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

Contents > List Of Illustrations > Introduction

• attribution: The goddess Freya with her gleaming necklace and Sif with golden locks were poetic personifications arising from Norse contemplation of natural beauty.

  ""His eye was fixed on the mountains till the snowy peaks assumed human features and the giant of the rock or the ice descended with heavy tread; or he would gaze at the splendour of the spring, or of the summer fields, till Freya with the gleaming necklace stepped forth, or Sif with the flowing locks of gold.""

Contents > Chapter Iv: Thor

• attestation: Freya refused to be given to Thrym as a bride, flying into such a passion that even her necklace burst.

  "when the Æsir told the goddess of beauty what they wished her to do, she flew into such a passion that even her necklace burst. She told them that she would never leave her beloved husband for any god, much less to marry a detested giant and dwell in Jötun-heim"

Contents > Chapter X: Freya

• attestation: Freya was the sister of Frey and daughter of Njord and Nerthus or Skadi; she was also known as Vanadis (goddess of the Vanas) or Vanabride, having been born in Vanaheim.

  "Freya, the fair Northern goddess of beauty and love, was the sister of Frey and the daughter of Niórd and Nerthus, or Skadi. She was the most beautiful and best beloved of all the goddesses... Freya, having been born in Vana-heim, was also known as Vanadis, the goddess of the Vanas, or as Vanabride."

• attestation: The Aesir gave Freya the realm of Folkvang and the great hall Sessrymnir; she chose half the warriors slain in battle for Folkvang, leaving half to Odin.

  "the gods were so charmed by her beauty and grace that they bestowed upon her the realm of Folkvang and the great hall Sessrymnir (the roomy-seated)... "Folkvang 'tis called, Where Freyja has right To dispose of the hall-seats. Every day of the slain She chooses the half, And leaves half to Odin.""

• attestation: As Valfreya, Freya led the Valkyrs to battlefields and claimed half the slain; she was represented with corselet, helmet, shield and spear.

  "she had very martial tastes, and that as Valfreya she often led the Valkyrs down to the battlefields, choosing and claiming one half the heroes slain. She was therefore often represented with corselet and helmet, shield and spear"

• attestation: Freya married Odur (a symbol of the summer sun) and had two daughters with him, Hnoss and Gersemi, who were so beautiful that all lovely things were called by their names.

  "Freya, the golden-haired and blue-eyed goddess, was also, at times, considered as a personification of the earth. As such she married Odur, a symbol of the summer sun, whom she dearly loved, and by whom she had two daughters, Hnoss and Gersemi. These maidens were so beautiful that all things lovely and precious were called by their names."

• attestation: Freya's tears fell upon rocks and transformed into gold; her tears that fell into the sea became amber; she travelled far searching for Odur, becoming known by many names including Mardel, Horn, Gefn, Syr, Skialf, and Thrung.

  "Freya, sad and forsaken, wept abundantly, and her tears fell upon the hard rocks, which softened at their contact. We are told even that they trickled down to the very centre of the stones, where they were transformed to gold. Some tears fell into the sea and were changed into translucent amber... passing through many lands, where she became known by different names, such as Mardel, Horn, Gefn, Syr, Skialf, and Thrung"

• attestation: Freya found Odur in the sunny South beneath the myrtle-trees; Northern brides wear myrtle because Freya found her husband there.

  "Far away in the sunny South, under the flowering myrtle-trees, Freya found Odur at last, and her love being restored to her, she was happy and smiling once again"

• attestation: Freya obtained the necklace Brisingamen from four dwarfs in Svart-alfa-heim, granting them her favour in exchange; she wore it night and day, enhancing her beauty.

  "One day, while she was in Svart-alfa-heim, the underground kingdom, she saw four dwarfs fashioning the most wonderful necklace she had ever seen. Almost beside herself with longing to possess this treasure, which was called Brisinga-men, and was an emblem of the stars, or of the fruitfulness of the earth, Freya implored the dwarfs to give it to her; but they obstinately refused to do so unless she would promise to grant them her favour."

• attestation: Freya owned a falcon garb enabling flight as a bird; it was twice borrowed by Loki and used by Freya herself when she went in search of Odur.

  "Freya was also the proud possessor of a falcon garb, or falcon plumes, which enabled the wearer to flit through the air as a bird; and this garment was so invaluable that it was twice borrowed by Loki, and was used by Freya herself when she went in search of the missing Odur."

• attestation: The prettiest plants and flowers in the North were called Freya's hair or Freya's eye dew, while the butterfly was called Freya's hen; she had a special affection for fairies.

  "The prettiest plants and flowers in the North were called Freya's hair or Freya's eye dew, while the butterfly was called Freya's hen. This goddess was also supposed to have a special affection for the fairies, whom she loved to watch dancing in the moonbeams"

• attestation: Freya's chariot was drawn by cats (personifications of fecundity and caressing fondness); she was also said to ride with Frey in the chariot drawn by the golden-bristled boar.

  "As Freya was also considered the goddess of fruitfulness, she was sometimes represented as riding about with her brother Frey in the chariot drawn by the golden-bristled boar... She had a chariot of her own, however, in which she generally travelled. This was drawn by cats, her favourite animals, the emblems of caressing fondness and sensuality"

• attestation: Freya aided Ottar in his genealogy dispute with Angantyr by changing him into a boar and riding him to the sorceress Hyndla, who traced Ottar's ancestry back to Odin; Hyndla also brewed a potion of remembrance.

  "Ottar, unable to remember the names of more than a few of his progenitors, offered sacrifices to Freya, entreating her aid. The goddess graciously heard his prayer, and appearing before him, she changed him into a boar, and rode off upon his back to the dwelling of the sorceress Hyndla, a most renowned witch. By threats and entreaties, Freya compelled the old woman to trace Ottar's genealogy back to Odin, and to name every individual in turn"

• attestation: Friday takes its name from Freya; Freya's temples were numerous, the last in Magdeburg, Germany, being destroyed on Charlemagne's orders.

  "Frey and Freya were held in such high honour throughout the North that their names, in modified forms, are still used for "master" and "mistress," and one day of the week is called Freya's day, or Friday, by the English-speaking race. Freya's temples were very numerous indeed, and were long maintained by her votaries, the last, in Magdeburg, Germany, being destroyed by order of Charlemagne."

• attestation: When Christianity replaced Norse religion, Freya was declared a demon or witch and banished to mountain peaks, where the Brocken is her special abode and the general trysting-place of her demon train on Walpurgisnacht.

  "when Christianity was introduced in the North this toast was transferred to the Virgin or to St. Gertrude; Freya herself, like all the heathen divinities, was declared a demon or witch, and banished to the mountain peaks of Norway, Sweden, or Germany, where the Brocken is pointed out as her special abode, and the general trysting-place of her demon train on Valpurgisnacht."

• attestation: The swallow, cuckoo, and cat were sacred to Freya in heathen times and came to be regarded as demoniacal; witches are depicted with coal-black cats because of this association.

  "As the swallow, cuckoo, and cat were held sacred to Freya in heathen times, these creatures were supposed to have demoniacal attributes, and to this day witches are always depicted with coal-black cats beside them."

Contents > Chapter Xviii: The Valkyrs

• attestation: Most authorities named nine Valkyrs; Freya and Skuld were said to lead them to battle.

  "The numbers of the Valkyrs differ greatly according to various mythologists, ranging from three to sixteen, most authorities, however, naming only nine... It was said that Freya and Skuld led them on to the fray."

Contents > Chapter Xxix: Greek And Northern Mythologies

• comparison: Freya parallels Venus (both associated with love, beauty, and sea origins) and Minerva (both wear helmet and breastplate, both have blue eyes).

  "Freya, the goddess of youth, love, and beauty, like Venus, sprang from the sea, for she is a daughter of the sea-god Niórd... Like Venus, she delights in offerings of fruits and flowers... Freya also resembles Minerva, for, like her, she wears a helmet and breastplate, and, like her, also, she is noted for her beautiful blue eyes."

• comparison: Odur, Freya's husband, parallels Adonis: when he departs Freya weeps tears that turn to gold, while Venus's tears turn to anemones.

  "Odur, Freya's husband, is like Adonis, and when he leaves her, she, too, sheds countless tears, which, in her case, are turned to gold, while Venus's tears are changed into anemones"