FREYJA,

LADY, VANADIISS
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE GODDESS

PATRICIA M. LAFAYILILVE
 Freyj a,
Lady, Vanadis
An Introductionto the Goddess

Patric
Patricia
ia M. Lafayllve

OutskirtsPress, Inc.
Denver, Colorado
 The opinions expressed ll| lh is nunu
nunuscri pl nre solely rhe opinions nfl
scripl nflhc
hc aulh
aulhor
or and do inn
leprescm lh: opinions ur llmughis orlhe publishcrr The aulhur rcpresenls and wurranls Ihll
s/he eilhel owns or llnx Ill: Icy] right [0 publish all material In Illis
Illisbook
bookss ll‘you believe [his [0
be incorrecr,cmllacl rhe publisher lllmugh ils websire al www.culskinsprexs.com.

Freyjn, Lady, Vamdlx

An lmmducliml To The Guddcss
All nghls Reserved
Cnpyrighic moo Panicia
Panicia M, Llfayllvc

This book may nor be reproduced. lnlnsmiflcd. or 510er in whole m in put! by any meansr
mcludllls supine elecimnic, 01 mechlni
mechlnical
cal wll
wllllou
lloull ihe cxvnss wrinen conseni uflhz
publisher exccpl in Ill: case nr hrielqnmniions embodied in eriiicnl amnles and reviews

Dulskins Press
llllp://www.oulskirlsprcss.com

ISBN-IO l-S9BOO—‘2l-Z
ISBN-13. 9784698004214

lerlry al'Cungless Cunlrol Number: 1005925236

Oulskins Press and rhe “up" logu It: indemnrks belonging lo

Onlskifls
Onlskifls Press
Press Inc
Primed in lhe Uniled Sums olAmrIca
 Dedication

The auth
author
or dedic
dedicates
ates Ihix work Ia lhe blar—gylhja. Hail the
weeper ufgolzl, ba
bat/
t/le
le-b
-boa
oar'
r'ss ri
ride
der.
r. Ha
Hail
il lha
lha WW 0de. [he
sixler q/‘Frey. Hail (he Val/few“
 acknowledgements

The author is indebted to many people who li list

stee 12d,
discussed, and added their opinions to the speculations as. she
formed them. She particularly wants to acknowledge Ann
"Groa" Sheffield for heherr det
detail
ailed
ed notes during the revision
process, Gerd Groe
Groenwol
nwoldd for aanoth
nother
er exce
excellent
llent critique, and
Denise Bowen both for her help in revising the work and for
her wonderful illustrations. Additionally, thanks go to Ayla
Woljfi, Estara T’sht'rai, and the people who sent in comments
regarding the information used in chapter 8. Some chose to
remain anonymous — know that your commentary was most
welcome. Finally, my husband remained supportive, patient,
and understanding throughout. 1 am deeply in your debt. My
gratitude goes out to you all. Thank you. Any remaining
errors are the property of the author...
 Table of contents

Introduction
Pronunci
Pron unciation
ation Guid
Guidee
Chapter One: Freyja,Lady, Vanadis
Chapter Two
wo:: Lo
Lov
ve an
and
d Se
Sexx 19
Chapter Three:Battle and Death 27
Chapter Four: Magic an
andd Se
Seié
iérr 33
Chapter Five: Gold, Fertility,an
and d th
thee Sea 41
Chapter Six: Freyja and Oth
Other
er Dei
Deitie
ties/H
s/Hero
eroes
es 49
Chapter Seven: Freyja an
and thee Lay of Hyndla
d th 59
Chapter Eight: UnverifiablePersonalGnosis and Speculation 67
Conclusion

Appendix A: Sources in the Lore

Appendix B: Modern Worship
Appendix C: Sample Blot to Freyja
Appendix D: Selected Modem Poetry

Notes

Bibliography
 introduction

Freyja. of the pre-

pre-emin
eminent
ent godd esses of th
goddesses thee No
Nors
rsee
one
pantheon. remains one of the most attractive figures in any
study of Scandinavian mythology. A goddess of many names
and many aspects. her cult survived past the Conversion Period
and was known in the contemporary time of Snorri Sturluson
(as will be shown in the text which follows). Understanding
this co
comp
mplex
lex dei
deity
ty req
requires a careful reading of the extant
uires
literature. the Eddas and the Sagas which remain. as well as a
detailed look at the archeological record Some discussion of
linguistics will also occur. in places where the derivations of

words
Thismay further
book illuminate
is intended to our
be understanding
understanding.. into Freyja’s
an introduction
place in the Norse belief system. We wi will
ll ex
exam
amin
inee th
thee
literature with an eye toward what it reveals about the goddess.
Using these concepts. we can then infer attitudes and beliefs
about Freyja based on the knowledge of Norse society at the
time of her worship and also on the archeological record.
Finally. we will move to a discussion regarding modern
worship of Freyja as exemplified by those practicing heathen
religion (also called “Asatru”).
This book is seen by its author as an attempt to clarify and
delve
delve ben
beneat
eath
h the surfacee of the body of source material in
surfac
order to deepen the understandin
understanding g of the reader. However, this
work should not be seen as de defin
finititiv
ive.
e. Th
Thee case is quite the
opposite. This book is meant to serve as an introduction to
Freyja, one that will clarify her position in the Norse pantheon
for those new to the study of the mythology. The author highly
encourages any reader to continue research on his/her own. It
is the author’s hope that this work, such as it is, will function in
two capacities; first as a preliminary yet detailed examination
of Freyja as a goddess and second as a springboard for further
study.

Pronun
Pronuncia
ciatio
tion
n Gui
Guide
de

The au
The auth
thor
or ha
hass de
deci
cide
ded
d the
Anglicized terms throughout theto majority
use commonly
comm
of thiss only
thi k.acce
work.
wor accepted
pted
This
Thi s is
ne in an attempt to decrease inconsistency an
done
do and
d inc
increa
rease
se
mud:- " of the under I"
‘
m However,
,
quotes will appear as the quoted authauthor
or inten
intended.
ded. Thus, it
seems prudent to offer a basic pronunciation guide in order to
assist people new to the language. This should not be seen as
complete nor definitive — merely helpful. The words given as
examples following pronunciatio ns are words commonly found
pronunciations
in Old Norse passages quoted in the text.

Vowels:
a: “ow” as in “house” (Asatn’i)
a: “ah” as in “Father" (Vanir)
: “eh” as in “e
“ent
nter
er”” (Brisingamen)
“eh” as in “been” (lslendingur)
“i” as in “pin” (Egil) or “ee” as in “fleece” (Vanir)
“oh” as in “boat” (Blot)
aaaarro

"o” as in “pot" (Ottar)

00" as in “moon”
“moon” (As(Asatr
atru)
u)
“u” as in “turn” (Hyndluljod)
 Dipthongs and consonants:

ei (also ey, eng, enk): “a” as in “came“ (Heimdall)

ac (also ae): “i” as in “eye" (/Esir)
6: hard “th” as in “the” (Comm
1'): sofi “1h“ sound as in “think” (Don)

j: the j is nearly always pronounced as a “y” sound, as in

“youth”
“you th” (Njo rd). It is also som
(Njord). someti
etimes
mes sub
substi
stitut
tuted
ed with the
letter i (Niord).
v: as it sounds in standard English (Van, Vanir)
w: in Old Norse remains as a w sound (wan). However, in
Old English or continental Germanic languages the w replaces
the v sound. Therefore in Old Norse, a word such as Van in
Old English or Germanic sources becomes Wan. This can
caus
causee so me con
some confus
fusion
ion whe
when
n translating texts. Wherever
thee au
th auth
thor
or hahass ch
chos
osen
en with
with th
thee Ol
Old
d No
Norsrsee
possible as th
words, theey ar
aree arg
argua
uably to estay
bly mor
more commo
commonpl ace in th
nplace theeir
anglicized forms,

Generally speaking, in Old Norse the accent is on the first

syllable of any wo
word
rd.. AcAcce
cent
nted
ed vowe
vowels
ls mean an accented
syllable where the letter is placed, thus Asatru is OW-sah-Iraa
(the second acce
accented
nted vow
vowelel als
also
o gets emphasis, but not as
strongly as the first). Two syllable words generally have the
accent placed on the first syllable as well, hence Vanir is VAH-
neer rather than vah-NEER.
 Chapter 1

Freyja, lady, vanadis

Freyjaa is one of the best-known goddesses of

lthough Freyj
lthough
! the Norse pantheon, the reality is that not much remains
informing us about her cult, nor what it looked like in
the time of the Viking Age. Using a thorough examination of
the remaining materials, we can reconstruct a good deal of
knowledge about her. However, it is important to remember
that there are many holes in the record, and that her cult, much
like the cults of many goddesses, was ruthlessly suppressed by

early Christian
The sourceconverts.
material that does remain has its own set of
problems. Snorri Sturluson, author of th thee Pr
Pro
ose Ed
Eddda and
author of Heimskringla, was a Christian writing in the 1200’s,
approximately two hundred years afi afier
er th
thee Vik ing Age and
Viking
heathen worship had endedl. While he was certainly aware of
the cultural significance of the stories of his people, his work is
colored by his experiences. Further, as an educated man he
was certainly exposed to and influenced by classical learning.
While he uses several poems that still exist in other places, he
also references works that have, unfortunatel
unfortunately,
y, bee
been
n lost.
lost. Eve
Even
n
the Poetic Edda, a compendium of poems and stories, was
14- Patricia M, Lat‘ayllve

compiled after the Viking Age had ended. and scholars cannot
be certain which of the poems are original to the Viking Age.
and which were more modern and perhaps biased in favor of a
different way of thinkingz,
In the archeological record. we are safer with conjecture
due the evid
ev iden
ence
ce av
avai
aila
labl
blee vi
viaa
to o
however ur physical
our proble
pro blem grave goods:
m here arises with interpretation If a
woman's grave is found with an axe in it. was she a warrior-
woman. or just a woman wh whoo wo
woul
uldd ne
need
ed aan
n axe to cut
firewood in the next life as she had in this one? Further, some
archeologists, particularly those working early in the field‘s
development. tend to classify a grave containing weapons as
that ofa male without verifying the gender of the skeleton (if
one remains for DNA analysis) As we can see. sometimes
even the most obvious evidence can lead to speculation that
might be far offth
offthe
e mark
mark,via
, place
Linguistic evidence, names or an examination of
root words. can help clarify some of these issues. However. a
tendency once existed to compare names that sounded alike
(homonyms) and consider them as alikel As we shall see in a
forthcoming chapter. this can also lead to confusion. As a brief
example. “Frigga” and “Freyja” sound similar, and have ofien
been conflated with one ano noth
ther
er.. Thesesee are two distinct
goddesses, as will be shown. and linguistically their names
derive from different sources, Finally. skalds in the Viking
Age ofien used kennings words which referred to other items
— ,
to enhance their poetryl These kennings can also tell us
about what a particular person or item (in this case. Freyja) was
associated with.
This work will use the various types of material to discuss
what is known about Freyja and her worship. Some conjecture
will appear based on the works of var variou
iouss sch
schola
olars
rs and the
author’s own interpretation of events. The author will attempt
to delineate divergences between speculation and clear sources
whenever possible Additionally, a few common
misconceptions about Freyja wi will
ll be no
note
ted
d in an attempt to
clarify certain issues. again based primarily upon the remaining
 mm Lad). Vanadis - IS

source material,
So wh
whatat do we know abo about
ut Fr
Frey
eyja
ja?? Cl
Cleaearly, she is a
rly,
memb
me mberer of a tribe of d deit
eities
ies kn
known
own as the Vanir. Snorri
Sturluson tells us that “Njord of Noa tun had afterwards two
Noatun
children. The son was called Freyr and the daughter Freyja.
beautiful in and is
They were
the most glorious of theappearance
Asyniu
Asy niur.“ mighty...a
migh
r.“ The word
w ord ty...and
nd Freyj
'Asyniur‘Freyja a
is used
to collectively identify the Norse goddessest While the mother
of Frey and Freyja is not known. Ynglingasuga tells us Njord‘s
wife is his sister'h Some speculate that this is the shadowy
goddess Nerthus. and she therefore is Freyja’s mo mothther
er.. Th
This
is
concept will become important later. when we discuss Freyja's
connection with the earth. however it must be stated that the
only reference we have to the existence of Nerthus comes from
Tacitus. a Roman writing 1000 years prior to the Viking Ages,
In any event. w wee now have a picture of FreyFreyja‘
ja‘ss fam
family
ily
ancestry. Ancestry was considered very important among
Viking Age Scandinavians. and so iitt is no surprise that this
information survives in the record.
Freyja le
leav
aves
es he
herr home.. Vanaheim. at the time of the
home
hostage settlement which closes the war between the Aesir and
the Vanir. Njord and Frey are sent to Asgard as hostages. and
Freyja comes with them. We do not know why she does this 7
it is never explained. In Asgard. Freyja is given "a place called
Folkvang, and there Freyja is in charge of allotting seats in the
hall.°“ Snorri later tells us the name of her hall. Sessrumnir.
which translates roughly to "many-seated
"many-seated7.”
7.” From Grimnismal
we learn that "half the slain she chooses every day. and half
Odin owns.“ Thus we learn that Freyja has charge over the
dead. and not just the every day dead but specifically those
who are slain. e,g.. warriors who fall in battle. This is a key
point that will be discussed in more detail in Chapter Three.
Freyja is one of the highest ranking Asyniur. She is, we
learn. “highest in rank next to Fri Frigg.
gg.°"
°" Thi
Thiss emphasis is
repeated throughout the source material. Whenever there is a
list of gods and goddesses present at an event. Freyja is listed
among them. We learn in poems from the Poetic Edda that she
l6 - Palricia M. Lafayllve

serves m meead in the halls of Asgard when the gods and

goddesses meet”. This is a sign of rank well-known in the
Viking Age, where during sumbel (a ritualized drinking
ceremony) the highest ranking woman of the hall would serve.
This is exemplified clearly in the poem Beowulf. Wealhtheow,
wife of Hrothgar, enters the hall and, “observing the courtesies,
1'” gives the
cup first to Hrothgar to drink from. Then, we are
told, she “went on her rounds, queenly and dignified, decked
out in rings, offering the goblet to all ranksn” While Beowulf
is neither a Viking Age nor Norse work, echoes of this pattern can
be seen in Norse myth mytholog
ology.
y. Frey
Freyja performs the same service,
ja performs
herself, specifically in the story of Hrungnir told in the Prose
Edda’s Skaldskaparam
Skaldskaparamal. al. When Hrungnir unexpectedly arrives
in Asg
Asgardard,, cha
chasing Odin, the gods invite him in for a drink. We
sing
are told “Freyja was the only one of them who dared bring him
drink”.” is is
regardsto
regards to While this
her rank a signHrungnir
— because of her bravery, it alsoha
would certainly telling
have
ve be in
been
en
aware of social conventions,and offended had any lesser woman
served him. This is conjecture on the part o off th
thee author, based on
her understanding of social systems of the time period, and it
shou
sh ould
ld be note
notedd th
that
at only in the saga rec
recor
ordd do we see examples
of th
thee host/guest relationship”.
We learn in Ynglingamga that, aft after
er the gods are dead,
Freyja “kept up the sacrifices for she was the only one among
the godheads who survived.”" The author, Snorri Sturluson,
tells us that because of this, “she became the most famous, so
that all women of rank came to be called by her name...Thus
everyone who is a mistress over her property is called freya,
and hu’sfieya (“lady of the house”) one who owns an estate.1 "
hu’sfieya(“lady
Again, most tellingly, we see evidence of Freyja’s rank among
the gods and goddesses of the Norse pantheon. We also see a
sign that Freyj
Freyja’s
a’s worsh
worship,
ip, alth
although
ough supp
suppresse d, cou
ressed, could
ld hav
havee
remained active even in the time of Snorri’s writings. While
he was writing of Swedish history and not of his own time per
se, his use of the word ‘bIot-gythjan’ referring to Freyja speaks
of her importance 7 ththat
at sh
shee ma
main
inta
tain
ined
ed th
thee sacrifices long
afier all the other gods had faded away. This, and the use of
 Freyja,
Frey Lady,, Vanadis
ja, Lady - l7

her name to refer to women, may indicate that he was aware of

remnants of her cult in his lifetime.[8 It needs to be noted that
this is speculative — and it is entirely possible that Snorri was
merely writing down what history had recorded.
yja was known by a num
Freyja
Fre number
ber of by«names, including
Mardoll (man is a wor word d fo
forr ‘sea’, the name is commonly
translated to ‘sea-bright.’ It is used in kennings for gold, as
well, and Simek points out the translation of this word is not at
all clear”), Syr (sow, a female pig), Gefn (‘giver’), Horn
(etymologically ttieied
d wi
with
th ththee wo
worrd fo
forr “f
“flax
lax”)
”) Skj
Skjalf
alf (al
(also
so
Skialf), Thrung. and Menglad (Necklace-glad). She is ofien
tied to Gullveig (“gold-gree d”), Heid (the name of the Volva in
(“gold-greed”),
Voluspa), and even Gefiont Gullveig and Heid w wiill be
discussed in further detail in Chapter 6, We do not know what
Freyja’s name was, The word “Freyja” translates to “Lady,”
and
an d mu
much
ch like her brobrothe
therr her tit
title
le bec
became
ame her
translatesto “Lord.”). Unlike Frey, however,we have name (Frey
no record
recordofof
her name (he. we knknow
ow fr
from
om Ynglingasaga, is named Yngv‘i 7 an
Old
Ol d No
Nors
rsee word oflen anglicizedas Ing). Thus we have to look at
word
her by-namesand unde
understan
rstanddthat theyare valuableglimpsesof her
fimctionsand facets as a goddess, rat rather
her tha
thann thinking any one of
them is her name. She is also known as “Vanadis,” which can
mean simply “woman of the Vanir, or va van-wo
n-woman”
man” but might
imply “dis of the Vanir.2°” A deeper discussionof what disir are,
and Freyja’s connection to them follows in Chapter Th Threree.
e. DiDiss
(plura
(plurall disir) refers to the femal
disir) femalee anc
ancest
estral
ral dea
dead
d as well as being
directly translated to mean ‘woman.’
We know that Freyja is associated with the boar, both from
her by-name, Syr (which means ‘sow’), and also from the Lay
of Hyndla, wh whereree sh
shee is riding a boar nam
nameded “Hildisvini”
(Ottar in disgui
disguise,
se, certa inly, b
certainly, but
ut th
thee implication is he is
disguised as her boar) “t She is in modern times associated
with
wi th th
thee fa
falcon.. We do know that Freyja owns a cloak of
lcon
feathers, which she loans to Loki on at least one occasion”.
Freyja’s asso
associa
ciatio
tionn wit
withh cats is doc
docum
umen
ente
ted
d an
and
d wi
will
ll be
discussed later, in the chapter on magic aand
nd sei6
sei6r.
r. Sh
Shee is also
also
the owner and wearer of the necklace. Brisingamen. The four
l8 ' Patricia M. Lal‘ayllvc

Brising dwarves (Alfrigg and Dvalin. Berling and Gerru)

create it for her. and she spends a night with each of them as
their price for the necklace. Crossley-l-lolland tells us it is
“uncertain whether Brising is the name of some tribe or family.
or wh
whetethe
herr th
thee wo
word
rd de
deri
rive
vess fr
from
om th
thee Ol
Old
d No
Nors
rsee brisingr.
—
meaning lire Sheused
omament.3"." to describe the brilliance of the
is also particularly associated with gold —
several kennings of hers refer to this 7 and in modern times
also
also wit
with
h amb
amberer.. Go
Gold
ld in particular is called “Freyja‘s tears”
when using kenningszs.
Freyja is known through many sources as the goddess of
magic. specifically the practice of seiér (alternative spellings:
seidr.
seidr. seidhr.. seid, seidh). Sei
seidhr Seior involved the practitioner
or involved
entering a tra
tranc
ncee statee to glean information This will be
stat
discussed in detail during Chapter 4. and so we will only gloss
over it here. ItOdin“.
should be said, however, that this is the magic
she taught to Freyja later became known also as a
goddess of witchcraft (indeed, this is one of the words used to
desc
descri
ribe
be seseio
iorr in the source material), particularly as
Christianity took hold and the practice of seiér became illegal.
Finally.
Final ly. Frey ja is known as a goddess o
Freyja off lo
love
ve an
and
d sex.
Snorri tells us she is fond of love songs (mannsongr). which we
learn were “of a type we know to ha have
ve bee
beenn ou
outla
tlawed
wed in
Iceland even be foree the conversiony” One presumes these
befor
may have been bawdy songs or even songs which encouraged
infidelity. but this is purely speculative. As far as the author
has seen. no particular mannsongrsurvive, Several myths portray
Freyja as sexually active (as seen in the story of her gaining
Brisingamen above). and she is ofien accused of promiscuity.
Perhaps the most obvious example of this occurs in the
Lokasenna. when Loki tells Freyja that she has had intercourse
with all the men in the hall. including her own brothel)“.
Understandingsex, anandd the differencebetween sexual activity and
promiscuity in the Viking Age, will help underscore themes in
several myths in which Freyjaplays a significant role, It is to this
understanding.as well as her relevance as a goddess of love. that
we turn to in the next chapter.
 Chapter 2
Love and sex

e are told by Snorri that Freyja is the one to pray to

‘N I “concerning love affairs.” While her name is often
used as a kenning for a woman or a lady, in Kormak ’s
Saga Kormak whispers to Steingerd, “So dear are you, sea-
goddess/To tthehe swswor d of tthe
ord he lov
love-h
e-hair ’s island?"
air’s Most
translations agree that the sword here is a kenning for the penis,
and “lo
“love
ve-ha
-hair’
ir’ss isl
island
and”” ref
refers
ers to the vaginal mou oun
nd. ThThis
is
bawdy passage is, therefore, cle clearly
arly refe rring to th
referring thee se
sexu
xual
al
shared Kormak and and his love for her.
intimacy
The by
phrase sea—goddess Steingerd
could refer to Freyja, whose by-name
Mardoll translates roughly to ‘sea-bright.’ At the same time, in
nd's Saga he, too, refers to his love, Ketilrid, as they part,
Viglund's
Viglu
saying “When your eyes, Freyja/Espy tthe he isisle
lett garth/Your
mind will seek me/Slender maid, each time.” Here the idea is
of a man parting from the woman he loves, referring to her as
Freyja both in the typical kenning of ‘wo‘womaman‘n‘ and as ‘love.’
Quotes such as these are often pointed to as the reasoning
behind FrFreyja
eyja bein
being g a goddess of love. Indeed, Snorri also
tells
quiteus thatind
sslim
lim she
indeed enjoys
eed.
. Whi love
While songs‘.
le it do
does Yet,
es seem thatthe evidence of this is
Freyja has influence
20 - Patr
Patrici
iciaa M. Lat‘ayllve

over matters of love. iitt is important to remember that love as

we in modern times understand the term has a much stronger
connotation than it did in the Viking Period. where marriages
were often arranged for th thee mu tuall be
mutua bene
nefit
fit of fa
fami
mili
lies
es and
alliances
alliances.. Thus love, while an aspect of Freyja. might not be as
other which
whi ch wi
will
ll be di
disc
scus
usse
sed
d this
significant
book as
progresses. aspects as
Sex. and references to sex, on the other hand. abound in the
remaining source lore regarding Freyja. Gundarsson explains
that
that th
thee lov
love-s
e-song
ongss Fre
Freyja
yja enj
enjoyed. called marmstmgr in
oyed.
Iceland "were so prone to enflame sexuality that even before
the conversion it was grounds for legal punishment if a man
were to write one of these to a woman,5" She is said to have
given herself to four dwarves in order to purchase Brisingamen.
In the above quotation of Kormuk's Saga. Kormak uses her

name as a kenning
promiscuity. and it for his understood
seems lover. Freyja
thatisshe
often accused
was of
a sexual
being. Whe
Where re thi
thiss is important iiss in remembering that sex
forms the fo foun
undadati
tion
on fo
forr life. Viking Period peoples
understood that sex was a vital component in reproduction
This serves to underscore Freyja’s importance in terms of her
rank — as a goddess of sex she has power over life ~ and we
frequently see that the giants attempt to steal her away from the
gods. Whi
Whilele thi
thiss coul
could well be as a result of her significance in
d well
terms of wealth (see Chapter Five). it could also imply that she
is seen as the source of life in and of itself. In Thrymskvida.
Thrym wishes to gain Freyja as his wife. and also claims the
sun an
and d th
thee mo
mooon as payment upon his return of Thor‘s
hammeré, If we stretch metaphor for a moment. it seems that
what Thrym is really asking for is not merely treasure. but also
power to command day. night, and sex/life.
That Freyja was sexually active is a fact not subject to
deba
debate
te.. Th
Thee question becomes. ‘was she promiscuous?’ The
answer is a matter of interpretation, Loki certainly accuses her
of promiscuity in the Lokasenna (a charge he levels at most of
the goddesses as they challenge him), saying “Be silent. Freyja.
I know all about you;/You aren’t lacking in bl blam
ame:e:/O
/Off th
thee
 Freyja Lad}. Vunadis - 21

Aesir and the elves. who are in here./Each one has been your
lover.“ He then accuses her of sleeping with her own brother,
Freyr. claiming th that
at th
thee gods surprised them while she was
astride Freyr.x What is interesting to note in this exchange is
that her father. Njord. rises to her defense. Tellingly. he does
not demand that Loki take back lies about his
any
Instead. Njord replies: “That‘s harmless. if besides a daughter.
husband.
a woman has/A lover or someone else.°” One would think that
a father would rise immediately to defend his children if lies
had been told about them, particularly in such a flagrant and
public manner, That Njord instead chooses to say the matter is
harmless implies that Loki was telling the truth, that Freyja did
take
take he
herr br
brot
othe
herr as a lover. That sibling intercourse was
customary among th thee Va
Vani
nirr is supported in Heimskrirtgm,
where we are told that “while Njorth lived with the Vanir he

had
had hi
hiss“ si
them' sist
ster
er as wife. bec
becau
ause
se tha
thatt was the custom among
The accusation of promiscuity rises again in the Lay of
Hyndla.
Hyndla. Hyndla tells Freyja:
Hyndla

you ran to Oedi, always full of desire.

Many have thrust themselves up the front of your
skirt;
Gallop away, noble lady, out into the night.
as Heidrun runs in heat among the he-goats' 1.

Now. this can be dismissed as a potential enemy shouting

insults. However. there exists a long-standing custom called
‘flyting‘,' using hurtful truths to point out one’s failings in
certain areas (for instance, the Lokasenna is also called “The
Flyting of Loki." and here it seems that Loki is. in factr using
thee tr
th trut
uthh to insu
insult
lt the gods and goddesses, As mentioned
previously, Njord certainly does not de defe
fend
nd hi
hiss daughter‘s
sexu
se xual
alit
ity.
y. Ad
Addi
diti
tion
onal
ally
ly,, us
using other sources of myths and
ing
stories we can verify many of Loki’s accusations to be true in
some regard.) If Hyndla’s words are seen as a flyting, then it is
possible that Hyndla is attempting to prove Freyja unworthy of
22 - Patricia M. Lafayllve

being obeyed by speaking facts (as opposed to lying about

Freyja’s sexual habits). In truth, one must admit that Freyja
arrives at Hyndla’s cave riding a boar, who is actually her lover,
Ottar. Freyja’s role in the Lay of l-lyndla will be discussed in a
later chapter. What is important here is to under understand
stand that
Freyja did, indeed, take many lovers. Some were gods, and
some were heroes. At least four were dwarves.
Returning to the issue of promiscuity, it seems that the term
uld be defined relative to the time period in which the
should
sho
activities took pla
place.
ce. Cer
Certainly by Victorian standards Freyja
tainly
was a most promiscuous woman. Per Perhap
hapss by tod ay’ss standards,
today’
she would also be seen as immoral or promiscuous, depending
upon the viewer. We do know Freyja had a husband, 0d or
0dr (who might be Odin), and that he lefi her. Thereafier, we
are told, she searched for him throughout the lands, weeping
she went”. It she
tears oftogold
faithful this as seems
shadowy figure, at least was not
in the sense thatsexually
she had
lovers afier (and perhaps even before) his disappearance. In
understanding this issue, one must look to the morality of the
Viking Era in general for answers.
While sexuality was certainly not regarded with the same
negative connotation later Victorians would place on it, Else
Rosedahl points out that “adultery by both sexes was punished
harshly. Around 1075 Adam of Bre Bremen
men rel atess tth
relate hat in
Denmark me men n we re pu
were punis
nished by dea
hed death
th fo
forr adultery, while

wo
wome
men n we
consideredwerere sold.”" Freyja herself objectshen to ldbeing
promiscuous. In Thrymskvida, w wh told
to shee
sh
would be sesennt to marry Thryrn she flies into a rage so great that
her necklace bursts, making tthe he hal ls of th
alls thee Ae
Aesi
sirr shake.
“You’ll know me to be the most sex-crazed of women," she
retorts, “if I drive with you to the land of the giants”.“ R. l.l.
Page reacts to this event with humor, saying “Freyja’s wrath is
fimnier if you know she is the goddess of fertili and sexua sexuall
love, who is notoriously ‘mad to get a man.’ 5" There is
another way to look at this situation, however, Freyja refuses
to marry Thrym, and obviously does not want to be seen as a
woman consumed by lust. However, it could also be that she,
 Freyja.
Frey Lady.. Vanadis
ja. Lady - 23

as a goddess of sexuality and wealth, among other things,

ws her importance to the Aesir and refuses to be given
knows
kno
away, We must also remember that the giants were seen as
forces of nature, chaotic, an andd be nt against the order of the
bent
world as imposed by the god gods.s. Fre yja would indeed have been
Freyja
a potent in their hands. Further, Freyja seems to be a
goddess weapon
who
wh o ma
maint
intain
ainss her ow ownn ri ghtt to ma
righ make
ke dec
decisi
ision
onss
regarding her body, and logic suggests a strong-willed woman
would object to beibeing
ng ‘g
‘give
ivenn away’ — thus denying her the
right to control her own sexuality.
Returning ttoo Lok
Lokase nna,, w
asenna whe
hen
n Lo
Lokiki accuses Freyja of
taking every man present as her lover, it is not met with instant
response. It is only when he accuses her of sex with Freyr that
she is defended. Caroline Larrington points out that what Loki
accuses the goddesses of is not “sexual activity per se, but for
with — with brother’s
sex
killer,
kille inappropriate
r, brot
brothers
hers-in-law, people
-in-law, or Loki himself, a brother, a
the enemy of the
gods.””’ This is an important distinction to ma make.
ke. Whe
Whenn Njord
points out that her sexu
sexualal lif
lifee is not a big deal, he is also
speaking from the point of view of a V Van.
an. As we’
we’ve
ve discussed,
the Vanir had a tendency toward sibling inter intercour
course.
se. Thus we
can argue that Freyja was not promiscuous in the least — from
her own cultural point of view. It also seems only sensible that
a goddess of fertility would be free with her sexual favors, on
her own terms, in order to continue her primary function — to

help createan
author’s,
life. While this is certainly an interpretation of the
andd sh
shou
ould
ld be undunders
erstoo
toodd as such, biologically
speaking sex is the primary method by wh whic
ich
h an
anim
imal
alss
reproduc
reproduce.e. Certa inly sex without reproduction exists, and it is
Certainly
the author’s opinion that this, too, falls under Freyja‘s purview.
In the modern setting, this gives rise to interesting
speculation. The Viking Era peoples did not classify
homosexuality as we do in the twenty—first century, although it
certainly must hav
havee existe
existed,
d, Whi
While
le no specific reference exists
pointing to Freyja herself as a homosexual (nor even bisexual),
it stands to reason that Freyja as a goddess of sexofwould not
delineate between differing fo
form
rmss an
and
d expressions sex itself.
Z4 - P
Patr
atrici
iciaa M. Lafayllve

Therefore. while th thee Nor

orse
se pantheon has no deity ‘for
homosexuality" per se. Freyja would certainly be one to call on
forr al
fo alll se
sexu
xual
al matters.
Finally. one must look with a modern eye toward sex as a
means of power and con contro
trol,
l, Her
Heree we do have some references

to women
wom
instanceen being
bei
Queen ng sexual
sexually
Gunnhild lywas
activ
ac tive
e and
known foreven adulterous
having 7 for
many lovers”.
In her case, she was never punished for this. One presumes
this was because. as a queen. she had power in her own right
and
an d co
coul
uld
d ma
main
inta
tain
in power over her own decision making.
Comparing this to Freyja‘s actions. including her explosive
temper when the gods try to give her to various giants. we see
that Freyja herself was used to a certain degree of autonomy
and was unwilling to sacrifice her right to have power over her
own sexuality.
 Chapter 3
Battle and death

0
ne of the fir
first
st hi
hint
ntss we have regardi
regarding
ng Fre
Freyja
yja's
's
connection to battle and death comes from Grimnismal:

Folkvang is the ninth. and there Freyja arranges

The choice of seats in the hall;
Halt‘the slain she chooses every day,
And half Odin owns.l

Clearly, Freyja is a goddess who has some power over the

dead. We see this in other sources as well. In Egil ’s Saga. for
instance. th
thee ma
mainin character, Egil Skallagrimsson, fa falls
lls int
into
o
mourning for his recently deceased son. He swears he will
starve himself to death, since he has nothing more to live fort
His daughter Thorgerd. trying to trick her father into eating,
says "I have had no evening meal, nor will I do so until I go to
join Freyja.l" Most scholars agree th that
at th
this
is line implies that
line
women. too. can go to Freyja afier death.
death. Ande rson argues that
Anderson
“lov
“lover
erss wh
whoo ha
have
ve be en faithful unto death are gathered [by
been
Freyja]: therefore Harbard sings: Love is renewed in Freyja‘s
halls.3“ No primary source mentions this‘ and it can be seen as
28 - Patr
Patrici
iciaa M. Lafayllve

a Victorian-era attempt to recreate the goddess as a parallel to

the Roman Venus, One possible interpretation of Thorgerd’s
words is that they imply those who are faithful to Freyja, to
whit
wh herr worshippers, have earned a place in he
it he herr ha
hall
ll afi
afier
er
death. This is speculation at best, but it would seem sensible
that worshippers of a goddess of death (indeed, any god or
goddess) would be welcomed to her embrace when they die.
Anderson goes on to add “when it is said that Freyja shares the
slain with Odin, it may be supposed to mean that the slain, who
in life ha
hadd lolove
ved
d wives, were united to them again with
Freyjaf” This is ananother possibility, but again not one
evidenced iinn the primary materials remaining to us.
Freyja’s hall more closely resembles Valhalla than it does
Hel, where many of the departed go. He] is a goddess who
welcomes people to her hall (Hel or Helheim) afier death.
is he l-lelheim.
Most
Freyja,notably, when
w
on the otherhen hand,
Baldur
Baldur killed specifically
is a goddess goes to of those
slai
slain
n in bat
battle. We are told this — she chooses half the slain,
tle.
and Odin gets the other half. H. R. Ellis—Davidson argues
“there is apparently some system of choice by which only part
of the slain reach Valholl, but what it is we do not knows”
Speculation is rampant regarding who gets to choose the slain
first, Freyja or Odin. Most modem heathens agree that, since
Freyja is mentioned first, she has the first choosing. Odin then
receives those warriors lefi, and indeed some translations of the

lines in Grimnismal (above)

in the final line: thenuse words
half Odinsuch as “then" instead
of “and” owns. However, it is
just as valid to suggest that, since the stanza is about Freyja’s
hall, Folkvang, it stands to reason that she would be mentioned
first, and that this has no bearing whatsoever on who gets first
pick of the slain.
Although we see no evidence of her actually fighting in
battles, it seems reasonable to assume Freyja’s is a battle-
goddess, given that her hall is filled with those who have fallen
in battle Further, Freyja’s associations with the boar hint at
her ties to ba
battl
ttle.
e. Ell
Ellis-
is-Dav
Davids
idson
on tel
tells
ls us that the boar was a
common motif on helmets 7 an Anglo-Saxon helmet found at
 Freyja,
Frey Lady.. Vanadis
ja, Lady - 29

Benty Grange is crest

cresteded wit
withh a boar,6 Further, as w wil
illl be
shown in more detail in Chapter Seven, Freyja rides a boar
named Hildisvini, or “b “batt
attle-
le-swi
swine.
ne.”” Whi
While
le the boa
boarr is also a
symbol of fertility, as will be seen in Chapter Five, the specific
name given to the boar Freyja rides is intriguing, Syr, Freyja’s
byname, means ‘sow,’ as has been noted earlieri While this
may mean she is more closely associated with swine, and
female pigs in particular, than boars, clearly she rides a boar at
least once, even if it is her lover in disguise.
A few other sources mention Freyja as being associated
with battle In the Sorla Dom, where we find the tale of Hogni
and Hedinn, Freyja is commanded by Odin to cause a war in
order to win bac
back
k her stolen
stolen neck
necklac
lace.
e. Whi
While
le in Sor
SorIa
Ia Pattr
Pattr the
name used for the mysterious woman who causes the battle is
“Gondul,” iitt is clear tha “ultimately, however, the work
is...that and her also the battle is
since theof Freyja,
task of creating to this situation perpetual
has been laid upondue, her
by Othinn at the beginning of the story in return fo forr th
thee
delivery of her necklace.“ Freyja is ofie ofien n ass
associ
ociate
ated
d wit
with
h
Gullveig. who is commonly known as the precipitator of the
war between tthe
he Aesir and the VanirVanir.. This will
will be discussed in
more detail in Chapter Six, and so will not be developed here.
The important piece to note is that, if Freyja is in fact Gullveig,
she is the crucial element in beginning the war between the
deit
de itie
ies.
s. Th
This
is wou
wouldld als
alsoo seem to indicate Freyja’s link with

battle,
We al so see Freyja in the story of Sk
also Skia
ialf
lf (a
(also
lso spe
spelle
lled
d
Skjalf). In Ynglingasaga3 Agni kills the Finnish leader Frosti,
then takes Skialf prisoner aand
nd late
laterr ma
marr
rrie
iess her.
her. He ofoffe
fers
rs her
her a
beautiful necklace 7 and here the possible associations begin.
Skialf later hangs Agni with the very necklace she has earned
through her marriage to him. Our Troth mentions this as a
possible hint that Freyja’s male worshippers, particularly the
“Ing-desc
“Ing -descende
ended kingss died as hol
d king holy gifiss to Freyja?” Ellis-
y gifi
Davidson agrees, seeing this death as implying a “tradition of
sacrificial death among the early kings of Swedenw”and lists
Skialf as one of Freyja‘s by-names' 1, which is stated by Snorri
30 ' Patricia M. Lafayllvc

in th
thee Skal
Skalds
dsap
apar
aram
amal
al'z
'z.. Wh
Whil
ilee this
this story does not involve
battle, it serves to underscore the importance of Freyja as a
goddess of death, and for whom ritual deaths may have been
performed
These features of Freyja — her choosing of the slain. the
—

idea of ssacra
acral
interpreters ofl the
deaths
deaths being
primary hel
held
source d material
in her honor
to assumeoft
often
en lea
lead
Freyja d
is
a valkyrie. Gondul. for example. is a common name used for
valkyries, Indeed, she is referred to as “simultaneously a
Valkyrie and a Disu" and “V “Valf
alfrey
reyaa [wh o] o
[who] ofi
fien led the
Valkyrs down to the battlefields”.“ The prefix val— referred to
“slain." and the translation of Valfreya. therefore, is taken to
mean "lady of the slain," hence valkyrie. However, it must be
stated cl
clearly 7 no evi
early evidenc
dencee exist
existss in the surviving source
material referring to Freyja as a valkyrie. The word “Valfreya”

could as well refer to Freyja‘s

of battle-slain aspect as the lady of a hall full
(much the same as one of Odin‘s bynames is
“Valfadir"), The secondary materials and many scholars, and
still more modern worshippers, have considered Freyja to be a
valkyrie. but the argument for this is entirely based upon the
concept of Freyja choosing tthe
he fallen
fallen warr
warrior
iorss for her
her hall
hall.. She
never rides to battle. as valkyrie are known to, Neckel. we are
told. considers Folkvang to be a synonym “like Valholl, for the
field of battle." and further “suggests that Freyja is the true
Valkyrie. welcoming the dead with wine within the house of
gods,””
The valkyries were never worshipped as goddesses in their
own right They were known as the servants of Odin. who
gathered fallen warriors and brought them to Valhallar They
also served the warriors in Valhalla itself We have surviving
tales ofvalkyries joining mortal men for a period of time (most
famously Brynhild of the Volsungusaga). but no evidence of
their being wors
worshipp ed, On th
hipped, the oth
theer hand. place names
derived from Freyja’s name abound, and we even see her name
in current usage — Fr Frey
eyju
juho
hoen
ena,a, or FrFrey
eyja's hen. is the
ja's
Icelandic name for butt
butterfly
erflyrl6
rl6 A mural on tthe
he wal
alll of th
thee
Schleswig cathedral in Germany shows two figures. one naked
 Freyja.
Frey Lady,, Vanadis
ja. Lady - 3|

and riding a cat and another riding a d dist

istaff
aff.. The
These
se have been
been
interpreted as being Freyja and Frigga”, although it must be
made clear that this is interpretive on the part of some scholars,
and oth
others
ers disagree. Thro
Through
ugh sour ces li
sources like
ke th
thes
esee an
and
d many
others, we know that Freyja was a very important goddess in
her own right. The Valkyries, as seen above, were Odin’s
servants. They sewed the warriors who entered Valhalla mead
and meat all night long. Therefore, it stands to reason that
Freyja — certainly never mentioned as a servant to any other
deity — would not be a valkyrie. Her rank, high among the
gods of the Norse, assures this. She does serve mead to
Hrungnir, as has been mentioned, but this is more a sign of her
relative importance as a ‘lady of the hall’ than a sign of her as a
servant. We must also remember that the Vanir were a strong
tribe 7 strong enough to fight the Aesir to a standstill in the

first
mythwar. If wethat
tradition conclude that
wass on
wa ce the
once Vanir
whole are
unto
unt a remnantisfrom a
o its
itself
elf,, as ofien
reasoned, then Fr Freyj
eyja,
a, god desss of b
goddes bat
attl
tlee an
and
d death, was
probably preeminent among the Vanir in this as well. Again,
this argues strongly against her being a valkyrie, but instead a
death—goddess (and, possibly
possibly,, batt
battle-go
le-goddes
ddess) s) wi
withth he
herr own
domain.
Freyja does, on ththee ot
othe
herr hand, have some associations
with the Disir, or female ancestral spirits. While one author
argues that Vanadis, one of Freyja’s by byna
name
mes,s, ca
cann be
translated as “Dis of the Vanir's“ it se
seem
emss mo
more
re reasonable that
the word refers to “woman of the Vanir" because “dis" ofien
translated as just that — a womwoman. Su Sup ortt for Freyja as a
ppor
goddess of the disir does come, albeit obliquely, from evidence
of a “public cult of disir among the Svear 9," a tribe supposed
to have held Frey as their foremost god. Carol Carolyne
yne Larr
Larringto
ington
n
argues that the disir “were interpreted as female fertility spirits,
or as female ancestors, to whom sacrifices were made,” and
further says that “as spirits of the dead, they are associated both
with He] and wi withth Freyjazo.” Shee also
Sh also menti
mentiononss the
the word
Vanadis as meaning ‘Dis of the Vanir.’ Additionally, Freyja’s
brother, Frey, is known as the lord of the Alfar — male ancestral
32 ' Patricia M. Lnfayllve

spirits and ‘elves’ an and

d wh
whil
—
ilee she may not be explicitly
mentioned as lady of the Disir, it is reasonable to suggest that
Freyja mirrors her brother in this. It is important to note that
the differences between valkyries and disir are ofien conflated.
As with many aspects of the surviving source material. there is
no answer to this issue. That said, it is far more likely that
easyis a Dis, and perhaps even the Lady of the Disir. than
Freyja
she is a valkyrier
 Chapter 4
Magic and Seiér

midst his accusations in Lokasenna. Loki calls Freyja a

3 witch', This is obviously meant in an insulting manner,
but as with many of Loki's statements it happens to be
true “Witch" is a word loaded with modern connotations, but
seems to have been used as a derogatory term in the source
material. Freyja is con consid
sidere
eredd the goddess of magic and
particularly of sei
seidr
dr.. Se idrr is, at its essence a set of complex
Seid
techniques similar to ththat
at found
found in oth other
er tri
tribal
bal cult
cultur
ures
es Sei
Seidr
dr
is often fou
found
nd in mode
modem m circircle
cless to be akin to shamanistic
practices: however it must be noted tha thatt no ev evide
idence
nce of a
shamanic culture has been found among early Germanic tribes.
involved the deliberate entering of a trance
per set Seidr often involved
by the practitioner. which may or may not have involved
traveling to "other worlds" or the "spirit realms" to perform
work. In fact in some cases it would seem that the seidworker
called the wights to her/him. rather than faring forth. Many
modern practitioners consider shamanic techniques as
exclusive
excl ly ones of faring forth and th
usively thisis wo
woul uld
d seem to
preclude calling the wights to tthe he se
seid
idwo
workrker
er,, On the othe
otherr
hand. the core elements of shamanic trance pra practi
ctice
ce can
34 ' PPat
atric
ricia
ia M. Lafayllve

involve both aspects of the trance work, Clearly this is a

complex issue, and as is the case in many other issues, there is
no easy answer.
Seidr did have an active component most closely akin to
“spell-working,” which was ofien used destructively in the
While this supports the concept of “witchcrafi,” it is
sagas.
important to note that this, too, should be seen in a historical
ligh
light.
t. Ma
Magigicc as pr
prac
acti
tice
ced d by seidh-workers seems to have
involved entering a trance, or chanting runes, or using herb-
lore, or various combinations of all of these things. This, along
with
wi th th
thee fa
fact
ct th
that
at Freyja translates as “L “Lad y” and Frey as
ady”
“Lord,” has been pointed to by many mo modem
dem WicWiccan
canss as
evidence of today’s Wiccan goddess (Lady) and god (Lord).
Our Trolh explains that Freyja and the Wiccan Lady differ in
that “Freyja is not usua usuallylly dep
depict ed in the lore as being
icted
motherlyz” fitt with the
fi
particularly
mother-goddess archetype. aand
ndWhile
ther
theref
efor
oree isdo
this does
es not true, as we
certainly
shall see, it understates one key difference between ancient and
modern heathen religion (Asatru) aand nd Wicca.
Wicca. WicWiccan
canss tend
tend to
see all goddesses as different aspects of the same goddess, and
deal in archetypical symbology. Asatruar, on the other hand,
are polytheistic, aandnd fo
forr the most part do not con consid
sider
er the
goddesses as different aspects or archetypes. Rather, the
ancient and modern heathen sees Freyja as a distinct deity in
her own right, one which has no aspect and conforms to no

specific archetype.
associations Therefore, to the modern
with magic Asatru, Freyja’s
are simply part of Freyja as a whole,
and should not be seen as an indication that Freyja is an aspect
of another dedeit
ity.
y. Ce
Cert
rtai
ainl
nlyy these two religions — Wicca and
Asastru — have some overlaoverlappin
ppingg ideo
ideologie s. It sho
logies. shoul
uldd be
noted that not all Wiccans conform to the same world view,
just as not all Asatruar do
do.. Th
This
is is not to denigrate one in favor
of the other. However, noting this distinction is important to
understanding the world view of ancient and modem heathens.
Thee bo
Th bookok A Source‘Baak uf Seid, edited by Stephen E.
Flowers and James A. Chisholm (2002), lists all the known
source material mentioning the practice of seidr. The
 Freyjm
Frey Lady,, Vanadis - 35
jm Lady

interested reader is strongly recommended to acquire the work,

as it is extremely useful to a modern reconstruction
reconstructionistr
istr For the
purposes of this book, we will focus on seidr and how it relates
to Freyjal In addition to more active workings, seidr also ofte
often
n
involved divinatory practices. Our clear est snapshot of this
clearest
in Er
Erik
ik th
thee Re
Redd’s when volva to
appears
prophesy for the people. We are Saga,
told what ashe was wearing
comes in
great detail, from the brass knob on her staff to the silver tips
on her boot laces. She is fed the hearts of the animals on the
farm, seated on a hen<feather pillow, and enters the trance
amidst the singing of songs. She then prophesies the fortunes
of the people presentJ.
This divinatory process is termed by many writers of the
period as spa, or spae, The distinction between sspa
pa and seidr is
a subtle one, and indeed many mo modem
dem heat hens feel the two
heathens

aree on
ar onee andused
techniques the for
same.
moreHowever,
it seems th
active purposes that
tthan
han atdivin
theeation
th trance
divination 7
binding fetters and sending nightmares to one’s enemies before
battle, shape-sh
shape-shiftin
ifting,
g, bringing weal to the people (in one
bringing
instance a seeress called fish into a bay‘) constituted a different
set of skills than the more passive divinatory acts required.
Thus it seems that spa was an important subset of a greater
variety of practices known as seidr.
Later, as Northern Europe moved toward Christianity, seidr
workers began to be seen in a darker light, This was a
common occurrence, as peop people
le thr
throug
oughou
houtt tthe
he woworl
rld
d are
suspicious of thos
thosee who
wh o can harm
ha rm them
them with
wi th any form of
magic. Th Thee wo
word
rd ‘w
‘wit
itch
ch’’ was ascribed to imply a woman
“muc
“m uchh im
imbu
bued
ed wi th malices,” aan
with nd th
thee practice itself was
banned. Certainly, it was seen as ‘unmanly’ for any male to
practice such a technique. Nevertheless, some record exists
that men also practiced seidré. We know fiom the lore that the
word 'e'erg
rgi’ wass o
i’ wa ofifien used in a neg negati
ative
ve lig ht to imply
light
passivity in a male, includi
including
ng passi ve male homosexuality
passive
While in modern times the use of the word has been reclaimed.
and taken to mean simply a passive or receptive trance state,
the word still contains negative con
conno
notat
tation
ions.
s. Thu
Thuss when
when it is
36 - Patricia M. Lat'ayllve

explained that Odin was an adept seidr worker, we are also told
that such an act was “unmanly7.”
This is an important step toward understanding the negative
light cast on Freyja in llat ater
er ti
time
mes,
s, Wh
Whililee a man’s image as
‘ergi’ has little to do with Freyja as a female deity. what this
is association with
does
This, show
as we have an increasingly negative
seen. was Freyja’s real
realm
m Wh Whil
ilee her
her cumagic.
cult
lt was
difficult to abolish. she was painted not just as a promiscuous
woman bu butt al so as a ‘witch’- a woman bent on ev
also evil
il an
and
d
dest
de stru
ruct
ctio
ion.
n. Su Such
ch things were not true, of course 7 or were
they? We have discussed the definition of promiscuity in the
previous chapter, and it seems that the accusation of witchcraft
is. again, something which varies in the eye of the beh behold
older.
er. If
we consider Freyja to be the Gullveig mentioned in Voluspa.
she came to the Aesir and a war beganE (although. in truth.

there is no mention why

theeGullveig would do rebo
this on purpose).
Gullveig was burnedofby th Aesir th
Aesir thre
ree
e times, reborn rn eac
eachh time.
time.
This is seen by many modern seidr~practitione
seidr~practitionersrsto be a classic
Shamanic initiatory experience and points both to the practice
ofseid
ofseidrr its
itself
elfand
and the use of seidr for a malign purpose.
Yet. other auth
authors
ors suc
such h as Kevin Cross
Crossley-I
ley-I-loll
-lolland
and poin
pointt
out that “no myth survives that di display
splayss Frey
Freyjaja aass seer or
volva.9" Admittedly. he does say the goddess was known to
havee bee
hav beenn “mi
“mistr ess of magic an
stress andd wi
witc
tchc
hcra
raft
ft an
and d owowne
ned
d a
falcon skin which enabled her spirit to take the form of a bird.
travel to the underworld, and come back with prophesies and
knowledge of destiniesm." This would imply a form of shape-
shifiing occurring. perhaps as part of the complex practice of
seidr. It isi s un
uncle ar how we can be so certain of Freyja’s
clear
attributes regarding spae if, as Crossley-Holland suggests.
there are no surviving myths of Freyja in the role of seer. At
this point, iitt is important to mention the Lay of Hyndla
(Hyndluliod). Here Freyja transforms her lover, Ottar, into a
boar and rides him to the giantess Hyndla, waking her from a
cave and forcing her to re reve
veal
al Ot
Otta
tar‘
r‘ss linea
lineage
ge”.
”. Th
Ther
eree are
many hallmarks of trance/ecstatic travel here, including spae
(on both Freyja‘s pan and Hyndla‘s). The story is worth
 Freyjm
Frey Ladyii Van
jm Lady Vanadi
adiss - 37
37

breaking down in detail, and this will be done in Chapter Seven.

Here we me mere
rely
ly po intt out that at least one myth poi
poin nts to
points
Freyjaa as a worker of seidr.
Freyj
In Gods and Myths of the Viking Age, H. R. Ellis-Davidson
points out that Freyja “could take on bird-form, which meant
that she could far in other than humanlzr”
journey shapesome
As we have suggested, shape
shifiing is a hallmark of seidr as
is the ability to joumey betwbetween
een the worlds,
worlds, EllEllis-
is-Dav
Davids
idson
on
further points to the similarity between the volva traveling the
countryside and the practice of drawing Freyr (Freyja's brother)
around in a wagon to the numerous villages” . It would seem
then that part of Vanic practice in general was to travel the land
at certain holy times — we have the surviving story of Nerthus,
a Vanic goddess ofien assumed to be the mother of Frey and
Freyja anand
d the sist
sister/wifee of Nj
er/wif Njord,
ord, trav
travelin g in a wagon”.
eling
Freyja’s
discussedconn
connect
ection
earlier ion with
wit
and in h cats,
the as seen b
mythology (shebo
othcited
is in as
theriding
muraal
chario
cha riott dra
drawn
wn by ccat atss to Baldur
Baldur‘s
‘s fune
funeral”)
ral”) points to the
animal as ‘familiar’ or guardian and helping spirit. This is
another belief common in many tribal Sham Shamanianicc cul
cultur
tures
es and
further guides us toward the practice of seidr and what it might
have involved. It must be mentioned that no evidence survives
of a volva having a particular animal helping spirit, however
many modern seidr practitioners report having animal spirits as
helpers in their work.
Another repeated motif in the surviving literature is the
image of the seer upon a high seat. Sometimes it is implied
that this was a raised platform upon which the volva settled
herself during tr tran
ance
ce.. Ho
Howe
weve r, there is als
ver, also
o rec ord of a
record
woman prophesizing while indoors, in her host‘s feast hall. In
this case, it would seem that the high seat in question is the
lord of the hal l’s seat, at the head of the long tables in the
hall’s
position of highest hon
honor.
or. Thi
Thiss not only speaks to the practice
of seating a seeress in a high seat but als also
o un
under
dersco
scores
res the
importance her actions were given — for only those of highest
regard were asked to share the host’s seat with him. At the
same time, Erik's Saga, men
mentio
tioned
ned ear
earlie
lierr sho
shows
ws the vo
volva
lva
38 - Patricia M. Lafayllve

seated on a different sort of high seat. perhaps outdoors. It

could be that this was a different seat altogether. one which
was fo
forr th
thee express purpose of divination.
In Ynglingasaga we learn that Freyja taught seidr to the
gods as well as to Odin”. While Ellis- Ellis-Davi
Davidson
dson feels
feels that
that the
seidr
story
men”.underscores whymean
this does not womenthewere taughtitself was
practice as opposed to
inherently
negative We have not yet seen evidence that seidr was used
for healing, per se. yet certainly foretelling the work to be done
to guarantee a good harvest (as an example) would be to the
benefit of all invo
involved
lved.. We also know that the tradition of spa.
know that
at least. was ca carr
rrie
ied
d fo
forrwa
warrd inintto th
thee Ch
Chrris
isti
tian
an Period.
particularly in the case of th thee Du
Dutctch.
h. wh
whos
osee ‘hagadissae‘
practiced “utiseta’” (also called mound sitting or sitting out)
until the midvseventeenthcentury's. It should be noted that the

link
lin k the
betwee
betweenn the Sca
Scandi
ndinav
navian
ian and Ice
Icelan
landic
dic seidr practices
and practice of utiseta. while similar. have key differences
and might well have been regionally practiced as opposed to
both being practiced in one area.
Edred Thorsson discusses Freyja’s connection with magic
and seidr in his work Northern Magic. Little of what he says
has not already been discussed in this chapter, but one thing he
does point out is that the practice of seidr was “probably the
magical tradition cultivated in the Vanic realmlg." It is unclear
if this is tme 7 both women and men were known to practice
seidr. an
and d sei
seidr
dr is certainly attached to Freyja. Yet Freyja
taught seidr to Odin. a fact which implies both the Vanir and
thee Ae
th Aesi
sirr were able to perform th thee wo
work
rk.. As with many
esoteric matters, the reader must carefully glean from folklore.
subtle hints. what is said and more importantly at times what is
not said in order to develop a fuller understanding of seidr. As
this book continues, more will be said about the practice of
seidr and Freyja’s mastery of the art.
 Chapter 5
Gold, fertility, and the sea

clearest association
wiith andbetween gold of
and th
Freyja is her
The relationship w ownership the
e ne
neck
ckla
Brisingamen. We are told that the necklace is something
lace
ce

she coveted so deeply that she was willing to sleep with four
dwarves on successive nights to gain it, Kevin Crossley-
Holland names them as Alfrigg and Dvalin, Berling and Gerri,
whose
who se las
lastt name was proprobab
bably
ly Bri
Brising. This is born out in
sing.
Sorla
Sorla Tha
Thattr
ttr.. On the other hand, Gylfaginning relates only that
other
“Freyja owned the Brising’s necklace, ” a fact which implies
no moral jjud udgme
gment
nt reg
regarding ho
arding how
w shshee ob
obta
tain
ined
ed it. The
importance of Brisingamen comes in the main via secondary
source material
We have no clear description of th thee ne
neck
ckla ce itself. It
lace
might have been crafled from gold. in fact, kennings for gold
abound in the primary source material, and are usually
associated with Freyja he hers
rsel
elf. Shee is called fair-tear deity (i!
f. Sh
gratifagra godj) and possessor of Brisingamen‘, while gold is
called Freyja’s weeping and the rain or shower from Freyja’s
eyes
eyess.
s. Sn
Snor
orri
ri te
tell
llss us, in fact, that:

it is normal to qualify weeping by any of the names for

Freyja, and to call gold that, and these kennings are
42 - Pal
Palric
ricia
ia M. Lal'ayllve

varied in many ways, calling it hail or rain or storm or

drops or showers or cascade of her eyes or cheeks or
jowls or eyelashes or eyelids.6

Her daughter. Hnoss. has a name which translates directly

as "treasure” in:
goddesses. as and"I we oftentosee ke
am able kenni
nnings
ngs referring to both
possess Hom’s [Freyja’s] gold-
wrapped glorious chi
child
ld [Hno
[Hnoss].7
ss].7”” Even when Snorri cites a
mysterious second daughter. Gersimi (only mentioned once. in
Ynglingasuga Chapter 10) , clearly her name is also translated
as "treasure." because Snorri tells us that the children of Freyja
“were very beautiful, and we give their names to our most
precious possessions.“
Thus, Freyja has strong associations with gold and in fact
could be viewed as a goddess of treasure. This is in keeping
with the Vanir generally, who are known as deities of wealth.
Her father, Njord. is a god of merchants as well as the sea. and
of course Frey is well known as a fertility god and a god of
frith (a complex term roughly meaning “inviolable peace“) and
plenty. Knowing this. w wee can look at one of the more
interesting facets of the myths in a new light. Time and again.
the giants demand Freyja as part of a reward — and she always
refuses. as we saw in Chapter 2. However — if we think of
Freyja‘s association with gold and wealth. it could be that what
the giants are demanding is treasure itself, In fact Thrym brags
about just this when he hears that the gods are sending him
Freyja:
Gold-horned cows walk here in the yard.
Jet-black oxen to the giant’s delight;
Many treasures I possess, many necklaces I possess.
Freyja was all I seemed to be missing.9

We know that Freyja‘s name was used in kennings for gold.

and we can on one level look at these words and think that
Thrym iiss. in reciting poetry. maintaining the correct poetic
form and referring to his upcoming nuptials in a superficial
way. But he is bragging here e he is reciting the list of wealth
 Freyja.
Frey Lady.. Vanadis
ja. Lady - 43

he has (and it says a lot about the culture generally that cows
and oxen top his list), and saying that Freyja is the only thing
he had be en missing — the pinnacle, one might say, of his
been
wealth. In fact, his treatreasure
sure cann
cannotot be complete ununti
till he
possesses Freyja ~ the lady of gold herself. Thus, in one way
and in another him
we canfor
asking seeFreyja
Thrym asas gold-greedy,
a goddess we see
of life (as seen in Chapter Two).
Taken together, these facets point, once again, to the multi-
dimensional aspects of this im
import
portant
ant godd
goddess.
ess.
Returning to Brisingamen, we see that it can be viewed as
symbolizing the gold, or wealth, associated with Freyja. One
of Fteyja’s by—names is Menglad, or “necklace-glad,“ and this
can be seen as another hint at the power of her chosen symbol.
On a deeper level, however, the necklace has associations with
anothe
ano therr kind of wealth — that of fertility. Kevin Crossley-
kind

Holland tells us “She

for the Necklace sold
of the herself to four
Brisings-the mostdwarfs
strikinginsymbol
exchange of
herr fe
he fert
rtil
ilit
ity”
y”““ and argues that the principle ornament of the
and
“Mother Goddess in Indo-European cultures" was a ne neck
cklac
lace|
e| '.
Davidson argues similarly. She points out the
H. R. Ellis Davidson
similarities between Brisingamen aan nd the necklace
Brasingamene cited in Beowulf and goes on to suggest “a
neckla
nec ce is something which is associat
klace associated
ed with the mother
goddess from very early times.”" It is know known n tha
thatt fertility
deities found as far back as 3000 BC in the Mediterranean area
are oflen wearing necklaces, and indeed it could be that part of
thee cu
th lt of Freyja involved fertility rites”. Further, Ellis
cult
Davidson argues that “not only healing but wealth was seen as
a gifl of the fertility deities
"‘ and examines offerings lefi to
Vanic deities generally. Gold rings have been found. which
might point to worship of deities associated with rings (Thor,
Ullr, and Freyr, for insta
instance)
nce).. Howe ver, such sacrifices could
However,
also be seen as appropriate gifts to offer to a deity of wealth
such as Fre
Freyja
yja.. Add
Additi
itionally flax and implements used for
onally
beating it have been found, as well as bundles of flax deposited
in an
and
d aro
roun
und
d a cairn at Hedenstorp, Sweden”. One of
Freyja’s by-names, Horn, translates to flax, and this could well
44 ' PPatr
atrici
iciaa M. Lafayllve

have been an offering to the goddess Flax itself. made into

linen, was so important that for a great deal of ttim imee th
thee
Icelandic system of worth was based not on gold. but on ells of
cloth”.
Knowing Freyja‘s association with fertility brings another

layer
If shetowas.
the in
giants’
fact, acontinual
goddess desire for the
of fertility. goddess
then prize.
as a could
the giants
be attempting to steal (or win) a specific power over life itself
Thus Freyja becomes a valuable bargaining tool. This is
argued to in Our Troth. which says that the giants:

are con
contin
tinual
ually
ly try ing to win or steal Freyja for
trying
themse
themselve s, not just becau
lves, because
se she
she‘s
‘s a goo
goodd lay. but
lay.
because her powers contain the essence of the life force
itself and sustain the well-being of Asgard and the rest

of the worlds.l7
Larrington echoes this. suggesting that “it is possible that
the goddesses. and the attributes they possess. represent a life-
giving
giving fecu ndity aand
fecundity nd ra
radi
dian
ance
ce whwhic
ich
h is alien to th thee bl
blea
eak
k
moun
mo unta
tain
in ha
habi
bita
tats
ts of the g gia
iant
nts,
s, qu
qual
alit
itie
iess si
sign
gnaled by the
aled
bundling of Freyja with the sun and moon as reward for the
Giant Builder'si" (for the myth of the giant who built Asgard‘s
wall, see Gylfaginning 42-43).
However, this is not to say that Freyja is. nor ever was. a
mother-goddess per se, In fact, there is only one source linking
Freyja with chil
childbir
dbirth.
th. In Oddrun‘s Lament. af after
ter Odd
Oddrun
run
helps Bomgy del
delive
iverr her twin children. th
thee rel
reliev
ieved
ed mo
mothe
therr
says:
May all the kind beings help you,
Frigga and Freyja and more of the gods.
As you warded away that dangerous illness from me.”

The li
The line
ne citing Frigg and Freyj seemss fairly generic —
Freyjaa seem
words of gratitude given to every goodly being. Even H.Ri
Ellis Davidson agrees that “Any clear proof of the worship of
thee Ea
th Eart
rth
h Mother in heathen Scan
Scandina
dinavia
via is hard to find."
 Freyja
Freyja Lad
Lad).
). Vanadis - 45

although she does say that “in the Edda poem Oddrunargratr
Frigg is named together with Freyja as a goddess to be invoked
by women in labour.2°" Based on the fact that we have a great
deal of surviving source material about Freyja, yet only one
poem exists regarding her association with childbirth (Which
could
Freyjawell
was have
not abeen a generic utterance), we can assume that
“Mother Goddess” at all (indeed, if there is
any Germanic goddess associated with motherhood. it would
be Frigga). Further. while Freyja is herself a mother of at least
one daughter. she is never depicted as being involved in the
daily tasks of motherhood nor even keeping the hall. Our
Troth argues that ""Frey
Freyja's
ja's winning of the Brisingamen is one
winning
of the strongest reasons to think of her as an earth-goddess like
her mother Nerthus. and therefore, though there is nothing in
the Norse sources to suggest it, perhaps also being one of the
goddesses who make the world fruitful.21” It is important to
note. here. that the terms ‘earth-godd ess’ and ‘mother-goddess’
‘earth-goddess’
do not mean the same thing. Freyja playing a role in fertility
makes sense. since as a goddess of sex she is certainly involved
in the reproductive act itself. However, no evidence exists of
her being ‘motherlyf
lndeed. there is another connotation to be made regarding
Bris
Br isin
inga
game
men.
n. BrBris
isin
inga
game
men n is, as mentioned above. often
thought to hav
havee be
been
en cr
craf
afted out of gold. Gold is called
ted
Freyja’s tears in kennings, There is also a puzzling reference
to amber as being a “ha “harbor
rbor-kid
-kidney"
ney" (haf
(hafnyra
nyra)) in Ulfr
Uggason‘s poem Hu Husd
sdm
mpaz
azz.
z. Am
Amb ber is known to have
washed up on beaches from the sea. Freyja herself may be
associ
associate
ated
d wit
withh the sea (Mardoll, another of her by-names.
contains the root word Murr. which means “sea.”) and we are
told that the Aesitii of what is now Lithuania harvested amber,
"ano
"anoth
ther
er em
embl
blem
em of Freyja in later myth
mytholog
ology?"
y?" Modern
heathens
heat hens ofte
often
n point to these remnants as suggestions that
Freyja is also associated with amber, and some suggest that
Brisingamen is made of both gold and amber. Still, regardless
of its actual content. the one kenning most used to represent
Brisingamen‘s possible base material (gold) is "Freyja’s tears"
46 ' Patricia M. Lafayllve

or “The weeping of Freyja,” Freyja wept tears of gold, we are

informed, when she went in search of her missing husband, Od
(also 0dr) “i It can be said, then, that Brisingarnen is forged
from the tears Freyja shed over her missing husband.
This hints at the transformative power of Freyja. We know
she has falcon-cloak
falcon-cloak,, and is able to transform herself
a
proxy, others) into the form of a bird when she dons it.(and,
Shebyis
also a goddess of witchcraft and seidhr, as we have seen, and
thus is able to shift herself out of one world and into the next.
Some consider her to be Gullveig (details on this in Chapter 6)
and therefore able to pass through fire and transform herself
into something more radiant. The dwarves, known smiths, had
the power to transform as we well
ll.. Much of the magic associated
Much
with smithcrafi comes from the ability to create something out
of something else — to take raw ore and forge it into usable
and/or
that artistically
Freyja beautiful
beau
takes her tiful item
grief, items.
s. Could
her tears one therefore
at losing suggest
her husband, to
the dwarves and that they then use this raw material to create
what comes to be her ultimate symbol of power? If, so, this
sheds a different light upon the myth of Brisingamen’s creation
as well as the price paid for it. Another of Freyja’s major
aspects, clearly, is sexual (see Chapter 2). If we suppose that
the dwarves used their power, smithcrafi, and Freyja used her
power, sex, in order to forg
forgee Brisingame
Brisingamen n out of Freyja’s literal
tears, we could then argue that Freyja worked with the Brisings,
rather than paying tthe
hem.
m. In
Inde
deed
ed it could
could be that
that th
thee dw
dwar
arve
vess
themselves knew they would require Freyja’s power in order to
complete the work, and therefore demanded the “payment” as a
necessary tool. While this is all very speculative, iitt is an
interesting concept to consider in understanding Freyja and the
importance of Brisingamen.
Many modern scholars and heathens associate Freyja with
fire
fire.. Th
This
is association comes in the main from the assumption
that Freyja and Gullveig are the same deity, a concept which
will be discussed in detail in the next chapter. Evidence of the
relationship between Freyja and fire can also be seen in the
Lay of Hyndla, where Freyja demonstrates power over fire by
 Freyja,
Frey Lady.. Vanadis
ja, Lady - 47

calling it down on the giantess”. However, if Gullveig and

Freyja are not the same deity, Freyja’s asso associa
ciatio
tion
n wit
with
h fir
firee
fades somewhat. We are left the Lay of Hyndla and several
kenningsi However, it is also worth noting that treasure in
general, gold and even Freyja's daughter Hnoss are referred to
various times “fire the scan." It could be that
at as being
Freyja’s associations are not the ofrefore
therefore with fire, per se, but
rather again with wealth. Yet, it must be suggested that fire, in
itself, can be bo
both
th de
dest
stru
ruct
ctiv
ivee and transformative (even the
and
burning of acres of forest serves to add vital nutrients to the
soil). This speculation on the nature of fire might link it to
Freyja, a know
knownn tran
transform
sformativ
ativee goddess.
Finally, on
onee su
sugg
gges
este d translation of Mardoll is "sea-
ted
brightness" or “sea-bright" and this again ttiies her with
kennings of gold and amber (the “harbor-kidney”) rather than
fire or theFreyj
sea,a’s
perrelat
se. ionship
(an ip
alternative translation
with Heimdall, whi
w ch Mardoll
of
hich will
will be
suggests Freyja’s relationsh
discus
discussed
sed in Chap ter 6). We k
Chapter kno
noww th
that
at th
thee Va
Vani
nicc deities
generally had associations with the sea (particularly Njord and
Frey) or at least with water in the vaguest sense (the tale of
Nerthus, presumably an earth—goddess, states her servants were
drowned after caring fo forr he
herr statue). Therefore it seems
reasonable to ascribe to Freyja some small association with the
sea based on her by-name. It must be said that, like the brief
mention of Nerthus’ thralls being drowned, very little actual
evidence linking Freyja to the sea itself can be established. It
could be that this is another aspect of Freyja’s cult which has
been lost to time.
 Chapter 6
Freyja and other deities and heroes

this chapter, the focus will be on Freyja‘s relationships

In with
wit h oth
recor
rec
other
ords.
er be
ds. Muc
bein
Much
ings
gs as se en in the extant myths and saga
seen
h can be learned by a careful examination of
these interactions. This will pull together some of the more
fragmentary eevi
vide
denc
ncee an
and
d il
illu
lumi
mina
nate
te th
thee su
subtle nuances of
btle
Freyja’s character.
Let us begin with Freyja’s shadowy husband, 0:! (also Odd)
or Odrr Not much is revealed about this character, nor or their
relationship
and
an d th
that per se. We know
at “Fre thatwee
w0d went
ll””off We
on long
alsotravels,
“Freyja
yja staye
stayedd be
behi
hind
nd eepi
ping
ngll also know,
from the same passage in Gylafginning, that eventually she
went “traveling among strange peoples looking for Odz.” This
is the explanation given for the existence of her multiple by-
names. SnoSnorri
rri also
also tells
tells us couple have a daughter together
named Hnoss (li (liter
terall
ally,
y, “tr
“treas
easure
ure”).
”). Yng
Ynglin
lingas aga mentions
gasaga
two daughters, Hnoss and Gersirnil. Both names translate to
‘treasure,’ and it co couuld be that the second daughter, not
mentioned elsewhere, was just a later invention based on a
pluralized kenning. That Freyja‘s daughter (or daughters) is
named ‘treasure’ underscores Freyja‘s relationship to gold and
50 ° Patri
Patricia
cia M. Lafayllve

wealth. but says little about her marriage.

This is all we know of 0d. However. the root “0dr" shows
up most tellingly in another name 7 Odin. the god of wisdom
and death. Important in this case are two concepts. the first a
question: are 0d and Odin one and the same? There is no real
but shall be Odin and have
answer
a lloot in tocommon,
this. as
The secondseen
concept is toFreyja
look at thequite
root
word — odr. 0dr roughly translates to “wind". "inspiration“.
“spiritual arousal.” and it is considered the gift Odin gives to
humanity at the point of creationit The word 0dr also has
implications when it comes to ecstatic states, which therefore
connects it to seidr. Using speculation. iitt is interesting to
consider that Freyja traveled many worlds seeking her spiritual
arousal (or. to st stre
retc
tch
h th
thee metaphor. an ecstatic state of
inspiration) This author often wonders if all these realms were
in the mundane world,
Freyja and Odin
This all leads us to O Odin
din.. Odi
Odinn and
and Freyja are both deities
of battle. and indeed both take fallen warriors into their halls
(Valhalla and Sessrumnir. respectively) 5. Both are deities of
magic and seidr. as discussed in Chapter Two. Indeed it seems
these two have more in common than most other deities. This
could
cou ld be evi
eviden ce of a remnant of differing tribal religious
dence
beliefs. fo
forr th
thee overlap particularly in these two aspects implies
that each deity had his or her own cult. In fact, Odin is one of
the ch
the chie
ieff gods. the leader of tthe
he Ae
Aesi
sir.
r. wh
whililee Freyja. the
“blotgythjaf‘ was one of the most prominent goddesses among
the Vanir before her move to Asgardi That so many myths
survive about each of them is revealing.
Butt wh
Bu whatat was their relationship to one another? Freyja
taught Odin seidr, as we have seen. She also arranged to get
half of those slain in battle, and most modern heathens feel she
gets first choice. Was this a sort of bargain between them'? It
is hard to speculate. but giv given
en Vik ing Era attitu
Viking attitudes
des towar
towardd
alliances, reciprocity. an
andd mu
mutu
tual
al gift exchange it seems a
logical extrapolation We do know that Odin forced Freyja to
begin an endless war to earn Brisingamen b back
ack.. LoLoki
ki stole
stole the
 Frey
Freyja. Lady.. Vanadis
ja. Lady - 51

necklace and gave it to Odin. who then demanded this as his

payment“. She acquiesces without complaint. which seems out
of cchar
haract
acter
er fo
forr thi
thiss po
powe
werf
rful
ul godd
goddes
ess.
s. Pe
Perh apss she knows
rhap
how importa
important
nt Brisi
Brisingam en is as a symbol of her power,
ngamen
Perhaps she secretly enjoys being a strife-stirrer. Perhaps. as
the mythinstates.
remain his
h fashe
is favo r.and
vor. Odin
Thes
Th esee areareall
lovers and she but
speculative, wouldtherather
story
does
do es re
reve
veal
al Od
Odin
in's
's cl
clos
osen
enes
esss to Freyja anandd hi
hiss ability to
command her — when the price is right. It is also worth noting
that
that Od
Odinin wwaas a god of many lovers, and it seems that a
goddess of sexuality would be irresistible,
Frigga and Freyja
This leads into a discussion of Odin's wife. Frigga. If a
sexual relationship exi existed
sted betw
betweeneen Freyja and Odin. Freyja
was th
thee ‘o
‘oth
ther
er woman.‘ while Frigga was Odi Odin’
n’ss wif
wife.
e. It
should be mentioned that Frigga, herself. has more lovers than
her husband. and therefore this ‘love triangle‘ may not be a
source of conflict, Ofien. Freyja and Frigga are conflated. or
even seen as one and the same. The two do have a lloot in
common. as asid
idee from
from Odin
Odin.. Bo
Bothth aare
re see
seeres
resses
ses 7 Fre
Freyja
yja as a
seidhkona and Frigga fr from
om he
herr ability to ascend to Odin’s High
Seat. Hlid
Hlidskial
skialf,f, Both have cloaks
cloaks of bird feathers
feathers which
which they
use for travel in bird form. another thing which points to their
mutual ability to perform trance wo work rk.. Wh
Whililee no mention of
Freyja exi
exists
sts out
outsid
sidee Scandinavia. Frigga is a well»known
continental
continen tal Germ
Germanic
anic goddess. This is often pointed to by
modern heathens as a reason both are the same deity.
However. a few things must be considered beforejudgment
is rea
reache
ched.
d. First of all. while Freyja is a goddess of sexuality.
First
wealth. magic. death. and battle. Frigga’s realm is the domestic
7 keeping social order. maintaining the home and the luck of
the hall. weaving frith7. While there is evidence of Frigga‘s
craftiness and her ability to cause strifeg. and she does initiate
at least one battle by causing he herr hus
husban
band
d to get up on the
wrong side of the bed”. she is not seen as a goddess of death or
battle. Rather. Frigga seems to have more influence over
social order. the keeping of the hall. and motherhood, Frigga
 52 - Patricia M Lafayllve

sat at the High Seat with Odin, while Freyja was the ranking
goddess who served mead in the hall (as discussed previously)
This is a subtle but important social distinction.
Further, if one looks at the roots of the names Frigga and
Freyja, the difference between them becomes clear. Frigga‘s
root stems from the Pro Proto-lndo-Eur opean *pri “to love" — a
to-lndo-European
word
wo rd wh
whic
ich
h la
late
terr be
beca me as
came asso
soci
ciat
ated
ed wi
with
th th
thee wo
word
rd “f
“fri
ridh
dh””
(“frith”). Freyja, on the other hand, comes from the PIE root
*per, meaning “forward,” “first,” or ““chie
chief.”
f.” This later beca
becameme
the prom-German word *frowo, “prominent woman,” or
“Ladyw.” In other words, these two goddesses’ original names
come from different meanings - one comes to be associated
with frith (and, later, blessings) while the other becomes the
“prominent woman.” It is also important to remem remember
ber that
words which sound the same do not necessarily have the same

meaning.
Both are associated with the word “Friday,” and it does
indeed seem unclear whether the day was named afier Frigga
or Frey'a. While some are of the opinion that Friday, dies
veneris ', belongs to Freyja, others lean toward Frigga since
most of the other day-names come from continental Germanic
names (Woden, etc)”. In fact, this strongly suggests that
Friday is nam
named
ed fo
forr Frigga, since Freyja is not mentioned
outside of Scandinavia at aall
ll.. No ev
evid
iden
ence
ce exis
exists
ts in primary
sources to associate Freyja with Friday — even in Old Norse the
word for Friday is “frjadagr,” a borrowing from continental
Germ
Ge rman ic.. In Faroese, the word for Friday is Friggiadagur,
anic
which clearly maintains Frigga’s name. Many modern
heathens do choose to honor Freyja on Friday, but this must be
seen as a personal practice rather than one based on historical
information.
As mentioned above, the relationship between these two
goddesses does not appear adversarial. Freyja stands up and
defends Fr
Frigga
igga during the Lokasenna”, drawing Lok
during Loki’
i’ss ir
iree
upon herself. We have no surviving record of the two
goddesses arguing, or clashing over any situation. Therefore
we must conclude that if, as suggested, Freyja is one of Odin’s

\ For correct .nrurmauon on the proceeding chapters, see...

A .
a
,4
,
 Freyja.
Frey Lady.. Vanadis - 53
ja. Lady

lovers, Frigga remains h his

is wi
wife
fe.. Spec
Speculati vely,, one could
ulatively
argue that this situation was symbolic of the social practice of
multiple wives or having a chosen mistress seen in some areas
of Scandinavia”. If so, this could imply that Cd is actually
Odin, and that the separation of one god into two might well

hav
have e be
convertbeen
en ablatant
the Christian attempt
sexuality to “clean
of Freyja intoup” the myths
something moreand
in yes!
keeping with changing social mores. It must also be noted,
however, that Cd is mentioned both in Voluspa and the Lay of
Hyndla — heathen sources which would maintain that 0dr and Only Snorric
Odin are not the same figure at all. ”“95
The Vanir
Odin and Frigga are the ranking deities of the Aesir. Freyja,
however, is a Van. Who were tthe he Vani
Vanir?r? Th
Thee truth
truth is, very
little survives to tell us. We knoknoww tha
thatt Nj
Njord was Freyja’s
ord
father's, Njord brought his two children to Asgard
fellow hostage after the Aesir—Vanir war, and Freyja
—
Frey as a
for no
known reason. He is a god of the merchant class and of the
boatyard, associated with wealth”. He stands up to defend his
daughter in Lokasenna, wh whicich
h ha
hass be
been
en di
disc
scus
usse
sed
d in ea
earl
rlie
ierr
chapters. It would seem that one of Freyja’s bynames, Mardoll,
indicates she is associated with the sea, presumably as a legacy
from her father. In looking at family associations, it is also
worth noting that Njord, Freyja, Frey, and even Freyja’s child
Hnoss are aass
ssoc
ocia
iate
ted
d wi
with
th wealt
wealth.
h. It wou
would
ld seem, then, that
wealth and gold were Vanic seaI
7gifis as much as the Vanir were
associated with earth and .

Taken together, it is interesting to look at the three main

Vanic deities — Njord, Frey, and Freyja — and try to glean from
them what can be known about the Vanir. Frey is the god of
fertility, particularly of the land, while Freyja is the goddess of
sexuality and life. At the same time, Frey can be seen as a god
of death (literally, as a king in his mound”) as is his sister.
Frey gives up his sword (although ne neith
ither
er his abilities nor
willingness to be a warrior) to woo his wife”, and Freyja
remains a goddess of battle although she is never seen with a
weapon in hand, nor on the battlefield itself. Frey is associated
 54 - Patr
Patrici
iciaa Mt Lafayllve

with the Alfar and the male ancestral dead, Freyja with the
Disir. In short. it seems that Frey and Freyja. as siblings.
balance one another and form a cohesive unit. It is important
to note that on
only
ly secondary sources consider the two deities
secondary
twins. A discussion of twin fertility deities cross-culturally is

beyond
made by the scope of thisHowever.
work. but comparisons have
ha ve itself.
been
bee n
many scholars, in the source material
while Frey and Freyja are noted as siblings. no reference is
made to their being twins.
Retranslzling
old norseytelds The Gullveig-Freyj
Gullveig-Freyjaa Connection Examined
henevrizmy ls Freyja Gullveig? Given what we know about the Vanic
on the start at
the war association with wealth generally and Freyja‘s association with
gold in particular. it seems a plausible assumption to make.
Gullveig does. after all. mean ‘gold-lust,‘ lqullveig is Freyja
in another guise. then we can further credit Freyja with stirring

strife, for itinwas her entry into Asgard that prompted the Aesir—
Vanir war particularzof"Further, the hunting of Gullveig can
be seen as a Shamanic initiatory experience. and her emergence
from the flames each time can be seen as a tempering of spirit.
burning away the excess to remain stronger th than
an bef
before
ore..
Another point worth making is that a smith transforms ore.
which is a demonstration of power over fire 7 and this. too. we
have se
seen
en as anan aspect of Freyja.
Crossley-Holland argues that Freyja is Gullveig. also
pointing out that “Gullveig‘s second name is Heid (heidr).
which means ‘the bright one’ or ‘the shining one,‘ Gullveig
can." Cro
Cross
ssle
ley
y arargu
gues
es.“
.“ clclea
early be equated with Freyja.
rly
foremost of the Vanir. whose connexion with gold is apparent
in a number of mythsz‘“ Indeed. in Voluspa the seeress calls
herself Heid and then references a time when Odin gave her
gold so tha
thatt sh
shee wo
woul
uld
d te
teac
achh hi
himm magicn, This certainly
seems to bear out the case that Heid and Freyja are one and the
same. However. there is no clear association with Gullveig
and Heid. per se. Naturally this leads to confusion, Overall.
the evidence of Gullveig’s name. and her behavior. seem to
mark her as an aspect of Freyja. Iqullveig is a goddess in her
own right. then nothing more is known about her save the one
i in all caseswhere Frey
"In Hat‘s
}: is said
Frey}:
Hat‘s hall they burnedher"
in stir mile, it ts Ddin‘i doin
, Unk
Unknow
nown
n Cul
Cultur
tural
al Rel
Relemnc
emncee
whi
w ch is the cause.
hich
 Freyja.
Frey Lady.. V
ja. Lady Van
anad
adis
is - 55

telling incident in mythology where she arrives in Asgard.

Gefn and Geflon
Many modern heathens speculate that Freyja, with her by-
name ofGefn, might also be Gefion. Again, no clear reference
can be made. Gefn and Gefion are two names which have
—

close rootsGefion
goddess. bothismean “giver,”
a Danish
a wordShe
goddess. thatiscan describewith
associated any
agriculture and married Scyld. What is particularly interesting
is that, like Freyja, Gefl
Geflon
on hahass a necklace given to h her
er in
exchange for her favors”. Further, Snorri tells us that Gefion
was a virgin and virgins went to Gefion afler death“. Yet,
place names seem to indi
indicat
catee tha
thatt Gefi on had a cult of her own.
Gefion
This weakens the idea that Gefion was just another aspect of
Freyja, as do references to Gefion’s chastity in later sagas of
the Hauksbok and in Volsadhattizs. Certainly Freyja cannot be
called a chaste goddess in any respect. Further, Gefion is said
to be one of Frigga’s handmaidens, and as we have seen Freyja
was a prominent goddess in her ow ownn right. Thus it seems wuhme
right.
illogical fo thee two goddesses, Gefion and Freyja, to be Emifgee"
forr th
anything other than independent from one another.
Heimdall and Mardoll
<-—- "mir “mm"
ZSLillzfofiiE

A far more inteinteresti

resting
ng rela
relationship is the one between ‘3'““2‘”
tionship
Heimdall and Freyja. Heimdall seems to be a natural ally of
the goddess. In fact Mardoll, Freyja’s by—name, is very similar
to Heimdall ~ mar- meaning sea and heim- meaning earth or
world”. The two names sha share
re th
thee same suffix, -doll/-dall
(meaning ‘white’ or ‘bright’). All of these meanings are
disputed, so it is difficult to be definitive, yet a pattern does
seem to emerge. Heimdall is the one to suggest that Thor dress
as Freyja to win his hammer back”, a hint that Heimdall might
be at the very least a Vanic ally. Most tellingly, however,
Heimdall is known as the recoverer of Freyja’s necklace, In
Husdrapa, we are told that Loki steals Freyja’s necklace away.
Heimdal pursues him, and the two fight in the shape of seals.
A second report of this story appears in Laxdaela Saga:

Quick in counsel,
56 ' Pa
Patric
tricia
ia M. Lat'ayllve

Bifrost’s keeper strives with the wondrous

Subtle son of Laufey
At Sigastein, fo
forr the necklac
necklace:
e:
Wins
Wi ns th
thee son of eight and
One mothers the Brisings'-
I it
Neckring:
Now to youknown make
in the poem“.

Thus it seems cle

clear
ar th
that
at He
Heim
imda
dall
ll is Freyja’s ally and
defender. Their similarity in names notwithstanding. the fact
that Heimdall fights to regain Brisingnamen shows that the two
must have had a relationship of a particular type. perhaps lost
to us now. Certainly, as HR. Ellis-Davidson suggests. this
conn
connec
ecti
tion
on “w
“wit
ith
h th
thee Va
Vaninirr is implied rarath
ther
er th
than
an clearly
obviouslq,” While it cou
could
ld be th
that
at He
Heim
imda
dall
ll was merely
performing his duty as the protector ofThus Asgard,
iitt is his retrieval of
reasonable
Brisingamen seems more personal. to
suspect tha
thatt He
Heim
imda
dall
ll has ti
ties
es wi
with
th th
thee Va
Vaninirr generally. and
with Freyja in particular.
Freyja and Loki
in examining this story we can only conclude that Loki was
no friend of Freyja's. He ste steal
alss her necklace. and must be
forced to return it He als also
o assists
assists giants in their attempts to
win Freyja fr from
om th
thee gods is important to note that.
It is
.

although she lets Loki borrow her feathered cloak to seek out
Thor’s missing hammer. it is Thor who asks for this favor, not
Loki“. Freyja is called “Thrung” (also Throng) and said to be
a “Friend of Thorn." so it seems that she is willing to do this
for her ally. Loki. however. is another story, Certainly at the
end of days during the battle of Ragnarok. Loki sides against
the gods 3. It seems ccllear from the evidence that his
relationship with Freyja is from the beginning one of conflict.
He insults Freyja in L
Loka
okasen nal As we have discussed. he
sennal
calls her a witch. and accuses her of sexual promiscuity. He
mocks her, saying:

Be silent, Freyja. you‘re a witch

 Fruy
Fruyja. Lady.. Vanadis
ja. Lady - 57

And much imbued with malice.

You were astride your brother. all the laughing
gods surprised you.
And then. Freyja, you farted“.

Lokie certainly
embarrassment. seems gleeful
However
in his depiction of Freyja‘s
it must be said
said that
that Lo
Loki
ki in
insu
sult
ltss
everyone present (or at_ least tries to he15 less than successful
when insulting Frey
) and while he ac accu
cuse
sess Fr
Frey
promiscuity he levels the same accusation against all of the
ja of
eyja

goddesses present. Still, taken together with th thee othther

er
surviving stories. one can only conclude that Freyja and Loki
had an adversarial relationship.
Ottar. Freyja’s Mortal Lover
Perhaps the most re reve
veal
alin
ing
g rerela
lati
tion
onsh
ship
ip FrFrey ja has.
eyja
however. is with the young hero Ottar. The story of their
alliance is detailed in the “Lay of Hyndla." This story is
important enough to warrant its own Chapter. It is enough to
note here that Freyja bestows her favors not merely on gods
and dwarves. b but
ut al
also
so mortal men. This is a clue to the
importance of her cult 7 that Ottar can blot to her so frequently
she must return the favor when he asks. It suggests that Freyja
has male devotees as well as female. The story also reveals
specific things about Freyja’s command of seidr. and also her
ability to tr
tran
ansf
sfor
orm
m huhuma
mans
ns in
into
to an
anim
imal
alss (a ch
char ge often
arge
leveled at witches). More specific examination of the Lay of
Hyndla follows in Chapter Seven.
 Chapter 7
Freyja and the lay of hyndla

chapter begins to bridge the gap between the source

This material and scholarship and unverifiable or
unsubstantiated personal gnosis (discussed in chapter 8).
The conclusions reached here are that of the author, and should
be seen as such. The important thing to remember is that The
Lay of l-lyndla, located in the Poetic Edda, features Freyja
interacting with her mo
morta
rtall lover an
and
d with a giantess.
The Lay of Hyndla is an ofien puzzling poem. The plot
revolves around a conversation between Freyja, riding a boar,
and Hyndla, an ettin (giantess) she awakens. Freyja asks that
Hyndla reveal the ancestry of her lover, Ottar, so that he can
gain his inheritance aandnd wiwinn a wager, Hyndla reve reveals
als he
herr
knowledge that Ottar has been transformed into the boar Freyja
is riding, accuses Freyja of promiscuity, and then finally settles
into reciting Ottar’s ancestral lineage. All of this is fairly
straightforward. until Hyndla begins reciting what is known as
thee “L
th “Les
esse
serr Voluspa (Voluspa in Skama, or “The Short
Prophecy of the Seeress”'),” a series of v vis
isio
ions
ns shshee has
reveal
rev ealing
ing kno
knowle dge about the gods themselves.
wledge After
and
insulting Freyja
withdraws again,
into her cave toattempting to curse by
sleep, surrounded Ottar,
fire Hyndla
which
Freyja has summoned.
6U ‘ Patricia M. Lafayllvc

Taken on the surface. the Lay of Hyndla is about learning

one’s an
ance
cest
stra
rall li
line
ne.. Th
This
is is a concept very important to the
ancien
ancientt Nor se peoples, who practiced a form of ancestor
Norse
worship. The importance of ancestors is underscored in the
sagas. where the writers frequently break from the narrative to
introduce a character.
character‘s discussing (often
This time
at length) the
and
family line. happens again in the
myth
my thss as well. where even the god gods.
s. li
line
neag es are stated
ages
frequently. We know
know fr from
om earli
earlier
er chapters that Freyja is a
goddess ass
assoc
ocia
iate
ted
d wiwithth th
thee Disir, the female ancestresses. Deities
This is the first interesting aspect worth noting 7 lineage was
traced through the father, yet Ottar goes to Freyja instead of to
Frey. whom we know has purview over the male ancestral line.
Then we have the inclusion of the Lesser Voluspa (lines 29-44
of the Lay of Hyndla) which seems strange, also out of place.
It is only by looking deeper into the poem and its symbology
that these issues, among others, begin to be understood.
The Lay of Hyn Hyndla
dla beg ins with Fre
begins Freyja
yja cal
calling o
ling ou
ut to
Hyndla. bidding her to wake and come out and ride with her.
Freyja is astride a boar. and she asks that Hyndla saddle her
wolf. Freyja says: “Now it’s the darkest of darkness. we two
shall ride to Valhall. to the sacred sanctuary?" This is our first
clue as to what is happening Darkness and night belong to the
"other
"oth er worl
world."
d." HR. Ell Ellis-
is-Dav
Davids
idson
on points out that the road
this story takes place on is called valsinni, the “road of the
slain.” Valhalla is well known as the hall in which warriors
slain in battle go. and is governed by Odin. one of the main
gods of tthe
he dead.. Additionally. the format of the poem.
dead
particularly when Hyndla begins speaking of Ottar's lineage.
echoes what happens in Voluspa and again in Baldrs Draumw'
(“Baldr‘s Dreams") where Odin travels to the land of the dead
and awakens a seeress (or volva) and commands her to speak.
Here, then, we hahave
ve ano
anothe
therr tal
talee during which a seeress is
compelled to speak.
Presumably. not just anyone can com pel the de
compel dead. We
therefor
thereforee have our first insight into Freyja — she have
command over tthe
he dead
dead.. Th
This m
is is borne out in the mythology of
Shedoes
 Freyja.
Frey Lady,, Vanndis - 61
ja. Lady

Freyja in other places, as we have discussed previously. She

has Folkvang (“army-plain“), a ha hall
ll ca
call
lled
ed SeSess
ssru
rumn
mnir
ir
(“many-seated”), and we knoknow
w fro
from
m Gri
Grimn
mnism
ismalal (Grimnir’s
Sayings) that Freyja chooses one half of the battle slain every
day “and half Odin owns.” It is particularly relevant that she
Wild leap
receives
her lover,warriors who die inalso
must presumably battle,
be afor this tellsFurther,
warrior. us that Freyja
Ottar, of logic;
unfounded
is a goddess of battle as seen in Grimnir’s Sayings and also in attestation
Sorla Thattr, when she must stir up battle in order to win back
her stolen necklace, Brisingamen. In the Lay of Hyndla, the
subtle hint of Freyja’s role as a battle goddess comes mainly in
the form she gives Ottar — the boar Hildsvini.
Hildsvini, or Hildisivin (the form seen more frequently),
translates to “b
“battle
attle-swin
-swine.”
e.” That this boar is Freyja’s mount is
clear from the text — she refers to the boar as hers. It is well
known that at least two of the deities forming the tribe of the
Vanir are represented by the boar 7 Freyja’s brother Frey has
one named Gullinbursti (“golden bristles”). Hildsvini has a
second connotation, however — the word was ofien used as a
kenning fo
forr “helm
“helmetet.”
.” ThThee Anglo Saxon archeological site at
Bentley Grange has a helmet with a boar on its crest — the
boar’s bristles were picked out in gold" Freyja has several by-
names, one of which is Syr Syr,, mea
meanin
ningg “sow." H H.. R. Ellis—
Davidson points out: ““T The re real
almm of bl blac
ack
knes
esss was the
underworlds, and the boar could carry the goddess Freyja there
when she wanted to gain special knowledge.“
This brings us to the next important point about Freyja.
We have seen ttha shee was known as a goddess of magic,
hatt sh
specifically the form known as seidr. Seidr had had certain
hallmarks, one of which was traveling to the underworld,
gaining information, and returning with it. Clearly this is what
she is doing in the Lay of Hyn Hyndla
dla.. Alt
Altho ugh Kevin Crossley-
hough
Holland suggests that “no myth survives that displays Freyja as
seer or volva ," it is certain that she can command the volva, in
this case Hyndla, w when
hen she choo
chooses
ses.. Thi
Thiss actually ties us into
the similarities between Freyja and Odin — both deities have
this ability. It only stands to reason, considering Snorri
62 - Patricia M. Lat'ayllve

Sturluson’s statement that Freyja taught seidr to Odin, In truth.

the main link betwee
betweenn seidr and compelling the dead only comes
from the practices of these two deities. In any event. one could
make the argument that in the case of the Lay of Hyndla. Freyja
herself is the vulva, making the joumey to the underworld.

consultingHyndla,
consultingHyndla,then
then retuming
Spa, also spelled with
with th
theeinvolved
specifically necessaryinformation,
necessary
theinformation,
gaining of
spae.
information through trance methods} In Erik the Red '5 Saga.
mentioned earlier, the volva calls the spirits to he
her. Thee action
r. Th
in Voluspa happens when Odin travels to the land of the dead
and compels a volva to speak. This method is repeated in the
short poem Baldr’s Dreams. when Odin compels a dead seeress
to answer himg. In these poems. then. what we have are the
visi
vision
onss of a prop
prophete
hetess
ss (pre
(presumab
sumablyly deceased), Clearly.
Hyndla is placed in the ro le of prophetess here. She is
role
commanded to speak by Freyja. Does this mean that Hyndla is
dead. and Freyja is compelling her in much the same way as
Odin
Od in co
comm
mmanands
ds th
thee seeress in Voluspa anandd the volv
lvaa in
Baldurs draumar? The answer to that is unclear. Seeing
Hyndla as a giantess and volva that Freyja compels gives us
the implication that Freyja is a powerful seidhkona (literally.
seidr-woman). This gives us no clue as to Hyndla's state of
being. except that seeresses can travel through the worlds while
still living. and Freyja does ask Hyndla to do just that. If. on
the other hand. Hyndla is dead. and Freyja is traveling with
Ottar to the land of the dead. then Freyja is a both a seidhkona
and one who has command over the dead 7 another thing we
can glean from earlier discussion What is ulti ultimatel
matelyy more
important is the action. specifically the recitation Hyndla gives,
The ancestral lineage she recites devolves into the Lesser
Voluspa, as discussed. What is important here is to realize that
the seeress. Hyndla. can be assumed by the reader to be in the
trance state of the volva, Thus. her prophecies begin to appear
as she deepens her connection. and her trance awareness. with
Ottar’s ancestral lin lineag
eagee thr
through recitation.
ough While an
examination of the Lesser Voluspa itself is beyond the scope of
this chapter. it is important to note its similarities in format to
 Freyja. Lad). Va
Vanadis - as
nadis

the Voluspa. particularly in its imagery but also in the phrase

“it‘s important that you know it, do you want to know more710”
Expressed in the Voluspa as "do you understand yet. or what
more?”"'. this phrase seems to be an important feature of the
spa rite. wherein the seeress has a place to stop. should the
listener be ssat
atis
isfie
fied.
d. Th
Theeend
phrase also implies a willingness on
the part of the volva to the compulsion placed on her —
when the compeller is finished. she can rest. The appearance
of a similar phrase in both poems emphasizes the idea that a
spa or seidr ritual of some kind is being undertaken.
Freyja‘s connections with magic are clear from the Lay of
Hyndla. an and
d al
also
so help clear up some of the more puzzling
points ooff th
thee story. Freyja owns a cl cloa
oak
k ma
made
de of fa
falc
lcon
on
feathers. which she can use to shape<shifi into a bird and fly,
Here. she work
workss her shape shifiing ability on another being. the
human warrior Ottar
Ottar.. She tran
transform
sformss him into a boar and uses
him to ride to the underworl
underworld, d, Folk
Folklore
lore suggests that “this sort
of ‘nightmare-riding‘ is typical fo forr wit
witche
chess throughout the
Germanic worldst'z” In this practice. a witch would command
the spirit of a person and while that person slept would “ride"
the spirit in one form or another throughout the night. This
gives us yet another clue as to what is happening 7 Frey‘a is
As her
using Ottar‘s spirit as her mount. Fvlga
At the close of the Lay of Hyndla, Hyndla attempts to curse
Ottar. giving him a potion of remembrance so th that
at he wi
will
ll
recall what she has told him of his ancestry. but also saying
"put this beer into Ottar‘s hand, mixed with a great deal of
poison and ill fortuneiu" Sh Shee does ththis
is af
afte
terr Freyja has
surrounded her with a ring of fire to force Hyndla to give Ottar
a potion so that he will remember all that has been spoken.
Rasmus Anderson. an early Victorian scholar. refers to this fire
as "the breaking forth of the flaming aurora in the moming.”“
while others suggest a similarity in style between this and the
famous valkyrie of Volsungasaga, lefi sleeping in a ring of fire
for displeasing Od
Odin
in,, Th
Thee ability to command fire in this lay
als
lso
o sh
sho
ows ththat
at Freyja has a co conn
nnec
ecti
tion
on wi
with
th fir
firee it
itse
self
lf..
Nevertheless. we finish with a final ability of Freyja‘s, the
64 ' PPat
atric
ricia
ia M. Lafayllve

ability to negate or remove curses. When Hyndla is finished

cursing Ottar, F reyja’s rejoinder is that the words will come to
no harm, an
and
d th
that
at Ottar is to be protected by the gods.
One may well wonder why a goddess chooses to intervene
in the affairs of a mortal such as Ott ar.. He is referred to as
ttar

“Ottar
While the foolish”
Hyndla
by Hyndla several times throughout the lay.
is certainly biased, being angry at Freyja for
compelling her to speak, one wonders if Ottar is not foolish in
truth for getting himself into the wager in the first place. Here
we must look at the ove overa
rall
ll wo
worl d View of the Norse,
rld
specifically in reference to their beliefs and practices.
Hyndla refers to Ottar as Freyja’s lo love
verr and lat
later
er ins
insult
ultss
Freyja with statements regarding her promiscuity. While
Freyja is definitely known as a goddess of sex and love, and it
would stand to reason that she would be free with her sexual
favors, it is important to underscore once again the difference
in mindset between having a lover and being promiscuous to
the Old Norse pe peop
ople
les.
s. Ge
Gene
nera
rall
lly
y speak
speaking, there was no
ing,
specific taboo against having a lover, or more than one. There
is some evidence that kings had multiple wives, and certainly
mist
mi stre
ress
sses
es an
and
d sl
slav
aves
es.. However, adulteg was severely
‘ ' J resultino death for Not in all
in men and slavery for women. Tribes
The distinctionis worth noting—having a loveris not the same
as practicing adultery1n Norse practice. In short, having Ottar
as a lover is something Freyja admits to openly, but when she
is accused of being promiscuous, she responds by surrounding
Hyndla with fire.
While it is true that one does favors for one‘s lover, this is
not the only reason Freyja acts, nor is it the primary cause.
Freyja tells Hyndla:

He’s made an altar for me, faced with stone,

now that stone has turned to glass;
he’s reddened the new altar with ox blood,
Ottar has always ttru
rusted in the Asynior.”
sted
Blot, or blood offering, was a well documented form of
worship in the Viking age an andd it is clear ththat
at Ot
Otta
tarr has
 Freyja.
Frey Lady,, Vanadis - 65
ja. Lady

sacrificed an ox to get Freyja‘s att

attent
ention
ion.. The
Therere is more to it
than this He has made
made an altar to h her
er.. Th
This
is te
tell
llss us that men
were a part of Freyja worship as well as women (although one
might be temped to speculate that women formed the majority
of her worshippers) and it tells us he is dedicated to her 7 so
dedicated in fact
combined with tth
hat the
the blood he has
heaoffered
t from have
hiss turned
hi sacr
sacrifi
ifici
cial
al stone
the fire
firess
to glass, If not this, then certainly he has spilt so much blood
that the stone appears to be glass, for it is permanently wet, It Yes!

is his very dedication that has earned him this gift from the
goddess, This also explains why he called upon Freyja for help
rather than her brother, Frey.
There is a very fundamental point to understand in this. In
the Havamal (the Sayings of the High One) we read: “Better
not to pray, than to sacrifice too much, one gifi always calls for
another.”" Thi
Thiss is
is als
also
o ofien translated as “a gift looks for a
gifi” or even “a gifi looks for gain.” In the world of the Viking
Age, a great deal of importance was placed on the giving of
gifis. They cemented alliances, friendships, an andd bu
buililtt th
thee
community that was vital to the people of ththee time
time.. Th
Thee giving
of a gift meant that, eventually, a gifi must be given in return.
This was seen to be a part of human relations, but it included
the gods themselves. Giving gifis to the gods in the form of
sacrifices is well documented, and one can only assume why
such gifis were gi give
venn CeCert
rtai
ainly it was to give thanks for a
nly
prosperous season, winning a battle, returning home safely, etc
However, the implication was that the gods would eventually
owe the gifi—giver the same’returns for which he had sacrificed.
In the case of Ottar, we see this theory at work. Ottar has
sacrificed so much to the goddess that his altar has turned from
mere stone to having a glass-like su surrfa
face
ce.. He is, therefore,
owed a boon, which she willingly gra grants
nts.. Nat
Naturally she does
urally
so on her own terms, and one could speculate that being ridden
No help
by the goddess might be very trying on Ottar‘s spirit, but he is (real
gets his results.
The Lay of Hyndla then, is a poem replete with information
regarding Freyja and her abilities as a goddess, It also gives us
66 - Patricia M. Lafayllve

a key glimpse into Viking Age culture. allows us to speculate

on rel
relig
igio
ious
us pr
prac
acti
tices. an
ces. and
d reveals something about
membership in the cult of Freyja. Set as iitt is in a similar
format as other poems we also catch a glimpse of the ancient
practice of spae. This relatively short piece (only 50 verses.
which compared to other poems is quite short indeed) packs
information into every line This is what makes The Lay of
Hyndla so fascinating to the modern scholar.
 Chapter 8
Upg and speculation

.P.G., ooffte
ten
n wr wriitt
tten
en as “UPG,” refers to
unsubstantiated or unverifiable personal gnosis.
The term is used by reconstructionists and others to
refer to the subje
subjecti
ctive
ve imp
impres
ressions people ha
sions have
ve fo
form
rmed
ed
regarding all aspects of “th
thee lore
lore."
." In some cases, UPG can
come from meditations, spiritual work, o orr even simple
speculation. In others, it is seen as a “mental leap,” a way of
filling in the gaps found in all source material. After all, it
stands to reason that much of what was not actually written
down has been forgotten. Therefore, it can be assumed that
there must be some place to fit in such “mental leaps" and
therefore enhance understanding as a whole.‘ »

What place, then, does UPG have in a work which has been
primarily based upon the extant reference material'.’ The truth
is, it doe
doesn‘
sn‘t.
t. How
Howeve
ever,
r, to simp
simply
ly ign oree the exi
ignor existence of
stence
personal gnosis does in some ways limit one’s knowledge
regarding the scope of modern religious practice.
Another thing to keep in mind is that, to modern heathens
(also called “Asatruar.” the plural form of “Asatru”) in
particular, the texts we have are not considered ‘sacred’ in the
63 - Patricia M. Lafayllve

sense that they were divinely inspired (as. for instance. some
people wh
whoo bel
believ
ievee in the Bi
Bibl
blee wo
woul
uld
d say ttha
hatt th
thee wo
word
rdss
written there are the actual words of God), Even those who do
claim aspects of the surviving source material as divinely
inspired freely admit that this does not make them infallible.
Thus, while the recorded
texts are material
sacred tousable
us because the contain and
in reconstruction, the
only remaining
further are used to define and interpret the religion as a whole.
it is important to remember that at one point or another. the
stories themselves were created by other human beings. One
admittedly simplistic argument based on this understanding is
that these texts (the ones, at least. which we cannot historically
verify) wer
weree on
oncece UPG. Over time. they were collected.
shared. and bec
becamamee part of a collective agreement among
various tribes 7 this is how mythology of all kinds can develop.
When does personal gnosis become shared gnosis? And
for that matter when does shared gnosis become a central part
of a belief system and cultural life? These are questions which
deserve attention. Unfortunately they cannot be answered in
detail here — mainly because the answers are still. as yet. vague
and highly disputed The author’s opinion is that the process is
a lengthy and organic one. UPG will come and go. Some
pieces will be accepted and will stay ar arou
ound
nd.. Ov
Over
er time. they
will enter the mythology of the culture. It is the author’s belief
that this is a necessary process. for all religious systems require
growth and evolution. Stagnation will lead to the ‘death‘ of a
religion. as fewer and fewer people can reconcile their beliefs
with current practice.
That said. th thee au
auth
thor
or asked momodedern
rn heheat
athe
hens
ns.. th
thos
osee
particularly attached to Freyja and others. to sha share
re th
thei
eirr
experiences. While by no means definitive. nor objective. a
few of these are being offered here as a way for the reader to
understand where UPG can come fr from.
om. and whewhere
re it might
lead.
Regardin
Rega rdingg Freyj a‘s appearance. which is something we
Freyja‘s
know very little about. reports varied. She is alternately
described as being blond. red-haired. strawberry-blond. and
 Freyja.
Frey Lad).. Vanadis
ja. Lad) - 59

even in one case black haired. Her eyes are perceived as being
blue. green. or grey. She is without a doubt beautiful, and one
responde
respondent
nt sugg ested she is “surrounded by a golden aura"
suggested
(Estara T’shirai. personal communication). This would seem
to agree with Freyja’s aassoci
ssociatio
ation
n with gold. ThiThiss author
author
perceives her as tall, curvaceous. and at the same ti time
me fit
fit.. He
Herr
hairr alt
hai altern
ernate
atess bet
betwee
ween n the warmgold of growing wheat to a pale
strawberry blond, and tumbles to her waist in natural waves and
curls. The auth author
or sees her eyes as a piercing blue which can
darken to ththee co
colo
lorr of a stormy se
sea-
a-bl
blueif
ueif sh
shee is angry.
This author sees in Freyja the type of person who has a
commanding gaze. She meets a look head-on. her eyes
capturing yours. Her gaze is one full of self-knowledge and
self-power. She has what one can call a “knowing expression.“
Yet. in the depths of her eyes are a deep sadness coupled with a
refreshing an
andd oft
often
en rib
ribald
ald sense of humor. I see her as a
woman who enjoys a full. hearty laugh as much as anyone.
Others suggest she is attracted to the kind of music people
“make out" to. and one suggests that she is “gentle and fierce
by tums" (Ayla Wolffe. personal communicatio
communication). n).
One thing all resporesponden
ndentsts seem to agree with is that
working with Freyja is challenging She dem demanands
ds respect.
Freyja is not one to allow shortcomings — she will point out
any flaws in one‘s cha charac
racter
ter.. Thi
Thiss is a necessary event 7 for
Freyja cocomm
mmandandss tha
thatt people w whho work with her 'know
themselves intimately. She is perfectly willing to shred one's
ego in ord
order
er fo
forr true understanding of one’s own nature to
develop. Needless to say. this can be quite painful, for Freyja
is not a goddess to allow self-delusion. Freyja is also fiercely
protective of those in her care. As one respondent points out.
Freyja‘s "love is the kind of love that nutures. and is protective.
but you had better not harm those she loves or there will be
bloodshed” (Ayla Wolffe. personal communication).
This
Th is au
auth
thor
or ofofte
ten
n hehear
arss people. in Speaking 01‘ Freyja.
caution: “be careful what wish
wish for
for." Th
This
is is certainly a
good warning to keep in mind. you In fact, this is a warning which
should be heeded when approaching any deity. It would seem
70 - Pat
Patric
ricia
ia M. Lafayllve

that Freyja has her own agenda, and sees no point in telling
people wh
what
at th
that
at agenda is, She m mig
ight
ht give clues, but
give
remember they will always be given so that she can further the
outcome. Standing up and saying “no“ is a perfectly
acceptable answer to any question sh
shee as
asks. If one answers

“yes,” remember
Freyja makes that she will hold
no apologies, andyou to your
seems word.few if any
to have
regrets. This is not to say she is perfect — by no means. All the
gods and goddesses are flawed in the Norse mythology. What
it means is that she is willing to accept right and wrong, stands
up for herself, and is both independent and secure enough of
her own ego to stand firm. In this she is very like modern
heathens as well as those who modern heathens consider their
direct or cultural ancestors. She is a very powerful force to be
reckon
rec koned
ed wit
with.
h. She is willing to dissemble, and be the perfect
sex mate. understands
Shee un
Sh unde
ders
rsta
tand
ndss he
herr own role. She,
She, mos
mostt
importantly, herself, and knows that she is in a
strong position. She is, one must remember, a seidhkona —
able to see, understand, and manipulate wyrd to achieve her
goals. This is why even Asgard itself shakes in her wrath —
because her strength lies in her ability to use her own nature.
Freyja is a goddess of sex, and this author feels strongly
that cannot be underst
understate
ated.
d. Whi
Whilele many seem to take this as a
“permissive" attitude, the knowledge of sex must delve deeper
than just “fr
free
ee love
love,"
," SeSexx is not always pleasant, nor is it
always about love at alall.
l. Se
Sex
x is oflen used as a tool to gain and
hold power over others, and this is also key to understanding
Freyja. It is also clear that sex is a general term — Freyja is not
concer
concerne
ned
d wit
with
h a person’s sexual orientation, except as a
means of understanding the person and his/her
his/her driv
drives.
es. In short,
Freyja does not care if sex is heterosexual, homosexual, etc.
She is far more concerned with sex as an act of life, creation,
and power. Other respondents reflected a similar belief,
viewing Sessrumnir as a place “filled with couples of all kinds,
both hetero as well aass sa me sex...who are loving with one
same
another” (Ayla Wolt’fe, personal communicatio
communication).n).
Freyja iiss in man
many y wa ys th
ways thee ult
ultima
imate
te woman. In th this
is
 Freyja.
Frey Lady,, Vanadis - 71
ja. Lady

author’s UPG, she is there when life begins, at the spark of

orgasm. While this can, and in heterosexual cases certainly
does lead to creation of life, it seems more vital to Freyja that
the ecstasy of orgasm should occur, She is a worker in the
ecstatic tradition (which is a thing she has in common with
Odin), and athat
understands force for life. Shethe
death
is also a force for death, and
end of one’s span. She is a
comes at
death go
godd esss as well as a go
ddes goddde ss of sex/life — she
dess
understands the importance of bo both. She has command over
the dead, welcomes slain warriors and their women into her
hall when they die, and gives them richness in the afier world.
There is no record of Freyja having involvement in Ragnarok, mm Is listed
which
whi ch lea
leads
ds to an inter n. What is Freyja’s In some late
as a survwor
survwor
interestin
esting
g specu
speculatio
lation.
agenda? Why is it that she has slain warriors, if not to fight at sources
the end of days? Coul
Couldd it be that she understa
understands
nds that
that even in
destruction is rebirth, and that she is keeping a force aside for
what will come aft fter
er?? Th
Ther
eree is no specific answer to this
question, but this author believes Freyja has an agenda of her
own, and that, like Odin, she wi will
ll do wh
what
atev er it takes to
ever
ensure ththee best outcome. Conn Hanson, another modern
best
heathen respondent, feels that Freyja “uses her half of those
killed in battle to safeguard the seeds of life that survive the
finall battl
fina e. She turns her martial aspect inward to preserve the
battle.
innagard [literally, in-yard, or those within a certain 'circle of
influence] of life while Odin turns his outward to fend off the
utgard [the “out
utgard “outer-y
er-yard,
ard,"" those who are not members of the
innagard] of chaos” (personal communicatio
communication) n)
In feminist terms, Freyja encapsulates the “wild woman.”
She is not one to sit home by the hearth fire and wait for her
man to retu
return No,, instead she fares forth to find him, as the
rn.. No
stories of her search for 0d tell us. One might assume that she
would certainly defend her hall to her own death, if that were
required. At the same time, she is more “at home” in places of
nature, filfille
led
d wiwith
th growth an and
d ab
abun
unda
danc
nce.
e. She is an
uncontrollable force to be reckoned with, and is at the same
time
time in full control of herself — even when surrendering to
ecstasy. She loves to lau laugh,
gh, enjoys
enjoys a “b
“bawd
awdy y balla ” or a
72 ‘ Pat
Patric
ricia
ia M. Lafaylhe

“dirty joke." and is one of those women who can sit around
drinking sco
scotc
tch
h an
and
d pla
playing pokerr wit
ying poke with
h th
thee boys, a cigar
clenched firmly in her teeth. In the next moment. she can be
soft and coquettish. flirting until her lover is convinced that he
hass se
ha sedu
duce
ced
d her.
her. Th
This
is auth
author
or sees her as one who loves rich
fabrics. vibrant colors. and heaheady
dy com
comple
plex
x scents. Other
respondents mentioned colors Freyja might enjoy. Gold was
predominant.
predominan t. and green, but also red. pink. purples, earth tones.
and even white. At the same time, she is assumed to be a
goddess able to wade into the fray. not pausing to wipe the
spattered blood from her face until the battle is won. She is the
woman who arouses passion in all wh whoo see her 7 men and
women alike want her. or perhaps even want to be like her.
Yet she cannot be captured, nor controlled — that is, unless she
desires such a thing to occur.
How do all of these contrasting images. these examples of
unverifiable personal gnosis. become a part of a shared cultural
View? Again. this a question that only time can answer. One
thing ab
abou
outt UP
UPG G whwhic
ich
h do
does
es en
enha
hanc
ncee it
itss credibility is the
extent to wh
whic
ichh th
thee UPG agrees with the extant source material,
That cats are as assoc
sociat
iated
ed wit
with
h Freyja, for in inst
stan
ance
ce.. is a
commonly held UPG. In reality. the Old Norse word most
people take to mean “cats” refers roughly to “any small. furry.
carnivor
carn ivorous
ous mamm
mammal al living in ccav
aves
es.”
.” OnOnee could
could ther
theref
efor
oree
suggest th
that
at wi
wild
ld cats wo woul
uld
d be cl
clos er to association with
oser
Freyja than the domesticated cats we see today — except that
even the domesticated cat seems to be far more at home in the
"wild“ than any other domesticated animal. Certainly. all cats
are independent and none to easy to control, personality traits
which Freyja shares. Thus. the initial UPG (that the word used
meant
me ant “ca ts")) has be
“cats" beco
come
me accepted int intoo mo
mode
dern
rn he
heat
athe
hen
n
practice. Most. if not all. modern heathens would associate
cats with Freyja and not question this claim’s veracity. This is
a clear example of UPG becoming accepted as a vital part of
the broader religious culture. Only time can tell what elements
currently referred to as UP UPG G wi
will
ll be
beco
come
me part of modern
heathen religious belief and practice.
 Conclusion

Freyja is a complex goddess. She fits into many categories

— lover, death-goddess, witch, etc This book has attempted to

bring a basic understanding to these complexities, and further

to illuminate the reconstructionist heathen perspective on the
goddess. Scholars have spent much time on her, and we owe a
debt of gratitude to the
themm for the ir work
their
Further study wou wouldld hahave
ve to include a com
compar
pariso
isonn of
Freyja as a goddess of sexuality and fertility with other fertility
gods and goddesses. The Celtic tribes, particularly, shared
borders with the Norse tribes. Studying Celtic fertility figures,
then, would Show us how humans in similar geographical areas
developed their myths and understanding of their gods. While
it is also worth noting the Roman mythos and its influence on
Northern tribal per perspect
spectives
ives (par
(particularly th
ticularly thee co
cont
ntin
inen
enta
tall
Germanic and Anglo-Saxon tribes, who had direct contact with
Rome), it is important to note differences in geological climate.
Thus the Greek fertility gods and goddesses, developed over
time in a land of relative abundance, might have rather less in
common wi with
th th
thee ferti lity gods and goddesses of Northem
fertility
Europe, w whe
here
re th
thee growing season was short, and winters harsh.
Further, any research into this era must be conducted with an
eye toward misunderstandings by outsiders reporting what they
observed (Tacitus, for in
inst
stan
ance
ce)) Ch
Chri
rist
stia
iani
nity
ty was formally
embraced by Iceland in the year 1000. aandnd Ice
Icelan
land
d was the
final European holdout against the new religion. Thus one
must also look wit h care to understanding where Christian
with
value systems have influenced the source materials. and even

wheree anc
wher ncie
iennt Ge
Germ
rman
anic
ic spiritual beliefs ha have
ve in
infu
fuse
sed
d
Christianity/i
Now, with the modern reconstructio
reconstructionn of heathenry growing,
we are beginning to see the resurgence of the cult of Freyja in
many aspects. These are discussed further in the Appendices.
What is interesting, however, is that the worship of Freyja is
widespread, even cro
crossing
ssing beyo nd Asatm into Wicca, neo—
beyond
Druidism, and other nee-pagan religions. While some may see
this as a conflict, because tthehe fa
fait
iths
hs ha
have
ve many different
philosophical approaches to und understa
erstandin
ndingg poly
polytheism in
theism
general and performing ritual practices specifically. there is a
broader aspect to consider. Freyja, Snorri tells us time and
again, was one of the most prominent goddesses. She held a
high rank. and in fact her cult survived the Christianization of
Northern Europe. It is likely ttha hatt Sn
Snor
orri
ri hi
hims
msel
elff kn
knew
ew of
remnants of her cult. thus his acknowledgement of her being
the “blot-gythia" in Ynglingasaga. It was she. he tells us. who
was the last to continue the sacrifices. How apt that iitt is she
who is among the deities spearheading the latest reconstruction.
 Appendix A: Sources in the Lore

This
This li
list
st represents th
thee kno
known
wn sou
sources
rces rega
regardin
rding
g Frey
Freyjai
jai
The Gullveig/Heid complex is seen only in the Voluspa, and
Freyja is not mentioned by name in that poem at all The word
"Freyja” is used in several sagas to represent a particular
woman, or women in general. I have added a couple of these
references here, so that the reader can get the “gist" of how the
goddess’s name is used in kennings, but it would be repetitive
to mention them all.

The Poetic Edda

Voluspa
Lokasenna
Thrymskvida
Oddrun’s Lament (Oddrunargratr)
The Lay of Hyndla (Hyndluliod)

The Prose Edda

Gylfaginning 23-25
Gylfaginning 34-35
Gylfaginning 42-43
Gylfaginning 49
Skaldskaparamal — Introduction
Skaldskaparamal 5-8
Skaldskaparamal 17-18
Skaldskaparamal 32
Skaldskaparamal 36-39
Skaldskaparamal 49
Skaldskaparamal 75

Heimskringla
Ynglingasaga Chapter 4
Ynglingasaga Chapter 7
Ynglinga
Ynglingasaga
saga Chapter 10
Chapter
 FIateyjarba'lr
The myth of Freyja sleeping with the four dwarves comes
from this source via the Sarlu Thatlr.

Egil 's Saga

Egil’s daug
Egil’s daughter.
hter. Thor
Thorgerd
gerd.. discusses not eating until she
‘sups with Freyja.” Thorgerd is using this as a trick to get her
father to eat (and therefore live), and it can be assumed that
this is a reference to Freyja as a goddess who accepts women
into her hall after death.

Njal '5 Saga

Hjalti Skeggjason calls Freyja a bitch during the Thing and
is outlawed for mocking the gods.

Kormak 'S Saga

Kormak uses Freyja and kennings for Freyja in many of his
verses regarding Steingerd. While who hhee is referring to is
actually Steingerd. the kennings reveal a number of interesting
things about Freyja (i.e ‘the goddess who polishes hoards of
gold‘). One caut
caution
ion 7 fre
freque
quentl
ntly
y ori
original Norse tran
ginal translato
slators
rs
would use one goddess‘s name as a substitute for another. in
order to maintain alliterational euphony. Read skeptically!

The Saga q/‘Hallfred Troublerome

Troublerome-Poe!
-Poe!
Hallfred mentions Freyja in his verse to King Olaf. making
amends for being “overly fond” of the old gods. He mentions
her again when Olaf forces him to accept Christianity. this time
saying "now I am forced to forsake Freyja‘s kin..."

Viglund's Saga
Viglund uses “Freyja“ as a kenning for his love, Ketilrid, as
they part. Again, while not referring to Freyja specifically. the
kenning used emphasizes that her name was used to refer to
women in general terms.
 The Tale afHogni and Hedinn
This is the story of Loki stealing Brisingamen on Odin’s
orders.
orde rs. Odin dema
demands
nds that Freyja start a war as ransom for her
necklace, which she does. I am indebted to Arlea Anschutz for
her translation of this tale, found online at:
hgg://www.mrdwords.vispa.com/goddesses/freyja/in
hgg://www.mrdwords.vispa.com/go ddesses/freyja/indexrh
dexrh
m Author’s note: This is actually pan of Sorla Thom,
mentioned above. However, this is an excellent translation and
worth mentioning on its own merit.

Husdrapa
Ulfr Uggason refers to Brisingamen as “Hafnyra” and
discusses a fight between Heimdall and Loki to recover the
necklace. This is actually quoted as part of Haxdaela Saga, but
is frequently cited simply as “Husdrapa,” and therefore might

be easier to locate under either source.

 Appendix B: Modern Worship

As should be clclea
earr fr
from
om th
thee tone of this book. modern
worship of Freyja is rising. It should be noted that no heathen
is required to have a patron deity. Further. polytheists in

general often develop relationships with more than one god or

goddess. All the same. there are many modern heathens who
do. in fact. consider Freyja their patroness, often referring to
themselves as “freyjasman (Freyjasmadr)" or “freyjaswoman
(Freyjaskona)? Th Thes
esee heath
heathen
enss wi
will
ll of
ofte
ten
n ho
hold
ld public and
private blots to Fre
Freyja
yja.. Add
Additi
ition
onally. blots to Freyja occur
ally.
regardless of a patron relationship It is to these practices we
now turn.
Freyja is a goddess of seidhr and magic. This is strongly
supported in the source material. as we have examined,
Modern heathenry is enjoying an upsurge in the reconstruction
of se
seid
idhc
hcraft in generalr Diana Paxson aan
raft nd her group.
Seidhjallr. hhave
ave been instr
instrumen
umental
tal in developing an oracular
ritual derived from sources like the Voluspa. Erik the Red’s
Saga, etc. This method
method has been taught at private workshops
and public festivals throughout the Uni United
ted Sta tes.. Other
States
groups work with seidhr as well. including Bjomsal. which the
author is a member of. Widsith. a group in Texas. and many
others. Additionally. there are ttho hose
se wh
whoo are working with
seidhr techniques on their own. publicly or privately for their
kindred. Developing out of all these practices is a shared pool
of knowledge along with a variety of practical met method
hods.s. Mos
Mostt
of these groups and individuals pay honor to Freyja prior to
their ritual or as part of any seidhr or spae ri
rite
te.. Th
This
is can range
from having a blot to Freyja, offering her gifts (sacrifices or
various kinds), or calling ou outt to request her presence and
assistance.
Walpurgisnacht, the night before May 1, is often seen as a
night particularly devoted to Freyja. This is a time when magic
wass se
wa en to be very active, witches riding out to af
seen affec
fectt the
ways of mankind. Many heathens in today‘s culture speculate
that specific rites to Freyja were held on this night. Modern
reconstructionists therefore often do hold rites to honor Freyja
on this night or as part of tthehe celeb
celebratio n of ““Ma
ration May
y Da
Day.
y.““
Certainly
Cert Frey.. her brother. can be seen symbolically in the
ainly Frey
raising of the May Pole with its clear phallphallic
ic imagery. and
imagery.
since the siblings are closely knit it seems fitting to pay one’s
respects to Freyja at this time. Some speculate that it was
Freyja who would accept kings over the land, and Frey who
later granted them sacral powers. If so. then having rites to
Frey
Fr eyja
ja on Wa Walp
lpur
urgu
gusn
snac ht aals
acht lso
o mak es sense from the
akes
standpoint of kingship. Th This author frequently wonders if
is author
kings sacrificed to Freyja died on any particular day. but the
evidence varies.
People continue to pray to Freyja on all matters involving
love and sexuality. Some see her. along with her brother Frey.
as a deity particularly open to those of all sexual identities 7
heterosexual. bisexual. homosexual. etc. Certainly Freyja is a
goddess of sexuality. It is important to point out. therefore.
thatt the
tha there
re is no evid
evidence
ence whats
whatsoeve
oeverr to suggest ttha
hatt sh
shee is
primarily concerned with heterosexual matters (ie procreation)
procreation)..
Rather. we hear that she is fond of love songs and songs of a
ribald nature. A discussion of sexuality as perceived prior to
and during the Viking Period is beyond the scope of this book
although a fuller understanding of this topic would be useful as
a means to further understanding Freyja. However. it seems
illogical that a deity whose provenance includes sexuality
would show a preference for one form of sex over another.
Thus it can be con conclu
cluded
ded tha
thatt Freyja governs alalll fo rmss of
form
sexuality. That said. one should recall that there are forms of
sex which are negative — sex acts used as a means of
domination. power. and violent expressions of con contr
trol
ol.. Wh
Whililee
the author certainly does not condone such acts. it should be
noted
no ted tha
thatt Freyja. gove
governin g all sexuality, sex acts. etc. has
rning
fullness to her nature which is not always positive or loving.
One could argue that survivors of sexual violence would find
understanding and comfort with a deity such as F reyja.
Finally. there are groups devoted to the reconstruction of
Vanic cults in general and Freyja’s cult in particular. Each has
derived their practices from the hints remaining in sagas, myths,
and fo
folkl
lklor
ore.
e. One person recently established a portable
temple for Freyja, bringing it to festivals and setting it up.
Individuals can then enter Freyja’s temple to honor the goddess
in wh
what
atev
ever
er fa
fash
shio
ion
n they feel appropriate. This traveling

sacred space has Another

been wellexample
received at the festivals where it
has appeared. can be found among a
theodish tribe One member has promised to commission a
god—post of Freyja which will then be traveling with him, again
to private rites and public fe
fest
stiv
ival
als.
s. He wil
willl also
also be opening
hiss ho
hi home
me at regular intervals to those who wish to worship
Freyja in the presence of her god-post. The interested reader is
encouraged to do research on his or her own. Some of these
groups maintain privacy about the details of their rites, while
others are available for public rites, education, and discussion.
 Appendedix C: Sample Blot to Freyja

Author 's Note: This was originally published in The

Trot
Tr oth'
h'ss Bo
Book
ok of Blots, first priming Spring 2004. Some
language has bebeen
en updated for this publication, and the rite
has been expanded to include variation. The words given here
are intended to be used as suggestions 7 there is no one sset
et of
“correct” language to use. Words should, of course, be
respecdul, but can vary depending on the needs, intent, and
inspiration of the speakerl

Necessary Tools:
Drinking
Drin king horn
horn/Dri
/Drinkin
nkingg vessel
Mead (or other sweet alcohol, try Raspberry Lambic)
Offering bowl (if indoors)
Hammer (optional)

Altar (optional):
Statue or other representation of F
Frey
reyjaja (an amber
amber necklace
necklace
works well)
Candle (the author uses two, flanking the statue)
Item being offered (if using something other than the libation)
Other assor ted items as needed/desired — oath rin
assorted ring,
g, offe
offering
ring
bowl, hammer, sacred items, amber, et al.

Hallowing of the area:

Author ‘3 Note: a Hammer Rite can be used at this time if
the read
reader
er choo
chooses.
ses. The author 's own preference is to use the
hails to landwights, ancestors, and gods given below to hallow
the space in
inst
stea
ead
d OnOnee version Hammer Rite is included here,
but it shou
should
ld be note
noted
d that this rite has several alternate forms

Hammer Rite:

(Raise hammer, facing north, and say):

Hammer of ice, hammer war wardi ng us from tthe
ding he co
cold
ld of
Niflheim, hallow and hold this holy stead!
 (bring the hammer down, then fr
from
om le ft to rig
left right,
ht, maki
making
ng
the “hammer sign. " Turn and face south. then say):
Hammer of fire. hammer warding us from the flames of
Muspelheim. hallow and hold this holy stead!
(Repeat the hammer sign. Face the altar. and raise the
hammer directly over your head. Then say):
Hammer of Midgard! Hammer of Asgard! Mighty
Mjollnir! Hallow and hold this holy stead!
(Perform the hammer sign once in the air above your head.
and then again at the ground beneath you. Place the hammer
on the altar, and continue with the rite).

Alternative Hallowing:
Light L‘andle(s). Sta
Stand
nd in sil encee for the space Ufa few
silenc
deep breaths. Focus on the blot. and its intent 7 to honor
Freyja. if desired speak as the candle(s) are being lit about
the fire as a representation of the sacred fires, warming and
hallowing Ihe space, Here are some words that can be used at
this lime:

l
(we) stand before you to honor Freyja, the Lady. I light
o that the warmth of the hearth fires can come and
this candle sso
shield me (us) from winter's icy breath. I light this candle that
the sacred fires may light and guide my (our) way. May the
light of fire hallow and hold this stead.

Hail the Landvaettir:

Author 's Note: Calling the wights, ancestors, and gods can
be spoken by the ofliciant of the rite (yourself ifyou are doing
this alone), or can be spoken by others in attendance. It is the
practice ofthe author and her kindred to have diff
differen
erentt peop
people
le
speak, to include all in the ritual. The words given below are
for a solitary practitioner, but they can be altered to suit the
purposes of the rite.

I call to you. the wights of this place. Spirits of the earth,

or the sky. land and husvaettir. I welcome you. Those who are
seen, and those who are unseen; all those who live upon this
land/in this house, I ask you to jjoi
oin me.. Please be with me
n me
now, protect me and stand with me as I perform this ritual.
Hail the Landvaettir!

(If there are others present, they should echo the hail.)
Hail the Ancestors:
Honored ones, ancient ones, those who came before me, I
greet you and bid you wwelc
elcome
ome.. Tho
Thosese of you who were once
flesh and bone, your blood still sings in my veins. Alfar. Disir,
men and women who stand strong in my memory, I honor you.
Ancestors, share your love with me, stand with me now as I
perform this ritual. Be with me, held close to my heart, and
grant me your wisd
wisdom.
om. Hail the ancestors
ancestors!!

Hail the Gods:

High ones, my elder kin, I call to you. Holy ones, shining
ones, I honor you. Aesir and Vanir, I bid you welcome to this
place. I invite you to be with me now as I perform this ritual.
Stand fast with me, be with me now as you stood with my
ancestors in the old days. Hai
Haill the Aes
Aesirl
irl Hai
Haill the Van
Vanir!
ir! Hai
Haill
the gods!

Invocati
Invocation
on of Freyja:
(Speaker should turn and face the altar/image of Freyja at
this time, if not already doing so. Spen
Spend deep breath or two
d a deep
of time remembering why you are here, the purpose of the blot.)

Lady. Va
Vananadi
dis.
s. SiSist er to Freyr and daughter of Njord.
ster
Friend to cats, and lover to us all, I ask you to come to this
place. Blotgythja, Val-freya, Bearer of Brisingamen, you are
welcome here. Freyja, I ask you to attend, and share your love
with me. I do this rite in your hhono
onor.
r. Hai
Haill Freyja!

Bless the Mead:

Pour mead/alcohol being used (for those who do not drink
alcohol, apple cider or juice is a good subslilure) into Ihe
drinking hor
horn/v
n/vess
essel.
el. Tra
Trace
ce the hammerr sign over the liquid
the hamme
using one 's hand or a ha
hamm
mmer Onee does no] have Io speak
er.. On
here. The author Iypically doesn '1. However, some words can
be used regarding [he sanctifying of [he mead. such as [he ones
"
below. "AIM" literally means "ale.

Alu, alu. alu, Blessed drink. blood of Kvasir. gift of

insp
inspir
irat
atio
ion.
n. MaMayy this liquid be made ho lyll May those who
holy
partake of it be blessed. Alu, alu. alu.

Mighty Aeg
Mighty Aegir.
ir. bre
brewin
wing-god. bl
g-god. bles
esss th
this
is me
mead
ad.. Kvasir.
whose blood was transformed into the sacred drink, hallow this
mead. May the words spoken over the horn be carried to the
waiting ears of the gods, and be layered in the Well of Wyrd,
Hail.

Share drink with the Lady:

Author’s Note: This can be done as the speaker sees fil.
The au
autho
thorr ten
tends
ds to drink Ihree limes, pouring out into the
oflering bo
bowl/di
wl/directly onto the ground aflel' each drink. W0rd:
rectly
10 Ihefollowing eflecl can be used:

Freyja, goddess of love, Lady of the Vanir. I share this

drink with you in memory of the many gifts you have given me
Hail Freyja!

(Drink deeply, pour out some of the liquid)

Freyja, I am honored to have you in my life. I thank you

for the warmth of your love, and I deeply appreciate all that
you have done for me. Hail Freyja!

(Drink deeply, pour out some of the liquid)

Freyja, I am here tonight/today to offer you a gifi as a

token of our relationship to one another. I ask that you receive
it warmly. and continue to smile on me. Hail Freyja!

(Drink
(Drink deeply,, pour out some ofthe liquid)
deeply

Author 13'
Note: If there are others in attendance it is the
typical practice of most heathens to pass the drinking horn
around on ce.. so th
once that
at ea
each
ch person may speak his or her
thoughts or words of praise. Since this is a ritual for Freyja,
words spoken should be addressed to her as opposed to any
other deity.

Offering:
If using the remaining liquid as the offering itself:

This mead/alcohol/liquid is a symbol of my gratitude,

Freyja, Please accept this offering as a gift to you I ask that
you continue to share your gifis with me. for indeed it is said
that a gift looks for a gift, I am mindful of all that you have
done, and am grateful that you will continue to smile on me.
Hail Freyja!

(Pour out remaining liquid into offering bowl.)

[fusing an actual item as an offering:

(First. pour out all afthe liquid into the offering bowl after
sharing dr
drin
ink
k wi
with
th the
the Lady. Then pick up the item to be
offered.
offered. Alter
Alternatively.. leave the liquid in the offering bowl.
natively
and place the item to be sacrificed into the bowl, The author
here uses amber as an example, but the speaker should feel
flee to us usee an offering appropriate to him/her and the
relationship with Fr Freeyia
ia.. Obv
bvio
iouusly, the wording should
sly
change to desL‘ribe the ofl'ering and its significance.)

Freyja. I offer to this gift of am

ambe
beri
ri This is alien like
This
you tears. I offer amber to you because it
gold, referred to as your
is, in my heart. a symbol of your powerful necklace,
Brisingamen. It is a sign of wealth. and to me iitt is also a
reminder of your presence in my life Freyja, I thank you for
all that you have done for me, for the gift of your love, and for
the many ways you have helped me. This gifi to you I offer in
thanks, wiwith
th th
thee wi
wish
sh th
that
at our relationship will con
contin
tinue
ue to

grow. Hail Freyjal

(Ofler the gif
giftt by adding it to the liquid in the oflering bowl,
adding
or if outdoors place it where it will be left for Freyja. If you
are capable of doing so, ofier it by throwing it directly into a
fire and letting it burn. throw it into a body of water. or bury
the gift in the ground, pouring the liquid into the same hole)

Closing:
Author's Note: These words should be spoken while facing
the altar or the site w
whe
here
re th
thee offering has taken place.
Farewell to Freyja:
Freyja, Vanadis, I thank you for yo your
ur pre
presence here
sence
tonight/today. I thank you for accepting my offering. I thank
you once more fo
forr the gifts you bring to me Hail Freyja!

Gods:
Aesir, Vanir, gods of my heart, I thank you. Thank you for
being here with me, and for standing witness to my offering.
You are always with me, and I honor you. Ha Hail
il the
the Ae
Aesi
sir!
r!
Hail the Va
Vanir!
nir! Hail the gods!

Ancestors:
Honored ones, those who have come before, all those who
are remembered, by name or by distant memory, I thank you.
Thank you for sharing your wisdom with me, and thank you
for attending this place. Hail the ancestors!

Landwights:
Landvaettir, husvaettir, wights of this place, I thank you. 1
thank you for sharing this land/house with me, and I thank you
for extending your protection to all that I hold dear. Thank you
for being here to witne
witness
ss this
this ritual.
ritual. Hail the landvaettir!
landvaettir!

Libation:
(Pour out the remaining liquid in the Uflering bowl, either
directly onto the ground or at the base of a tree.)
thee gods to the earth to us,
From th
From
From us to the earth to the gods.
A gifi for a gifi.
Hail!

(Final note: the closing written above originally appeared

in Ravenbak, a work st still available online. Its use is
predominantt among heathens in the Northeastern area of the
predominan
United States and along the central Atlantic coast. The author
feels it is a lovely means of ending a rite. but as always
alternative words can be used at the discretion of those
attending the rite)
Appendix D: Selected Modern Poetry

Freyja Chant
-Patricia Lafayllve

Lady Gullveig
Sunlight-Weeper Seidhkona
Treasure-bearer Vanadis
Frau Strife

Heidr Freyja
Wind walker. wi
wittch Bo Boaar-
r-ri
ride
derr
Falcon gi
gird
rded
ed Br Bris
isin
ing-
g-co
coll
llar
ared
ed
Sow Life

Frey/'11 Clmm
-Ayla Wolffe

Lovely Lady Vanadis

Freyja. Vanadis, Freyja
Freyja, Freyja. Freyja.

Lovely Lady Vanadis

Freyja. Vanadis. Freyja
Freyja. Freyja. Freyja.

(repeal)
 Freyju Summoning Sang
-Patricia Lafayllve

Freyja, Lady, Vanadis

Freyja, Lady, Vanadis

With love in our hearts we call to honor you

Mardoll, Sow, we ask this boon of you

F reyja, Lady, Vanadis

Freyja, Lady> Vanadis

Share your wisdom and your love tonight

Shine down Brlsingamen’s golden light
Freyja, Lady, Vanadis
Freyja, Lady, Vanadis

Spread your falcon feathered cloak over me

Guard my spirit, guide me as I fare free

Freyja, Lady, Vanadis

Freyja, Lady, Vanadis
 TheySay You Are Gone
-Patricia Lafayllve

In the spring of our youth we w

walk
alked
ed han
hand
d in hand
Through the fields with the flowers in bloom,
And the love in our hearts was the love of the land
But my spirit, you vanished too soon.

They say you are gone. that you'll never return

And
And th
that
at you never loved me at all.
But I know the truth. that your heart is still mine
And I'm holding your place in my hall.

Isearched all the worlds

searched worlds when you were o'er long
Walked
Walke d the beaches for some sign of you
beaches for
All these tears that I cry are because you are gone
And my hu husba
sband
nd tha
that's
t's all I can do.

They sa y you are gone. that you'll never retum

say
And that you never loved me at all.
But I know the truth. that your heart is still mine
And I'm holding your place in my hall,

Your daughter is growing and you'll never know

Howl see you behind her dark eyes.
That such a treasure our marriage could sow
Is the proofthat our love never dies.

They say you are gone. that you'll never return

And that you never loved me at all.
But I know the truth. that your heart is still mine
And I‘m holding your place in my hall.
Other lovers have come to warm my bed
And I kn
know
ow th
that
at you understand
Though they comfort my body I will never wed
For my heart is still held in your hand

They say you are gone. that you'll never return

And
And th at you never loved me at all.
that
But I know the truth. that your heart is still mine
And I'm holding your place in my hall.

So my husband. my heartsong, I'll wait for you

Though I know you may never return,
To that memory of springtime I will hold true
In the darkness of night I still yeaml

They say you are gone, that you‘ll never return

And
And th
that
at you never loved me at all.
But I know the truth. that your heart is still mine
And I'm holding your place in my hall.
 Notes

Chapter One

Sturluson, Snorri. The Prose Edda (Anthony Faulkes,

translator). Notes on the Author; page vi.
Sturluson. Introduction; pp. xi-xxi.
Sturlusort. Gylfaginning; Verses 23-25, page 24.
Sturluson, Snorri. Heimskringla (Lee M, Hollander.
translato
translator).
r). Yngl
Ynglinga
ingasaga;
saga; Chapter 4, page 8.
Chapter
Tacitus. The Agricola and the Germania (S.A. Handford
and H. Mattingly, translators). Chapter 40, page 134.
Sturluson, Snorri. The Prose Edda (Anthony Faulkes,
translator). Gylfaginning;Verses 23-25, page 24.
Sturluson. Gylfaginning; Verses 23-25, page 24.
Larrington, Ca Caroly
rolyne
ne (tra
(translator). The Faerie Edda.
nslator).
Grimnir’s Sayings, Verse 14, page 29.
Sturluson, Snorri. The Pro Prose
se EdEdda
da (Anthony Faulkes,
uanslator
uans lator).
). Gylf
Gylfagin ning;; Verses 34-35, page 29.
aginning
Sturluson, Snorri. The Prose Edda (Anthony Faulkes.
translator). Skaldskaparam
Skaldskaparamal; al; Verses 16-17, page 77.
11. l-leaney, Seamus (translator). Beowulf Line 613; page 41.
12. Heaney. Lines 620-622; page 43.
13. Citation for Egil’s saga, noting speculation of author.
14. Sturluson, Snorri. The Pro Prose
se EdEdda
da (Anthony Faulkes,
translator). Skaldskaparamal; Verse 17, page 77.
Sturluson, Snorri. Heimskringla (Lee M. Hollander,
translato
tran slator).
r). Chap ter 10; page 14.
Chapter
16. Sturluson, Snorri. Chapter 10; page 14.
17. Sturluson, Snorri. Chapter 10; page 14.
18. Ellis Davidson, H. R. Gods and Myths of the Viking Age.
Pages 114-155.
19. Simek, Rudolf. DictionaryofNorthern MythoIogy, page 202.
20. Ellis Davidson, H. R. Myths and Symbols in Pagan
Europ
Eur ope.
e. Pag
Pagee 133.
Larring‘ton, Caro
Carolyne
lyne (tra
(translator). The Poe
nslator). Poeti
ticc Ed
Edda
da..
 Thrym’ss Poe
Thrym’ m; pages 97401.
Poem;
22. Larrington, Carolyne (translator). The Poetic Edda. The
Song of Hyndla; page 254.
23. Crossleyvflolland, Kevin. The Norse Myths. Page 65.
24. Crossley-Holland. Page 203.
25. Sturluson, Snorri, The Pro
Prose
se Ed
Edda
da (Anthony Faulkes,
translator). Skaldskaparamal; Verses 36-7, page 98.
26. Sturluson, Snorri. Heim
Heimskrin
skringla (Lee M. Hollander,
gla (Lee
translator). Yngli
Ynglingasa
ngasaga;
ga; Chap ter 7, pages 10-11.
Chapter
27. Gundarsson, Kveldulf. Our Truth, Volume One: History
and Lore. 2"‘1 Ed. Page 333.
28. Larrlngt
Larr lngton,
on, Carol yne (translator). The Poe
Carolyne Poeti
ticc Ed
Edda
da..
Loki’s Quarrel; Verse 32, page 90.

C hapter Two

Sturluson, Snorri, The Prose Edda (Anthony Faulkes.

translator). Gylfaginning; Verses 23-25, page 24.
McTurk, Rory, Trans. Kormak 's Saga. The Saga;. (2 rthe
Warrior-Peels. Chapter 59, page 49.
Kalinke, Marianne Vigulnd’s Saga. Sagas of the
Warrior-Poets. Chapter 6, page 253
Gundarsson. Kveldulf. Our Truth Volume One. His/my
and Lore 2"‘1 Ed Page 333.
Gundarsson, Kveldulf. Page 333.
Larrington. Carol
Carolyne
yne (tran
(translato r). The Poetic Edda.
slator).
Thrym’s Poem; pages 97-101.
Larringt
Larr ington,
on, Carol yne (translator). The Poetic Eddal
Carolyne
Loki’s Quarrel; Verse 30, page 90.
Lanington, Carolyne (translator). Loki’s Quarrel; Verse
33, page 90.
Larrington. Carolyne (translator). Loki’s Quarrel; Verse
33, page 90.
Sturluson, Snorri. Heims
Heimskrin gla (Lee M. Hollander,
kringla
translato
translator).
r). Yngli
Ynglingasa
ngasaga;
ga; Chap ter 4, page 8.
Chapter
Larrin
Lar ringto
gton,
n, Car
Caroly
olyne
ne (tr
(trans
anslator).. The Poe
lator) Poeti
ticc Ed
Edda
da..
 Song of Hyndla; Verse 47, page 259.
Sturluson. Snorrl. The Prose Edda (Anthony Faulkes.
translator). Gylfaginnlng; Verses 34~35, page 29.
l3. Roesdahl. Else. The Vikings. Page 6].
14. Larringt
Larrington.
on. Caro
Carolyne
lyne (tra
(translator). The Poelie Edda.
nslator).
Thrym’s Poem: Verses 12-13. page 98.
15. Page. R.I. Norse My/hs. Page l4.
16. Larrington, Carolyn. “Scandinavia.“ The Woman's
Companion Io Mythology. Caroline Larrington. ed. Page
151.
Attwood. Katrina C.. et a1 (translat
(tra ors).. Egil ‘: Saga. The
nslators)
Sagas of Icelanders.

Chapter Three

Larrington.
Larringto n. Carol yne. translator.
Carolyne. The Poe
Poeti
ticc Ed
Edda
da..
Grimnir’s Sayings, p. 53.
Attwood. Kartina C. et al. translators. The Sugar of the
Icelanders. Egil‘s Saga. page 151.
Anderson. Rasmus. Norse Mythology. page 367.
Anderson. page 354.
Ellis-Davidson. Hild
Hildaa Rode
Roderick
rick.. The Road to Hell: A
Study of {he Conception of th thee De
Deadad in Old Norse
Li/cralure. page 39.
ElliSvDavidson.Hilda Roderick. Myths and Symbols in
Pagan Europe, page 50.
Ellis-Davidson. Hilda Rode
Roderick.
rick. The Road {0 He]: A
Study of the Conception 0f
the Dead in Ol
Oldd No
Nors
rsee Literature. pages 45—46.
Sturluson. Snorri. Heimskringla: History aflhe Kings of
Norway (Lee M. Hollander. tra rans
ns)). Yng
Yngli
lin
nga
gasa
sag
ga.
Chapter 19, page 22.
Gundarsson. Kve
Kveldu
ldulf.
lf. Our TroTroth.
th. Volume One: History
and Lore. 2"d Ed. Page 333.
Ellis- Davidson. Hilda Roderi
Roderick.
ck. Gods and M Myt
yth h of the
Viking Age. page l6.
1
 Ellis-Davidson, Hilda Rodericki Myths and Symbols in
Pagan Europe, page 120.
Sturluson, Snorri. The Prose Edda (Anthony Faulkes,
translato
translator).
r). Skald
Skaldskapa
skaparamal; Verse 75, page 157.
ramal;
Aswynn, Freya. Leaves of Yggdrasil. Chapter 6, page
244.
Guerber, H. A. Mylhs of [he Norsemen from [he Eddas
and Sagas, page 131.
Ellis-Davidson, Hil
Hilda
da Rode
Roderick
rick.. The Road to He]: A
Study of the Conception of tthe he De
Dead
ad in Ol
Old
d No
Nors
rsee
Literalure, page 43.
16. Anderson, Rasmus. Norse Mythology, page 367.
17‘ Jones, Prudence and Nigel Pennick. A History of Pagan
Europe, pages 144-146.
Aswynn, Freya. Leaves of Yggdrasil. Chapter 6, page
228.
19. Roesdahl, Else. The Vikings, page 152.
20, Larrington, Carolyne, editor. A Women 's Companion to
Mythology, page 155,

Chapter Four

Lan‘ington,
Lan‘ingto n, Carol yne, translator.
Carolyne, The Poe
Poeti
ticc Ed
Edda
da,,
Loki’s Quarrel, Verses 28-33, page 89-91.
Gundarsson, Kveldulf, Editor. Our Troth Volume One:
History and Lore. 2“d Ed. Page 331.
Attwood, Katrina C., et a1 (translators). The Sagas of
Icelanders.
Flowers, Stephen E. and James A. Chisholm. A Source-
Book of Seid. Page 12.
Lanington, Carolyne, translator. The Poe
Poeti
ticc Ed
Edda
da..
Loki’s Quarrel, Verses 28-33, page 89-91.
Flowers, Stephen E. and James A. Chisholm. A Source»
Book of Seid.
Sturluson, Snorri. Heimskringla: History of the King: of
Norway (Lee M. Hollander, trans). Ynglingasaga,
 Chapter 7. page 11.
Larringto
Larrington,
n, Caro lyne.. translator.
Carolyne The Poetic Edda.
Seeress’s Prophecy. Verse 21.
page 6.
Crossley-Holland, Kevin. The Norse Mylhs.
Introduction. page XXX.
Crossely-Holland. Page XXX.
Larrington. Carolyne. translator. The Poetic Edda. Song
of Hyndla. Pages 253-259.
Ellis Davidson. H. R. Gods and Myth
Mythss of
oflhe
lhe Viking Age.
Pages 114-125.
Ellis Davidson. H. R. Gods and Myth
Mythss of
of/he
/he Viking Age.
Pages 114-125
Tacitus. The Agricola and [he Germania (S.A. Handford
and H. Mattingly, tran
translato
slators).
rs). Chap ter 40. page 134.
Chapter
Sturluson. Snorri. The Prose Edda. (Anthony Faulkes.
translator). Gylfaginning. Verses 49. page 50.
. Sturluson, Snorri. Heimskrihg/o: History of the Kings of
Norway (Lee M. Hollander. trans). Ynglingasaga.
Chapter 4. page 8.
Ellis Davidson. H. R. Mylhs and Symbols in Pagan
Europ
Eur ope. Pagee 162.
e. Pag
Jones. Prudence and Nigel Pennick. A Hislory ofPogon
Europe. Pages 150-151
Thorsson. Edre
Edred.
d. Nor/
Nor/hem
hem Mag
Magic.
ic. Pag es 159-170.
Pages

Chapter Five

Crossley-Holland. Kevin. The Norse Myths. Page 65.

Sturluson, Snorri. The Pro
Prose
se Edd
Edda.
a. (Anthony Faulkes.
translator). Gylfaginning: Verses 34-35. Page 96.
Anderson. Rasmus. Norse Mylhology. Pages 364-368.
Sturluson. Snorri. The Pro
Prose
se Edd
Edda.a. (Anthony Faulkes.
translator). Skaldskaparamal; Verse 18. Pages 81-86.
Sturluson. Snorri. Skaldskaparamal; Verse 32. Pages 94-
95,
 Sturluson. Snorri. Skaldskaparamal: Verses 37-39. Page
99.
Sturluson. Snorri. Skaldskaparamal; Verse 36-37. Page
98.
SIurluson. Snorri. Heimxkringla: History oflhe Kings of
Norway (Lee M. Hollander. tr tran
ans)
s).. Yngl
Ynglin
ing gasa
sag
ga;
Chapter 10, page 14.
Larringt
Larr ington.
on. Caro
Carolyne
lyne (tra
(translat or). The Poe
nslator). Poe/ii
/ii:: Edd
Edda.
a.
Thrym‘s Poem: Verses 22-23, Page 100.
10. Crossley-Holland. Kevin. The Nome Myths. Page XXX.
11. Crossley-Holland. Kevin. The Norse Myths. Page 219.
12. Ellis Davidson. H. R. Gods and Myths of the Viking Age.
Pagesl 14-125.
Ellis Davidson. H. R. Gods and Mythsoflhe Viking Age.
Pages 114-125.
Ellis Davidson. H. R. My/hs and Symbols in Pagan
Europe
Eur Pagee 121.
ope.. Pag
Ellis Davidson, H H.. R. Mylhs and Symbolx in Pagan
Europe
Eur Pagee 131.
ope.. Pag
Jochens, Jenny. Women in Old Norse Sociely. Pages
141-160.
Gundarsson. Kveldulf, Editor. Our Try/h Try/h Volume One:
Hislory and Lore. 2"d Ed. Page 338.
Larrington. Carolyne. editor. A WomeWomen n 's Companion to
Mylhology. Page 142.
Larrington. Carolyne. translator. The Po Poe/
e/[c
[c EdEdda
da..
Oddrun‘s Lament. Verse 9, Page 206.
20. Ellis Davidson. H. R. Gods and Mylhs oflhe Viking Age.
Page 111.
21. Gundarsson. Kveldulf. Editor. Our Truth Truth Volume One:
His/ory and Lore. 2"LI Ed. Page 336.
22. Gundarsson. Kveldulf, EdEdititor
or.. Ou
Ourr Tr
Trololhh Volume One:
Hislory and Lore. 2"d Ed. Page 337.
Jones. Prudence and Nigel Pennick. A History ofPugon
118.
24. Eu
Europ
rope.
e. Pag
Sturluson,Pagee
Snorri. The Poelic Edda. (Anthony Faulkes,
translator). Gylfaginning: Verses 34-35. Pages 28-29.
25. Larrington, Carolyne, translator. The Poetic Edda. The
Song of Hyndla; Verse 48, Page 259.
26. Sturluson, Snorri. The Pros
Prosee Ed
Edda.
da. (Anthony Faulkes,
translator). Skaldskaparamal; Verses 36-37, Page 98.

Chapter Six

Sturluson, Snorri. The Pro

Prosese Edd
Edda.
a. (Anthony Faulkes,
Gylfaginning;; Verses 34-35, Page 29.
translator). Gylfaginning
Sturluson, Snorri. Gylfaginning; Verses 34-35, Page 29.
Sturluson, Snorri. Heimskringla: History of the Kings of
Norway (Lee M. Hollander, trans). Ynglingasaga;
Chapter 10, page 14.
Simek, Rudolf. Dictionary of Northern Mythology
(Angela Hall, translator)
Lanington, Carolyne, translator. The Poetic Edda.
Grimnir’s Sayings; Verse 14 Page 53.
Magnusson, Eirir and William Morris, tra transl
nslato
ators.
rs. “Th
“Thee
Tale of Hogni and Hedinn.”
Sturluson, Snorri. The Pro
Prose
se Edd
Edda.a. (Anthony Faulkes,
translato
translator).
r). Gylfa
Gylfaginning; Verses 34-35, Pages 29-30.
ginning;
Laning
Lan ington
ton,, Car
Carolyne, translator.
olyne, The Poetic Edda.
Grimnir’s Sayings, Page 51.
Frigga fooling Odin FIND
Simek, Rudolf. Dictionary of Northern Mythology
(Angela Hall, translator)
11. Anderson, Rasmus. Norse Mythology.Page 237.
12. Anderson, Rasmus. Norse Mylholo
Mylhology. Page 237
gy.Page
13. Larrington, Carolyne, translator. The Poetic EddaLoki’s
Quarrel. Verse 29, Page 89.
14. Jochens, Jenny. Women in Old Norse Society. Page 20.
15. Sturluson, Snorri. The Prose Edda. (Anthony Faulkes,
translato
translator).
r). Gylfa
Gylfaginn ing; Verses 23-25, Page 24.
ginning;
Sturluson, Snorri. The Pros
Prosee Edd
Edda.
a. (Anthony Faulkes,
translato
translator).
r). Gylfa
Gylfaginn
ginning;
ing; Verses 23-25, Page 24.
Ellis Davidson, H. R. Myths and Symbols of Pagan
 Pagee 121.
Europe.. Pag
Europe
Sheffield, Ann “Groa.” Frey, God of the World. Pages
4-8.
Larringto
Larr ington,
n, Carol yne, translator.
Carolyne, The Poetic Edda.
Skimir’s Journey; Verse 9, Page 62.
20. Lan'ington, Carolyne, translator. The Poet
Poetic
ic Edd
Edda.
a. The
Seeress’ Prophecy; Verse 21, Page 6.
21. Crossley-Holland, Kevin. The Norse Myths. Page 184.
22. Larrington, Carolyne. translator. The Poetic EdEdda
da.. The
Seeress’ Prophecy; Verse 22, Page 7.
23. Ellis-Davidson, H. R. Go
Gods
ds an
andd Myths of the Viking Age.
Page 113.
24. Gundarsson, Kveldulf, Editor. Our Troth Volume One:
History and Lore. Page 315-318.
25. Ellis Davidson. H. R. The Road to He]: A Stud); of the
Conception of the Dead in Old No
Nors
rsee LiLite
tera
ratu
ture
re..
Page 43.
26. Ellis-Davidson, H. R. GoGods
ds an
and
d Myths of the Viking Age.
Page 175.
27. Larringto
Larr ington,
n, Carol yne. translator.
Carolyne. The Poetic Edda.
Thrym’s Poem; Verse 15, Page 99.
28. Crossley- Holland, Kevin. The Norse M Myth
yths.
s. Pag
Pageses 201-
204.
29. Ellis Davidson, H. R. Gods and Myths of the Viking Age.
Page 175.
30. Larringto
Larr ington,
n, Caro
Carolyne
lyne,, translator. The Po Poet
etic
ic Ed
Edda
da..
Thrym’s Poem.
31. Larringto
Larr ington,
n, Caro lyne,, translator.
Carolyne The Po Poet
etic
ic Ed
Edda
da..
Thrym’s Poem; Verse 1-3, Page 97.
32. Sturluson, Snorri. The Prose Edda. (Anthony Faulkes,
translator). Skaldskaparamal; Verse 18, Page 85.
33. Larrington, Carolyne, translator. The Poetic Edda. The
Seeress‘ Prophecy; Verse 51. Page 10.
34. Latrington, Carolyne, translator. The Poetic EddaLoki’s
Quarrel. Verse 32. Page 90.
35. Larrington, Carolyne, translator. The Poetic Edda.Loki’s
Quarrel. Verse 36-42, Page 10.
 Chapter Seven

Larrington. Carolyne, translator. The Poe

Poeti
ticc Ed
Edda
da.. Th
Thee
Song of Hyndla: Page 253.
Larrington. Page 253.
Ellis. Hilda Roderick. The Road Io He]: A Study oflhe
Conception of Ihe Dead in Old Norse Literature. Page 80.
Gundarsson, Kveldulfr. Our Trolh Volume One: History
and Lore. 2'“1 Ed. Page 342.
Larringt
Larr ington.
on. Caro lyne.. translator.
Carolyne The Poe/it Edda.
Grimnir’s Sayings, Page 53.
Ellis—Davidson. Hilda Roderick. Myths and Symbols in
Pagan Europe. page 50.
Ellis-Davidson. Page 50.
Crossley—Holland. Kevin. The Norse MytMyths
hs,, Page XXX.
Page
Larrin
Larringt
gton
on.. Ca
Caroroly
lyne
ne,, translator. The Poetic
EddaBaldr’s Dreams; Pages 243—245.
Larrington. Carolyne. translator. The P Poe
oe/i
/i6
6 Ed
Edda
da.. Th
Thee
Song of l-lyndla; Verse 31. Page 257.
Larrington. Carolyne. translator. The Poetic Edda. The
Seeress's Prophecy: Verse 27. Page 7.
Gundarsson, Kve
Kveldu
ldulf.
lf. Our Troth
Troth Volume One: History
undLore. 2"d Ed. Pages 338-340.
Larrington. Carolyne. translator. The PoPoet
etic
ic Edda
Edda.. ThThee
Song of Hyndla: Verse 49. Page 259.
14. Anderson. Rasmu
Rasmus. s. Norse MylhoIogy.
MylhoIogy.Page
Page 366.
15. Roesdahl. Else. The Vikings. Page 61.
16. Larrington, Carolyne. translator. The Poetic Edda. The
Song of Hyndla; Verse 10, Page 254.
Larringlon. Carolyne. translator. The Po Poetic
etic Eddu
Eddu.The
.The
Sayings ofrhe High One. Verse I45. Page 35,
 Chapter Eight
Author’s Note: Chapter Eight is a subjective chapter. As such,
there are no notes associated with it. Citations noted as
“personal communication” were held as eith either
er dir
direct
ect
interviews or via email throughout the years 2005. Those
who wished to remain anonymous have not been cited.
Those who wished their names known are cited within
the body of ththee chapter, Th
Thee autho
authorr encourages the
reader to develop his or her own personal views on
Freyja.
 Bibliography

Anderson, Ras
Rasmus
mus.. Norse Mythology: ur the Religion ofOur
Norse
Fare/a
Fare/athe
thers.
rs. Chi
Chicag o: Scott. Foresman and Co.. 1907.
cago:

Aswynn. Freya. Leaves onggdrusil. Minnestoa: Llewellyn.

1992.

Attwood. Katrina C ,, et a1 (translators). The Sagas of

Icelanders. London: Penguin. 2000.

Beowulf Trans. Seamus Heaney. New York: W. W. Norton

and Company, 2000.

Buck. Patrick “Jor

“Jordsvin
dsvin,”
,” “Som
“Somee Observation
Observationss on the Goddess
Freya.” Idunna.‘ A Journal of Northern Trudi/ion 51. 5-7.

Byock. Jesse. Viking Age Icel

Iceland.
and. Lond
London:
on: Penguin. 2001.

Cook. Robert (translator). Njul 's Saga. London: Penguin,

2001.

Crossley-Holland. Kevin. The Norse Mylhr. New York:

Pantheon Books. 1980.

Culver, Jennifer. Ben Waggoner. and Lorrie Wood. editors. A

Book of Blots: By Members ofthe Truth and Other
Other Tru
Folk. Berkeley: The Troth, 2004.

Ellis. Hilda Roderick. The Road 10 He]: A Stu

Study
dy ofl
oflhe
he
Conception of the Dead in O
Old
ld Norse Li/e
Li/eratur
rature.
e. New
York: Greenwood P. 1968.

Ellis Davidson, Hild

Hildaa Roderic
Roderick.
k. Gods and Viking
Age. New York
York:: Barnes
Barnes and Nobl Myths
My ths1996.
Noblee Books, oflhe
oflhe
v--. Myths and Symbols in Pagan Europe: Early Scandinavian
and ('ellic Religions. New York: Syracuse U P. 1988,

Flowers. Slephen E. and James A. Chisholm A Source-Book

aj'Seid: The Corpus of Old Icelandic Texts' Dealing with
Said and Related
Related Words,
Words, Smit
Smithvill
hville:
e: Runa—Raven P.
2002,

Grammalicus. Saxo. The History ofthe Danes: Bookr I-IX.

Transl Peter F isher. Cambridge: D, S, Brewer. 1996.

Guerber. H.A. Myths of/hee Nor

Mythsof/h Norsem
semen
en Fro
From
m the Edda:
Edda: and
Sagas. New York: Dover Pub. 1992,

Gundarsson. Kveldulfr. ed
ed.. Ou
Ourr Troth
Troth Volume One: History
and Lore. 2“d ed. Berkeley: Krishna Copy Center. 2005.

---. Teutonic Magic: The Magical and Spiritual Practices of

the Germanic Peoples. St, Paul: Llewellyn, 1990.

---. Teutonic Religion: Folk Belief: and Practices ofthe

Northern Tradition. St
St.. Pau
Paul:
l: Llewellyn. 1993.

Hollander. Lee M1 Transl The Poetic Edda. 2"4 Ed Austin: U

of Texas P. 2004.

Jesch. Judith. Wo
Wome n in the Viking Age. Woodbr
men Woodbridge
idge:: Boyd
Boydell
ell
Press. 1991.

Jochens. Jenny. Women in Ol

Old
d No
Nors
rsee Society. New York:
Cornell UP. 1995.

Jones. Prudence and Nigel Pennick. A History ofPagan

Europe. New York:
York: Barne
Barness and Nobl
Noblee Books. 1995.
Kalinke, Marianne, Trans. Viglund‘sSag
Saga.
a. Sag as of the
Sagas
Warrior-P
Warr ior-Poets.
oets. Omol
Omolfur
fur Thorsson, ed. London: Penguin,
1997. 225-267.

Larrington, Carolyne, Trans. The Poetic Edda, New York:

Oxford UP, 1996.

---. “Scandinavia.“ 1997. The Woman's Companion to

Mytholay. Ed. Carolyne Larrington. London: Harper
Collins, 1997
1997.. 137-
137-161.
161.

Magnusson, Eirir and William Morris, trans. The Tale of

Hogni and Hedinn. May 2003.
hgp://www.urdwords.vispa.com/god
hgp://www.urdwo rds.vispa.com/goddesses/freyja/ho
desses/freyja/hogni.html.
gni.html.

MeNallen, Stephen. Rituals ansarru: Volume One

One.. Tex
Texas:
as:
Breckenridge, 1985.

McTurk, Rory, Trans. Kormak ’s Sag

Saga.
a. Sagas afthe Warrior-
Sagas
I’aels.
I’aels. Omol
Omolfur
fur Thorsson, ed. London: Penguin, 1997.
5-67.

Nasstrom, Britt-Maxi. Freya: The Great Goddess of the North.

Cape Cod: Clock and Rose P, 2003.

Page, R.I. Norse Myths. Austin: U of Texas P, 1990.

Paxson, Diana. “Freyja: Lady of Love and Life.” Sagewoman,

Summer 2002. 16 November 2003
hgp://www.hrafnar.org[god
hgp://www.hraf nar.org[goddesses/fiexjahtml.
desses/fiexjahtml.

Roesdahl, Else. The Vikings. London: Penguin, 1998.

Sheffield, Ann “Groa.” Frey, God of the World. Meadville:

Medoburg Kindred, 2002.
Simek, Rudolf. Dictionary of Northern Mythology,Trans.
Angela Hall. Cambridge: D. S. Brewer, 1993.

Smith. Michael. Ways of the Asarru: Beliefs of the Modern.

Northern Heathens. New Hampshire: Harvest Moon Pub,
2003.

Sturluson. Snorri. Heimskringla: History of the Kings of

Norway Trans. Lee M. Hollander. Austin: U of Texas P.
2002.

---. The Prose Edda Trans. Anthony F aulk

aulkes.
es. Lond
London:
on:
Everyman. 1987.

Tacitus, The Agricola and [he Germ

Germania
ania.. Trans.
Trans. S. A.
Handford and H. Matti
Mattingly
nglyLond
London:
on: Peng
Penguin,
uin, 1970.

Thorsson, Edre
Edred.
d. North
Northern
ern Magic: Mysteries of the Norse,
Germans, & English. St. Paul: Llwewllyn, 1993.

Notes regarding citation format:

Whenever possible, the author has chosen to use MLA Style,
sixth edition, as a means of citation. A few exceptions to this
exist. In the endnotes, my desire was to give more information
than usually needed in MLA format, in order to give those
wishing more in-d in-dept
epthh stu
study
dy a “l
“leg
eg upup”” on the process.
Additionally, in st stan
anda
dard
rd ML
MLAA Style the only publications
listed on a worworksks citcited
ed page are tthohose
se wh
whic
ich
h ha
have
ve be
been
en
specifically cited in the text by the author. In this case, I have
included several pieces not distinctly no note
ted.
d. Th
This
is was for two
reasons ~ one, to avoid any hint of plagiarism, however
unintentional. Two, as with the notes, there are more works
available for those interested in pursuing further study. I have
kept the focus on Freyja, as that is most relevant for this work,
and have also included few texts cultural
of the Viking Period as aa means of deepening
regarding understanding
lifestyles
of
the sosoccia
iall in
intter
eraact
ctio
ionns bebetw
tweeen th
thee gods aand nd momortrtal
als.
s.
Index
Adam of Bremen, 22
adultery
and lovers, difference between, 64
punishment for, 22, 64
Aesir
Freyja's importance to, 23
Odin as leader, 50
as seidr workers, 38
and Vanir war, 15, 29. 31, 36, 53
Aesitii (Lithuania), 45
Agni, 29
Alfar, 32, 54
Alfrigg, 18, 41
amber (harbor-kidney), 45—46, 47
ancestry, 15, 59—64
Anderson, Rasmus, 27—28, 63
Anglo-Saxon
Bentley Grange archeological site, 29, 61
tribes, 73
Anschutz, Arlea, 79
archeological records
gaves, interpretation of, 14
helmet at Bentley Grange site, 29, 61
archetypical symbology, 34
Asalruar. See heathens, modem
Asgard, 115, 16,, 44, 56
5, 16
Asyniur, 15

Baldrs Draumar (Baldr‘sDreams), 60, 62

Baldur, 28, 37
Bentley Grange, 29, 61
Beowulfi 16, 43
Berling, 18. 41
Bjomsal. 80
blot (blood offering). 65. 80
sample of, 83—89
bluI-gylhfa (Freyja speaks of her importance). 16. 50. 74
boars
Freyja's association with. and battle. 28—29
Ottar as. 17. 22. 29. 36. 59. 60. 61. 63
Bomgy. 44
Brisingarnen
battle over. 29
creation of, 17718. 46
description of, 41
gold and amber content of, 45—46
Heimdall as recoverer of, 55756
as symbol of fertility. 43
as symbol of gold and wealth associated with Freyja. 43
The Tale of Hagm' and Hedirm, 29. 79
Brising dwarves, 17—18, 20. 22 22,, 41 43. 46
41.. 43.
brisingr (fire), 18
Brosingamene, 43
Brynhild. 30

cats. 17. 31. 37. 72

Celtic tribes. 73
chanting runes. 34
Chisholm. James A.. 34
Christianity
attempts to convert Freyja. 53
conversion attempts to clean up Freyja. 53
cult suppression and, 13
Iceland and, 74
seidr. outlawing of. 13. 18, 35
source materials, and influence on, 74
38
spa and, Period. 9. 18, 20
Conversion
Crossley-Holland, Kevin. 18. 36. 41 . 43, 54. 61
curses. 6344

Denmark. 22
Dis. 30
disir. 17. 31. 32
Disir (female ancestral spirits). 17. 31. 32, 54. 60
Dis (plural disir). l7
distaff. 31
divinity practices. 35
Dutch. 38
Dvalin. 18. 41

Eddas. 9. 45
Egil Skallagrimsson. 27. 78
Egil’x Saga, 27. 78
Ellis-Davidson, H. R.. 28— 30. 37. 38. 43. 56. 60. 61
28—30.
elves. 21. 32
ergi (male passivity). 35. 36
Erik [he Red’s Saga. 35. 37—38. 62. 80

falcons. 17. 36. 46

faring forth. 33
fertility deities. 43. 73
fire. 63—64
Flu/eyjurbék, 77
flax. 43—44
Flowers. Stephen E.. 34
flyting (hurtful truths). 21
The Flyting of Loki. See Lokasenna
Folkvang. 15. 27. 28. 30. 61
jreya (lady of the house). 16
Frey (or Freyr. Lord). 21. 37
as fertility god and god offrith, 42
57
Loki's
as lordinsults of.
ofthe Alfar. 32. 54. 60
 rings, association with, 43
sexual relationship with Frayja, 21
as Vanic diety, 53
as Yngvi, 15, 17, 23
Freyja Chan! (Lafayllve), 90
Freyja Chan! (Wolfi‘e),
(Wolfi‘e),90
9—10
90
Freyja (Lady),
agenda of, hidden, 70, 71
children of, 42, 47, 49—50
color preferences of, 72
curses, ability to negate or remove, 64
ecstatic tradition and, 71
falcon feather cloak of, 17, 36, 46, 63
family ancestry of, 15
gold, association with, 18, 41, 42, 54, 69
husbands of, 21—22
leaves home, 15
male devotees of, 29, 57, 65
modern worship of, 80
names of, and meanings behind, 17, 52
personality of, 69
physical appearance of, 68—69
place names derived from, 30—31
sexual promiscuity of, 18, 20—24, 36, 56—57, 59, 64, 70
strength of, 70
as teacher of seidr, 38, 50
temper of, 22, 24
tribe of, 15
as valkyrie, 30—32
as wild woman, 71~72
working with, challenges of, 69
Freyja (Lady), as goddess
ofbattle, 27—31, 61, 71
ofdeath, 15, 27—32, 60—61, 62, 71
ofthe disir, 17, 31—32
of earth, 45
 as fair-tear deity, 41
of fertility and life, 20. 43, 44—45
oflove and sex, 18. 1%24, 70, 81
ofmagic and seidr, 18, 33—38
as Mother Goddess. 43. 44. 45
rank of, 15—17, 20
of treasure, 42
of witchcraft, 18, 36
freyjasman (Freyjasmadr) 80
Freyja's tears, 18, 45, 46
Freyja SummoningSong (Lafayllve). 91
freyjaswoman (Freyjaskona). 80
Freyjuhoena (Freyja's hen). 30
Friday (dies veneris), 52
Frigga, 15. 31,44, 45, 51—53
frith (inviolable peace), 42. 52
Frosti, 29

Gefion, 17, 55
Gefn (giver), 17, 55
Germanic
goddess, 45, 51
names, 52
tribes, 33, 73
worlds, 63
Gen', 18, 41
Gersimi (treasure), 42, 49—50
Giant Builder, 44
giantess (ettin), 36, 57, 59, 62
giants, 20, 22—23, 24, 42, 44, 56
gifi giving, 64, 80
glean information, 18, 38, 53, 62
gnosis, 59, 67—68, 72
God: and My Myths
ths afthe Viking Age (Ellis-Davidson), 37
afthe
18, 41, 42, 45, 46, 54, 69
gold,
Gondul, 29
Grimnismul (Grimnir’s Sayings). 15. 27. 28. 61
(Grimnir’sSayings).
Gullveig (gold-greed ). 17. 29. 36. 46. 47. 54—55
(gold-greed).
Gundarsson. Kveldulf. 20
Gunnhild. Queen. 24
Qvlfaginning, 41. 44. 49

Hafnyra (harbor-kidney). 45, 79

hagadissae. 38
Hallfred. 78
Harbard. 27—28
Hauksbok. 55
Havamal (Sayings ofthe High One). 65
heathens. modem (Asatruar). 28. 34—35. 50. 51. 52. 55. 67. 68.
70. 71. 72. 80
Hedenstorp. Sweden. 43
Hedinn. 29. 79
Heid (Volva in Voluspa), 17. 54
Heimdall. 47. 55—56. 79
Heimskringlu. 13, 2]. 77
He] (or Helheim). 28. 31
herblore. 34
Hildis
Hildisvin
vini(b
i(bat1
at11e—
1e—sw
swine
ine).
). 17. 22. 29. 36. 59, 60, 61. 63
see alw Onar
Hjalti Skeggiason. 78
Hlidskialf(0din's High Seat). 51. 52
Hanson. Conn. 71
Hnoss (treasure), 42. 47. 49750. 53
Hogni. 29. 79
Horn (flax). 17. 42. 44
hostage settlement. 15
host/guest relationship. 16
Hrothgar. 16
Hrungnir. 16. 31
Husdrapu. 45. 55. 79
16
hu'sfreya(lady
Hyndla. 17, 36 of the house).
 accusation ofpromiscuily made against F reyja, 20—2 , 64
1

Omar, and cursing of, 63v64

Onar's lineage request from Freyja, 59—64
Hyndluliod. See Lay of Hyndla

Iceland, 18, 20, 30, 38, 44

Ing, 17, 29
it gratifagra (fair—tear deity), 41

kennings (words referring to other items)

for amber, 47
for fire, 47
Freyja's name used as, 19, 20, 77—79
for gold, 17, 18, 41, 42, 45—46, 47
for helmet, 61
for names of Frey
Freyja's
ja's daug
daughters
hters,, 42, 49
for sex organs, 19
Ketiln'd, 19, 78
Kormak, 19, 20, 78
Kormak’s Saga, 19, 20, 78

Lafayllve, Patricia, 90, 9], 92

Larrington, Caroline, 23. 31, 44
Laxdaela Saga, 55—56, 79
Lay onyndla (Hyndluliod), 17, 21‘22, 36, 47, 57, 59—61, 66
Lesser Voluspa (Voluspa in skama or The Short Prophecy of
the Seeress), 59, 60, 62—63
linguistic evidence, 14
Lokasenna (The Flyti
Flyting
ng ofLo ki), 18, 20, 23, 33, 52, 53, 56
ofLoki),
Loki
Brisingarnen necklace, stealing of, 29, 51, 55, 56, 79
Freyja's cloak of feathers and, 17
on Freyja's sexual promiscuity, accusaiions of, 18, 20—21,
23, 57
with 56—57
relationship
love, 20 Freyja, conflicting,
 ers,, 21, 22, 23, 24. 64
lovers
lov

magic. 17. 18. 33—38

see also seidr
marmsangr (love songs). 18. 20
Mardoll (sea-bright), 17. 19. 45, 47. 55—56
May Pole. 81
Menglad (Necklace-g lad). 17, 43
(Necklace-glad).
misconceptions. 14—15

Neckel. 30
neo—Druidism. 74
nee-pagans, 74
Nenhus, 15, 37, 45. 47
nightmare-riding, 63
Njal’s Saga, 78
Njord ofNoatun. 15. 21, 23. 37
as god of merchants and of the sea. 42
as Vanic diety. 53
Norse
belief system of, 9
mythology. 16. 31
pantheon. 10. 13 16,, 24
13.. 16
tribes. 73
Nor/hem Magic (Thorsson). 38

Oddrun, 44
Oddrunargralr. 45
Odin
as Aesir leader. 50
commands Freyja to cause war. 29. 79
Freyja and. 50—51. 62
Frlgga, as wife of. 51. 53
as god ofdeath. 15, 28. 50
as god of lovers. 5|
many 50
as god of wisdom.
 Hlidskialf(High Seat) of. 51. 52
land of the dead travels. 60—61. 62
as seidr worker. 36. 38. 50
as Valfadir. 30
valkyn'es as servants of. 3|
see also 0d (0r 0dr)
Od (or 0dr). 22. 46, 49—50. 53. 71
Olaf. King. 78
Old Norse peoples. 64
other world. 60
Othinn. 29
Ottar
ancestry of. Freyja's request to l-lyndla to reveal. 5954
as Freyja's mortal lover. 57. 59. 62. 63
as Hildisvini (boar). 17. 22. 29, 36. 59. 60. 61. 63
Hyndla's cursing of. 63—64
sacrifices/gifts to Freyja, and his altar. 65
Our Truth. 29. 34. 44

Page. R. 1.. 22
Paxson. Diana. 80
Poetic Edda. l3l3—l
—l4. 15.. 59. 77
4. 15
polytheism. 34. 74. 80
promiscuity. 18. 22&24
&24.. 3636.. 5&57. 59. 64
5&57.
definition of. 22
pronunciation guide. 10—1 1

Prose Edda. 13. 77

Prose Edda’s Skaldskaparamal. 16
Proto-lndo-European. 52

Ragnarok. battle of. 56. 71

Roman mythology. 15. 28. 73774
Rosedahl. Else. 22

sacrificial death. 29—30

The Saga ofHallfred Troublesome-Poet. 78
Sagas, 9
Scandinavians
ancestry, importance of, 15
Earth Mother, heathen, 45
Freyja, outside of, 51, 52
multiple wives, and social practice of, 53
seidr practices, and Icelandic link, 38
Schleswig cathedral, 31
Scyld, 55
Seidhjallr, 80
seidhkona (seidr-woman
(seidr-woman),), 62, 70
seidr
animal spirits and, 37, S7
divinity practices, 35
men practicing, 35436
modern reconstruction of, 80
seating of a seeress on a high seat, 37—38
seidr workers, 33, 34, 35—36
shamanistic practices of, 33—34, 37
shape shitting, 35, 36, 37, 63
spell—working, 34
underworld travel, 61%2
Walpurgisnacht (May Day), 80—81
seior. See seidr
seidr workers, 33, 34, 35—36
Sessrumnir (many-seated), 15, 28, 50, 61, 70
sex
homosexuality, 23—24, 35, 70
modern View towards, 24
negative forms of, 81
for reproduction, 20
sibling intercourse, 21, 23
Victorian regard to, 22
without reproductio n, 23
reproduction,
Shamanic practices, 33734, 37
shape shifiing, 35, 36, 37, 63
Simek, 17
skalds, 14
Skaldsaparamal, 30
Skialf(also Skjéll), l7, 2%30
smithcrafi, 46
Snom' Sturluson, 9, 13, 15. 16—17 18, 19, 30, 41—42, 49, 55,
16—17,, 18,
74
social systems, 16
Sarla Thattr, 4], 6], 78, 79
A Source-Bonk of Seid (Flowers and Chisholm), 34—35
spa (or spae), 35, 36, 38, 62
spell-working, 34
Steingerd, 19, 78
sumbel (drinking ceremony), 16
Svear, 31
Sweden. 29, 43
Syr (sow, female pig), 17. 29, 61

Tacitus, 15, 74
The Tale afHogni and Hedinn, 29, 79
They Say Yau Are Gnne (Lafayllve), 92—93
Thor
hammer of, 20, 55, 56
ring of, 43
Thorgerd. 27—28, 78
Thorsson, Edred, 38
Thrung (Throng), 56
Thrym, 20, 22, 42—43
Thrymskvida, 20, 22
trances, 33—34
Truth, 45
Trorh’s Book of Blots, 83
T' shirai, Estara, 69

Ulfr. 79
Uggason,
Ullr, 43 45,
UPG (unsubstantiated or Unverifiable personal gnosis). 67%8.
71 . 72
utiseta practice. 38

Valfadir (Odin byname), 30

Valfreya (lady ofthe slain). 30
Valhalla. 28, 30. 3 l . 50. 60
Valholl, 28. 30, 60
valkyries. 30—32. 63
valsinni (road of the slain), 60
Vanadis (woman ofthe Vanir), 17. 31
Vanaheim. 15
Vanic practice, 37
modern reconstruction of. 81e82
Vanir
and Aesir war, 15. 29, 31. 36. 53
as deities of wealth. 42. 43
Freyja and. 50, 53754
Heimdall and. 56
history of, 53—54
as seidr workers. 38
sibling intercourse. 21. 23
Venus, 28
Victorians, 22. 28. 63
Viglund'sSaga, 19. 78
Viking Age. 13. I4. 15. 16
arranged marriages in. 20
blood offerings as form ofworship, 65
gift giving. importance of. 65
morality of. 22
sexual activity and promiscuity in. 18
Volsadhattr. 55
Volsungamga. 30, 63
Voluspa. 17. 36, 53. 54, 59, 6243, 80
Voluspu.17.60 37—38, 61
volva. 35,
Walpurgisn
Walpu achl (May Day L 80—81
rgisnachl
Wealhtheow, 16
Wiccans, 34, 74
Widsith, 80
wights, 33, 84
witchcrafi, 34, 35, 36
Wolffe, Ayla, 69, 90

Ynglingasaga, 15 16,, 17. 29. 38. 42, 49. 74

15,, 16
 Marginal notation containedin tthis
notationcontained his book are nm by the Author.
book
They were wr
writ
itten
ten into the physical book, corrected,
into
and inserted
insertedonto cleanedpagesafter scanning the original
ontocleaned
with input from the note taker.

Annotator:
Annotator: Nar
NarnsDa
nsDatfir
tfir
Archivist:: Kittauia
Archivist

( pm mlnmllhon {In h: uhllmrd

nl \wm Immungmr

mm u) m nu ‘

new museum: m
 570933LV000013A/44/P 9

Religion’llistory

AN INSIGH‘FFUIL ILOOK
AT A COMPLEX DEWY
Frey/(I. Lady. I'unudix: :1” [Mfratllll‘fitfll ‘10 the Go
Godd
ddes
esss
examines Frcyju. perhaps the be best
st-k
-known goddess of
nown
Norse myth
mytholoology.
gy. Using original source material. extant
Using
writings, and scholarship the auauth
thor
or bu
builds an image of
ilds
the goddess as she may have appeared to her followers
in pre-C'hristian Northern Europe. Patricia Lafayllvc then

uses the knouledge she has compiled to speculate on

aspects of modern worship of this complex deity.

Patricia Lul’ayllve is a long-time student

of Viking Age literature. history and
mythology. She is cu curr
rren
entl
tly
y se
seek
eking her
ing
Master's Degree in English. She is a
proud member of Two Ravens Kindred.
Bjornsal, and The Troth. She lives in
Connec
Conn ecti
ticu
cutt wi
This is her fir
th her husband and dog.
with
first
st book
ok..
I}; _

IEBN HE].
521395

° ‘78