|
Sister of Frey, a god of the elements.
The sixth day of the week, Friday, is derived from
her name.
Freyja was a goddess of fertility, and of the dead.
She was entitled to half the souls of the warriors killed in battle;
the rest were taken by the Valkyries for Woden.
By nature Freyja was flirtatious and loved ornaments
and jewellery. She longed to own a golden necklace made by four dwarfs
skilled in working metal. As their mines already gave them access to
limitless of precious metals, Freyja didn't hesitate to pay with another
sort of currency, her sexual favours. Freyja obtained her necklace but
Loki, the malevolent god of fire, told Woden, the chief god, what she
had done. Woden ordered Loki to steal the necklace from Freyja and,
when she attempted to retrieve it, Woden also had his price. This was
to help him stir up a battle between two powerful kings.
Four white cats pulled Freyja’s carriage. The
goddess was so desirable it caused many wrangles between gods and giants.
She also possessed a robe of feathers which enabled its wearer to fly.
Freyja is often confused with other goddesses, mainly
Frlgga, who is the wife of Woden.
|
