Gefjon: Norse Fertility Goddess Who Knew Humans’ Fates, And Plowed Away Part Of Sweden To Give It To Denmark

A. Sutherland  - AncientPages.com - Gefjon (Gefion) was the Aesir goddess of fertility, plow, and agriculture in Norse mythology. She also possessed extraordinary mental abilities and, like Frigg, knew the secrets of human fates.

The Gefion Fountain (Gefionspringvandet) is located in Langelinie Park, Copenhagen, Denmark. The large stones symbolize the land plowed by the goddess Gefjon and her four oxen. Credit: Hartz - CC BY-SA 3.0

According to the Prose Edda, she was one of the maidens in the palace of Frigga (Frigg) ("the beloved"), who, in Norse mythology, was the queen of the gods, Asgard's mistress, the wife of Odin, mother of Baldr, and stepmother of Hermod, Vidar, and Höder.

Gefjon, a beautiful goddess of the Æsir, had many maidservants; all maidens who died unwedded were entrusted to her. This happened when Gefjon lived in Jotunheim, the country of legendary giants located in the very north of Europe. According to some authors, Gefjon did not remain a virgin forever but married one of the giants, and she had four sons with him.

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