Dear readers, as you may have already observed my colleagues have began to present you with information about the Greek, Egyptian and Hindu pantheons. After popular demand, I am happy to introduce these series of articles that will be dedicated to the Celtic and Scandinavian pantheons as well as they fall into my sphere of expertise. I am happy to begin this “Divine Revelation” with the Nordic Goddess Freya the Goddess of Love, Beauty and War.
Freya / Freja the Goddess of Beauty
Freya is the sister of Frey, the daughter of Niord and Nerthus or alternatively known as Skadi. Freya was primarily (I will explain later why) married to Odur (the summer God and the personification of sunshine) and had two daughters Hnoss and Gersemi (their names was used to call everything that was beautiful and loved). In Germany is identified with Frigga as well but in the Scandinavian countries (Norway, Sweden, Denmarkand Iceland) they consisted two separate Divinities. Freya’s beauty was extremely reputed and to her was given the realm of Folkvang (one of the realm of the fallen warriors) where she ruled.
Freya is the patroness of Witches and both the witches and the form of magic they practiced was named Seidr. Legend has that only females could learn and practice Seidrand the God Odin was dressed (or even changed) to a woman to learn this way of magic. Seidr is described as a shamanicform of magic and the main practices include spellcasting by chanting, contacting spirits and the dead, divination and seeing in the future. Entering in a trance phase it is said that they transferred the strength of the enemies in their own warriors. Finally, Freya has a deep love and affiliation with the fairies.
Freya as the Queen of the Valkyries (also known as Valkyrs)
Freya apart from beauty was also famous for her ferocious skills in combat. She led the Valkyries in battle while claiming one half of the heroes that were killed. In that form, she is known as Valfreya. She is depicted wearing a helmet, while armed with a shield and a spear. The souls of the chosen heroes were transferred to Folkvang where they were entertained. The legend says that half of the heroes stayed in Folkvang while the other half was staying with Odin in Valhalla. Valfreya was invoked to protect the warriors in battle and to heal them from fatal wounds. Therefore, this aspect of the Goddess can be summoned when you want protection, aid in fighting evil and to heal your loved ones. Freya is a caring Goddess and will gladly assist you in your cause especially if your heart is true and you have a righteous cause.
Freya and Odur, the quest to find her loved one
Freya knows well the sorrow that you face when you are away from your loved ones. She is the symbol of courage and persistence and this is why. Odur her beloved one, the personification of sunshine and symbol of passion, suddenly left Freya’s side one day. Nature mourned with her as she wept for the loss of her loved one. Her tears of sorrow that fell on stones transformed into gold and her tears that fell in the sea became amber. Determined to find her loved one she wandered the world and far away she managed to locate him and be by his side again, beneath a flowering myrtle.
Brisingamen, the necklace of Freya-the emblem of the stars
While Freya was in the underground kingdom of dwarves, Svartalfaheim, she observed four dwarves to forge a wonderful necklace made of gold and precious jewels, Brisingamen, the emblem of the stars. In order to obtain this treasure, Freya asked the dwarves what they want in return. As you may have guessed Freya had to “sleep” with the dwarves in order to obtain this treasure that later she enchanted further with her magic. Freya lent Brisingamen to Thor when he personated Freya in Jotunheim (the homeland of the Giants). Apart from the dwarves, Freya was also known to be the wife of many Gods: Odin (the sky), her brother Frey (the pleasantl rain) and Odur (the sunshine). Loki accused her of having “loved” and wed all the Gods.
Freya’s Symbols
Freya wore a falcongarb that allowed the wearer to fly like a bird (potentially linked with the shamanic practice of Seidr and the art of “flying” which is used to describe astral projection and the journey to a heightened level of consciousness) ; hence falcon is one of her symbols. She rides a chariot that is drawn by cats (two of them), symbols of fertility, sensuality and magic and she has a golden boar named Hildisvini, a symbol of strength and fertility. In addition, butterflies are sacred to Freya and they are called Freya’s hens. Freya has a strong affiliation with gold and precious stones. Burn amber and use myrtle to summon her as both are sacred to Freya.
Summon Freya if:
- You want comfort for the loss of your loved one
- You want to meet your beloved one who is far away from you
- You seek protection or fighting evil
- You aim to find a partner (sexual or not)
- You are casting beauty and attraction spells
- You wish prosperity to come your way
- You wish to conceive
- You wish to contact spirits (especially ghosts, fairies and benevolent spirits)
- You want to improve your sex life
- You wish to learn more about magic and empower your magical skills
- You wish to see the future
- You are undergoing a transforming phase and you wish to achieve a higher level of awareness.
- You want to secure an enjoyable time (in your party, vacations, nightlife etc.)
