Freya was chosen by Odin to be the leader of the Valkyrs, warrior maidens. She would lead the warrior maidens into battle. The Valkyries would chose the most worthy bodies of the fallen and take their souls to Asgard. The souls were then split between Freya's palace, Sessrumnir and Valhalla. We do everything in our power to live as long as we can but the ancient Norsemen believed it was cowardly to do just that. They believed that the noblest way to die was at an early age in battle. Those chosen for Valhalla would feast and fight until the time of the apocalypse. The Norsemen must have been very fierce and strong. If I had been one of the Norseman, I can only imagine the thought of beautiful Freya chosing me from all the other bodies on the battle field.
I came across Freya when we were researching tricksters. One of the tricksters that I had found interesting was Loki. Loki was a key figure in assisting Freya on two occasions. The first was when a giant was to receive Freya for payment for rebuilding the walls of Asgard in just 6 months. Loki disguised himself as a beautiful mare to lure away the giant's steed so that he was unable to complete the walls. Go Loki! The second occasion was when a giant named Thrym stole Thor's hammer. Thrym said he would return it if Freya would be his wife. Thor dressed up as Freya and Loki went with him. Loki was covering up the fact that Thor (being Freya) ate an entire ox and had red, evil eyes. Loki's trickster's ways allowed Thor the chance to steal back his hammer and destroyed all the giants. Although Loki is known as a trickster, he seems to have a soft side for a beautiful Goddess!
Freya had a necklace called the Brisingamen that she had discovered while visiting the land of the dwarves. To obtain the necklace, Freya had to offer her body as payment. This would definitely speak to the unconscious mind in regards to sexual desire. The thought of dwarves ravaging a Goddess is an odd one. I guess her vanity for the need of the necklace was stronger. Ironically Loki, who had saved Freya from the giants, did attempt to steal her necklace from her one night. The guardian of Asgard, Heimdall, stopped him. In true trickster nature, Loki seems to have a unpredictable behavior! Ultimately Heimdall and Loki would kill one another. I really enjoyed this assignment because it allowed me to further research Freya and revisit Loki. I have no idea why I like Loki. I guess it is because he does have some likeable traits. Freya is fascinating because it seems many wanted her. Freya's duty was to make sure that libido never falters. The Goddess of love & fertility makes certain that couples maintain their love and reproduce. It is obvious to me why I like Freya!
You know I do feel really strongly about Freya, to me she is a symbol of empowerment to women. She is about beauty, love, honesty, etc. Everything a women wants to be and everything a man desires. She is very strong to me. I loved reading about her and the story of Loki as well. Loki does have a good side so I can see where you are drawn to him.
ReplyDeleteIt really says something about her and the Norse culture in general when Odin himself chose her to be the leader of the Valkyrs. That shows the true power and role of women in this culture -- they were not weaklings, they certainly weren't forced to stay at home and cook and clean all day. They went out and fought. They had some power.
ReplyDeleteShe also defines, in their culture, what beauty is. You wanna be beautiful, you gotta look like Freya, and that was that. In all three of the pictures you shared, she has long flowing hair -- so that was very important to them. That's like girls and women today looking at actresses and saying, "I have to look like her to be beautiful". Freya sets several standards in their culture.
In regards to beauty, the quote 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder' comes to mind for me. Freya being the God of love and fertility makes a symbolic statement of a man choosing their mate to reproduce with. I love the movie 'Robin Hood' with Russel Crowe. When I wrote the previous sentence I thought of Little John in that movie when they go to the pub. He spots a large women like himself that he is attracted to. Although Freya resembles idealistic beauty, everyone has their own preception of beauty in a mate.
ReplyDeleteI like that you posted on Freya. She makes me want to be a more powerful woman and take charge. I also really like Loki i fell in love with him in the Thor and Avenger movies. (Besides the fact he has a wonderful smile) I just love the relationship between him and Thor its a love/hate relationship but in the end they are still brothers and they'll fight for each other. Like to help Thor get his hammer back. Great post!
ReplyDeleteMissy,
ReplyDeleteFreya truly is an inspiration as a character, but also speaks a lot about the Norse culture in regards to women's rights. Obviously, to a certain extent they believed that women were capable of quite a bit (which is more than a lot of early cultures), but, at the same time, they understood that other cultures may believe differently (hence all of the other nations, whether giants or dwarves, treated Freya as an object). Loki, as a trickster, is definitely a great example of a true trickster - his unpredictable nature is very present in almost all of his actions.
Thanks for the Great post
- Caid (I honestly have no idea why it says "White Buffalo Calf Woman", I must have messed up somewhere)
Hi Missy,
ReplyDeleteThe subtle colors really highlight the artwork you include on your blog. It's a good representation of femininity and its unique kind of power. You asked for commenters to include their own feelings about Freya or any mythic deity. I think Freya is one of the most enthralling of goddesses because of her power - she seems a good role model for Norse women who often did go into battle and who had to have a certain amount of toughness. They weren't the hothouse orchids, oppressed by their male counterparts; they seem much more equal.
I believe that much of the attraction of mythology lies in its idealization of both male and female beauty and power. Especially when it comes to goddess figures, the sheer power of ideal beauty is a focus. I think that accounts of female beauty in myth transmit that culture's aesthetic for human beauty in the description of the goddess/female deity. Descriptions of Freya allow us to determine that the Norse idea of female beauty included thick, beautiful hair, bigger bosoms, and a physically strong body. If we look at more modern narratives that we might classify as myth, we see different characteristics like a perfect face and almost childlike body.
Anyway, great blog!