Freya, in an illustration to Wagner's operas by Arthur Rackham.

Freya (Old Norse: Freyja), sister of Frey (Freyr) and daughter of Niord (Njǫrðr), is usually seen as the fertility goddess of Norse mythology. Download high resolution version (611x800, 97 KB)One of Arthur Rackhams illustrations from 1910 to Wagners Das Rheingold. ... Download high resolution version (611x800, 97 KB)One of Arthur Rackhams illustrations from 1910 to Wagners Das Rheingold. ... Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner (May 22, 1813 in Leipzig[1] – February 13, 1883 in Venice[2]) was an influential German composer, conductor, music theorist, and essayist, primarily known for his operas (or music dramas as he later came to call them). ... An illustration from Alices Adventures in Wonderland Arthur Rackham (September 19, 1867 – September 6, 1939) was a prolific British book illustrator. ... Old Norse or Danish tongue is the Germanic language once spoken by the inhabitants of the Nordic countries (for instance during the Viking Age). ... This 19th century representation of Freyr shows him with his boar Gullinbursti and his sword. ... Njord (Old Norse Njǫrðr) is one of the Vanir and the god of seamanship and sailing in Norse mythology. ... Many cultures developed deities to watch over and promote fertility, pregnancy, and birth. ... Norse or Scandinavian mythology comprises the pre-Christian religion, beliefs and legends of the Scandinavian people, including those who settled on Iceland, where the written sources for Norse mythology were assembled. ...

Freyja means lady, female ruler, in Old Norse (cf. fru or Frau in Scandinavian and German). While there are no sources suggesting that she was called on to bring fruitfulness to fields or wombs, she was a goddess of love, sex, war, beauty, prophecies and attraction. Freya correspondingly became one of the most popular goddesses. The North Germanic languages (also Scandinavian languages or Nordic languages) is a branch of the Germanic languages spoken in Scandinavia, parts of Finland and on the Faroe Islands and Iceland. ... A cartoonish version of the heart, a frequent modern symbol of love Love has several different meanings in the English language, from something that gives a little pleasure (I loved that meal) to something for which one would die (patriotism, pair-bonding). ... Look up Sex in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Interpersonal attraction is the attraction between people which leads to friendships and romantic relationships. ...

According to Snorri's Edda Freya had a husband named Odr. He often went away on long journeys, and for this reason Freya cried tears of red gold. The Lay of Hyndla also names a protégé of Freya Óttar. For Edda great-grandmother as the ancestress of serfs see Ríg. ... Ódr is described in Snorri Sturlusons Edda as follows: Freyja is most gently born (together with Frigg): she is wedded to the man named Ódr. ... The Lay of Hyndla or Hyndluljóð is an Old Norse poem of the same type as those in the Poetic Edda, but in corrupted form, and it is only preserved in Flateyjarbók. ... Óttarr is a Scandinavian name. ...

Prose Edda

In Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda, Freya is introduced as follows. Snorri Sturluson (1178 â€“ September 23, 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet and politician. ... The Younger Edda, known also as the Prose Edda or Snorris Edda is an Icelandic manual of poetics which also contains many mythological stories. ...

Freya as goddess of love

Freya was thought to be the most desirable of all goddesses. When she desired to acquire the famous necklace Brisingamen (Brísingamen) from four dwarfs, (Dvalin, Alfrik, Berling, and Grer), they desired a night each with her, a demand which she eventually acceded to. Later on,Odin made Loki steal the necklace for him, and demanded the same price of Freya as the dwarves had, though he eventually relented. Heimdall returns Brisingamen to Freya Brisingamen is said to be the (principally amber) necklace of the goddess Freya from Norse Mythology. ... In Norse mythology, the dwarves (Old Norse: dvergar, sing. ... In Norse mythology, Dvalin was a ruler of the dwarves and one of the most powerful dwarves, known primarily for having invented runes. ... In Norse Mythology, Alfrik was an artistic Dwarf, a son of Mimir. ... For other meanings of Odin, Woden or Wotan see Odin (disambiguation), Woden (disambiguation), Wotan (disambiguation). ... This picture, from an 18th century Icelandic manuscript, shows Loki with his invention - the fishing net. ...

Freya loved jewellery so much that she named her daughter "Hnoss", meaning "jewel". Besides the necklace Brisingamen, she owned a cloak of hawk/eagle feathers, which gave her the ability to change into any bird. She lends this garment to Loki in Þrymskviða. Heimdall returns Brisingamen to Freya Brisingamen is said to be the (principally amber) necklace of the goddess Freya from Norse Mythology. ... A cloak is a type of loose garment which is worn over indoor clothing and serves the same purpose as an overcoat – it protects the wearer from the cold, rain or wind for example, or it may form part of a fashionable outfit (e. ... Orders Many - see section below. ... Thor dresses up as a bride and Loki as a bridesmaid. ...

Early traditions do not distinguish clearly between Freya and Frigg, though in the later Scandinavian mythology, Freya and Frigg were obviously not one and the same, being different goddesses with separate functions, personalities and symbols. They appeared in the same text together on many occasions, however. Some sources say Freya was married to Odin, most likely due to Frigg and Freya once being the same character, and Loki claims that she had a sexual relationship with her brother Freyr in Lokasenna. Frigg spinning the clouds Frigg or Frigga was, in Norse mythology, said to be foremost among the goddesses, 1 the wife of Odin, queen of the Æsir, and goddess of the sky. ... Frigg spinning the clouds Frigg or Frigga was, in Norse mythology, said to be foremost among the goddesses, 1 the wife of Odin, queen of the Æsir, and goddess of the sky. ... This 19th century representation of Freyr shows him with his boar Gullinbursti and his sword. ... Lokasenna, known also as Lokis Flyting, is a poem in the Elder Edda. ...

In two myths a giant wants to marry Freya; the owner of Svaðilfari as related in Gylfaginning and Thrym as related in Þrymskviða. Both were ultimately deceived and killed by the gods. The giants seize Freyja. ... In Norse mythology, Svadilfari was a magical stallion, owned by a hrimthurs (rime giant) disguised as a human stonemason, who built the walls of Asgard and whose name is uncertain. ... External links Original text English text Categories: Mythology stubs | Medieval literature | Sagas of Iceland | Norse mythology | Nordic folklore ... In Norse mythology, King Thrym (uproar) of the Jotuns (frost giants) stole Mjollnir, Thors hammer, to extort the gods into giving him Freya as his wife. ... Thor dresses up as a bride and Loki as a bridesmaid. ...

Freya as battle goddess

As a battle-goddess, Freya rides a boar called Hildisvín the Battle-Swine. In the poem Hyndluljóð, we are told that in order to conceal Ottar, Freya transformed him into the guise of a boar. The boar has special associations within Norse Mythology, both relative to the notion of fertility and also as a protective talisman in war, probably because real boars can be quite fierce animals. Seventh century Swedish helmet plates depict warriors with large boars as their crests, and a boar-crested helmet has survived from Anglo-Saxon time and was retrieved from a tumulus at Benty Grange in Derbyshire. In Beowulf, it is said that a boar on the helmet was there to guard the life of the warrior wearing it. In Norse mythology, Hildisvino (battle boar) was Freyas boar. ... The Lay of Hyndla or Hyndluljóð is an Old Norse poem of the same type as those in the Poetic Edda, but in corrupted form, and it is only preserved in Flateyjarbók. ... Burial of Oleg of Novgorod in a tumulus in 912. ... The Benty Grange helmet is an archeological artifact excavated by Thomas Bateman in 1848 from an Anglo-Saxon tumulus (or barrow) at the Benty Grange farm in Derbyshire, England. ... Derbyshire (pronounced Dar-bee-shur) is a county in the East Midlands of England, which boasts some of Englands most attractive scenery. ... The first page of Beowulf This article describes Beowulf, the epic poem. ...

Other sources show that Freya rode a chariot drawn by a pair of cats the size of lions.

Freyja rides her cat-driven chariot in this romantic painting by Nils Blommér.

Freya chooses certain of the slain on the battlefield to come under her wing in the afterlife whilst Odin gets chooses others, according to Grímnismál: Image File history File links Freyja riding in her chariot with her cats. ... Image File history File links Freyja riding in her chariot with her cats. ... Nils Johan Olsson Blommér (1816-1853) was a Swedish painter. ... For other meanings of Odin, Woden or Wotan see Odin (disambiguation), Woden (disambiguation), Wotan (disambiguation). ... The Grimnismál, also known as The Ballad of Grimnir, is an Old Norse poem in the Codex Regius, which is part of the Elder Edda. ...

The ninth hall is Folkvang, where bright Freyja

Decides where the warriors shall sit:

Some of the fallen belong to her,

And some belong to Odin.

The association of Freya with death is underlined in Egil's saga when his daughter, Thorgerda (Þorgerðr), threatens to commit suicide in the wake of her brother's death, saying: "I shall not eat until I sup with Freya". Egill Skallagrímsson in a 17th century manuscript of Egils Saga Egils saga is an epic Icelandic saga attributed to Snorri Sturluson about Egill Skallagrímsson, an Icelandic viking and skald. ... Thorgerda is a 19th-century poem by John Payne. ...

Her palace was in Fólkvangr and her hall was Sessrúmnir, known as the "Rich-in-Seats". In Norse mythology, Fólkvangr (folk-plain or host-plain) was the dwelling of Freya (Freyja) in Asgard (Ásgarðr), the world of the Æsir, where stood Sessrúmnir, her hall. ... In Norse mythology, Sessrúmnir (Room of seat) was Freyas hall in the Fólkvangr. ...

Freya as a witch

Freya was a skilled practitioner of seiðr, a form of magic which Snorri relates in the Ynglinga Saga in his Heimskringla she introduced among the Aesir. It has been widely speculated that Gullveig was Freya under another name (This is unlikely, though, fair Freyja being very famous in her own right, that she would go prophetizing as Gullveig, the eponymous seeress of the Völuspá without being clearly identified and recognized) . Seid (Old Norse: seiðr, sometimes anglicized as seidhr, seidh, seidr, seithr or seith) was a form of shamanism practised by pre-Christian Norse and arguably other Germanic cultures and continued in modern times by people who practice the reconstructionist beliefs of Ásatrú or heathenry. ... The Ynglinga saga was originally written in Old Norse by the Icelandic poet Snorri Sturluson about 1225. ... Heimskringla is the Old Norse name of a collection of sagas recorded in Iceland around 1225 by the poet and historian Snorri Sturluson (1179-1242). ... In Norse mythology, Gullveig (seemingly gold drink or gold might) is a mysterious goddess or giantess who is said have been burned three times in Odins hall, to have been three times born, and to live yet as a seeress performing dark magic. ... Völuspá (The Prophecy of the Seeress) is the first poem in the Poetic Edda. ...

Other names

Forms of "Frey(j)a"

• Freia
• Froya
• Freja — common Danish and literary Swedish form.
• Friia — second Merseburg Charm
• Frija — variant of Friia
• Frøya, Fröa — common Norwegian, and rural Swedish form.
• Reija — Finnish form
• Frya — the name of the eponymous Frisian goddess in the controversial Oera Linda Book, though her attributes are somewhat different.

The Merseburg Incantations The Merseburg Incantations (German: die Merseburger Zaubersprüche) are two medieval magic formulae or incantations, written in Old High German. ... Frya is the goddess who, according to the Oera Linda Book, gave her name to the Frisians. ... The Frisians are an ethnic group of northwestern Europe, inhabiting an area known as Frisia. ... The Oera Linda Book is a controversial Frisian historical, mythological, and religious text that first came to light in the 19th century. ...

Other forms

• Gefn (according to Snorri Gefyon/Gefjun is not the same as Gefn)
• Heath
• Vanadís

Snorri Sturluson (1178 â€“ September 23, 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet and politician. ...

Homologues

Freya might be considered the counterpart of Venus and Aphrodite, although she has a combination of attributes no known goddess possesses in the mythology of any other Indo European ancient people and might be regarded as closer to the Mesopotamian Ishtar as being involved in both love and war. It is also sometimes thought that she is the most direct mythological descendant from Nerthus. Statue of Venus in the British Museum. ... Aphrodite, Greek goddess of love and beauty,and the patroness of physical love. ... Indo-European is a linguistic term, referring to the familiy of Indo-European languages the academic field of Indo-European studies sometimes, for brevity, to Proto-Indo-European: the Proto-Indo-European language the associated hypothetical speakers or hypothetical ethnic group, the Proto-Indo-Europeans See also Pre-Indo-European... Ishtar ܐܫܬܪ is the Akkadian/Persian counterpart to the Sumerian Inanna and to the cognate northwest Semitic goddess Astarte. ... Nerthus (also sometimes Hertha) is a Germanic fertility goddess who was mentioned by Tacitus in his work entitled Germania. ...

There is also frequent modern speculation that Freija is the same as Frigg (see the discussion under Connection between Frigg and Freya). Frigg spinning the clouds Frigg or Frigga was, in Norse mythology, said to be foremost among the goddesses, 1 the wife of Odin, queen of the Æsir, and goddess of the sky. ... Frigg spinning the clouds Frigg or Frigga was, in Norse mythology, said to be foremost among the goddesses, 1 the wife of Odin, queen of the Æsir, and goddess of the sky. ...

References

• Egils Saga
• Grímnismál
• Lokasenna
• Snorri Sturluson, The Prose Edda
• H. R. Ellis Davidson, Gods and Myths of Northern Europe
• E. O. G. Turville-Petre, Myth and Religion of the North
• Jan de Vries, Altgermanische Religionsgeschichte, 2nd Edition (the seminal work of reference on Germanic and Scandinavian religion).

	Norse mythology Egill Skallagrímsson in a 17th century manuscript of Egils Saga Egils saga is an epic Icelandic saga possibly by Snorri Sturluson (1179-1241 A.D.), who may have written the account between the years 1220 and 1240 A.D. It is an important representative of the sagas and has... The Grimnismál, also known as The Ballad of Grimnir, is an Old Norse poem in the Codex Regius, which is part of the Elder Edda. ... Lokasenna, known also as Lokis Flyting, is a poem in the Elder Edda. ... Snorri Sturluson (1178 â€“ September 23, 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet and politician. ... The Younger Edda, known also as the Prose Edda or Snorris Edda is an Icelandic manual of poetics which also contains many mythological stories. ... Hilda Roderick Ellis Davidson, British antiquarian. ... Image File history File links Mjollnir_icon. ... Norse or Scandinavian mythology comprises the pre-Christian religion, beliefs and legends of the Scandinavian people, including those who settled on Iceland, where the written sources for Norse mythology were assembled. ...
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