Happy Memorial's Day

Freya (Freyja)

Goddess of Love and Beauty

Goddess of Magic and War

Queen of Valkyries

Freya (fray-ah) is a mysterious and loved lady, surrounded by shouting Ragnarok-bound beefcake, can always use a spotlight moment! She is the Goddess of Female power in numerous forms; she is the Goddess of Sex, Beauty, Love, and all things romantic and steamy, frequently called upon by women during her time of worship to give them her blessings and famous for her sexual exploits with gods and other creatures.

She is also a warrior and the leader of the Valkyries, who collect the slain from the battlefield and deliver half their souls to live in eternal bliss.  Freya actually going onto the battlefield, she would gather them up and take them back with her to spend the after-life in her home in perpetual rest and recreation in her pleasant fields and hall of Folkvangr. A sweet and generous woman, she always invited their wives or lovers to come and live with them. The other half of the heroic warriors, who belonged to Odin, would be gathered up by the Valkyries and taken to Valhalla where they were able to live in comfort and honor. She was also called upon to comfort those who were dying, to ease their transition into Valhalla, serving as a guide and companion on the journey to Valhalla for many Viking heroes who had died nobly. When Freya and the Valkyries rode forth on their missions, their armor caused the eerily beautiful flickering light that we know as the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights.

As one of the three Vanir deities traded to the Aesir in order to keep the peace between the two pantheons, and the only woman at that, she occupies an odd political niche; she is invaluable to both the ongoing truce and the gods themselves, who are very protective of her and almost universally fond of her (or at least somewhat dazzled by her beauty and sensuality). Of course, Freya doesn't need the Aesir dudes to save her from most things; most of the time, they're helping her because they have caused problems for her in the first place, and want to avoid her wrath coming down upon them if they don't handle it.

Of all the goddesses in Asgard, she is the most beautiful. She is revered as the “bride of the Vanir” and has a reputation as a flirt. Loki has accused her of having an incestuous relationship with her brother Frey (which is known to be acceptable among the Vanir, but not the Aesir). Because so much of Norse mythology is passed down by Christian writers, in fact, and because Freya's sexual nature made her such an easy target for Christian proselytizers who considered virginity the feminine idea, the few mentions of people getting down on Freya for her behavior might have been later additions or interpretations rather than original to Norse myth.

Freyr: Brother of Freya
God of Fertility and Sexuality

In fact, Freya's sexual nature is an important part of her helpfulness to humanity and the entire world; because she is associated with love and sex, acts that relate to the fertility of humankind, she's also associated with the fertility of the land, helping plants grow and bountiful harvests become a reality for those who pay her homage. It's a role she shares with her twin brother Freyr, and with the whole of the Vanir, in a symbolic sense; the Vanir are often theorized to function as deities representing nature and the earth itself, as opposed to the Vanir representing more human ideas such as civilization and warfare.

Freya had many other lovers, although she deeply loved her consort Od. Aphrodite's amorous escapades pale by comparison with those of Freya, whose unbridled sexuality was legendary. Usually depicted as a strawberry blonde with stunning blue eyes, none could resist her. To make matters even worse, like the Greek goddess Aphrodite, she possessed apparel that made her irresistible to men . . . a magical necklace reputedly made of amber and rubies that was called a "brisling" or "Brisingamen”, which is renowned as the most beautiful piece of jewelry in existence and gives her great status among the goddesses of Asgard.

Freya had left it a bit late to leave her friend's house to start home. The sun set and it began to snow. Soon she was becoming disoriented and frost-bitten. Luckily she was found by four dwarves who rescued her and took her to their home. The dwarves were named "North, South, East, and West".

Freya volunteered to pay them for their hospitality and the four dwarves cheerfully agreed, saying that they would like to be repaid by having her sleep with each of them for one night. Freya wasn't at all interested and promptly declined.

Until . . .

She saw the incredibly beautiful necklace that they had just made. She had to have it and offered to return after the storm and pay for it in gold. They may have been dwarves, but they weren't stupid -- they told her it was not for sale at any price, but countered with an offer that they would be delighted to simply give it to her if she were willing to pay their price for her room and board during the storm. When Freya returned home after the storm subsided, she was wearing the stunning "necklace of desire".

Odin: King of the Gods

Odin later confiscates the necklace and tries to shame her about the method by which she acquired it. His demand that she create an unceasing forever-battle in which two warring kings' armies resurrect to continue the fight whenever they fall is fulfilled by her in short order - an interesting part of the myth, since it's hard to tell why that was what Odin wanted from her, and why he, also a major war deity with ties to the dead, didn't or couldn't just have done it himself. Freya started a war in retaliation.

She's the object of desire for every God, every man, and the envy of every woman. Even the Frost Giants crave her for their own, often devising devious plans to trick or force her into marriage. But Freya is proud and strong, with the cunning to escape her enemies and ruthlessly retaliate. Every rose bears thorns, but this one wields swords.