God Freyr in Scandinavian mythology. The world of Scandinavian mythology - tales of the gods - Freyr

05.12.2023

Read also

Contents and scope of the concept of magazine

The world of Scandinavian mythology - tales of the gods - Freyr

Why are people ready to see a murderer as a hero?

- (Old Norse Freir, “lord”), in Scandinavian mythology, a god from among the Vanoe, personifying vegetation, harvest, wealth and peace. Adam of Bremen reports that in the pagan complex in Uppsala (Sweden) there was a temple dedicated to F. with his image... Encyclopedia of Mythology

- (Old Norse master), in Scandinavian mythology, the god of fertility and vegetation, who is subject to sunlight and rain, is one of the Vanir gods (see VANI (deities)). Son of Njord (see NJERD), brother of Freya (see FREYA); was considered the owner... encyclopedic Dictionary

- (Old Norse master) in Scandinavian mythology, the god of fertility and vegetation, who is subject to sunlight and rain, is one of the Vanir gods. Son of Njord, brother of Freya; was considered the owner of treasures made by dwarfs, including... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

In Scandinavian mythology, the god of fertility, wealth, and peace. Brother (and husband) of Freya (See Freya), husband of Gerd (apparently the earth goddess). Attributes of F. the wonderful ship Skidbladnir and the boar Gullinbursti. Cult of F. (or Yngvi, where the name of the Swedish ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Freyr- in scand. myth. god from among the Vanir, personification. vegetation, harvest, wealth and peace. In other scand. lit. source F. son of Njord and brother of Freya, was in incest with the swarm. communications. Having fallen (after the war between the Aesir and Vanir) as a hostage to the Aesir, F.... ... Ancient world. encyclopedic Dictionary

FREYR- in scand. mythology god of fertility, marriage, abundance and peace, son of Njord, brother of Freya. The cult of F. was especially widespread in Sweden... Atheist Dictionary

Freyr- (Scand.) - “lord” - the god of vegetation, harvest, wealth and peace, descended from the Vanir, son of Njord and brother of Freya. After the war between the Aesir and the Vanir, F. was taken hostage by the Aesir and married the goddess Gerd. He achieved the goddess’s consent to marry F. with the help of... ... Mythological dictionary

Froy Freyr (also Froy, other isl. Freyr), also Yngvi (originally meant lord) in German Scandinavian mythology, the god of fertility and summer. Comes from the Vanir family, the son of Van Njord and the giantess Skadi. Freyr's father Njord, in turn his adopted son... Wikipedia

- (Gomez d Andrad Freire) Portuguese general (1752 1817). Being in the rank of second lieutenant, in 1788 he received permission to enlist in the Russian army; distinguished himself during the siege of Ochakov and Izmail. Upon returning to Portugal, he participated in several... ...

- (Freire) one of the best generals in Spain (1765 1834). He took part in all campaigns against France and especially distinguished himself in the Battle of Talavera de la Reina on July 26, 1809, when he managed to cover the retreat of an entire Spanish army with one regiment. IN… … Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

Books

The Supreme Gods of the Indo-Europeans, J. Dumezil, Georges Dumezil, a French researcher of myths, a comparative philologist who worked on comparative mythology, in this book summarizes his many years of research in this area. In the book… Publisher: Book on Demand, Manufacturer: Book on Demand,
The Supreme Gods of the Indo-Europeans, J. Dumezil, Georges Dumezil, a French researcher of myths, a comparative philologist who worked on comparative mythology, in this book summarizes his many years of research in this area. In the book... Series: Publisher: YOYO Media,

God Frey is one of the triad of supreme rulers of Asgard along with Thor and Odin. He is the only one of the trio who is in no way associated with war and conflict. But this is relative, because among the ancient Scandinavians, every man was a warrior, especially in case of danger. Frey was revered as the god of fertility, summer, sun and sunlight. His description is in many ways close to the image of the Slavic Semargl and the Egyptian Set. But Semargl and Seth are the protectors of the Sun, and Frey is its embodiment, personification.
Frey was the custodian of many outstanding artifacts. In particular, he owns the boar Gullinbursti (from Old Norse - “golden bristles”, or, according to another version, “sharp-toothed”). Gullinbursti was created from pigskin thanks to the cunning of Loki, who forced representatives of the two most ancient blacksmith dynasties of Svartalfheim to argue for primacy in their profession. It is believed that Gullinbursti is second only to Sleipnir in speed. Frey can ride Gullinbursti, but more often he simply walks next to him, which emphasizes their friendly relationship. At the same time, the symbol of the god Frey is a boar or wild boar.

Another artifact of the god Frey is Skidbladnir (literal translation - “assembled from tablets”). This is a ship that, if necessary, can be folded to such a small size that it can easily fit into a pocket. Skidbladnir could accommodate the entire army of Asgard (in the “unfolded” state, of course), and its sails were always filled with a fair wind. In addition, the amazing ship of the god Frey can travel not only by sea, but also by land. According to one version, Skidbladnir was created for Frey by the master blacksmiths Ivaldi, according to another, by Dvalin himself, the lord of the dark elves. Initially, the ship could have belonged to Loki, but he gave it to Frey for stealing the hair of Sif, Thor's wife, at the instigation of Freya.
The god Frey had a son named Fjelnir from the giantess Gerd. In the “Saga of the Ynglings” (10th century) it is said that Fjolnir marked the beginning of the dynasty of the Ynglings, the great rulers of the North. Thus, the population of the Scandinavian peninsula (at least the “ruling classes”) are the direct descendants of Freyr from the Vanir clan. Both Freyr himself and his son Fjelnir are mentioned in many European chronicles, in particular in the “Acts of the Danes” by Saxo Grammar (albeit under different names).

According to the Eddic texts, Odin made Frey ruler in Uppsala, where he built the greatest temple and began to rule (according to another version, it was not Frey who ruled in Uppsala, but his father, Njord). Uppsala is one of the oldest cities in Sweden; this region has an ancient and rich history (for a long time Uppsala was the religious and later educational center of the country).

Freyr (as a historical figure) marked the beginning of the so-called "Peace of Frodi", a long period of time that was characterized by a complete absence of wars in the Scandinavian Peninsula. “The Saga of the Ynglings” says that the reign of King Freyr (aka, in all likelihood, Frodi) was marked by rich harvests and a general increase in the well-being of the population. After Frey’s death, his body was secretly buried (for some reason not burned!) by the priests on a certain hill, which, according to legend, “gave” gold, silver and iron for three years.

God Freyr is a unique image. He patronizes peace, hates and despises war, but possesses a weapon of exceptional power - the sword of light. However, as already mentioned, he says goodbye to the sword for the sake of love (probably Gerd can act as a personification of the earth, then Frey is a personification of the sky, and this myth describes a symbolic marriage). This is probably one of the oldest Eddic stories, which still raises a lot of questions.

One of Freyr's most common names is Yngvi. Presumably, it was from him that the famous Scandinavian names (both male and female) came from - Ingvar, Ingeborga, Ingmar, Ingrid. That is, Yngwi is a symbolic eponym, from which the name of the Ingevon group (Germanic tribes of the 6th century BC) mentioned by Tacitus and Pliny probably came from.

The fact that the Dii were princes-wizards can be judged by the fact that all the Vanirs whom Odin promoted to this rank became the rulers of Sweden. Thus, the third supreme ruler of Sweden was Njord’s son Freyr, that is, “Lord,” or, as his name is sometimes translated, “Lord.” But he also had another, generic name.

This van made Uppsala the capital of his empire and built a sanctuary there. The city of Old Uppsala as a religious and political center has been mentioned in chronicles since the 9th century. In the 13th century, the city disappeared in a fire. New Uppsala took over the functions of Old. Here, until 1719, was the traditional place of coronation of the country's rulers, the residence of the archbishop was located; At the end of the 15th century, the first university in Sweden was opened. In a word, Uppsala, founded by van Freyr, can rightfully be called the first capital of Sweden. The ancient sanctuary itself was described by the German chronicler Adam of Bremen, who saw it a thousand years after its construction, in 1070.

Uppsala University in Sweden

What can be considered real antiquity in this temple? Firstly, this is a huge tree as a symbol of the World Tree. In the Scandinavian version - Yggdrasil ash. Evergreens are not common in northern Sweden. Most likely, his seed or seedling was brought here by the Aesir and Vanir from their southern ancestral home, from Asgard. The second is the holy spring. It is known that our ancestors worshiped holy springs. As for testing sorcerers with water, this method was also known in medieval Novgorod, although the Volkhov River or Lake Ilmen were used for this purpose. Third is the temple itself. He represents a syncretic religion. There is not a word about Thor in the Ynglinga Saga. Meanwhile, this thunderer was indeed the supreme deity of the local population before the Aesir and Vanir appeared here. Naturally, Frey could not build a temple and erect a statue of himself and the first ruler of Sweden, Odin. This means that these statues were installed in the temple after his death. At the same time, the Swedes revised the hierarchy of gods. They put their original god at the head. Under Frey, a tradition arose in the temple he created, which was called “Uppsala wealth”. Since ancient times, in the month of gon (from the second half of February to mid-March), prayers were held for the prosperity of the country and its kings. At the same time, a fair was held for a week, where they not only traded profitably, but also spent money on entertainment. That is, the Russian ruler of Sweden introduced annual prayers for prosperity and legalized fun fairs.

World Tree Symbol

Temple Uppsala.

The time of Freyr's reign can be determined by the fact that then another event occurred, called the “peace of Frodu.” We are talking about the emergence of another Scandinavian state - Denmark, where the first ruler was Odin's son named Skjold. The Little Edda says that the Goths lived here before him. Perhaps Skjöld partly conquered them and partly expelled them. In any case, he became the founder of the first Danish dynasty of the Skjoldungs. His grandson succeeded Frodi, finally establishing peace in Denmark. This was in the first years of the new era, that is, during the life of Christ. However, Frodi did not become a god, and the prosperity of his state was attributed to the fertility deity Frey, who sat on the Swedish throne. In addition to the title "Lord", Frey also had the name Yngvi.

You may also be interested in the article:

Most likely, we are not talking about Frey’s true name, which was supposed to be hidden in order to avoid damage and witchcraft. Yngwie is a “horse,” or rather, a “Horseman,” or, to be absolutely precise, a “heavenly horseman.” After death, Perun’s heavenly cavalry became “men of blood” - heroes who died in battle. The particularly illustrious family of Njord and his children, apparently, were awarded this high title during their lifetime on earth. Frey and his wife, a local native of Gerd, had a son, Fjolnir.

When Frey gave his soul to God at the right time, the priests were afraid that with his death prosperity would leave Scandinavia and decided to hide this sad fact. They came up with a clever way to do this. They built a high mound and secretly buried the ruler in it, but people were told that he was alive and had chosen this man-made hill as a place for his home. Now, they say, tribute should be brought here and money should be poured into specially left holes: gold in one, silver in another, coppers in the third. Thus, the Swedes, without knowing it themselves, for three years no longer brought tribute to the supreme ruler, but made sacrifices to the deceased Frey as the god of wealth and prosperity.

Finally, the priests informed the Swedes that their ruler, having become a god, followed Odin and his father Njord to Heavenly Asgard. Now it was necessary to elect a new king. Freyr's son, Fjolnir, could not claim the throne, because he was born of a simple woman. Meanwhile, the real vanka was still alive, that is, according to the Swedes, a goddess - Freya, Frenr's sister.

God Frey, according to the Eddic texts, was not inferior in beauty to the most beautiful of the Aesir himself. But Freyr himself is not an ace, he is from the family of the Vanir, the ancient gods who lived in Vanaheim and came to this world long before Odin and his brothers. Frey is the son of the great van Njord, patron of the sea and wind, and the twin brother of the beautiful but fickle Freya. All of them are Vanir, and remained in Asgard after making peace with the Aesir as hostage guests. At the same time, Njord became the adopted son of Odin, and the god Frey is thus nominally the grandson of Odin (although the fact that Freya is his granddaughter did not prevent the All-Father from having a very close relationship with her).

Frey was the custodian of many outstanding artifacts. In particular, he owns the boar Gullinbursti (from Old Norse - “golden bristles”, or, according to another version, “sharp-toothed”). Gullinbursti was created from pigskin thanks to the cunning of Loki, who forced representatives of the two most ancient blacksmith dynasties of Svartalfheim to argue for primacy in their profession. It is believed that Gullinbursti is second only to Sleipnir in speed. Frey can ride Gullinbursti, but more often he simply walks next to him, which emphasizes their friendly relationship. At the same time, the symbol of the god Frey is a boar or wild boar.

How love destroyed Frey...

Another unique artifact, the keeper of which for the time being was the god Frey, is the solar blade. In the Eddic texts, this sword does not have its own name; it is only known that it was an ideal weapon in the battle with giants, easily cutting down everything that blocked its path. However, in the saga “Skirnir’s Ride,” which is included in all copies of the Elder Edda, it is told that one day the god Frey lost his wonderful weapon.

Frey, sitting on the throne of Hlidskjalf (the throne of Odin, from which you can see all the worlds in great detail), saw in Etunheim the beautiful Gerd, the daughter of the giant Gymir. Frey fell in love with her (of course, at first sight), but could not leave Asgard, so he sent his servant Skirnir to bring Gerd. Skirnir took with him the apples of eternal youth, the magic ring Draupnir and Freyr's sword. Gerd refused the gifts; even Skirnir’s threat to cut off her head had no effect. Then Skirnir promised that he would curse Gerd and her beauty would fade. Only then did Gerd agree, went with him to Asgard and married Frey. For this, noble Frey gave Skirnir his sword. And it must be said that this was an extremely rash act. According to the “Divination of Velva”, during Ragnarok the valiant god Frey will come out to fight the fire giant Surt, the leader of the army of Muspelheim (yes, this is the same Surt who will later destroy all the Nine Worlds). And if Frey had his sword, the outcome of the fight would be impossible to predict. But the god will stand up against the giant with bare hands (according to another version - with deer antlers) and will be defeated.

Frey: mythological image and eponym

The god Frey had a son named Fjelnir from the giantess Gerd. In the “Saga of the Ynglings” (10th century) it is said that Fjolnir marked the beginning of the dynasty of the Ynglings, the great rulers of the North. Thus, the population of the Scandinavian peninsula (at least the “ruling classes”) are the direct descendants of Freyr from the Vanir clan. Both Frey himself and his son Fjelnir are mentioned in many European chronicles, in particular in the “Acts of the Danes” by Saxo Grammar (though under different names).

God Frey is a unique image. He patronizes peace, hates and despises war, but possesses a weapon of exceptional power - the sword of light. However, as already mentioned, he says goodbye to the sword for the sake of love (probably Gerd can act as a personification of the earth, then Frey is a personification of the sky, and this myth describes a symbolic marriage). This is probably one of the oldest Eddic stories, which still raises a lot of questions.

One of Freyr's most common names is Yngvi. Presumably, it was from him that the famous Scandinavian names (both male and female) came from - Ingvar, Ingeborga, Ingmar, Ingrid. That is, Ingvi is a symbolic eponym, from which the name of the Ingevon group (Germanic tribes of the 6th century BC) mentioned by Tacitus and Pliny probably came from.

Becoming the Eye of Frey is the greatest misconception

Today, a certain runic design, allegedly associated with runescripts or band runes, called the Eye of Frey, has become popular among esotericists. Numerous network portals report that the Eye of Frey is an incredibly ancient runescript (or even galdrastav) that has powerful protective functions. It is difficult to find the source of this misconception. However, it is important to note that the concept of the "Eye of Frey" is absolutely a modern reconstruction and stylization. There is not a single historical text (in particular, not a single galdrabok) that would mention a certain stave “Eye of Freyr”. And it turns out that this mythical becoming is in no way connected with the god Frey himself. Therefore, the use of this construct in modern runic practice looks, at least, funny.

Frey is one of the most famous and beloved gods of the Northern tradition. His name means "lord" in Old Norse, and he is truly the lord and lord of fertility, sexuality, abundance, prosperity, ancestral strength and harvest. He blesses not only crops and livestock, but also any creative endeavors. It helps those who wish to conceive children and brings good luck to the community as a whole. Frey is the god of royalty, and therefore his blessing bestows wealth and fertility on the entire land. At the same time, he is a mighty warrior: his symbol, the boar, personifies not only fertility, but strength in battle. Frey owned a wonderful golden boar named Gullinbursti (“Golden Bristle”). Participants in oath rituals often sealed their sacred vows by placing their hand on the back of a sacrificial pig. In addition, among the berserker warriors there were those who drew their strength and battle madness not from a bear or a wolf, but from a boar. The boar was often depicted on helmets and weapons so that the power of this sacred animal would be transferred to the warrior. Frey is the only god who will go into battle unarmed on the day of Ragnarok, because he gave his sword as a ransom for his beloved, the giantess Gerd, who became his wife. Frey was considered the progenitor of kings, and the Swedish royal dynasty traced their ancestry to him. According to some evidence, in pre-Christian times, Freyr's priests wore women's clothing, hung themselves with bells and danced in honor of their god. However, it is possible that the mention of women’s clothing actually stands for the taboo on wearing belts and knots in Vanir rituals, which is why rituals in honor of Frey had to be performed in loose, flowing robes. Some modern pagans even believe that the morris, an English folk dance performed at summer festivals, originated from these rituals.

Frey has many heyti nicknames. Here are just a few of them: Argud ("God of the Harvest"), Bödfrod ("Wise in Battle"), Bjarth ("Light One"), Diar ("Priest"), Mattug ("Mighty"), Nitum ("Breadwinner") , Fegjafa ("Giver of Wealth") and Folkvaldi of the Year ("Ruler of the People").

In addition, Frey is the god of sensual pleasures. The most famous of the myths about Frey is the story of his matchmaking with the giantess Gerd. Odin had a high throne in Asgard called Hlidskjalf, from which the lord of the Aesir could observe everything that happened in all worlds. No one except the All-Father was allowed to sit on this throne. But one day, when Odin once again went on his travels, Frey secretly violated this prohibition. Looking around all the worlds from the throne of Hlidskjalf, he noticed a beautiful maiden in Jotunheim, the world of giants. One look at her was enough for great love to ignite in Frey’s heart. Since then, he missed his beloved day and night. He did not eat or sleep, exhausted from passion; and finally, his stepmother Skadi ordered Skirnir, Freyr's faithful friend and servant, to find out the cause of his illness.

Skirnir obtained a truthful answer from Frey and, yielding to his pleas, agreed to go to Jotunheim to marry Gerd to him. But as a reward, he demanded from Frey a wonderful horse and a magic sword that fought on its own, as if alive. Frey willingly gave up both sword and horse, and Skirnir set off. He was allowed into Gerd's chambers, but the giantess turned out to be unyielding. She refused Skirnir's proposal and rejected his gifts, so Frey's envoy had to resort to very dubious methods of matchmaking. When the proud maiden did not succumb to threats, Skirnir cursed her with the help of three powerful runes and another one - Thurisaz, the most destructive and dangerous rune in all of Futhark. This curse was supposed to instill in her an unquenchable lust, and therefore Anne Groa Sheffield, in her work Freyr: God of the World, suggests that “the magic of runes and potions symbolizes Freyr’s ability to awaken sexual desire.” Whether this is true or not, Gerd agreed to meet Frey in the sacred grove in nine days and nine nights and accepted his offer.

It is noteworthy that in Loki's Quarrel it is said about Frey that he never offended maidens and wives - in other words, he never treated women badly. Frey is the god of life force, so abundant that it is simply impossible to contain it. For this reason, he was often depicted with a huge erect phallus. Frey gives birth to life in all its infinite variety and blesses love unions in all their many forms. He gives not only sensual pleasures, but also real joy and happiness, generously pouring out these gifts on his subjects.

Galina Krasskova (c)
Translation: Anna Blaze (c)

This translation is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.