Frey – Handsome Vanir God Of Fertility And Lord Of The Elves In Norse Beliefs

A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - Frey is one of the most important gods of Norse mythology. Frey and his twin sister Freya are the most famous members of the Vanir tribe.

When the war between the Aesir and Vanir finally ended, the two fighting tribes had to exchange hostages. The old god of the sea, Njord, took Frey and Freya and moved to Asgard, one of the Nine Worlds and home to the Aesir tribe of gods.

Frey (Freyr), whose name in Old Norse means: "lord") is a shining god, bringing fertility, prosperity, and a good harvest. He is considered handsome and beautiful among all the male gods in the Norse pantheon.

He is usually depicted as carrying a magic sword, which fights on its own and is dangerous even against the giants with superhuman strength who live in their land of Jotunheim.

Frey was often associated with fertility, prosperity, good, shiny weather, and kingship. Worshipers of Frey believed that he would provide pleasure and peace to mortals. His most important story in Norse mythology is about his marriage to Geror, a Jotun. He had to give away his magic sword, created by the dwarves who made Thor's hammer.

The sword had extraordinary capabilities, as it would fight independently if the person wielding it were wise. Eventually, Frey gave Gerda's father the sword as a bride price. Later, he regretted his decision very much at Ragnarok, when the end of the world was near, and he stood alone and defenseless when it was time to confront the fire demon Surt.

In many myths and legends of Scandinavia, Frey is often called Lord of the Elves because his home was Alfheim (elf-world), a magical habitat of the elves and one of the nine worlds in the branches of the sacred Yggdrasil.

According to the poem Grimnismal, part of the Poetic Edda, in very ancient times, the gods gave Alfheim to Frey as a gift when he cut his first tooth.

Gotland, Sweden, runestone depicting Thor, Odin, and Frey (Photo by Berig/Used under a Creative Commons license.

However, as the god of wealth, Frey owns many treasures. One of them is beautifully shining Gullinbursti, a golden boar plowing the Earth and making it green.

Frey often rides the boar Gullinbursti, which can travel through the air and over the sea, sending beams of light from its golden bristles. Sometimes, he hitches the boar to his chariot and travels abroad or uses the ship Skidbladnir (Skíðblaðnir). The vessel was made in a real forge by some dwarves called the Ivaldi-sons. The brothers Ivaldi were skilled builders who also possessed knowledge of magic and other witchcraft. The ship was big and impressive; the wind blew from behind when its sail was hoisted. Using 'Skidbladnir,' Frey always has a favorable breeze and never experiences weather problems.

According to mythological stories, 'Skidbladnir' was made of many pieces. When she is not wanted for a voyage, Frey may fold her together like a piece of cloth and put the magical 'Skidbladnir' in his pocket or a pouch.

The worship of the god Frey was widespread in Scandinavia for a long time. "According to Adam of Bremen, a medieval German chronicler of the second half of the 11^th century, Frey was particularly revered in Sweden. Around 1200 AD, there was a magnificent statue of Frey (called  'Fricco, the Lover') alongside the two other great Norse gods Odin and Thor in Uppsala, Sweden…"  ¹

Written by – A. Sutherland AncientPages.com Staff Writer

Updated on February 13, 2024

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