One of the brightest images of ancient Scandinavian mythology is the goddess Freya. She was responsible for love, spring and fertility. All the basic principles of feminism are concentrated in this image: beauty, strength, pride and courage. The Scandinavians had rules regarding rituals that made communication with the goddess Freya fruitful.
Who is Freya
In the image of the Scandinavian goddess Freya, light and dark sides are combined. After the adoption of Christianity in Europe, the feminine and virgin features of the goddess were attributed to the Virgin Mary, and the dark sides were attributed to those who practiced witchcraft.
There are many beautiful legends about Freya. The blue-eyed and blonde goddess of love had many admirers. Her bright and at the same time delicate beauty drove crazy not only mere mortals, but also representatives of the community of gods.
Freya is an object of lust. She skillfully used her innate sexuality, starting love games with those whom she bewitched.
One of the goddess's worshipers, Otar, was turned into a wild boar by her - it was easier to keep him with her.
The goddess Freya had a husband she adored - the god of sunlight named Od. He often went on long journeys. Seeing off her husband, the goddess mourned him with golden tears.
Freya gave birth to two daughters from her husband: Gersimi, which means "treasure", and Hnos - "precious stone."
The goddess Freya was often seen driving around in a magnificent chariot, harnessed by a pair of cats.
Freya's favorite piece of jewelry is a necklace made of amber. His goddess was presented by dwarfs who personified the four elements:
- Water;
- The earth;
- Air;
- The fire.
The decoration was the fifth element in which four types of energy were firmly united. Before performing traditional rituals, when addressing Freya, women put on necklaces or other amber jewelry. A piece of amber found in the sea was considered in Scandinavia a gift from the goddess of love and promised good luck in matters of the heart.
Freya and God Odin
There was a strong alliance between Freya and Odin, the supreme god of the Scandinavian pantheon. The goddess made a deal with him. According to this agreement, Freya shared her wisdom with God, and he, in response, gave Freya the right to take half of the fallen soldiers from the battlefield. But even in such a business arrangement, Freya got the opportunity to be the first to collect the dead brave men. She, as always and in everything, got only the best.
It was believed that Freya was able to predetermine the fate of men. If the goddess liked someone, she deliberately pushed him to certain death in order to take him to her halls. There, a completely new idle life awaited the slain warriors, full of pleasures and pleasures. To prevent the warriors from getting bored, Freya did not deny shelter to women. The wives of the Scandinavian knights often came to the battlefield and killed themselves: they firmly believed that in this way they would be able to reunite with their husbands, whom Freya had enslaved.
Being the patroness of love and sensual pleasures, Freya was not always gentle and affectionate. She loved weapons, massive battles and blood. At the head of a detachment of Valkyries, the goddess from time to time went to the battlefield to make her choice. Freya was often portrayed in a helmet and combat chain mail, with a shield and a sharp spear in his hands. As strange as this combination may seem, Freyja was both the goddess of love and war. Places of rituals in honor of the goddess were decorated with weapons - this facilitated communication with Freya.
Freya is the patroness of witchcraft
Loving Freya is also considered the goddess of magic, attributing witchcraft properties to her. One of these properties is called seidr in Scandinavian languages, which can be translated as "boiling". It is about the play of blood with strong arousal.
In ancient times, it was customary to engage in witchcraft among women, men considered such an occupation unworthy and low. Witchcraft rituals were often accompanied by confusion. For this reason, the Scandinavian warriors neglected such practices, considering the phenomena of consciousness associated with witchcraft as a manifestation of weakness. Men were more attracted to the absorption of wine and beer - in this way, it was not a shame to demonstrate a complete loss of control over themselves.
Freya knew a lot about witchcraft transformations. She often appeared in front of people in the form of a falcon. The plumage of this fearless and daring bird can be found in the attire of the goddess. Falcon feathers indicate not only Freya's ability to become a werewolf, but also her ability to change sex if necessary, since symbolically the falcon has always been an indication of the masculine principle. For this reason, it is customary to include falcon feathers in ritual actions for this reason.
Freya loves beautiful, colorful things and delicious treats. Therefore, when performing rituals associated with the goddess, she is presented with a gift:
- fruits;
- sweets;
- honey;
- good and expensive wines;
- baked goods;
- gems;
- bright flowers.
Freya has a weakness for handicrafts, she appreciates when a craftswoman puts her skill and soul into her work. The goddess is also always glad to such ritual gifts.
The goddess of love
Freya's main duty is to be the goddess of love. She controls the sensuality and sexuality of all women, endowing them with the ability to enjoy carnal pleasures. Once the attraction and charm of the opposite sex reaches its peak, any mortal can be considered the goddess of love. The Scandinavians have always believed that Freya possessed a girl who exudes love.
The goddess is able to evoke a passionate desire in women, which turns into vivid physical intimacy and ends with the conception of a child. By this, the goddess contributes to procreation and the continuation of the human race.
In the Middle Ages, Freya was revered as the patroness of love songs and serenades. The troubadours and traveling musicians dedicated their creations to her. The Germanic peoples who worshiped Freya even called one of the days of the week (Friday) in honor of Freya - Freitag. Yes, it was Friday that was considered the most suitable day for the following:
- conception;
- marriage;
- establishing new relationships.
This day is ideal for matchmaking, according to the Scandinavians and Germans. On Friday, it was recommended to start healing the sick: this guaranteed an easy and quick cure for the disease. For communication with the goddess of love, Friday was considered the most suitable day. It was then that the rituals associated with the Freya cult should have been performed.
How Freya was revered in antiquity
In honor of the goddess of love, wide festivities were organized. In Sweden and other Scandinavian countries in mid-October, the festival of Dis was celebrated, dedicated to the cult of Freya. They celebrated it on the full moon. In this way, the Scandinavians met the long and cold winter. The feasts on the day of the celebration were the most luxurious: the tables were laden with meat dishes, wine and fruit. All members of the community took part in the feasts. Until the morning, people sang, danced and had fun.
The place where rituals in honor of the goddess of love were held is usually decorated with flowers. In Northern Europe, to this day, the most beautiful flowers bear the characteristic name: "Freya's hair".
The inhabitants of Scandinavia believed that the goddess loved fairies. She could enjoy their graceful dances and merry games for a long time, which were performed in the mysterious light of the moon. For these amazing tiny creatures, Freya left fragrant flowers and nectar as a gift.
Rites in honor of Freya
Various rituals helped to achieve the location of the goddess, the performance of which could be different depending on the specific area. The simplest was a ritual to attract passion. After it, the woman believed, the goddess will certainly introduce new sensual pleasures into her life. Before such a ceremony, an altar was erected and covered with a red cloth. A red candle was placed next to it and amber jewelry was placed, as well as a red ribbon or woolen thread of the same color. Now it was necessary to light the sandalwood incense.
At the beginning of the ritual, the woman, kneeling, in an arbitrary form called for help in turn all four basic elements. After that, she took a red ribbon from the altar and made three knots on it, while singing words of gratitude to Freya for her help in love affairs and for the joy of meeting the deity. As a sign of reverence for the goddess, a goblet or glass of red wine was placed on the altar, the contents of which were poured under a tree in the morning. The red ribbon with knots had to remain on the altar for exactly three days, and then it had to be hidden from prying eyes. As long as the knots remain on the ribbon, the woman will be lucky in love.
