Deep Dive: Freya - Happy Friday!
Freya is a staple of the Norse pantheon. She is depicted with long, flowing, flaxen hair and sea blue eyes. She is a member of the Vanír tribe, a group known for its connection to nature and nature magic. Freya introduced the Aesir gods to seidr, a form of Norse divination and a magical skill that it is said can even be used to change the future. Despite being known for her gentle and, at times, sexy nature, Freya fought fiercely in battle and was known for the trail of blood she would leave behind her in war.
Freja, Freyia, Freyja, Fröja, Frøya, Frøjya, Frua, Mardöll, Hörn, Gefn, Gullveig, and Syr
My personal favorite title for Freya is Valfreyja or ‘lady of the slain’.
Note: Freya comes from Germanic roots. Meaning ‘the lady’, it is the root for the modern German term of respect for an elder woman, ‘frua’.
The Norse goddess Freya, or Freyja, was the twin sister of the god Freyr. Both were Vanír gods and children of the sea god, Njörd. Her mother is unknown but frequently referenced as a much older Germanic goddess.
She took Odr to be her husband. Little is known about Odr, but his named means ‘furious and passionate’. In many stories, Freya’s husband is Odin, and she replaces Frigg. Thus, Odr might have actually been Odin. This might be due to the migration of Germanic tribes and their religions clashing. As they blended, certain gods and goddesses replaced or overtook each other in title. Regardless, it is known that she had two daughters: Hnoss and Gersemi.
Freya was in charge of battle, love, fertility, and death. She, like Odin, had a claim over half the dead slain in any battle and could choose to bring them to her hall, Fólkvangar. (In fact, Freya has first pick of the slain over Odin). She is known for being gentle, but not necessarily for having a soft hand. She is a warrior goddess with a heart of gold, so while she is forgiving and nurturing, she will also expect you to grow some tough skin and learn to survive and eventually conquer.
Freya was sex symbol and lusted after by many gods and giants alike. In a little bit, we will get into a story where her sex appeal causes quite the predicament.
She was a völva or female practitioner of magic, or seidr. This magic was specifically used as divination, where the völva could possibly alter future events leading to better outcome in battle. Little is known about the social status of these shamans. As with many magical healers, they were revered by some and feared by others. In later periods of the Germanic tribes, the völva’s place became much more defined as a leader woman or chieftain's wife. She is also said to be the keeper of the knowledge of the runes.
She was associated with cats, specifically two that pulled her chariot through the sky. She also was represented by pigs and had a giant boar with golden bristles named Hildisvíni. She is said to have a magical cloak of falcon feathers that can transform the wearer into a falcon.
Friday was named after this goddess. It is believed to previously have been ‘Freya’s day’.
Rose quartz, amber, and tiger’s eye are stones said to be associated with Freya.
Jewelry and perfume are associated with the goddess due to her status as a goddess of beauty and fertility.
Freya is a goddess of polarity, straddling love and war, life and death. Like Persephone and similar goddesses, she is seen as both a light and dark figure. She was witch, or magic practitioner, which is a position in society that also crosses the line between good and evil. Finally, she bridges the Vanír and the Aesir – nature and the celestial.
In the great Aesir- Vanír War, it was Freya that oversaw peace talks with Odin and proper sacrifices. It is said that after this war is when she introduces the gods to magic, a crime against the Vanír. It is also said that Freya could be known as Gullveig, the narrator of Völuspá who recounts the Aesir- Vanír war and predicts the fates of the gods in Ragnarök.
In one story, Freya becomes the center of a giant’s focus. He agrees to build a wall for the gods under tight time constraints and, if he completes the wall in time, take Freya away to Jötunheimr (the realm of ice and giants) to be his wife. Time passes and it looks as if the giant might succeed at this task. Worried, Freya reaches out to Thor and Loki for aid. In order to save her, Loki transforms into a mare and seduces the giant's prized stallion. Thor protects Freya from the giant’s rage as, without the stallion there to help him, the giant is unable to build the wall and unable to claim his bride. Another bright outcome of this story is that Loki goes on to give birth to Odin’s 8-legged horse.
Freya’s status as a sex symbol occasionally works to her advantage. One of her prized possessions, the beautiful necklace Brísingamen, was gained after she seduced the four dwarves that crafted it. Of course, in this story, Loki finds out about Freya’s promiscuity and goes to Odin. Odin has Loki steal the necklace from Freya using his powers of transformation. When Freya comes to Odin about the theft, he reveals that he knew everything all along and that he’ll only return the necklace if she convinces two kings to go to war with each other. She does so, and the two kings fight on for centuries until a Christian comes and settles the dispute. To be fair, the written version of this story comes from the Sörla þáttr, a retelling of Norse pagan stories written by Christian priests.
Unfortunately, a lot of the written history of Norse paganism is retold through the lenses of Christianity. This is why we see Loki depicted as a devil-like figure, and Freya stripped of her feminine power and portrayed as a harlot who was obsessed with sparkly things. It is understood that Freya would have been powerful due to her beauty and seen as a goddess of fertility and lust. Her lust was wielded against men, a weapon of her divine feminine nature.
Many practitioners of Asatru worship Freya as a goddess of fertility, beauty, love, and abundance. Forming a connection with any deity takes time and patience. Everything you do must be done with love and intention. It is hard to complete a task then an hour afterwards claim that was in a god or goddess’s name. You first need to slow down and think about what you are doing and why. Most everyday actions can be a form of worship! Just writing this post, I started by dedicating my research efforts to Odin, a god of knowledge and its pursuit. Next time, before you step one foot outside your door, offer that time outside up to a god or goddess. Give thanks at meals for the food and company. Before you go to bed, meditate on a deity and try to connect with the universe. Effort and patience pay off when working with the gods and goddesses, but that effort and patience must be true and consistent. We can’t just turn to them when things aren’t going our way (not to say you can’t start building a relationship with them when life is far from perfect). We must also go to them when things are good and offer gratitude when life goes our way.
There are many reasons to work with Freya. You may be deepening your connection with nature and its associated deities. You may be going through a battle and need a powerful goddess on your side to give you strength. You could be struggling to be intimate with your partner and be seeking a goddess of sexuality to aid you. Whatever your reason, tailor your practice to suit your needs. While it is not our place to take liberties with the symbolism and religious practices associated with a god or goddess, we can lean into something they are already associated with. So, if you are aiming to be a green witch and feel Freya speaks to you through nature, pick floral and natural aspects of worship. If you need support in self-confidence and beauty, use her love of jewelry and fine things to your advantage. Deities are multi-faceted and should be honored for all their parts.
Note: Freya is a shapeshifter and goddess of transformation, so she may come to you in any form.
Taking time to learn and research any god or goddess is also a form of worship. Set your intent before you begin and set aside a decent amount of time. Yes, life is crazy and sometimes our research is a Google article we read at our lunch break. But part of developing a connection with a deity is dedication. You don’t need hours upon hours weekly of study but, instead of scrolling through Instagram for a half hour before bed, say a short prayer and research Freya then for thirty minutes. Read the Prose and Poetic Eddas. Listen to podcasts during your drive to work that dive deep into her. Find the time and the motivation because, by coming this far, you have already decided that this relationship is a priority for you. That being said, I like to remind people that it is also never too late or too little to start. If you fall off the wagon, if you have six kids and no free time, whatever you are giving is enough. The gods see us for what we are and know what we have to offer. Don’t stress because you forgot to light a candle last Friday, Freya knows you were busy cooking dinner for your family and doing the laundry and forty other things. But do put forth some effort. The gods also know when we are taking advantage of their kindness and not trying at all.
A first step in attaining a relationship with any nature deity is to go outside. To honor Freya, spend time gardening or planting flowers. Pick a bouquet of your favorite flowers and bring them into your home or take tedious care of your garden. If allergies keep you from enjoying flowers or grass under your feet, try house plants or sitting in the sun on your deck. While grounding and connecting to nature are best done directly in contact with nature, we make exceptions when we need to. If you live in an apartment without a balcony, open a window and let the sun and breeze hit your face for a few minutes. If it’s always rainy where you live, the window is still a great option! Nature isn’t always sunny, so taking a deep breath of that fresh, rain-soaked air is just as connecting as letting the sun splash across your skin. Listen to the thunder closely and watch the lightning (from a safe distance) write messages across the sky.
Another great option for worship that does require a little bit of space is setting up an altar dedicated to a specific deity. While it doesn’t have to be anything grand, placing their image in a spot meant solely for them and then coming to meditate or spend time at that spot is important. For Freya, you can use mead, honey, flax wheat, apples, jewelry, or perfume to name a few options. Think nature, think beauty, think love, and think war. If invoking her for love, you may not want to leave mugwort. But, if invoking her for battle, the essential oil dragon’s blood would be perfect.
Freya is a goddess of sensuality and sex. Connect to her by savoring things. The smell of a flower, the bite of your favorite chocolate cake, the brush of your partner’s hand across your arm. Embrace the small thrills in life and seek them out. Did you feel that breeze caress your cheek? Did you notice how that beef was so tender it almost melted in your mouth? Force yourself to slow done during mundane tasks, in seemingly meaningless moments, and find the extraordinary in them.
On the other side of that coin, Freya is a goddess of love and known for being incredibly selfless. This means an act of kindness or love done in Freya’s name can mean a lot. It is powerful to set your intent before the act is done, but a life lived in kindness and love can be done as well and you don’t need to repeatedly say it’s for her – you can just be a good person.
Burn incense that are floral (for nature) or spicy (for sex). Open a window or go outside and let the wind carry the smoke. Believe that with it, all your prayers are carried to Freya. Or perhaps, light a candle and leave offerings for the goddess. All Norse deities enjoy mead as an offering. You can also leave her flowers and herbs like primrose and mugwort. Do some research and find herbs associated with the traits you’d like to utilize in her.
As a goddess of beauty, you can work with Freya by performing acts of self-care. This may mean going to yoga weekly or eating healthy. It can also include putting on makeup or adorning jewelry. Do these actions with intent, calling on the goddess to enhance your natural beauty.
Freya is a goddess of magic and worked closely with the runes. Learning the Elder Futhark Runes and their meaning is a beautiful offering for her. I, personally, dedicate all the time I spend studying and working with the runes to Freya and have found that she has led me to some much deeper insight into their purpose and has made my rune readings much more in depth.
Friday the 13th is a sacred day to Freya. When this day comes around, spend the day in nature. Take a walk, drink tea with honey, and end the day with a feast dedicated to the goddess. It is also said that this goddess died three times and was reborn three times, so the number 3 is important. Do things in threes in your rituals to her (for example: lighting three candles, chanting incantations three times, etc.).
Owning a cat and taking good care of it is said to be a way to worship Freya. Cats were considered sacred to the goddess and her chariot was pulled by two large domestic cats. So, adopt local and love your furry feline friend! If adopting isn’t up your alley, perhaps you can volunteer at the shelter.
And finally, my personal favorite form of worshipping any Norse deity: talking out loud to them. My first real experience with the Norse deities was after about two hours of me walking around my apartment yelling at them and questioning them. They immediately answered my questions in the form of my now ex-boyfriend coming home and saying some bizarrely philosophical things. So, while I don’t recommend yelling at the gods, I do encourage you to speak out loud to them. I know that the subconscious and conscious minds are powerful tools, but sometimes the most effective method of communication with your higher self is just plain old talking. Ask your questions, have a normal conversation because you’re lonely, explain what you’re doing throughout your ritual, whatever feels natural to you. And then be quiet, be patient, and see if you are answered. It might be in your next conversation, in the next words you read, in the next bird that flies by, but your answer should come. If not, maybe try yelling.
Remember that reciprocity is key with paganism. You cannot receive something without saying thank you. You cannot ask for something without giving something in return. Consistent practice shows loyalty and dedication. Remember that you are working with old gods. You are never guaranteed anything, and you are never too far from salvation.
Freya was the arrestingly beautiful Norse goddess of blessings, love, and fertility. A member of the Vanir tribe known for her skill in divi
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