Who is Freya?

Freyja is most often summarized as the Northern goddess of Love and Beauty, and that she is - but
she is far, far more than that. Freyja is one of the few Northern gods who may actually have
unbroken worship, although modern Northern Paganism is not directly based on whatever folk
traditions may have survived to honor her.
Freyja is the Vanadis - the Lady of the Vanir. Her twin brother Freyr is the current Lord of
Vanaheim and Alfheim both. Their parents, also twins, are Njordh, Lord of the Sea and his sister,
most likely the Earth goddess Nerthus. The lore implies that Freyja was originally married to Freyr
before the first war was fought between the Vanir and Aesir. At the end of the war when Freyja,
Freyr and Njordh were fostered to the Aesir as hostages in exchange for Honir and Mimir, the Aesir
declared the sibling marriages of the Vanir unlawful in Asgard, and arranged new marriages for
each of them over time. Freyja's husband among the Aesir is Odr, who has since been lost, his
identity and provenance is a true mystery, although one of the most common UPGs is that Odr is or
became Odin. Freyja's daughters with Odr are the treasures, Hnoss and Gersemi. In modern
practice, we have found that the Vanir recognise both marriages, and Freyja often acts loverly
towards Freyr, regarding Gerd not only as sister-in-law, but also as sister-wife. Gerd is the lady of
Alfheim, as Freyr's consort, leaving Freyja as the primary ruler in Vanaheim, although she still
shares those duties with her brother and parents.
Freyja is indeed a goddess of love and beauty, of sex and fertility. In my experience, love is her
primary motivation, and a deep, abiding sense of the beauty of all things is the core of her nature.
She encourages self-awareness and self-worth regarding our own beauty and sexuality, and may be
anything from achingly gentle to forcefully dominant in showing people what they are worth. I have
known her to require people to stand naked in front of a mirror, repeating compliments they can
barely stand to say or hear, as she guides them word by word in the act of learning to admire
themselves.

She can be called upon to help with fertility in humans and animals especially, as well as the
fecundity of the land. Fertility is not a metaphor to Freyja - if you ask for her help with fertility, be
very clear what you do and do not want. While human sexuality may be used to empower the land,
to drive artistic creativity, to bring those who love each other closer together, or even just for
sensual enjoyment, if you start heterosexual fertility magic with Freyja, be quite clear what your
boundaries are with regards to pregnancy, and do not be surprised if she is disappointed at the need
for barriers. She will respect any boundaries you set for your own body.
Freyja is associated with all female animals, especially domestic animals in heat or giving birth. She
has several specific animal associations, as well, each of which illuminate some aspect of her
power:
* Her falcon-feathered cloak allows the wearer to fly, usually in the form of a falcon, demonstrating
Freyja's connection with shape-shifting magic - an aspect of Seidhr trance magic. Loki often
borrows her cloak when he needs to solve a problem for the Aesir.
* A pair of cats work together to draw her cart, proving her sovereignty as a goddess. Diana Paxson
suggested the names Bygul and Trjegul - "Bee-gold" and "Tree-Gold" - for Freyja's cats, to honor
her connections with honey and amber.
* One of Freyja's titles is "Mare of the Vanir", giving her a connection with horses, and
emphasizing her role as a fertility goddess.
* The Vanir in general are connected with swine, and Freyja is no exception; one of her kennings is
"Syr", meaning "sow", and she is sometimes depicted riding a boar named Hildisvíni. Swine are
also strong fertility symbols.
Freyja's power and beauty are symbolized most strongly by the necklace Brisingamen. The four
dwarven smiths, the Brising brothers, forged a golden necklace of unsurpassed beauty, which Freyja
could not bear to let pass from her grasp. She offered them every objct of value she could think of
in exchange, but they wanted only service - a night in her bed for each of them. Post-Christian
interpretations describe her acceptance of these terms as compelled by temptation despite the
dwarves being hideous creatures. They describe it as infidelity to Odr, and many surmise that this
infidelity is why he went away, leaving Freyja to wander the worlds weeping tears that turned to
gold when they touched the land, and amber when they touched water.
I do not believe Odr left in a jealous fit over Freyja's sexuality, nor do I believe Freyja scoffed at the
Brisings' request. I believe Freyja accepted their terms with aplomb and showed the dwarves their
own beauty, and that doing so was well within her rights, as her husband Odr must have known.
She traded for her beautiful golden necklace of power fairly, and in doing so gave us a model for
appreciating the value of our own abilities and attributes.

Freyja is a goddess of war and death. She is the first chooser of the slain. She is sometimes
described as the leader of the Valkyries, but this is misleading. The Valkyries choose the slain for
Odin, whereas Freyja keeps her half of the slain in her own hall, Sessrumnir, in Folkvangr. The lore
is tantalizingly spare in details regarding what Freyja does with her half of the slain, or why she
chooses them. Jokes abound that those called to her hall no doubt enjoy themselves tremendously.
Given Freyja's hedonistic tendencies, this is a fair assessment, but I doubt it's her primary purpose
in keeping the slain in her hall. I believe she chooses her half for their cunning skills in defense to
be used in protecting Asgard and Vanaheim during Ragnarok, leaving the fierce berzerkers for
Odin's offensive front.
The lore tells us that Freyja survives Ragnarok, perhaps remaining behind to guide the next
generation of gods in the process of rebuilding. Snorri Sturluson's assertion is that Ragnarok had
already happened (he was, after all, writing for a Christian royal court), and Freyja was nevertheless
still worshipped in his own day by some women. There seem to be at least remnants of folk
traditions honoring Freyja in Sweden surviving today. Arguably the the Midsommerstangen, which
is similar to a Maypole, but danced at the Summer Solstice, can be associated with the fertility
traditions of the Vanir.
Freyja not only teaches magic - especially the Vanic art of Seidhr trance magic - it seems Freyja IS
magic. In the experience of many in my local community, myself included, Freyja has repeatedly,
through sepparate mediums, indicated an ability to sever the line of flowing wyrd that allows the
gods to ride human mediums. She has threatened more than once to bring seidhr rituals to an abrupt
halt if necessary, and may be one of the few gods with enough power or authority to pull Odin off
of a human without his own cooperation, even if they belong to him outright.
Many people surmise that Gullveig is a kenning for Freyja. While this makes sense, it is not my
experience. Gullveig is another of the Vanir, most famous for becoming a Heide (i.e. a witch) when
the Aesir stabbed and burned her to death three times in a row in their hall, only to watch her rise
again. The arts that Gullveig used are Vanic arts associated with Seidhr, and Freyja knows them at
least as well - as do many of the Vanir, certainly including Freyr. Seidhr is an entire study in its own
right, and anyone who wishes to undertake the study of Seidhr would do well to cultivate a working
relationship with Freyja.
Most portraits of Freyja depict her with golden hair and porceline skin. My experience is much
more varied. Perhaps to demonstrate that beauty comes in countless forms, Freyja appears in the
widest variety of guises that I have ever perceived among the Northern gods. She generally appears
fair-skinned to me, but her hair and eyes and clothing can vary across the full range of coloring
found among the Northern people, and I would never put it past her to appear with darker skin if
that was what best reached her audience.
* If you approach her as a goddess of love and beauty, you may associate her with the colors of
gold and amber, with hints of warm reds. She may appear with warm eyes, and hair to match her
amber and gold.
* As a goddess of fertility, she may come dressed more in greens and other earth tones. Her hair the
color of flax, or sometimes the rich mahogany of good soil, her eyes often the green of spring
shoots.
* If you seek the Seidhkona, expect darker colors - blacks and deep browns, some times with flecks
of bright gold. Her hair may seem deep auburn, or even black at times, reflecting flashes of the fires
on the brocken, her eyes unfathomably deep, almost dark.
* The chooser of the slain often comes in the bright crimson of freshly spilled blood, her hair pulled
tightly back, out of her way, often bright copper red, or so blonde it's almost white.
* As Mardoll, daughter of the sea, and the mistress of the hawk, her hair is often wispy, very
straight, the grey-brown color of hawk wings to match her cloak, and her eyes reflect the stormy
blue of the Northern seas. She often seems very sad in this guise - I believe this is the form she took
when mourning for Odr.

Regardless of her appearance, she is always breathtakingly beautiful. She is very much involved in
introducing people to the ways of the Northern gods, and as such is often very forgiving of our
modern foibles. If you wish to approach her, simply do so with an open, honest heart. Offer her
what you can, and be sincere. Mead, amber, poetry, and chocolate are all good places to start.
Simply sit and speak to her. Over time if you connect with her strongly, she may ask for specific
things, and will expect you to educate yourself to the best of your ability, but Freyja has a very high
tolerance for honest beginners, and will generally be very understanding that you are not already
there. In this sense, I have also found Freyja to be quite willing to engage with Wiccans and
Eclectic Pagans on their own terms (she is, after all, The Lady), at least initially. Freyja is a fierce
goddess, but you need not fear her if you are being honest with yourself and her in your approach.
Be Welcome.
And Hail the Vanadis!