Freya and Frigga . . . one
goddess or two? It's easy to get
confused.
Some authors claim that we name
for the day Friday after the
goddess Freya, others say it was
named after Frigga.
Because of frequent overlapping
that occurs in their myths and
symbols, some authorities
believe they are just regional
variations of a single goddess.
Others insist that they are
separate entities. All agree
they were among the most ancient
of the Norse deities.
Together they represent the two aspects of
the original Great Goddess with Freya serving as the maiden and Frigga the
wife/mother aspect. As you will see below, their traits varied
considerably.
Consequently, we have decided
to treat them as two distinct,
but related, deities.
Frigga was the goddess of love,
marriage, and destiny. She was the wife of the powerful Norse god Odin.
A sky goddess, responsible for weaving the clouds (and therefore for
sunshine and rain and the fertility of the crops), she was also responsible
for weaving the fates, as well as a 'seer', one who knew the future though
she could never change it.
Freya was a warrior goddess, a Valkyrie,
and also the goddess of sensual love. Though this captivating goddess had
numerous lovers, she was the wife of the mysterious Norse god Od. And
just to make things more confusing, many scholars believe Od (or Odur) was
another name for Frigga's husband, the chief Norse god Odin!
