The Prose Edda. During his rule there is peace and good harvest and the Swedes come to believe that Njörðr controls these things. Her brother was Freyr and her husband Odr, with whom she had two daughters, Hnoss and Gersemi. History of the Archbishops of Hamburg-Bremen. Freyr - God of fertility, sun and rain. Freyr hét Yngvi öðru nafni; Yngva nafn var lengi síðan haft í hans ætt fyrir tignarnafn, ok Ynglingar váru síðan kallaðir hans ættmenn. Like other Germanic deities, veneration of Freyr is revived during the modern period through the Heathenry movement. I’ve also written a popular list of The 10 Best Norse Mythology Books, which you’ll probably find helpful in your pursuit. Odin goes on to conquer the North and settles in Sweden where he rules as king, collects taxes and maintains sacrifices. His father is Njord, and his mother is Njord’s unnamed sister[6] (presumably Nerthus). 1948. When Snorri Sturluson was writing in 13th century Iceland, the indigenous Germanic gods were still remembered although they had not been openly worshiped for more than two centuries. Njörðr and Skaði ask Skírnir to go and talk with him. Freyr’s original Proto-Germanic name seems to have been *Ingwaz, which became Ing amongst the Anglo-Saxons and Yngvi (or Yngvi-Freyr or Ingunar-Freyr) amongst the Scandinavians. Peace and good seasons continued. [15], The Skog Church Tapestry portion possibly depicting Odin, Thor and Freyr, An example of the small gold pieces of foil that may depict Gerðr and Freyr. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The only extended myth related about Freyr in the Prose Edda is the story of his marriage. 450-1100)-language text, Articles containing Old High German (ca. Siquidem propitiandorum numinum gratia Frø deo rem divinam furvis hostiis fecit. In 1904, a Viking Age statuette identified as a depiction of Freyr was discovered on the farm Rällinge in Lunda, Södermanland parish in the province of Södermanland, Sweden. It is possible that the Norse gods did not have exactly the same roles in Icelandic and Swedish paganism but it must also be remembered that Adam and Snorri were writing with different goals in mind. He governs also the prosperity of men. Quem litationis morem annuo feriarum circuitu repetitum posteris imitandum reliquit. The Swedes call it Frøblot. According to Adam of Bremen, Freyr was associated with peace and pleasure, and was represented with a phallic statue in the Temple at Uppsala. One is the ship Skíðblaðnir, which will have favoring breeze wherever its owner wants to go and can also be folded together like a napkin and carried in a pouch. Other Icelandic sources referring to Freyr include Íslendingabók, Landnámabók, and Hervarar saga. He is wearing a pointed cap or helmet and stroking his triangular beard. The Prose Edda. During harvest festivals, the sacrifice traditionally took the form of his favored animal, the boar.[5]. Freyr reveals the cause of his grief and asks Skírnir to go to Jötunheimr to woo Gerðr for him. Since Alfheimr or Álfheimr means "World of Álfar (Elves)" the fact that Freyr should own it is one of the indications of a connection between the Vanir and the obscure Álfar. Gylfaginning 48. The Old Norse Language and How to Learn It, The Swastika – Its Ancient Origins and Modern (Mis)use. Freyr ("Lord") (Frey) is the God of fertility, sun and rain. Mortuo autem Bemono, Starcatherus ab athletis Biarmensibus ob virtutem accitus, cum plurima apud eos memoratu digna edidisset facinora, Sueonum fines ingreditur. It is obvious how far his heart was removed from frivolity if he could not even bear to watch these occasions. He is known as King of the Alfs (elves). Gerðr Gýmis dóttir hét kona hans; sonr þeirra hét Fjölnir. Freyr God. p. 207-208. Lokasenna also mentions that Freyr has servants called Byggvir and Beyla. Odin makes Njörðr and Freyr priests of sacrifices and they become influential leaders. In The Agricola and Germania. Worship of Freyr is alluded to in several Icelanders' sagas. [13] Such processions and celebrations appear to have been a common feature of the worship of the deities the Norse called the Vanir from at least as far back as the first century CE through the Viking Age. He criticizes the Vanir for incest, saying that Njörðr had Freyr with his sister. Here Odin and the Æsir are men from Asia who gain power through their prowess in war and Odin's skills. Wiesbaden 2007, ISBN 978-3-86539-143-8. Freyr is Freyja’s twin brother. allowed by their law; and their children were Frey and Freya. Scholar Hilda Ellis Davidson says that it has been suggested that the figures are taking part in a dance, and that they may have been connected with weddings, as well as linked to the Vanir group of gods, representing the notion of a divine marriage, such as in the Poetic Edda poem Skírnismál; the coming together of Gerðr and Freyr. Freyr and Freyja figure in many lays and stories of medieval Iceland. Gesta Danorum 3, Fisher's translation. Hallfreðar saga, Víga-Glúms saga and Vatnsdœla saga also mention Freyr. The human figures are almost always clothed and are sometimes depicted with their knees bent. He repeated this mode of propitiation at an annual festival and left it to be imitated by his descendants. Such a memory may also be the source of a description in book 6 of the stay of Starcatherus, a follower of Odin, in Sweden. Although originally one of the Vanir tribe, he was included with the Aesir. Looking for more great information on Norse mythology and religion? This makes sense when you consider the reach of the ancient Norse, and the varying regional belief systems that were later consolidated to create a … Ynglinga saga 13, Schultz's edition, When it became known to the Swedes that Frey was dead, and yet peace and good seasons continued, they believed that it must be so as long as Frey remained in Sweden; and therefore they would not burn his remains, but called him the god of this world, and afterwards offered continually blood-sacrifices to him, principally for peace and good seasons. Now when Frey died they bore him secretly into the mound, but told the Swedes he was alive; and they kept watch over him for three years. Ubi cum filiis Frø septennio feriatus ab his tandem ad Haconem Daniae tyrannum se contulit, quod apud Upsalam sacrificiorum tempore constitutus effeminatos corporum motus scaenicosque mimorum plausus ac mollia nolarum crepitacula fastidiret. But among the Asaland people it was forbidden to intermarry with such near relations. Íslendingabók, written c. 1125, is the oldest Icelandic source that mentions Freyr, including him in a genealogy of Swedish kings. Freyr, in Norse mythology, the ruler of peace and fertility, rain, and sunshine and the son of the sea god Njörd. Then began the Upsal domains, which have remained ever since. We know from medieval Icelandic sources that priestesses and/or priests of Freyr traveled throughout the country on a chariot which contained a statue of the god. Reykjavík: Íslendingasagnaútgáfan. Cuius etiam simulacrum fingunt cum ingenti priapo. The Old Norse name Freyr ('lord') stems from a Proto-Norse form reconstructed as *fraujaR based upon the attested runic inscriptions fraui (c. 800 AD) or frohila (from an earlier *frōjila). Freyr himself has been the lover of numerous goddesses and giantesses, including his own sister, Freya. Who Were the Indo-Europeans and Why Do They Matter. p. 289. Þá hélzt ár ok friðr. © Daniel McCoy 2012-2019. Whenever he’s mentioned in Germanic literature or in foreign works that describe the Germanic peoples, he’s noted for possessing and dispensing the same qualities: fertility, well-being, and prosperity. In hoc templo, quod totum ex auro paratum est, statuas atrium deorum veneratur populus, ita ut potentissimus eorum Thor in medio solium habeat triclinio; hinc et inde locum possident Wodan et Friccdo. Adeo virtus luxui resistit. Hann ræðr ok fésælu manna. Ynglinga saga 4, Laing's translation. He asks Skírnir to go and woo her for him. In the poem Lokasenna, Loki accuses the gods of various misdeeds. Gylfaginning XXIV, Brodeur's translation. He tells Skírnir that he has fallen in love with a beautiful woman and thinks he will die if he cannot have her. All rights reserved. Lokasenna, stanza 35. Jacob Grimm: German Mythology Verlag = Marix Verlag. In this temple, entirely decked out in gold, the people worship the statues of three gods in such wise that the mightiest of them, Thor, occupies a throne in the middle of the chamber; Woden and Frikko have places on either side. Unde patet, quam remotum a lascivia animum habuerit, qui ne eius quidem spectator esse sustinuit. In book 9, Saxo identifies Frø as the "king of Sweden" (rex Suetiae): Quo tempore rex Suetiae Frø, interfecto Norvagiensium rege Sywardo, coniuges necessariorum eius prostibulo relegatas publice constuprandas exhibuit. Another one of Freyr’s signature possessions is his ship, Skíðblaðnir, which always has a favorable wind and can be folded up and carried in a small bag. The boar was sacred to both. And toward this house went a woman; when she raised her hands and opened the door before her, brightness gleamed from her hands, both over sky and sea, and all the worlds were illumined of her. Gunnar destroyed the wooden idol and dressed himself as Freyr, then Gunnar and the priestess travelled across Sweden where people were happy to see the god visiting them. 750-1050)-language text, Articles with dead external links from October 2017, Articles with permanently dead external links, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2015, Wikipedia articles with WorldCat identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.