Freya: The Goddess Fertility and War

Freyja, Cats and Angels, by Nils Blommer (1816-1853)

Freya is the most beautiful and gracious of the Norse Goddesses. She went by several names: Freyja, Freyia, Mardal, Moertholl and Syr. Her name means "lady", "sovereign", "mistress".  She is the daughter of the god Njord, and the sister of Freyr.

She married the mysterious god Od (probably another form of Odin). He gave her permission to invite as many as half of the host to stay with her. Freya was a very busy hostess, for she not only looked after her own heroes, she also helped Odin entertain his heroes in Valhalla. She did not have much time to spend with the other goddesses. Odin was a wanderer, dreamer and had multiple wives. Freya often went looking for him. As she mourned the loss of her husband, she cried profusely and her tears turned to gold.

Freya's attributes strongly resemble those found in other religions. All "Great Mothers", from prehistoric times, wore something around their neck that represented their dignity. Freya is no exception: she wears a necklace called Brisingamen, often mentioned in Poetic Edda and in Snorri's Edda. Apparently she obtained the necklace by sleeping with four dwarfs. She also had a special feather coat with which she could fly around the world, and was also known for having a chariot drawn by two huge male cats.

Together with her consort-brother Frey she was ruler of the Vanir, ancient matriarchal nature deities who pre-existed Norse patriarchy. She was a helpful deity to women in labor. Hopeful lovers worshipped her as she was a goddess of sexuality and making magic with love prayers. Amber is her gem and yew is sacred to her. Freya lives in the beautiful palace Folkvang "Field of Folk", a place where love songs are always played.

Works Cited 

D'Aulaire, Ingri, and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire. D'Aulaires' Book of Norse Myths. New York: New York Review of, 2005. Print. 

"Freya." About.com Ancient / Classical History. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. <http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/freyamyth/ss/121310-Freya.htm>. 

"Freya." Freya. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. <http://www.pantheon.org/articles/f/freya.html>. 

Olivier, Gouchet. "Siguror and the Women.(Norse Mythology)." Http://www.highbeam.com. ReVision. Heldref Publications, 1999. Web. 26 Nov. 2012.