Freyja (sometimes spelled Freya, Freja, Freyia, or Froja) is the Norse goddess of beauty, sensuality, sex, war, gold, and divinatory magic. Her name translates simply to “Lady,” and she is the twin brother of Freyr, or “Lord.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n
She is often conflated with Odin’s wife, Frigga, who is a goddess of love, marriage, and fate. Though these two goddesses may have the same origins, Freyja is a powerful deity unto herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Norse pantheon has two groups of deities: The Aesir and the Vanir. These reflected the difference between civilization and wilderness. Where the Aesir represented an orderly, well-regulated society with a ruler, Odin, the Vanir represented the freedom and chaos of nature. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Long ago, the two battled in the Aesir-Vanir war. Though their philosophies and cultures were very different, the two were evenly matched in battle. A truce was called, hostages exchanged, and two groups eventually merged into a single pantheon. Freyja was originally part of the Vanir.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is part of what makes the theories about Freyja and Frigga’s origins so interesting. Freyja is the wife of Od, which some say is an old epithet of Odin’s. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In many ways, Freyja and Frigga are foils for each other: Freyja is married but makes love to whomever she pleased. She is sensual and wild, and an embodiment of the magic of nature. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Frigga is an embodiment of marital love and family, or what Freyja’s wild sensuality would be when made to conform to a civilized structure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After assimilating into Asgard, Freyja taught the magic of sei\u00f0r to Odin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She owns the golden necklace, Br\u00edsingamen. It was made by dwarves and very precious to her. When she saw the dwarves crafting the object, she offered them treasure for it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
They turned her down. The only payment they would accept was if she spent a night with each of them, and she did. Ever since, she is almost never seen without the necklace — to the point that Thor wore it to disguise himself as Freyja and trick a giant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Freyja also rides a chariot drawn by cats, has a boar named Hildisvini, and wears a cloak of falcon feathers. She rules over F\u00f3lkvangr, in which lies her great hall. There, she receives half of all of those who die in battle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n