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Freyja is the Norse goddess of love, beauty, war and magic, the foremost goddess of the Vanir. Her name means "the Lady". She rides a chariot pulled by cats, owns the necklace Brisingamen, and takes half of those who die in battle to her hall.
Who is Freyja in Norse mythology?
Freyja is the foremost of the Vanir goddesses, a figure of love, beauty, fertility, gold and war. Daughter of Njord and sister of Freyr, she came to live among the Aesir after the war between the two god-families. She rides a chariot drawn by cats, keeps the boar Hildisvini, and owns the radiant necklace Brisingamen.
Her name, Freyja, simply means "the Lady". The Prose Edda also calls her Vanadís, the lady of the Vanir, the family of gods she comes from.
What is Freyja the goddess of?
- Domains — love, beauty, war, seid, the slain
- World — Asgard
- Day — Friday
- Animal — cat, falcon, boar
- Offerings — beer, wine, honey, cream, cakes; an amber bead, a necklace, a falcon feather
- Herbs — rose, primrose · Wood — birch · Metal — gold, amber
Kin — Parent: Njord · Brother: Freyr · Consort: Od · Children: Hnoss, Gersemi
Freyja's magic and the slain
Freyja is also a mistress of seid, the Norse magic of prophecy and fate, which she is said to have taught to the Aesir. Though goddess of love, she is no less a chooser of the slain: half of those who die in battle go to her hall Folkvang, and only the other half to Odin's Valhalla. Giants covet her endlessly, and more than one myth turns on their scheming to take her as a bride.
Half the fallen go to her, the other half to Odin in Valhalla. She came from Vanaheim.
Questions
Who is Freyja's husband?
Od, who often wanders far away. Freyja weeps tears of red gold for him.
What animals belong to Freyja?
Two cats pull her chariot, she rides the boar Hildisvini, and she owns a cloak of falcon feathers.
How do you pronounce Freyja?
Say it "FRAY-uh".
Is Freyja the same as Frigg?
In the sources they are two goddesses. Some scholars think they grew from one older goddess.