Freya, one of the principal deities of the Norse pantheon and a goddess associated with
many themes from love and beauty to war and magic.
She plays an important role in Norse mythology and as such, has become one of the most well-known
of the Gods, often used as a character in modern cultural endeavours.
So, what do we really know about the magical goddess Freya?
Let’s find out together, right now.
Despite ultimately coming to Asgard, Freya was actually a member of the Vanir tribe.
It was only following the conclusion of the Aesir Vanir war, a story that I have covered
in another video which I will link down below, during which Freya was sent to Asgard as a
token of truce, that she was made an honorary member of the Aesir tribe and thus integrated
much more closely into the lore of the most well-known Gods of Norse mythology.
Freya was the daughter of Njord, a god of the Vanir associated with the sea, sailing,
fishing, wealth, and the fertility of crops.
While her mother’s identity is unconfirmed, some speculate that Freya was the daughter
of Nerthus, an old Germanic deity known as a goddess of “peace and plenty."
Freya’s brother (and possible twin) was Freyr, a god associated with wealth, prosperity,
positive weather, and male virility.
As a member of the Vanir tribe, Freya had a natural affinity with the magical arts of
divination and it is claimed that she was responsible for first introducing the Aesir
gods to Seidr, a form of magic that allowed practitioners to know and change the future.
This power is a common theme throughout Norse mythology.
Freya was gentler and more agreeable than the other Norse deities.
Where Thor accomplished his goals through aggression and Odin and Loki resorted to trickery,
Freya achieved her ends with the gentler persuasions of gifts, beauty, and sex.
While Freya was often unselfish and helpful, she did have a darker side.
Like the male gods, Freya had a taste for blood and fought fiercely in battle.
Freya made her home at the palace of Sessrúmnir, located in the field of Fólkvangr (which
translates to “field of the host,") where half of the dead slain in battle went to spend
eternity; the other half went to Odin’s hall, Valhalla.
In fact, it was Freya who had the first pick amongst those that died in battle, choosing
the strongest to join her hall.
While Freya did not typically wield weapons of war, she did possess many accessories of
a different sort.
One such item was a cloak made of falcon feathers that gave the gift of flight to anyone who
wore it.
When she was not wearing it herself, Freya lent the cloak to companions and collaborators
who agreed to do her bidding.
Freya’s most prized possession was likely the necklace, or torc, known as Brísingamen.
It was made by the dwarves and purchased at a dear price.
Freya guarded the necklace from any and all would-be thieves with a fiery passion.
In addition to her cloak and necklace, Freya rode a glittering chariot that was pulled
by two black or grey domestic cats.
She was usually accompanied by her animal familiar, a hog named Hildisvíni (meaning
“battle swine”).
A leader of the Vanir gods, Freya was recognized as the archetypal völva, a practitioner of
magic whose art and ritual could see events before they happened.
The volva could then attempt to alter these events, leading enemies to their doom and
delivering friends from impending disaster.
Given her expertise in controlling and manipulating the desires, health, and prosperity of others,
she was a being whose knowledge and power are almost without equal.
In later life, Freya took Odr as her husband.
Odr was a mysterious god whose name meant “furious and passionate,” as well as “mind
and sense.”
He would often be away on long journeys, and it was said that his frequent absence caused
Freya to weep tears of gold.
With Odr, Freya had two daughters: Hnoss and Gersemi, whose names meant “treasure.”
Much was uncertain about the identities of Freya and Odr.
Whilst still a matter of discussion amongst scholars, many believe it likely that Freya
was another version of Frigg (Odin’s wife), and as such it appears that Odr may have actually
been Odin.
The deities’ various names and identities may reflect the linguistic, cultural, and
mythological differences between the Germanic groups that told stories of these gods and
goddesses.
Both the similarities of their names as well as many shared characterises or traits suggest
this theory to be relatively accurate.
Freya and Frigg are similarly accused of infidelity to their husbands and they are both spoken
of as Volva’s (the archetypal magical practitioners), not to mention the similarities between Odr
and Odin such as their names, their relationship to the mind and continuous travel on wanderings.
Stories of Freya often highlighted her sex appeal and desirability.
One such story tells of Freya becoming a pawn in a dangerous bargain.
The episode began when a hill giant approached the gods and offered to build an impregnable
fortress that would protect the gods from enemy jötnar.
In exchange, the giant wanted the sun, the moon, and Freya’s hand in marriage.
After a short deliberation, the gods consented to the bargain on the condition that the builder
had to have completed the fortress by the first day of summer.
The builder countered with a condition of his own—he would build the wall in the time
allotted so long as he could get help from his stallion, Svadilfari.
The gods agreed to his terms, and the giant began his task.
As summer began to near, the builder, relying heavily on the labor of his stallion, was
coming dangerously close to finishing the fortress.
Worried that they would lose Freya forever, the gods decided to sabotage the hill giant’s
efforts.
The trickster Loki transformed himself into a mare and distracted the stallion.
Realizing now that he would not be able to complete the fortress in time, the hill giant
flew into a rage.
Seeking protection, the gods called upon Thor for aid who struck down the giant with his
mighty hammer Mjollnir.
Thus was Freya saved from an unwanted marriage to the hill giant.
The gods also gained a fortress, albeit rather treacherously, and a new foal.
While Loki was in the form of a mare, Svadilfari successfully impregnated him with Sleipnir,
the eight-legged horse that eventually became Odin’s mighty steed.
In another tale that I have also covered in a separate video, link below, Freya is coveted
by the Giant Thrym who stole Thors hammer in order to bargain for the hand of Freya.
It’s a great story that involves Thor dressing up as Freya in disguise and pretending to
marry the giant, the fun side of Norse mythology, until they inevitably kill everyone of course,
but definitely worth checking out.
Freya is a fascinating Goddess from Norse mythology that embodies many themes – love,
beauty, sex, war, fertility, magic, death and many more.
She could be both a gentle ruler and a fierce warrior, coveted by many and surpassed by
very few, if any at all.
Whilst no definitive answer can be offered, it seems more likely than not that she was
in fact the same Goddess as Frigg and therefore the wife of Odin, making them one of the true
power couples throughout all mythology.
She continues to play an important role in modern culture and her status remains renowned
in many parts of the world.
She is even to this day referenced in the national anthem of Denmark as well as featuring
in numerous works of art and media.
Freya, the mighty and graceful Norse Goddess, whose power dwarfs all but a few.