Study › Runes & Norse › Freyfaxi (Lughnasadh)
Freyfaxi is the modern heathen feast of the first harvest, on 1 August. It takes its name from a horse dedicated to the god Freyr in Hrafnkels saga.
When is Freyfaxi?
When: on 1 August, when the first grain is ripe — the same day as the Celtic Lughnasadh, or the English Lammas, 'loaf-mass'. Freyfaxi is a modern heathen festival. Its name comes from Hrafnkels saga, in which a chieftain dedicates his finest horse, Freyfaxi, to the god Freyr and swears to kill anyone who rides it.
What Freyfaxi is about
What it is about: the first harvest. The work of the summer is repaid, the first sheaves are cut and the first bread is baked. It is a time of thanks, but also of looking ahead to the rest of the harvest still standing in the fields.
Archetypes and energies
Archetypes and energies: Freyr, lord of the harvest and the fruitful earth; Sif, whose golden hair is often read as the ripe grain; and Thor, who brings the rain the fields need. Its energy is gratitude, reward for effort, abundance and the fruit of labour.
How Freyfaxi is kept
Rituals: cutting the first sheaf and offering it back; baking and sharing the first bread of the new grain; a feast of thanks; and, since the festival is named after a horse, games and horse races of the kind the sagas describe at summer gatherings.
Read about Freyr, Sif and the Wheel of the Year.
Questions
What does Freyfaxi mean?
It is the name of a horse dedicated to Freyr in Hrafnkels saga.
Is Freyfaxi an ancient festival?
No. It is a modern heathen festival.