Quote:Freya (Old Norse Freyja, “Lady”) is one of the preeminent goddesses in Norse mythology. She’s a member of the Vanir tribe of deities, but became an honorary member of the Aesir gods after the Aesir-Vanir War. Her father is Njord. Her mother is unknown, but could be Nerthus. Freyr is her brother. Her husband, named Odr in late Old Norse literature, is certainly none other than Odin, and, accordingly, Freya is ultimately identical with Odin’s wife Frigg (see below for a discussion of this).

Freya is famous for her fondness of love, fertility, beauty, and fine material possessions – and, because of these predilections, she’s considered to be something of the “party girl” of the Aesir. In one of the Eddic poems, for example, Loki accuses Freya (probably accurately) of having slept with all of the gods and elves, including her brother.[1] She’s certainly a passionate seeker after pleasures and thrills, but she’s a lot more than only that. Freya is the archetype of the völva, a professional or semiprofessional practitioner of seidr, the most organized form of Norse magic. It was she who first brought this art to the gods,[2] and, by extension, to humans as well. Given her expertise in controlling and manipulating the desires, health, and prosperity of others, she’s a being whose knowledge and power are almost without equal.

Freya presides over the afterlife realm Folkvang. According to one Old Norse poem, she chooses half of the warriors slain in battle to dwell there.

Quote:Associated with love and battle, Freya was also a master of a form of magic known as seidr. She rode a chariot driven by cats and had a cloak of falcon feathers that could enable the wearer to fly.

Freya was a ravishing entity who was lusted after by many others in Norse mythology. She found herself humiliated by Loki who, during a chaotic feast of the gods, accused her of being an evil sorceress who’d had slept with everyone in Asgard, including her own brother.

Yet Freya was far more than a hyper-sexualised/objectified female figure in the mythology. She was also the fierce ruler of a realm called Folkvangr, and had claim over the souls of half the Norse warriors who died in battle. The other half went to Valhalla.

Quote:One of the principal deities of the Norse pantheon, the lovely and enchanting Freya was a goddess of blessings, love, lust, and fertility. A member of the Vanir tribe of deities, Freya shared her people’s penchant for the magical arts of divination. It was Freya who introduced the gods to seidr, a form of magic that allowed practitioners to know and change the future.

Freya was gentler and more agreeable than the other Norse deities. Where Thor accomplished his goals through aggression and Odin and Loki resorted to trickery, Freya achieved her ends with the gentler persuasions of gifts, beauty, and sex. While Freya was often unselfish and helpful, she did have a darker side. Like the male gods, Freya had a taste for blood and fought fiercely in battle. It was said she took the lives of half the warriors ever slain in battle.

(12-16-2023, 07:32 PM)Freija Wrote: Freya

Quote:Associated with love and battle, Freya was also a master of a form of magic known as seidr. She rode a chariot driven by cats and had a cloak of falcon feathers that could enable the wearer to fly.

Freya was a ravishing entity who was lusted after by many others in Norse mythology. She found herself humiliated by Loki who, during a chaotic feast of the gods, accused her of being an evil sorceress who’d had slept with everyone in Asgard, including her own brother.

Yet Freya was far more than a hyper-sexualised/objectified female figure in the mythology. She was also the fierce ruler of a realm called Folkvangr, and had claim over the souls of half the Norse warriors who died in battle. The other half went to Valhalla.