Gerd, Gärd, Gerdhr, Gerda or Gerdur (Old Norse Gerð) was the giantess wife of the Norse god Freyr and a daughter of Gymir by Aurboda. Her name is probably from gerða 'to fence in' related to garðr 'enclosed space' cognate with the English word yard and (through Danish) of the English word garth. Gerd may have been a personification of soil fertility. Her brilliant, naked arms illuminated air and sea.
The account of her wooing is given in the poem Skirnismál. She never wanted to marry Freyr, refused his proposals (delivered through Skirnir, his messenger) even after bringing her eleven golden apples and Draupnir. Skirnir finally threatened to use Freyr's sword to cover the earth in ice and she agreed to marry Freyr.
According to the Ynglinga saga she was the mother of Freyr's son Fjölnir who succeeded Freyr as ruler of Sweden.
In the Skáldskaparmál Gerd is named along with Jörd, Rind, and Gunnlöd as rivals of Odin's wife Frigg, these other three being among those whom Snorri Sturluson elsewhere relates that Odin had bedded. Gerd in this list is probably an error for Gríd who is otherwise conspicuously absent.
External link
Bartleby: American Heritage Dictionary: Indo-European Roots: gher-¹ (http://www.bartleby.com/61/roots/IE160.html)
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