The Myths of the Norsemen: From the Eddas and Sagas on Frey

Contents > Chapter Ix: Frey

• attestation: Frey was the son of Njord and Nerthus (or Njord and Skadi), born in Vanaheim; the Aesir gave the infant Frey the realm of Alfheim as a tooth-gift.

  "Frey, or Fro, as he was called in Germany, was the son of Niórd and Nerthus, or of Niórd and Skadi, and was born in Vana-heim... the Æsir gave the infant Frey the beautiful realm of Alf-heim or Fairyland, the home of the Light Elves. "Alf-heim the gods to Frey Gave in days of yore For a tooth gift.""

• attestation: Frey received from the gods a marvellous self-fighting sword that acted of its own accord as soon as drawn from its sheath; he used it mainly against frost giants.

  "Frey also received from the gods a marvellous sword (an emblem of the sunbeams), which had the power of fighting successfully, and of its own accord, as soon as it was drawn from its sheath. Frey wielded this principally against the frost giants, whom he hated almost as much as did Thor"

• attestation: Frey possessed the golden-bristled boar Gullinbursti, given by dwarfs from Svart-alfa-heim; its golden bristles symbolised solar rays or grain, and the boar was said to have first taught mankind to plough.

  "The dwarfs from Svart-alfa-heim gave Frey the golden-bristled boar Gullin-bursti (the golden-bristled), a personification of the sun. The radiant bristles of this animal were considered symbolical either of the solar rays, of the golden grain, which at his bidding waved over the harvest fields of Midgard, or of agriculture; for the boar (by tearing up the ground with his sharp tusk) was supposed to have first taught mankind how to plough."

• attestation: Frey also owned the horse Blodughofi (which would dash through fire and water) and the magic ship Skidbladnir, which could be folded like a napkin yet could carry all the gods and their horses.

  "Frey was, moreover, the proud possessor not only of the dauntless steed Blodug-hofi, which would dash through fire and water at his command, but also of the magic ship Skidbladnir, a personification of the clouds. This vessel, sailing over land and sea, was always wafted along by favourable winds, and was so elastic that, while it could assume large enough proportions to carry the gods, their steeds, and all their equipments, it could also be folded up like a napkin and thrust into a pocket."

• attestation: Frey saw Gerda from Odin's throne Hlidskialf; as she raised her hand to lift a latch, her radiant beauty illuminated sea and sky, and he fell deeply in love.

  "Frey once ventured to ascend Odin's throne Hlidskialf, from which exalted seat his gaze ranged over the wide earth. Looking towards the frozen North, he saw a beautiful young maiden enter the house of the frost giant Gymir, and as she raised her hand to lift the latch her radiant beauty illuminated sea and sky."

• attestation: Frey gave Skirnir his self-fighting sword and horse to woo Gerda on his behalf; Skirnir stole Frey's reflection from a brook and imprisoned it in his drinking horn to win Gerda's heart.

  "Frey willingly handed Skirnir the flashing sword, and gave him permission to use his horse. But he quickly relapsed into the state of reverie which had become usual with him since falling in love, and thus he did not notice that Skirnir was still hovering near him, nor did he perceive him cunningly steal the reflection of his face from the surface of the brook near which he was seated, and imprison it in his drinking horn, with intent "to pour it out in Gerda's cup, and by its beauty win the heart of the giantess""

• attestation: Frey slew the frost giant Beli using a stag horn when he was deprived of his matchless sword, which he had given to Skirnir; Beli had attacked Frey first.

  "The latter had attacked Frey and had been slain by him, although the sun-god, deprived of his matchless sword, had been obliged to defend himself with a stag horn which he hastily snatched from the wall of his dwelling."

• attestation: Frey and Gerda became parents of a son named Fiolnir; Frey had two other attendants besides Skirnir — the couple Beyggvir and Beyla, personifications of mill refuse and manure.

  "Frey and Gerda, we are told, became the parents of a son called Fiolnir, whose birth consoled Gerda for the loss of her brother Beli. ... Besides the faithful Skirnir, Frey had two other attendants, a married couple, Beyggvir and Beyla, the personifications of mill refuse and manure"

• attestation: Snorri Sturluson states in Heimskringla that Frey was the historical king Ingvi-Frey who ruled Uppsala after Odin and Njord; when he died, priests concealed the fact and laid him in a mound, telling the people he had 'gone into the mound'.

  "Snorro-Sturleson, in his "Heimskringla," or chronicle of the ancient kings of Norway, states that Frey was an historical personage who bore the name of Ingvi-Frey, and ruled in Upsala after the death of the semi-historical Odin and Niórd. Under his rule the people enjoyed such prosperity and peace that they declared their king must be a god... when he died the priests, not daring to reveal the fact, laid him in a great mound instead of burning his body"

• attestation: The people paid tribute to the buried Frey by pouring gold, silver, and copper into three openings in his mound for three years; when they discovered he was dead, they inaugurated the custom of mound-burial.

  "Not until three years later did the people, who had continued paying their taxes to the king by pouring gold, silver, and copper coin into the mound through three different openings, discover that Frey was dead. As their peace and prosperity had remained undisturbed, they decreed that his corpse should never be burned, and they thus inaugurated the custom of mound-burial"

• attestation: Frey's temples at Throndhjeim (Norway) and Thvera (Iceland) admitted no weapons; sacrifices of oxen or horses were offered and a gold ring dipped in victim's blood was used for oath-taking.

  "No weapons were ever admitted in Frey's temples, the most celebrated of which were at Throndhjeim in Norway, and at Thvera in Iceland. In these temples oxen or horses were offered in sacrifice to him, a heavy gold ring being dipped in the victim's blood ere the above-mentioned oath was solemnly taken upon it."

• attestation: The Yule month was sacred to both Frey and Thor; it began on the longest night (Mother Night) and the festival was called Yule (wheel) because the sun was compared to a revolving wheel.

  "One month of every year, the Yule month, or Thor's month, was considered sacred to Frey as well as to Thor, and began on the longest night of the year, which bore the name of Mother Night. This month was a time of feasting and rejoicing, for it heralded the return of the sun. The festival was called Yule (wheel) because the sun was supposed to resemble a wheel rapidly revolving across the sky."

• attestation: At Yuletide, boar's flesh was eaten in honour of Frey; the boar's head, crowned with laurel and rosemary, was carried into the banqueting-hall with ceremony, and the father of the family swore faithfulness to his family upon the sacred dish.

  "In honour of Frey, boar's flesh was eaten on this occasion. Crowned with laurel and rosemary, the animal's head was brought into the banqueting-hall with much ceremony... The father of the family laid his hand on the sacred dish, which was called "the boar of atonement," swearing he would be faithful to his family, and would fulfil all his obligations"

• attestation: In areas where Frey was known as Fro (German for gladness), married couples who lived in harmony for a set time were publicly rewarded with boar's flesh; in England and Vienna this custom became a flitch of bacon.

  "Those who succeeded in doing so for a certain length of time were publicly rewarded by the gift of a piece of boar's flesh, for which in later times, the English and Viennese substituted a flitch of bacon or a ham."

• attestation: Frodi (Peace Frodi) was a legendary king of Denmark during the time of Christ's birth, said to be Frey's son Fridleef, who received from Hengikiaptr the magic millstones Grotti which could grind anything wished.

  "As god of peace and prosperity, Frey is supposed to have reappeared upon earth many times, and to have ruled the Swedes under the name of Ingvi-Frey... He also governed the Danes under the name of Fridleef. In Denmark he is said to have married the beautiful maiden Freygerda, whom he had rescued from a dragon. By her he had a son named Frodi, who, in due time, succeeded him as king. Frodi ruled Denmark in the days when there was "peace throughout the world," that is to say, just at the time when Christ was born in Bethlehem of Judea"