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!
