FRØYA / FREYJA

Sister to Frøy. Wife of Od (who many believe is Odin), mother of Hnoss who is so beautiful that everything that is valuable and beautiful bears her name.

Frøya is from an old family of gods known as the Vanene, gods who are particularly concerned with fertility and love, pregnancy and births.

Frøya was the daughter of the sea god Njord, and goddess of love. She was the most beautiful of them all, and as war goddess she was the leader of the Valkyries, Odin's personal handmaidens. She shares Odin's love of battle. The two divide slain heroes between them, so that some go to Valhall, and others shall entertain her in her hall; Sessrumnir, located in Folkvang (battlefield). Frøya's golden-billed wild boar, Hildisvini, is a symbol of war.

The name Frøya means mistress, and Frøya stands as the personified womanhood and the sister of the fertility god Frøy. She was the protector of the oceans and has also been described as "the one who shines above the waters". Patron of the harvest and childbirth. When Frøya cries, her golden tears fall into the sea like amber pearls, this is said to have happened when she lost her husband Od.

Her animal form is the cat, which stands as a sacred connection between her and the moon, and Frøya is often depicted sitting in a cart pulled by two of her feline companions.

She also has a feather cape of falcon skin, which allows her to fly between worlds. This, for example, was borrowed by Thor and Loki when Trym, the Jotun king had stolen Mjølner. Her most valuable possession is the Brising Jewel which she received from four dwarves after sleeping with them.

Frøya spends a lot of time with the elves. She has a talent for witchcraft and it was she who taught the gods about magic charms and potions.

She was approached by the gods and giants, and is also associated with strife and death, but is also the goddess of smiling nature, she sends sunshine, rain and harvest. Fertility, magic, love and beauty, sex, sensuality, passion, magic in the month of July, the moon, sight, blessing of children, motherhood, but also war. She is often depicted in her carriage pulled by two cats