Freyr
From Freepedia
Freyr is one of the most important deities in Nordic religion and Norse mythology, . Worshipped as a fertility god, Freyr bestows "peace and pleasure" upon mortals. He is one of the Vanir, the son of the sea god Njörðr and the brother of the love goddess Freyja. The most important Freyr myth relates Freyr's falling in love with the giantess Gerðr. Eventually she becomes his wife but first Freyr has to give away his magical sword. Deprived of this weapon Freyr will be defeated by the fire giant Surtr at Ragnarök, the end of the world.
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Temple at Uppsala
One of the oldest written sources on pre-Christian Scandinavian religious practices is Adam of Bremen's Gesta Hammaburgensis Ecclesiae Pontificum. Writing around 1080 Adam had access to first-hand accounts on pagan practices in Sweden. In his description of the Temple at Uppsala he mentions Freyr by the Latinized name Fricco.
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Nunc de supersticione Sueonum pauca dicemus. Nobilissimum illa gens templum habet, quod Ubsola dicitur, non longe positum ab Sictona civitate. In hoc templo, quod totum ex auro paratum est, statuas trium deorum veneratur populus, ita ut potentissimus eorum Thor in medio solium habeat triclinio; hinc et inde locum possident Wodan et Fricco. Quorum significationes eiusmodi sunt: 'Thor', inquiunt, 'praesidet in aere, qui tonitrus et fulmina, ventos ymbresque, serena et fruges gubernat. Alter Wodan, id est furor, bella gerit, hominique ministrat virtutem contra inimicos. Tertius est Fricco, pacem voluptatemque largiens mortalibus'. Cuius etiam simulacrum fingunt cum ingenti priapo. - [1] |
"At this point I shall say a few words about the religious beliefs of the Swedes. That nation has a magnificent temple, which is called Upsala, located not far from the city of Sigtuna. In this temple, built entirely of gold, the people worship the statues of three gods. These images are arranged so that Thor, the most powerful, has his throne in the middle of the group of three. On either side of him sit Othin and Freyr. Their provinces are as follows: “Thor,” they say, “rules the heavens; he is the god of thunder, wind and rain, fair weather and the produce of the fields. The second god, Othin, is the god of war, and he provides man with courage in the face of his enemies. The third god is Freyr, who bestows peace and pleasure upon mortals.” Indeed they depict him as having a large phallus." - [2] |
Later in the account Adam states that when a marriage is performed a libation is made to the image of Fricco. This association with marriages, peace and pleasure clearly identifies Fricco as a fertility god.
The Prose Edda
When Snorri Sturluson composed the Prose Edda in 13th century Iceland the pagan gods were still remembered despite more than two centuries of Christianity. Snorri introduces Freyr as one of the major gods.
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Njörðr í Nóatúnum gat síðan tvau börn, hét sonr Freyr en dóttir Freyja. Þau váru fögr álitum ok máttug. Freyr er hinn ágætasti af ásum. Hann ræðr fyrir regni ok skini sólar, ok þar með ávexti jarðar, ok á hann er gott at heita til árs ok friðar. Hann ræðr ok fésælu manna. - Eysteinn Björnsson's edition |
"Njördr in Nóatún begot afterward two children: the son was called Freyr, and the daughter Freyja; they were fair of face and mighty. Freyr is the most renowned of the Æsir; he rules over the rain and the shining of the sun, and therewithal the fruit of the earth; and it is good to call on him for fruitful seasons and peace. He governs also the prosperity of men." - Brodeur's translation |
This description is similar to the older account by Adam of Bremen. The differences, however, are interesting. Adam assigns control of the weather and produce of the fields to Thor but Snorri emphasizes Freyr's rule over those areas. Snorri also omits any explicitly sexual references in Freyr's role. Those discrepancies can be explained in several ways. While it is possible that the gods did not have exactly the same roles in Icelandic and Swedish paganism it must also be remembered that Adam and Snorri were writing with different ends in mind. Adam was probably eager to shock his readers with tales of pagan lewdness while Snorri treats the mythology with much more sympathy and aims to entertain his audience. Either Snorri or Adam may also have had distorted information.
The only extended myth related about Freyr in the Prose Edda is the story of his marriage.
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Þat var einn dag er Freyr hafði gengit í Hliðskjálf ok sá of heima alla. En er hann leit í norðrætt, þá sá hann á einum bœ mikit hús ok fagrt, ok til þess húss gekk kona, ok er hon tók upp höndum ok lauk hurð fyrir sér þá lýsti af höndum hennar bæði í lopt ok á lög, ok allir <heimar> birtusk af henni. - Eysteinn's Björnsson's edition |
"It chanced one day that Freyr had gone to Hlidskjálf, and gazed over all the world; but when he looked over into the northern region, he saw on an estate a house great and fair. 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." - Brodeur's translation |
The woman is Gerðr, a beautiful giantess. Freyr immediately falls in love with her and becomes depressed and taciturn. He finally consents to talk to Skírnir, his foot-page. He tells Skírnir that he has fallen in love with a beautiful woman and thinks he will die if he cannot have her. He asks Skírnir to go and woo her for him.
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Þá svarar Skírnir, sagði svá at hann skal fara sendiferð en Freyr skal fá honum sverð sitt. Þat var svá gott sverð at sjálft vásk. En Freyr lét eigi þat til skorta ok gaf honum sverðit. Þá fór Skírnir ok bað honum konunnar ok fekk heitit hennar, ok níu nóttum síðar skyldi hon þar koma er Barey heitir ok ganga þá at brullaupinu með Frey. - Eysteinn Björnsson's edition |
"Then Skírnir answered thus: he would go on his errand, but Freyr should give him his own sword-which is so good that it fights of itself;- and Freyr did not refuse, but gave him the sword. Then Skírnir went forth and wooed the woman for him, and received her promise; and nine nights later she was to come to the place called Barrey, and then go to the bridal with Freyr." - Brodeur's translation |
The loss of Freyr's sword has consequences. According to the Prose Edda Freyr had to fight Beli without his sword and slew him with the horn of a stag. But the consequences at Ragnarök, the end of the world, will be much more serious. Freyr is fated to fight the fire-giant Surtr and since he does not have his sword he will be defeated.
Even after the loss of his sword Freyr still has two magical artifacts, both of them dwarf-made. 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. The other is the boar Gullinbursti whose mane glows to illuminate the way for his owner. No myths involving Skíðblaðnir have come down to us but Snorri relates that Freyr rode to Baldr's funeral in a wagon pulled by Gullinbursti.
The Poetic Edda
Freyr is mentioned in several of the poems in the Poetic Edda. The information there is largely consistent with that in the Prose Edda. Some details are confirmed, some are neglected while others are added.
Völuspá, generally considered the most powerful of the Eddic poems, describes the final confrontation between Freyr and Surtr during Ragnarök.
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Some scholars have preferred a slightly different translation, in which the sun shines "from the sword of the gods". The idea is that the sword which Surtr slays Freyr with is the "sword of the gods" which Freyr had earlier bargained away for Gerðr. This would add a further layer of tragedy to the myth. Sigurður Nordal argued eloquently for this view but the possibility represented by Thorpe's translation above is equally possible.
Grímnismál, which is largely a collection of miscellaneous information about the gods, mentions Freyr's abode.
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A tooth-gift was a gift given to an infant on the cutting of the first tooth. 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. Grímnismál also mentions that the sons of Ívaldi made Skíðblaðnir for Freyr and that it is the best of ships.
In the poem Lokasenna Loki accuses the gods of various misdeeds. He criticizes the Vanir for incest, saying that Njörðr had Freyr with his sister. He also states that the gods discovered Freyr and Freyja having sex together. The god Týr speaks up in Freyr's defense.
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Lokasenna also mentions that Freyr has servants called Byggvir and Beyla. They seem to have been associated with the making of bread.
Skírnismál
The courtship of Freyr and Gerðr is dealt with extensively in the Eddic poem Skírnismál.
Freyr as king
Snorri Sturluson's starts his epic history of the kings of Norway with Ynglingasaga, a euhemerized account of the Norse gods. Here Odin and the Æsir are men from Asia who gain power through their prowess in war and Odin's skills. But when Odin attacks the Vanir he bites off more than he can chew and peace is negotiated after a destructive and undecisive war. Hostages are exchanged to seal the peace deal and the Vanir send Freyr and Njörðr to live with the Æsir. At this point the saga, like Lokasenna, mentions that incest was practised among the Vanir.
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Þá er Njörðr var með Vönum, þá hafði hann átta systur sína, því at þat váru þar lög; váru þeirra börn Freyr ok Freyja. En þat var bannat með Ásum at byggja svá náit at frændsemi. - Schultz's edition |
"While Njord was with the Vanaland people he had taken his own sister in marriage, for that was allowed by their law; and their children were Frey and Freya. But among the Asaland people it was forbidden to intermarry with such near relations." - Laing's translation |
Odin makes Njörðr and Freyr priests of sacrifices and they become influential leaders. Odin goes on to conquer the North and settles in Sweden where he rules as king, collects taxes and maintains sacrifices. After Odin's death Njörðr takes the throne. During his rule there is peace and good harvest and the Swedes come to believe that Njörðr controls these things. Eventually Njörðr falls ill and dies.
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Freyr tók þá ríki eptir Njörð; var hann kallaðr dróttinn yfir Svíum ok tók skattgjafir af þeim; hann var vinsæll ok ársæll sem faðir hans. Freyr reisti at Uppsölum hof mikit, ok setti þar höfuðstað sinn; lagði þar til allar skyldir sínar, lönd ok lausa aura; þá hófst Uppsala auðr, ok hefir haldizt æ síðan. Á hans dögum hófst Fróða friðr, þá var ok ár um öll lönd; kendu Svíar þat Frey. Var hann því meir dýrkaðr en önnur goðin, sem á hans dögum varð landsfólkit auðgara en fyrr af friðinum ok ári. Gerðr Gýmis dóttir hét kona hans; sonr þeirra hét Fjölnir. Freyr hét Yngvi öðru nafni; Yngva nafn var lengi síðan haft í hans ætt fyrir tignarnafn, ok Ynglingar váru síðan kallaðir hans ættmenn. Freyr tók sótt; en er at honum leið sóttin, leituðu menn sér ráðs, ok létu fá menn til hans koma, en bjoggu haug mikinn, ok létu dyrr á ok 3 glugga. En er Freyr var dauðr, báru þeir hann leyniliga í hauginn, ok sögðu Svíum at hann lifði, ok varðveittu hann þar 3 vetr. En skatt öllum heltu þeir í hauginn, í einn glugg gullinu, en í annan silfrinu, í hinn þriðja eirpenningum. Þá hélzt ár ok friðr. - Schultz's edition |
"Frey took the kingdom after Njord, and was called drot by the Swedes, and they paid taxes to him. He was, like his father, fortunate in friends and in good seasons. Frey built a great temple at Upsal, made it his chief seat, and gave it all his taxes, his land, and goods. Then began the Upsal domains, which have remained ever since. Then began in his days the Frode-peace; and then there were good seasons, in all the land, which the Swedes ascribed to Frey, so that he was more worshipped than the other gods, as the people became much richer in his days by reason of the peace and good seasons. His wife was called Gerd, daughter of Gymis, and their son was called Fjolne. Frey was called by another name, Yngve; and this name Yngve was considered long after in his race as a name of honour, so that his descendants have since been called Ynglinger. Frey fell into a sickness; and as his illness took the upper hand, his men took the plan of letting few approach him. In the meantime they raised a great mound, in which they placed a door with three holes in it. 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. They brought all the taxes into the mound, and through the one hole they put in the gold, through the other the silver, and through the third the copper money that was paid. Peace and good seasons continued." - Laing's translation |
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Þá er allir Svíar vissu, at Freyr var dauðr, en hélzt ár ok friðr, þá trúðu þeir, at svá mundi vera, meðan Freyr væri á Svíþjóð, ok vildu eigi brenna hann, ok kölluðu hann veraldar goð ok blótuðu mest til árs ok friðar alla ævi síðan. - 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." - Laing's translation |
Freyr had a son named Fjölnir, who succeeds him as king and rules during the continuing period of peace and good seasons. Fjölnir's descendants are enumerated in Ynglingatal which describes the legendary kings of Sweden.
The Norwegian Historia Norwegiae, the Danish Gesta Danorum and the Swedish Historia de Gentibus Septentrionalibus all agree with Ynglinga saga in describing Freyr as associated with of Sweden.
Other traditions
In Iceland, Freyr was second only to Thor in popularity. Some last vestiges of the offerings to Freyr still survive on the Swedish Christmas table in the form of the Christmas Ham, so great was his importance.
A strophe of the Anglo Saxon Rune Poem (circa 1100) records that:
- Ing was first among the East Danes seen by men
and this may refer to the origins of the worship of Ingui in the tribal areas that Tacitus mentions in his Germania as being populated by the Inguieonnic tribes. A later Danish chronicler lists Ingui was one of three brothers that the Danish tribes descended from. The strophe also states that "then he (Ingui) went back over the waves, his wagon behind him" which could connect Ingui to earlier conceptions of the wagon processions of Nerthus, and the later Scandinavian conceptions of Frey's wagon journeys. Ingui is mentioned also in some later Anglo-Saxon literature under varying forms of his name, such as "For what doth Ingeld have to do with Christ", and the variants used in Beowulf to designate the kings as 'leader of the friends of Ing'. The compound Ingui-Frea (OE) and Yngvi-Freyr (ON) likely refer to the connection between the God and the Germanic kings' role as priests during the sacrifices in the pagan period, as 'Frea' and Frey' are titles meaning 'Lord'.
The Swedish royal dynasty was known as the Ynglings from their descent from Yngvi-Freyr. This is supported by Tacitus, who wrote about the Germans: "In their ancient songs, their only way of remembering or recording the past they celebrate an earth-born god Tuisco, and his son Mannus, as the origin of their race, as their founders. To Mannus they assign three sons, from whose names, they say, the coast tribes are called Ingaevones; those of the interior, Herminones; all the rest, Istaevones. "Yngve" has been a popular name in Sweden, and it may be interesting to note that there is a clearly related prename, "Ingo", which is quite common in Germany even today. "Ingó" and "Inga" are also very common names in Iceland.
Traditions related to Freyr may also appear connected with the legendary Danish king Fródi (which can mean "peaceful" and "free", both of which have application to Freyr). King Fródi is especially treated in Book Five of Saxo Grammaticus' Gesta Danorum and in the Ynglinga saga.
Veraldur
Dumézil (1973, Appendix I) cites a Faroese ballad recorded in 1840 about Odin and his son Veraldur. It is believed that this Veraldur is also Frey, as per Snorri's statement that Frey was veraldar góð as mentioned above.
In this ballad Veraldur, Odin's son, sets off to Zealand to seek the king's daughter in marriage despite Odin's warnings. The king of Zealand mislikes Veraldur and tricks him into falling into a brewing vat in a "hall of stone" where Veraldur drowns. When Odin hears the news, he decides to die and go to Asgard where his followers will be also be welcomed after death.
The tale is similar to that of the death of Fjölnir son of Frey who accidentally fell into a vat of mead and drowned while paying a friendly visit to Fridfródi the ruler of Zealand. This is told in the Ynglinga saga. Saxo Grammaticus also relates (Gesta Danorum, Book 1) how King Hunding of Sweden believed a rumor that King Hadding of Denmark had died and held his obsequies with ceremony, including an enormous vat of ale. Hunding himself served the ale, but accidentally stumbled and fell into the vat, choked, and drowned. When word of this came to King Hadding of this unfortunate death, King Hadding publicly hanged himself.
Possible Later Survivals
According to Pamela Berger (pp. 81–84), some of Freyr's cultic practices survived under the guise of saints such as Saint Blaise, who was a patron saint of plowmen, seeding time, fertility, and fecundity, Saint Leonard in Germany, who was the patron of freeing prisoners and of farm animals, and Saint Guignole and Saint Foutin, who were openly phallic saints and even had wooden phalluses attached to their statues, which people would rub to increase their fertility. For some saints, a cart or wagon was carried around the districts with a representative of the saint riding therein, to bless the land with fertility, and these processions were accompanied by a bacchanalic revelry, just as carts with Freyr's image once were.
Other Spellings
- Common Danish, Swedish and Norwegian form: Frej, Frö or Frøy, sometimes Fröj
- Frequent alternate English form: Frey
- German form: Fro or Froh (R. Wagner)
Bibliography and external links
For general sources see Norse Mythology.
- Berger, Pamela (1985). The Goddess Obscured: Transformation of the Grain Protectress from Goddess to Saint Boston: Beacon Press. ISBN 0807067237.
- Dumézil, Georges (1973). From Myth to Fiction: The Saga of Hadingus. Trans. Derek Coltman. Chicago: U. of Chicago Press. ISBN 0226169723.
- Gimle: Hedniska ballader: Balladen om Oden och Veraldur (Frö) (Text of the ballad of Veraldur).
| Preceded by: Njord | Mythological king of Sweden | Succeeded by: Fjolner |
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