among them. Freya then became an honorary member of the Aesir when the war finally ended.
Goddess of love and war
Freya is the goddess of love, fertility and desire. At the same time, she rules over life and death as the goddess of war. She is the leader of the Valkyries. Just like Odin got his hall Valhalla, Freya has her own hall called Fólkvangr. Of the warriors who fall on the battlefield, Freya chooses half of them and Odin gets the other half. If you are handsome and brave, you will probably end up in her hall. Noble and brave women also come to Freja in the afterlife. She is described as a passionate woman with many admirers and lovers. Freya is the one who introduced ancient magic seidr (seiðr in old norse, magic for seeing and influencing the future) to the gods. It was she who taught Odin the art of seidr. She is the most powerful Völva of the gods.
A symbol of independence and feminism
Freya owns her own land and home. She is considered to be very independent. Freya knows that she is very beautiful, and refuses to let anyone else benefit from it but herself. There is a story about how Freya got her necklace Brisingamen. She was on one of her many travels when she met four dwarves, in the process of forging the jewel Brisingamen. She immediately wanted it as her own. She agreed to spend a night each with the dwarves to get the jewelry. When she traveled home to Asgard with the necklace around her neck, Odin became very jealous. No matter how much he pestered Freja, she refused to share a bed with him. Odin persuaded Loki to steal the jewel and in order for Freya to get it back she must start a war between two human kings.
Freya's real husband
When it comes to Freya's husband, there are divided opinions about who he really is. Some sources say her husband's name is Od. Others believe that she is married to Odin (Old Norse: Óðinn). This could be, since Freya and Frigg have some similarities. It is believed that the word “frigg” was developed from the older word “frija”. Frigg is Odin's wife. The name of Freya’s husband Od (Old Norse: Óðr) could be translated to “ecstasy, inspiration, furor”. Óðinn is simply the word óðr with the masculine definite article (-inn) added onto the end. The two names of Goddesses and their men’s names have similar meanings. However, the sources agree that her husband is often gone and that Freya travels the world to look for him. She cries tears of gold during the search. When Freya travels across the sea and the tears fall down and mix with the water, amber is said to be created. This is why amber is sometimes called "Freya's tears".
Symbols and offerings
Characteristic symbols of the goddess Freya are the falcon, the cat, the Brisingamen and the wild boar. If you want to make sacrifices in Freya's honor, you can do so with appropriate gifts such as figurines of cats and jewelry. This is because the objects are strongly connected to the stories of Freya. But you can also offer things like mead, honey, wine, perfume and chocolate.
Let us know
Would you rather travel in a carriage pulled by cats, riding a boar or like a falcon? Leave a comment down below which one of these or if you have other ways to travel you would prefer :)