9/14/2019 Freyja - Wikipedia

Freyja
In Norse my thology , Frey ja (/ˈfreɪə/; Old Norse for "(the) Lady ") is a goddess associated with war, death, lov e, sex, beauty , fertility , gold, and seiðr. Frey ja is the owner of the
necklace Brísingamen, rides a chariot pulled by two cats, is accompanied by the boar Hildisv íni, and possesses a cloak of falcon feathers. By her husband Óðr, she is the mother
of two daughters, Hnoss and Gersemi. Along with her brother Frey r, her father Njörðr, and her mother (Njörðr's sister, unnamed in sources), she is a member of the Vanir.
Stemming from Old Norse Freyja, modern forms of the name include Frey a, Frey ia, and Freja.

Frey ja rules ov er her heav enly field, Fólkv angr, where she receiv es half of those who die in battle. The other half go to the god Odin's hall, Valhalla. Within Fólkv angr lies her
hall, Sessrúmnir. Frey ja assists other deities by allowing them to use her feathered cloak, is inv oked in matters of fertility and lov e, and is frequently sought after by powerful
jötnar who wish to make her their wife. Frey ja's husband, the god Óðr, is frequently absent. She cries tears of red gold for him, and searches for him under assumed names.
Frey ja has numerous names, including Gefn, Hörn, Mardöll, Sýr, Valfreyja, and Vanadís.

Frey ja is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources; in the Prose Edda and Heimskringla, composed by Snorri Sturluson in the
Freja (1905) by John Bauer (1882–1918)
13th century ; in sev eral Sagas of Icelanders; in the short story "Sörla þáttr "; in the poetry of skalds; and into the modern age in Scandinav ian folklore.

Scholars hav e debated whether Frey ja and the goddess Frigg ultimately stem from a single goddess common among the Germanic peoples; connected her to the v alky ries,
female battlefield choosers of the slain; and analy zed her relation to other goddesses and figures in Germanic my thology , including the thrice-burnt and thrice-reborn Gullv eig/Heiðr, the goddesses Gefjon, Skaði, Þorgerðr Hölgabrúðr and Irpa,
Menglöð, and the 1st century CE "Isis" of the Suebi. Frey ja's name appears in numerous place names in Scandinav ia, with a high concentration in southern Sweden. Various plants in Scandinav ia once bore her name, but it was replaced with the
name of the Virgin Mary during the process of Christianization. Rural Scandinav ians continued to acknowledge Frey ja as a supernatural figure into the 19th century , and Frey ja has inspired v arious works of art.

Contents
Etymology and names
Attestations
Poetic Edda
Prose Edda
Heimsk ringla
Other
Post-Christianization and Scandinavian folklore
Eponyms
Archaeological record and historic depictions
Theories
Relation to Frigg and other goddesses and figures
Receiver of the slain
The Oriental hypothesis
Modern influence
See also
Notes
References
External links

Etymology and names

The name Freyja transparently means (the) 'lady ' and ultimately deriv es from Proto-Germanic *fraw(j)ōn. Freyja is cognate with, for example, Old Saxon frūa "lady , mistress" and Old High German frouwa (compare modern German Frau
"lady "). [1 ] The theony m Freyja is thus considered to hav e been an epithet in origin, replacing a personal name that is now unattested. [2 ] As a result, either the original name became entirely taboo or another process occurred in which the
goddess is a duplicate or hy postasis of another known goddess (see "Relation to Frigg and other goddesses and figures" below).

In addition to Freyja, Old Norse sources refer to the goddess by the following names:

Name
(Old Name meaning Attestations Notes
Norse)
The name Gefn likely means "she who gives (prosperity or happiness) and is generally considered connected to the goddess name Gefjon,
but the etymology of the name Gefjon has been a matter of dispute. The root Gef- in Gef-jon is generally theorized as related to the root Gef-
in the name Gef-n."[4] The connection between the two names has resulted in etymological results of Gefjun meaning "the giving one".[5] The
Gylfaginning, names Gefjun and Gefn are both related to the Alagabiae or Ollogabiae, Matron groups.[6]
Gefn 'the giver'[3] Nafnaþulur
Scholar Richard North theorizes that Old English geofon and Old Norse Gefjun and Freyja's name Gefn may all descend from a common origin; gabia a
Germanic goddess connected with the sea, whose name means "giving".[7]

Gylfaginning, Appears in the Swedish place names Härnösand, Härnevi and Järnevi, stemming from the reconstructed Old Norse place name *Hörnar-vé
Hörn 'flaxen'(?)[3] Nafnaþulur (meaning "Hörn's vé").[8] In addition, the name Hörn also appears as the name of a troll woman in Nafnaþulur.[9]
Potentially 'sea-brightener' by way of mar ('sea')
combined with a second element that may be related to Gylfaginning,
Mardöll
Dellingr, indicating light.[10] The name may otherwise Nafnaþulur May be connected to the god name Heimdallr.[11]
mean 'the one who makes the sea swell'.[11]
Also the name the daughter of a Finnish king in Ynglinga saga. Due to necklace imagery in the Finnish Skjálf's tale (Freyja herself owns
Skjálf 'shaker'[3] Nafnaþulur
Brísingamen) a connection between the two names may exist.[12]
Gylfaginning, The pig was an important symbol of the Vanir and sacrificial practices (blót) associated with the group, particularly in association with Freyja
Sýr 'sow'[3] Skáldskaparmál,
Nafnaþulur and her brother Freyr.[13]

Thröng 'throng'[3] Skáldskaparmál

Thrungva 'throng'[3] Nafnaþulur

Valfreyja 'Lady of the Slain' or 'Freyja of the Slain'[3] Skáldskaparmál

Vanadís 'the dís of the vanir'[3] Skáldskaparmál The name "van-child" ('child of the Vanir') for "boar" may be connected.[14]

Attestations

Poetic Edda
In the Poetic Edda, Frey ja is mentioned or appears in the poems Völuspá, Grímnismál, Lokasenna, Þrymskviða, Oddrúnargrátr, and Hyndluljóð.

Völuspá contains a stanza that mentions Frey ja, referring to her as "Óð's girl"; Frey ja being the wife of her husband, Óðr. The stanza recounts that Frey ja was once promised to an unnamed builder, later rev ealed to be a jötunn and subsequently
killed by Thor (recounted in detail in Gylfaginning chapter 42; see Prose Edda section below). [1 5 ] In the poem Grímnismál, Odin (disguised as Grímnir) tells the y oung Agnar that ev ery day Frey ja allots seats to half of those that are slain in her
hall Fólkv angr, while Odin owns the other half. [1 6 ]

In the poem Lokasenna, where Loki accuses nearly ev ery female in attendance of promiscuity or unfaithfulness, an aggressiv e exchange occurs between Loki and Frey ja. The introduction to the poem notes that among other gods and
goddesses, Frey ja attends a celebration held by Ægir. In v erse, after Loki has fly ted with the goddess Frigg, Frey ja interjects, telling Loki that he is insane for dredging up his terrible deeds, and that Frigg knows the fate of ev ery one, though she
does not tell it. Loki tells her to be silent, and say s that he knows all about her—that Frey ja is not lacking in blame, for each of the gods and elv es in the hall hav e been her lov er. Frey ja objects. She say s that Loki is ly ing, that he is just looking to
blather about misdeeds, and since the gods and goddesses are furious at him, he can expect to go home defeated. Loki tells Frey ja to be silent, calls her a malicious witch, and conjures a scenario where Frey ja was once astride her brother when
all of the gods, laughing, surprised the two. Njörðr interjects—he say s that a woman hav ing a lov er other than her husband is harmless, and he points out that Loki has borne children, and calls Loki a perv ert. The poem continues in turn. [1 7 ]

The poem Þrymskviða features Loki borrowing Frey ja's cloak of feathers and Thor dressing up as Frey ja to fool the lusty jötunn Þry mr. In the poem, Thor wakes up to find that his powerful hammer, Mjöllnir, is missing. Thor tells Loki of his
missing hammer, and the two go to the beautiful court of Frey ja. Thor asks Frey ja if she will lend him her cloak of feathers, so that he may try to find his hammer. Frey ja agrees:

Benjamin Thorpe translation: Henry Adams Bellows translation:

"That I would give thee, although of gold it were, "Thine should it be though it of silver bright,
and trust it to thee, though it were of silver."[18] And I would give it though 'twere of gold."[19]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freyja 1/5
9/14/2019 Freyja - Wikipedia
Loki flies away in the whirring feather cloak, arriv ing in the land of Jötunheimr. He spies Þry mr sitting on top of a mound. Þry mr rev eals that he has hidden Thor's hammer deep within the earth and that
no one will ev er know where the hammer is unless Frey ja is brought to him as his wife. Loki flies back, the cloak whistling, and returns to the courts of the gods. Loki tells Thor of Þry mr's conditions. [2 0 ]

The two go to see the beautiful Frey ja. The first thing that Thor say s to Frey ja is that she should dress herself and put on a bride's head-dress, for they shall driv e to Jötunheimr. At that, Frey ja is furious
—the halls of the gods shake, she snorts in anger, and from the goddess the necklace Brísingamen falls. Indignant, Frey ja responds:

Benjamin Thorpe translation: Henry Adams Bellows translation:

"Know of me to be of women the lewdest, "Most lustful indeed should I look to all
if with thee I drive to Jötunheim."[21] If I journeyed with thee to the giants' home."[22]

The gods and goddesses assemble at a thing and debate how to solv e the problem. The god Heimdallr proposes to dress Thor up as a bride, complete with bridal dress, head-dress, jingling key s, jewelry ,
and the famous Brísingamen. Thor objects but is hushed by Loki, reminding him that the new owners of the hammer will soon be settling in the land of the gods if the hammer isn't returned. Thor is Freyja and Loki flyte in an illustration
dressed as planned and Loki is dressed as his maid. Thor and Loki go to Jötunheimr. [2 3 ] (1895) by Lorenz Frølich

In the meantime, Thry m tells his serv ants to prepare for the arriv al of the daughter of Njörðr. When "Frey ja" arriv es in the morning, Thry m is taken aback by her behav ior; her immense appetite for
food and mead is far more than what he expected, and when Thry m goes in for a kiss beneath "Frey ja's" v eil, he finds "her" ey es to be terrify ing, and he jumps down the hall. The disguised Loki makes
excuses for the bride's odd behav ior, claiming that she simply has not eaten or slept for eight day s. In the end, the disguises successfully fool the jötnar and, upon sight of it, Thor regains his hammer by
force. [2 4 ]

In the poem Oddrúnargrátr, Oddrún helps Borgny giv e birth to twins. In thanks, Borgny inv okes v ættir, Frigg, Frey ja, and other unspecified deities. [2 5 ]

Frey ja is a main character in the poem Hyndluljóð, where she assists her faithful serv ant Óttar in finding information about his ancestry so that he may claim his inheritance. In doing so, Frey ja turns
Óttar into her boar, Hildisv íni, and, by means of flattery and threats of death by fire, Frey ja successfully pries the information that Óttar needs from the jötunn Hy ndla. Frey ja speaks throughout the
poem, and at one point praises Óttar for constructing a hörgr (an altar of stones) and frequently making blót (sacrifices) to her:

Benjamin Thorpe translation:

An offer-stead to me he raised,
Henry Adams Bellows translation:
with stones constructed;
For me a shrine of stones he made,
now is the stone
And now to glass the rock has grown;
as glass become.
Oft with the blood of beasts was it red;
With the blood of oxen
he newly sprinkled it. In the goddesses ever did Ottar trust.[27]
Ottar ever trusted the Asyniur.[26]
While Freyja's cats look on, the god
Thor is unhappily dressed as Freyja
in Ah, what a lovely maid it is! (1902)
Prose Edda by Elmer Boyd Smith.
Frey ja appears in the Prose Edda books Gylfaginning and Skáldskaparmál. In chapter 24 of Gylfaginning, the enthroned figure of High say s that after the god Njörðr split with the goddess Skaði, he had
two beautiful and mighty children (no partner is mentioned); a son, Frey r, and a daughter, Frey ja. Frey r is "the most glorious" of the gods, and Frey ja "the most glorious" of the goddesses. Frey ja has a
dwelling in the heav ens, Fólkv angr, and that whenev er Frey ja "rides into battle she gets half the slain, and the other half to Odin [...]". In support, High quotes the Grímnismál stanza mentioned in the
Poetic Edda section abov e. [2 8 ]

High adds that Frey ja has a large, beautiful hall called Sessrúmnir, and that when Frey ja trav els she sits in a chariot and driv es two cats, and that Frey ja is "the most approachable one for people to pray
to, and from her name is deriv ed the honorific title whereby noble ladies are called fruvor [noble ladies]". High adds that Frey ja has a particular fondness for lov e songs, and that "it is good to pray to her
concerning lov e affairs". [2 8 ]
Reclining atop her boar Hildisvíni,
In chapter 29, High recounts the names and features of v arious goddesses, including Frey ja. Regarding Frey ja, High say s that, next to Frigg, Frey ja is highest in rank among them and that she owns the Freyja visits Hyndla in an illustration
necklace Brísingamen. Frey ja is married to Óðr, who goes on long trav els, and the two hav e a v ery fair daughter by the name of Hnoss. While Óðr is absent, Frey ja stay s behind and in her sorrow she (1895) by Lorenz Frølich
weeps tears of red gold. High notes that Frey ja has many names, and explains that this is because Frey ja adopted them when looking for Óðr and trav eling "among strange peoples". These names include
Gefn, Hörn, Mardöll, Sýr, and Vanadís. [2 9 ]

Frey ja play s a part in the ev ents leading to the birth of Sleipnir, the eight-legged horse. In chapter 42, High recounts that, soon after the gods built the hall Valhalla, a builder (unnamed) came to them
and offered to build for them in three seasons a fortification so solid that no jötunn would be able to come in ov er from Midgard. In exchange, the builder wants Frey ja for his bride, and the sun and the
moon. After some debate the gods agree, but with added conditions. In time, just as he is about to complete his work, it is rev ealed that the builder is, in fact, himself a jötunn, and he is killed by Thor. In
the meantime, Loki, in the form of a mare, has been impregnated by the jötunn's horse, Sv aðilfari, and so giv es birth to Sleipnir. In support, High quotes the Völuspá stanza that mentions Frey ja. [3 0 ] In
chapter 49, High recalls the funeral of Baldr and say s that Frey ja attended the funeral and there drov e her cat-chariot, the final reference to the goddess in Gylfaginning. [3 1 ]

At the beginning of the book Skáldskaparmál, Frey ja is mentioned among eight goddesses attending a banquet held for Ægir. [3 2 ] Chapter 56 details the abduction of the goddess Iðunn by the jötunn
Þjazi in the form of an eagle. Terrified at the prospect of death and torture due to his inv olv ement in the abduction of Iðunn, Loki asks if he may use Frey ja's "falcon shape" to fly north to Jötunheimr and
retriev e the missing goddess. Frey ja allows it, and using her "falcon shape" and a furious chase by eagle-Þjazi, Loki successfully returns her. [3 3 ]

In chapter 6, a means of referring to Njörðr is prov ided that refers to Frejy a ("father of Frey r and Frey ja"). In chapter 7 , a means of referring to Frey r is prov ided that refers to the goddess ("brother of
Frey ja"). In chapter 8, way s of referring to the god Heimdallr are prov ided, including "Loki's enemy , recov erer of Frey ja's necklace", inferring a my th inv olv ing Heimdallr recov ering Frey ja's necklace Nuzzled by her boar Hildisvíni, Freyja
gestures to a jötunn in an illustration
from Loki. [3 4 ]
(1895) by Lorenz Frølich
In chapter 17 , the jötunn Hrungnir finds himself in Asgard, the realm of the gods, and becomes v ery drunk. Hrungnir boasts that he will mov e Valhalla to Jötunheimr, bury Asgard, and kill all of the
gods—with the exception of the goddesses Frey ja and Sif, who he say s he will take home with him. Frey ja is the only one of them that dares to bring him more to drink. Hrungnir say s that he will drink all
of their ale. After a while, the gods grow bored of Hrungnir's antics and inv oke the name of Thor. Thor immediately enters the hall, hammer raised. Thor is furious and demands to know who is
responsible for letting a jötunn in to Asgard, who guaranteed Hrungnir safety , and why Frey ja "should be serv ing him drink as if at the Æsir's banquet". [3 5 ]

In chapter 18, v erses from the 10th century skald's composition Þórsdrápa are quoted. A kenning used in the poem refers to Frey ja. [3 6 ] In chapter 20, poetic way s to refer to Frey ja are prov ided;
"daughter of Njörðr", "sister of Frey r", "wife of Óðr", "mother of Hnoss", "possessor of the fallen slain and of Sessrumnir and tom-cats", possessor of Brísingamen, "Van-deity ", Vanadís, and "fair-tear
deity ". [3 7 ] In chapter 32, poetic way s to refer to gold are prov ided, including "Frey ja's weeping" and "rain or shower [...] from Frey ja's ey es". [3 8 ]

Chapter 33 tells that once the gods journey ed to v isit Ægir, one of whom was Frey ja. [3 8 ] In chapter 49, a quote from a work by the skald Einarr Skúlason employ s the kenning "Óðr's bedfellow's ey e-
rain", which refers to Frey ja and means "gold". [3 9 ]

Chapter 36 explains again that gold can be referring to as Frey ja's weeping due to her red gold tears. In support, works by the skalds Skúli Þórsteinsson and Einarr Skúlason are cited that use "Frey ja's
tears" or "Frey ja's weepings" to represent "gold". The chapter features additional quotes from poetry by Einarr Skúlason that references the goddess and her child Hnoss. [4 0 ] Frey ja receiv es a final
mention in the Prose Edda in chapter 7 5, where a list of goddesses is prov ided that includes Frey ja. [4 1 ]

Heimskringla
Heimdallr returns the neck lace
The Heimskringla book Y nglinga saga prov ides a euhemerized account of the origin of the gods, including Frey ja. In chapter 4, Frey ja is introduced as a member of the Vanir, the sister of Frey r, and
Brísingamen to Freyja (1846) by Nils
the daughter of Njörðr and his sister (whose name is not prov ided). After the Æsir–Vanir War ends in a stalemate, Odin appoints Frey r and Njörðr as priests ov er sacrifices. Frey ja becomes the priestess Blommér
of sacrificial offerings and it was she who introduced the practice of seiðr to the Æsir, prev iously only practiced by the Vanir. [4 2 ]

In chapter 10, Frey ja's brother Frey r dies, and Frey ja is the last surv iv or among the Æsir and Vanir. Frey ja keeps up the sacrifices and becomes famous. The saga explains that, due to Frey ja's fame, all
women of rank become known by her name—frúvor ("ladies"), a woman who is the mistress of her property is referred to as freyja, and húsfreyja ("lady of the house") for a woman who owns an
estate. [4 3 ]

The chapter adds that not only was Frey ja v ery clev er, but that she and her husband Óðr had two immensely beautiful daughters, Gersemi and Hnoss, "who gav e their names to our most precious
possessions". [4 3 ]

Other
Frey ja is mentioned in the sagas Egils saga, Njáls saga, Hálfs saga ok Hálfsrekka, and in Sörla þáttr.

Egils saga

In Egils saga, when Egill Skallagrímsson refuses to eat, his daughter Þorgerðr (here anglicized as "Thorgerd") say s she will go without food and thus starv e to death, and in doing so will meet the goddess
Frey ja:

Thorgerd replied in a loud voice, "I have had no evening meal, nor will I do so until I join Freyja. I know no better course of action than my father's. I do not want to Freja (1901) by Anders Zorn
live after my father and brother are dead."[44]

Hálfs saga ok Hálfsrekka

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freyja 2/5
9/14/2019 Freyja - Wikipedia
In the first chapter of the 14th century legendary saga Hálfs saga ok Hálfsrekka, King Alrek has two wiv es, Geirhild and Signy , and cannot keep them both. He tells the two
women that he would keep whichev er of them that brews the better ale for him by the time he has returned home in the summer. The two compete and during the brewing
process Signy pray s to Frey ja and Geirhild to Hött ("hood"), a man she had met earlier (earlier in the saga rev ealed to be Odin in disguise). Hött answers her pray er and spits on
her y east. Signy 's brew wins the contest. [4 5 ]

Sörla þáttr

In Sörla þáttr, a short, late 14th century narrativ e from a later and extended v ersion of the Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar found in the
Flateyjarbók manuscript, an euhmerized account of the gods is prov ided. In the account, Frey ja is described as hav ing been a
concubine of Odin, who bartered sex to four dwarfs for a golden necklace. In the work, the Æsir once liv ed in a city called Asgard,
located in a region called "Asialand or Asiahome". Odin was the king of the realm, and made Njörðr and Frey r temple priests. Frey ja was
the daughter of Njörðr, and was Odin's concubine. Odin deeply lov ed Frey ja, and she was "the fairest of woman of that day ". Frey ja had a
beautiful bower, and when the door was shut no one could enter without Frey ja's permission. [4 6 ]
Freyja Seek ing her Husband (1852) by Nils Blommér
Chapter 1 records that one day Frey ja passed by an open stone where dwarfs liv ed. Four dwarfs were smithy ing a golden necklace, and
it was nearly done. Looking at the necklace, the dwarfs thought Frey ja to be most fair, and she the necklace. Frey ja offered to buy the
collar from them with silv er and gold and other items of v alue. The dwarfs said that they had no lack of money , and that for the necklace the only thing she could offer them would be a night with each of
them. "Whether she liked it better or worse", Frey ja agreed to the conditions, and so spent a night with each of the four dwarfs. The conditions were fulfilled and the necklace was hers. Frey ja went home
to her bower as if nothing happened. [4 7 ]

As related in chapter 2, Loki, under the serv ice of Odin, found out about Frey ja's actions and told Odin. Odin told Loki to get the necklace and bring it to him. Loki said that since no one could enter
Frey ja's bower against her will, this wouldn't be an easy task, y et Odin told him not to come back until he had found a way to get the necklace. Howling, Loki turned away and went to Frey ja's bower but
found it locked, and that he couldn't enter. So Loki transformed himself into a fly , and after hav ing trouble finding ev en the tiniest of entrances, he managed to find a tiny hole at the gable-top, y et ev en
Freyja in the Dwarf's Cave (1891) by
here he had to squeeze through to enter. [4 7 ]
Louis Huard
Hav ing made his way into Frey ja's chambers, Loki looked around to be sure that no one was awake, and found that Frey ja was asleep. He landed on her bed and noticed that she was wearing the
necklace, the clasp turned downward. Loki turned into a flea and jumped onto Frey ja's cheek and there bit her. Frey ja stirred, turning about, and then fell asleep again. Loki remov ed his flea's shape and
undid her collar, opened the bower, and returned to Odin. [4 8 ]

The next morning Frey ja woke and saw that the doors to her bower were open, y et unbroken, and that her precious necklace was gone. Frey ja had an idea of who was responsible. She got dressed and went to Odin. She told Odin of the malice he
had allowed against her and of the theft of her necklace, and that he should giv e her back her jewelry . [4 9 ]

Odin said that, giv en how she obtained it, she would nev er get it back. That is, with one exception: she could hav e it back if she could make two kings, themselv es ruling twenty kings each, battle one another, and cast a spell so that each time
one of their numbers falls in battle, they will again spring up and fight again. And that this must go on eternally , unless a Christian man of a particular stature goes into the battle and smites them, only then will they stay dead. Frey ja agreed. [4 9 ]

Post-Christianization and Scandinavian folklore

Although the Christianization of Scandinav ia sought to demonize the nativ e gods, belief and rev erence in the gods, including Frey ja, remained into the modern period and melded into Scandinav ian
folklore. Britt-Mari Näsström comments that Frey ja became a particular target under Christianization:

Freyja's erotic qualities became an easy target for the new religion, in which an asexual virgin was the ideal woman [...] Freyja is called "a whore" and "a harlot" by
the holy men and missionaries, whereas many of her functions in the everyday lives of men and women, such as protecting the vegetation and supplying assistance
in childbirth were transferred to the Virgin Mary.[50]

Howev er, Frey ja did not disappear. In Iceland, Frey ja was called upon for assistance by way of Icelandic magical stav es as late as the 18th century , and as late as the 19th century , Frey ja is recorded as
retaining elements of her role as a fertility goddess among rural Swedes. [5 1 ]

The Old Norse poem Þrymskviða (or its source) continued into Scandinav ian folk song tradition, where it was euhemerized and otherwise transformed ov er time. In Iceland, the poem became known as
Þrylur, whereas in Denmark the poem became Thor af Havsgaard and in Sweden it became Torvisan or Hammarhämtningen. [5 0 ] A section of the Swedish Torvisan, in which Freyja has been
transformed into "the fair" (den väna) Frojenborg, reads as follows:

Swedish Britt-Mari Näsström translation Ripe rye in Northern Europe

Det var den väna Frojenborg It was the fair Frojenborg
hon tog så illa vid sig She was so upset [over Þórr's demand]
det sprack av vart finger blodet ut her blood burst from each of her fingers
och rann i jorden ner.[50] and ran down into the ground.[50]

In the prov ince of Småland, Sweden, an account is recorded connecting Frey ja with sheet lightning in this respect. Writer Johan Alfred Göth recalled a Sunday in 1880 where men were walking in fields and looking at nearly ripened ry e, where
Måns in Karry d said: "Now Frey ja is out watching if the ry e is ripe". Along with this, Göth recalls another mention of Frey ja in the country side:

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 at the night, 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.[52]

In Värend, Sweden, Frey ja could also arriv e at Christmas night and she used to shake the apple trees for the sake of a good harv est and consequently people left some apples in the trees for her sake. Howev er, it was dangerous to leav e the
plough outdoors, because if Frey ja sat on it, it would no longer be of any use. [5 2 ]

Eponyms
Sev eral plants were named after Frey ja, such as Freyja's tears and Freyja's hair (Polygala vulgaris), but during the process of Christianization, the name of the goddess was replaced with that of the
Virgin Mary . [5 3 ] In the pre-Christian period, the Orion constellation was called either Frigg's distaff or Frey ja's distaff (Swedish Frejerock). [5 3 ]

Place names in Norway and Sweden reflect dev otion to the goddess, including the Norwegian place name Frøihov (originally *Freyjuhof, literally "Frey ja's hof") and Swedish place names such as Fröv i
(from *Freyjuvé, literally "Frey ja's v é"). [5 4 ] In a surv ey of topony ms in Norway , M. Olsen tallies at least 20 to 30 location names compounded with Freyja. Three of these place names appear to deriv e
from *Freyjuhof ('Frey ja's hof'), whereas the goddess's name is frequently otherwise compounded with words for 'meadow' (such as -þveit, -land) and similar land formations. These topony ms are
attested most commonly on the west coast though a high frequency is found in the southeast. [5 5 ]

Place names containing Freyja are y et more numerous and v aried in Sweden, where they are widely distributed. A particular concentration is recorded in Uppland, among which a number deriv e from
the abov e-mentioned *Freyjuvé and also *Freyjulundr ('Frey ja's sacred grov e'), place names that indicate public worship of Frey ja. In addition, a v ariety of place names (such as Frøal and Fröale) hav e
been seen as containing an element cognate to Gothic alhs and Old English ealh ("temple"), although these place names may be otherwise interpreted. In addition, Frejya appears as a compound
element with a v ariety of words for geographic features such as fields, meadows, lakes, and natural objects such as rocks. [5 6 ]

The Frey ja name Hörn appears in the Swedish place names Härnev i and Järnev i, stemming from the reconstructed Old Norse place name *Hörnar-vé (meaning "Hörn's v é"). [5 7 ]
Freyja's hair—Polygala vulgaris—a
Archaeological record and historic depictions species of the genus Polygala.

A priestess was buried c. 1000 with considerable splendour in Hageby höga in Östergötland. In addition to being buried with her wand, she had receiv ed great riches which included horses, a wagon and
an Arabian bronze pitcher. There was also a silv er pendant, which represents a woman with a broad necklace around her neck. This kind of necklace was only worn by the most prominent women during the Iron Age
and some hav e interpreted it as Frey ja's necklace Brísingamen. The pendant may represent Frey ja herself. [5 8 ]

A 7 th-century phalara found in a "warrior grav e" in what is now Eschwege in northwestern Germany features a female figure with two large braids flanked by two "cat-like" beings and holding a staff-like object. This
figure has been interpreted as Frey ja. [5 9 ] This image may be connected to v arious B-ty pe bracteates, referred to as the Fürstenberg-ty pe, that may also depict the goddess; they "show a female figure, in a short skirt
and double-looped hair, holding a stav e or sceptre in her right hand and a double-cross feature in the left". [5 9 ]

A 12th century depiction of a cloaked but otherwise nude woman riding a large cat appears on a wall in the Schleswig Cathedral in Schleswig-Holstein, Northern Germany . Beside her is similarly a cloaked y et otherwise The pendant, in the
Swedish Museum
nude woman riding a distaff. Due to iconographic similarities to the literary record, these figures hav e been theorized as depictions of Frey ja and Frigg respectiv ely . [6 0 ]
of National
Antiquities in
Theories Stockholm.

Relation to Frigg and other goddesses and figures

Due to numerous similarities, scholars hav e frequently connected Frey ja with the goddess Frigg. The connection with Frigg and question of possible earlier identification of Frey ja with Frigg in the Proto-Germanic period (Frigg and Frey ja
origin hy pothesis) remains a matter of scholarly discourse. [6 1 ] Regarding a Frey ja-Frigg common origin hy pothesis, scholar Stephan Grundy comments, "the problem of whether Frigg or Frey ja may hav e been a single goddess originally is a
difficult one, made more so by the scantiness of pre-Viking Age references to Germanic goddesses, and the div erse quality of the sources. The best that can be done is to surv ey the arguments for and against their identity , and to see how well
each can be supported."[6 2 ]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freyja 3/5
9/14/2019 Freyja - Wikipedia
Like the name of the group of gods to which Frey ja belongs, the Vanir, the name Freyja is not attested outside of Scandinav ia, as opposed to the name of the goddess Frigg, who is attested as a goddess common among the Germanic peoples,
and whose name is reconstructed as Proto-Germanic *Frijjō. Similar proof for the existence of a common Germanic goddess from which Freyja descends does not exist, but scholars hav e commented that this may simply be due to lack of
ev idence. [6 1 ]

In the Poetic Edda poem Völuspá, a figure by the name of Gullv eig is burnt three times y et is three times reborn. After her third rebirth, she is known as Heiðr. This ev ent is generally accepted as precipitating the Æsir–Vanir War. Starting with
scholar Gabriel Turv ille-Petre, scholars such as Rudolf Simek, Andy Orchard, and John Lindow hav e theorized that Gullv eig/Heiðr is the same figure as Frey ja, and that her inv olv ement with the Æsir somehow led to the ev ents of the Æsir–
Vanir War. [6 3 ]

Outside of theories connecting Frey ja with the goddess Frigg, some scholars, such as Hilda Ellis Dav idson and Britt-Mari Näsström, hav e theorized that other goddesses in Norse my thology , such as Gefjon, Gerðr, and Skaði, may be forms of
Frey ja in different roles or ages. [6 4 ]

Receiver of the slain

Frey ja and her afterlife field Fólkv angr, where she receiv es half of the slain, hav e been theorized as connected to the v alky ries. Scholar Britt-Mari Näsström points out the description in Gylfaginning where it is said of Frey ja that "whenev er she
rides into battle she takes half of the slain", and interprets Fólkvangr as "the field of the Warriors". Näsström notes that, just like Odin, Frey ja receiv es slain heroes who hav e died on the battlefield, and that her house is Sessrumnir (which she
translates as "filled with many seats"), a dwelling that Näsström posits likely fills the same function as Valhalla. Näsström comments that "still, we must ask why there are two heroic paradises in the Old Norse v iew of afterlife. It might possibly
be a consequence of different forms of initiation of warriors, where one part seemed to hav e belonged to Óðinn and the other to Frey ja. These examples indicate that Frey ja was a war-goddess, and she ev en appears as a v alky rie, literally 'the
one who chooses the slain'."[6 5 ]

Siegfried Andres Dobat comments that "in her my thological role as the chooser of half the fallen warriors for her death realm Fólkv angr, the goddess Frey ja, howev er, emerges as the my thological role model for the Valky rjar [sic] and the
dísir."[6 6 ]

The Oriental hypothesis

Gustav Neckel, writing in 1920, connects Frey ja to the Phry gian goddess Cy bele. According to Neckel, both goddesses can be interpreted as "fertility goddesses" and other potential resemblances hav e been noted. Some scholars hav e suggested
that the image of Cy bele subsequently influenced the iconography of Frey ja, the lions drawing the former's chariot becoming large cats. These observ ations became an extremely common observ ation in works regarding Old Norse religion
until at least the early 1990s. In her book-length study of scholarship on the topic of Frey ja, Britt-Mari Näsström (1995) is highly critical of this deduction; Näsström say s that "these 'parallels' are due to sheer ignorance about the
characteristics of Cy bele; scholars hav e not troubled to look into the resemblances and differences between the two goddesses, if any , in support for their arguments for a common origin."[6 7 ]

Modern influence
Into the modern period, Frey ja was treated as a Scandinav ian counterpart to the Roman Venus in, for example, Swedish literature, where the goddess may be associated with romantic lov e or,
conv ersely , simply as a sy nony m for "lust and potency ". [6 8 ] In the 18th century , Swedish poet Carl Michael Bellman referred to Stockholm prostitutes in his Fredman's Epistles as "the children of
Fröja". [5 0 ] In the 19th century , Britt-Mari Näsström observ es, Swedish Romanticism focused less on Frey ja's erotic qualities and more on the image of "the pining goddess, weeping for her
husband". [5 0 ]

Frey ja is mentioned in the first stanza ("it is called old Denmark and it is Freja's hall") of the civ il national anthem of Denmark, Der er et yndigt land, written by 19th century Danish poet Adam Gottlob
Oehlenschläger in 1819. [6 9 ] In addition, Oehlenschläger wrote a comedy entitled Freyjas alter (1818) and a poem Freais sal featuring the goddess. [7 0 ]

The 19th century German composer Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen opera cy cle features Freia, the goddess Frey ja combined with the apple-bearing goddess Iðunn. [7 1 ]

In late 19th century and early 20th century Northern Europe, Frey ja was the subject of numerous works of art, including Freyja by H. E. Freund (statue, 1821–1822), Freja sökande sin make (painting,
1852) by Nils Blommér, Freyjas Aufnahme uner den Göttern (charcoal drawing, 1881), and Frigg; Freyja (drawing, 1883) by Carl Ehrenberg (illustrator), Freyja (1901) by Carl Emil Doepler d. J., and
Freyja and the Brisingamen by J. Doy le Penrose (painting, 1862–1932). [7 0 ] Like other Norse goddesses, her name was applied widely in Scandinav ia to, for example, "sweetmeats or to stout
carthorses". [7 2 ] Vanadís, one of Frey ja's names, is the source of the name of the chemical element v anadium, so named because of its many colored compounds. [7 3 ]

Starting in the early 1990s, deriv ativ es of Freyja began to appear as a giv en name for girls. [7 2 ] According to the Norwegian name database from the Central Statistics Bureau, around 500 women are
listed with the first name Frøya (the modern Norwegian spelling of the goddess's name) in the country . There are also sev eral similar names, such as the first element of the dithematic personal name Freia—a combination of Freyja and
Frøydis. [7 4 ] the goddess Iðunn—from Richard
Wagner's opera Der Ring des
Nibelungen as illustrated (1910) by
See also Arthur Rackham

List of Germanic deities

Notes
1. Orel (2003:112). 26. Thorpe (1866), p. 108. 51. For Freyja in Iceland, see Flowers (1989), pp. 73,80. For Freyja in Sweden, see
2. Grundy (1998:55–56). 27. Bellows (1923), p. 221. Schön (2004), pp. 227–228.
3. Orchard (1997:48). 28. Faulkes (1995), p. 24. 52. Schön (2004), pp. 227–228.
4. Sturtevant (1952:166). 29. Faulkes (1995), pp. 29–30. 53. Schön (2004), p. 228.
5. Orchard (1997:52). 30. Faulkes (1995), pp. 35–36. 54. Simek (2007), p. 91 and Turville-Petre (1964), pp. 178–179.
6. Davidson (1998:79). 31. Faulkes (1995), p. 50. 55. Turville-Petre (1964), p. 178.
7. North (1998:226). 32. Faulkes (1995), p. 59. 56. Turville-Petre (1964), pp. 178–179.
8. Simek (2007:156–157). 33. Faulkes (1995), p. 60. 57. Simek (2007), pp. 156–157 and Turville-Petre (1964), p. 178.
9. Faulkes (1995:156). 34. Faulkes (1995), pp. 75–76. 58. Harrison, D. & Svensson, K. (2007). Vik ingaliv. Fälth & Hässler, Värnamo.
ISBN 978-91-27-35725-9 p.58
10. See Orchard (1998:84) for the rendering 'sea-brightener' and Turville-Petre 35. Faulkes (1995), p. 68.
(1964:178) for elements. 59. Gaimster (1998), pp. 54–55.
36. Faulkes (1995), p. 85.
11. Simek (2007:202). 60. Jones & Pennick (1995), pp. 144–145.
37. Faulkes (1995), p. 86.
12. Simek (2007:291). 61. Grundy (1998), pp. 56–66.
38. Faulkes (1995), p. 95.
13. Simek (2007:309). 62. Grundy (1998), p. 57.
39. Faulkes (1995), p. 119.
14. Faulkes (1995:257). 63. Simek (2007), pp. 123–124, Lindow (2002), p. 155, and Orchard (1997), p. 67.
40. Faulkes (1995), p. 98.
15. Larrington (1999), p. 7. 64. Davidson (1998), pp. 85–86.
41. Faulkes (1995), p. 157.
16. Larrington (1999), p. 53. 65. Näsström (1999), p. 61.
42. Hollander (2007), p. 8.
17. Larrington (1999), pp. 84,90. 66. Dobat (2006), p. 186.
43. Hollander (2007), p. 14.
18. Thorpe (1866), p. 62. 67. Näsström (1995), pp. 23–24.
44. Scudder (2001), p. 151.
19. Bellows (1923), p. 175. 68. Näsström (1995), pp. 21–22.
45. Tunstall (2005).
20. Larrington (1999), p. 98. 69. Andersen (1899), p. 157.
46. Morris & Morris (1911), p. 127.
21. Thorpe (1866), p. 64. 70. Simek (2007), p. 91.
47. Morris & Morris (1911), p. 128.
22. Bellows (1923), p. 177. 71. Simek (2007), p. 90.
48. Morris & Morris (1911), pp. 128–129.
23. Larrington (1999), pp. 99–100. 72. Näsström (1995), p. 22.
49. Morris & Morris (1911), p. 129.
24. Larrington (1999), pp. 100–101. 73. Wiberg, Wiberg & Holleman (2001), p. 1345. A suburb of Minneapolis, MN, an
50. Näsström (1995), p. 21.
area settled heavily by Scandinavians, is called "Vanadis Heights".
25. Larrington (1999), p. 206.
74. "Names" (http://www.ssb.no/en/befolkning/statistikker/navn). Statistics Norway.

References
Andersen, Vilhelm (1899). Adam Oehlenschläger: et livs poesi (https://books.google.com/books?id=-gUTAAAAMAAJ&dq=Der%20er%20et%20yndigt%20land%20freja&lr=&pg=PA157#v=onepage&q=&f=false) (in Danish). Nordiske forlag, E. Bojesen.
Bellows, Henry Adams (Trans.) (1923). The Poetic Edda. American-Scandinavian Foundation.
Davidson, Hilda Ellis (1998). Roles of the Northern Goddess (https://books.google.com/books?id=9IAyyYi0OC4C&printsec=frontcover&dq=Roles+of+the+Northern+Goddess#v=onepage&q=&f=false). Routledge. ISBN 0-415-13611-3.
Dobat, Siegfried Andres (2006). "Bridging mythology and belief: Viking Age functional culture as a reflection of the belief in divine intervention". In Andren, A.; Jennbert, K.; Raudvere, C. (eds.). Old Norse Religion in Long Term Perspectives: Origins,
Changes and Interactions, an International Conference in Lund, Sweden, June 3–7, 2004 (https://books.google.com/books?id=gjq6rvoIRpAC&pg=PA184). Nordic Academic Press. ISBN 91-89116-81-X.
Faulkes, Anthony (Trans.) (1995). Edda. Everyman. ISBN 0-460-87616-3.
Gaimster, Märit (1998). Vendel Period Bracteates on Gotland. Almqvist & Wiksell International. ISBN 91-22-01790-9.
Grundy, Stephan (1998). "Freyja and Frigg". In Billington, Sandra; Green, Miranda (eds.). The Concept of the Goddess (https://books.google.com/books?id=IoW9yhkrFJoC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false).
Routledge. ISBN 0-415-19789-9.
Hollander, Lee Milton (Trans.) (2007). Heimsk ringla: History of the Kings of Norway (https://books.google.com/books?id=qHpwje7-wNkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Heimskringla:+History+of+the+Kings+of+Norway&lr=#v=onepage&q=&f=false). University of
Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-73061-8.
Flowers, Stephen (1989). The Galdrabók : An Icelandic Grimoire. Samuel Weiser, Inc. ISBN 0-87728-685-X.
Larrington, Carolyne (Trans.) (1999). The Poetic Edda. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-283946-2.
Lindow, John (2002). Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs (https://books.google.com/books?id=KlT7tv3eMSwC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_navlinks_s#v=onepage&q=&f=false). Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-
515382-0.
Jones, Prudence; Pennick, Nigel (1995). A History of Pagan Europe. Routledge. ISBN 9780415091367.
Morris, William (Trans.); Morris, May (1911). The Collected Work s of William Morris: Volume X, Three Northern Love Stories and the Tale of Beowulf (https://books.google.com/books?id=2IkEAQAAIAAJ&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=&f=false). Longmans
Green and Company.
Näsström, Britt-Mari (1995). Freyja – the Great Goddess of the North. Almqvist & Wiksell International. ISBN 91-22-01694-5.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freyja 4/5
9/14/2019 Freyja - Wikipedia

Näsström, Britt-Mari (1999). "Freyja – The Trivalent Goddess". In Sand, Reenberg Erik; Sørensen, Jørgen Podemann (eds.). Comparative Studies in History of Religions: Their Aim, Scope and Validity (https://books.google.com/books?id=TU_H79-CtucC&
pg=PA57). Museum Tusculanum Press. ISBN 87-7289-533-0.
Orchard, Andy (1997). Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend. Cassell. ISBN 0-304-34520-2.
Orel, Vladimir (2003). A Handbook of Germanic Etymology. Brill Publishers. ISBN 90 04 12875 1.
Schön, Ebbe (2004). Asa-Tors hammare, Gudar och jättar i tro och tradition (in Swedish). Fält & Hässler, Värnamo.
Scudder, Bernard (Trans.) (2001). "Egils saga". The Sagas of Icelanders. Penguin Group. ISBN 0-14-100003-1.
Simek, Rudolf (2007). Dictionary of Northern Mythology. translated by Angela Hall. D.S. Brewer. ISBN 0-85991-513-1.
Thorpe, Benjamin (Trans.) (1866). The Elder Edda of Saemund Sigfusson. Norrœna Society.
Tunstall, Peter (Trans.) (2005). The Saga of Half & His Heroes.
Turville-Petre, E. O. G. (1964). Myth and Religion of the North: The Religion of Ancient Scandinavia. Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Wiberg, Egon; Wiberg, Nils; Holleman, Arnold Frederick (2001). Holleman-Wiberg's Inorganic Chemistry (https://books.google.com/books?id=Mtth5g59dEIC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false). Academic
Press. ISBN 0-12-352651-5.

External links
Media related to Freyja at Wikimedia Commons

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Freyja&oldid=908365426"

This page was last edited on 29 July 2019, at 07:54 (UTC).

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-
profit organization.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freyja 5/5