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- King of the Swedes, Konge i Sverige, господар в Ноатун, Konge, Drott, Konge i Uppsala, også kjent under Yngve, Frøy Drotte Yngve Njordsson Vane, God in Norse Mythology and King of Sweden, Jarl svaerne, Jarl I Svearne b 65bc - d 10bc, king
- About Yngve-Frey Njordsson, Vanir
(Alternate info- names; First "Yngve" Freyr Yngvi-Frey, Froy, Fjoinir, Froy-Vane, King Froy, Freyr Yngue, Yngvi-Frey, Fjoinir, Froi. Middle- of Swedes, King of Upsal or Priest Ynglinga, Yngve-Froy. Suffix- King of Swedes, Sweden, Sverige Birth date- 235, 242, c253)
Yngvi-Frey, as described in Ynglingesoga, sections 4-10.
Father: Njord of the Vanir
Mother: The sister of Njord
Wife: Gerd Gymesdatter
Son: Fjolne
There seems to be two Freyr, the one that is the son of Njördr and the one that is the son of Odin. They're mixed up most of the time.
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Yngvi, Ingui or Ing appears to have been the older name for the god Freyr (originally an epitheton, meaning "lord")
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yngvi
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Freyr (sometimes anglicized Frey)[1] is one of the most important gods of Norse paganism. Freyr was highly associated with agriculture, weather and, as a phallic fertility god, Freyr "bestows peace and pleasure on mortals". Freyr, sometimes referred to as Yngvi-Freyr, was especially associated with Sweden and seen as an ancestor of the Swedish royal house.
In the Icelandic books the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda, Freyr is presented as one of the Vanir, the son of the sea god Njörðr, brother of the goddess Freyja. The gods gave him Álfheimr, the realm of the Elves, as a teething present. He rides the shining dwarf-made boar Gullinbursti and possesses the ship Skíðblaðnir which always has a favorable breeze and can be folded together and carried in a pouch when it is not being used. He has the servants Skírnir, Byggvir and Beyla.
The most extensive surviving Freyr myth relates Freyr's falling in love with the giantess Gerðr. Eventually, she becomes his wife but first Freyr has to give away his magic sword which fights on its own "if wise be he who wields it". Although deprived of this weapon, Freyr defeats the giant Beli with an antler. However, lacking his sword, Freyr will be killed by the fire giant Surtr at Ragnarök, the end of the world.
....
Snorri Sturluson starts his epic history of the kings of Norway with Ynglinga saga, a euhemerized account of the Norse gods. Here Odin and the Æsir are men from Asia who gain power through their prowess in war and Odin's skills. But when Odin attacks the Vanir he bites off more than he can chew and peace is negotiated after a destructive and indecisive war. Hostages are exchanged to seal the peace deal and the Vanir send Freyr and Njörðr to live with the Æsir. At this point the saga, like Lokasenna, mentions that incest was practised among the Vanir.
"While Njord was with the Vanaland people he had taken his own sister in marriage, for that was allowed by their law; and their children were Frey and Freya. But among the Asaland people it was forbidden to intermarry with such near relations."
Odin makes Njörðr and Freyr priests of sacrifices and they become influential leaders. Odin goes on to conquer the North and settles in Sweden where he rules as king, collects taxes and maintains sacrifices. After Odin's death, Njörðr takes the throne. During his rule there is peace and good harvest and the Swedes come to believe that Njörðr controls these things. Eventually Njörðr falls ill and dies.
"Frey took the kingdom after Njord, and was called drot by the Swedes, and they paid taxes to him. He was, like his father, fortunate in friends and in good seasons. Frey built a great temple at Upsal, made it his chief seat, and gave it all his taxes, his land, and goods. Then began the Upsal domains, which have remained ever since. Then began in his days the Frode-peace; and then there were good seasons, in all the land, which the Swedes ascribed to Frey, so that he was more worshipped than the other gods, as the people became much richer in his days by reason of the peace and good seasons. His wife was called Gerd, daughter of Gymis, and their son was called Fjolne. Frey was called by another name, Yngve; and this name Yngve was considered long after in his race as a name of honour, so that his descendants have since been called Ynglinger. Frey fell into a sickness; and as his illness took the upper hand, his men took the plan of letting few approach him. In the meantime they raised a great mound, in which they placed a door with three holes in it. Now when Frey died they bore him secretly into the mound, but told the Swedes he was alive; and they kept watch over him for three years. They brought all the taxes into the mound, and through the one hole they put in the gold, through the other the silver, and through the third the copper money that was paid. Peace and good seasons continued." (Ynglinga saga)
"When it became known to the Swedes that Frey was dead, and yet peace and good seasons continued, they believed that it must be so as long as Frey remained in Sweden; and therefore they would not burn his remains, but called him the god of this world, and afterwards offered continually blood-sacrifices to him, principally for peace and good seasons." (Ynglinga saga)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freyr
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Freyr (sometimes anglicized Frey, from *frawjaz "lord"[1]) is one of the most important gods of Norse paganism. Freyr was highly associated with agriculture, weather and, as a phallic fertility god, Freyr "bestows peace and pleasure on mortals". Freyr, sometimes referred to as Yngvi-Freyr, was especially associated with Sweden and seen as an ancestor of the Swedish royal house.
In the Icelandic books the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda, Freyr is presented as one of the Vanir, the son of the sea god Njörðr, brother of the goddess Freyja. The gods gave him Álfheimr, the realm of the Elves, as a teething present. He rides the shining dwarf-made boar Gullinbursti and possesses the ship Skíðblaðnir which always has a favorable breeze and can be folded together and carried in a pouch when it is not being used. He has the servants Skírnir, Byggvir, and Beyla.
The most extensive surviving Freyr myth relates Freyr's falling in love with the giantess Gerðr. Eventually, she becomes his wife but first Freyr has to give away his magic sword which fights on its own "if wise be he who wields it". Although deprived of this weapon, Freyr defeats the giant Beli with an antler. However, lacking his sword, Freyr will be killed by the fire giant Surtr during the events of Ragnarök.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freyr
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Frøy (norrønt Freyr) er ein grødegud eller fruktbarheitsgud frå den norrøne gudelæra. Han er òg kjend under namnet Ingve eller Ingve-Frøy. Saman med Odin og Tor var Frøy ein av hovudgudane i den norrøne gudeverda. Lekken mellom Ingve og Frøy skriv seg frå ein tidleg samanslåing mellom grødeguden Frøy og den gamalgermanske stammeguden Ingwaz, som er ættefar til dei sørskandinaviske folka, daner, svear, anglar og juter.
Frøy var opphavleg ein av vanene, og han vart gjeven til æsene som gissel etter krigen mellom æser og vaner, saman med syster si, Frøya, og far deira, Njord. Snorre Sturlason fortel i Ynglingesoga at det var syster til Njord som var mor til Frøy og Frøya.
Historiar [endre]
Edda-kvadet Skírnismál fortel om Frøy si forelsking i og ekteskap med den motviljuge jotunkvinna Gerd. Gerd og Frøy fekk saman sonen Fjolne.
I Heimskringla av Snorre Sturlason, eller dei norske kongesogene, vert Ingve-Frøy skildra som stamfar til Ynglingeætta. Ynglingeætta var ei norsk kongsætt.
Ved Ragnarok vil Frøy vera ein av dei fyrste som fell, i kamp med jotnen Surt.
Eigedelar [endre]
Frøy hadde eit sverd som kunne hogga av seg sjølv. Dette gav han til Skirne da han henta kona til Frøy, jotnen Gerd. Frøy saknar sverdet mange gonger, spesielt under Ragnarok, når han blir drept fordi han ikkje har sverdet.
Han eigde eit skip med namnet Skidbladne eller Skibladner (Skíðblaðnir). Skipet vart bygd av dvergane Ivaldesønene. Skipet kunne segla like godt på land som på vatn, og med ein gong det var sett på vatnet fekk det medvind. Skipet kunne òg brettast saman slik at det fekk plass i ei lomme.
Guden hadde to dyr, grisegalten Slidrugtanne (Slídhrugtanni) eller Gyllenbørste (Gullinborsti), og hesten Blodughofi («med blodig hov»).
Frøy hadde to tenarar, Byggvir og Bejla. Tenarane vert knytt til kornhausting.
Namnet Frøy [endre]
Namnet Frøy tyder herre. Namnet vert i Noreg nytta som førenamn, både som kvinnenamn og mannsnamn, og som del av andre namn, både stadnamn (og dermed etternamn) som Frøyland, og førenamn, som Frøydis.
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Yngvi-Frey 235AD
"For many generations the kings of Upsala before King Ingjiald married for their chief wives, generally, daughters of the Royal House of Vestergothland and also married kinswomen of the royal house." These were "daughters of the drotts or kings of Ingria, in what is now Russia and Finland. "Then it was "called Yngvi Land, after Yngvi Frey the last ruler of the Swedes and Goths who was believed of divine origin."
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http://www.dokpro.uio.no/wergeland/WIV2/WIV2009.html
Yngve Frey. Han flyttede Kongesædet fra Sigtuna til gamle
Upsala, hvor han byggede det prægtige, guldprydede Afguds-
tempel og henflyttede Kongesædet. Han tillagde disse visse
Indtægter af Jordgods, bekjendt under Navn af Upsalaøde. Hans
Regjering var ligeledes fredelig og heldig. Mod Enden af hans
Regjering fødtes Christus. Yngves Død, som ansaaes uheld-
spaaende, dulgtes længe for Svenskerne, og istedetfor at brænde
hans Liig, som da var brugeligt, byggede man en Høi (Ættehøi)
hvori han indførtes, og kastede man didind i 3 Aar Skatterne
af Landet. Efter sin Død dyrkedes han som Gud over hele
Norden; og af ham har Fredagen sit Navn.
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From Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freyr
'Freyr, traditional Swedish "Fröj/Frö" (sometimes anglicized Frey, from *frawjaz "lord"[1]) is one of the most important gods of Norse paganism. Freyr was highly associated with farming, weather and, as a phallic fertility god, Freyr "bestows peace and pleasure on mortals". Freyr, sometimes referred to as Yngvi-Freyr, was especially associated with Sweden and seen as an ancestor of the Swedish royal house.'
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Source http://onshus.no/html/wc19/wc19_173.htm
Tor.Onshus@onshus.no * http://onshus.no --------------------
He and his brother killed each other in the royal hall by the high-seat. [WBH - Sweden]
FOSTER, BURR, MINOR, NEWLIN, WAITE LINES
The founder of the Yngling dynasty as accepted by Thiodulf and others was Yngve, who is said to have built the great temple at Upsala, moving thither the capital from the older Sigtuna and contributing to the temple all his lands and riches. Yngve's son was Fiolner. [History of Sweden, p. 35]
!The most important among the chieftains of Sweden was the king of Upsala, who conducted the sacrifices and temple service at Upsala, the oldest and most celebrated place of heathen worship in the Scandinavian North. Originally, he had under his rule only 1/3 of the present province of Upland, the chief settlement of the Sviar, or Swedes in a limited sense. The Upsala kings belonged to the ancient royal race of Skilfing (or Ynglings) who traced their origin from the gods. The founder of the dynasty as accepted by Thiodulf and others was Yngve, who is said to have built the great temple at Upsala, moving thither the capital from the older Sigtuna and contributing to the temple all his lands and riches. [WBH - Sweden]
!Frey was God of the World and Soveriegn of the Swedes, who established the holy place at Uppsala and made his chief residence there. Another name of Frey was Yngvi, and the name of Yngvi was kept for a long while thereafter in his line as a royal name, and the men of his line were thereafter called Ynglings. [A History of the Vikings, p. 37]
Son of Alrek; joint king with his brother Alf. He and his bro. killed each other in the royal hall by the high-seat. [History of Sweden, p. 36]
Reference Number: G6SX-FG
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Note: Legendary Yngling Dynasty.
Note: We are told the following regarding Yngve Frey: "After his death he was worshipped as a god. The day Friday is named in his honor. His wife's name was Gard."
We are told that Yngve Frey was buried at Uppsala in the tombe of the kings. A statue of him was erected at the Uppsala temple, along with the statues of Odin and Thor. The Swedish people gathered there three times a year to sacrifice to their gods and to hold their councils or "Things". At these events, the king heard the complaints of his subjects, consulted his wise men, and, together with his people, made important decisions for his kingdom.
Note: The modern historian has difficulty in separating mist-shrouded legends from truth. Who knows? There may have been a real king named Yngve Frey, who was later worshipped as a god.
Note: [Royal Families of Medieval Scandinavia, Flanders, and Kiev]
Note: Title: Royal Families of Medieval Scandinavia, Flanders, and Kiev, by Rupert Alen & Anna Dahlquist, 1997, King's River Publ.
Note: Page: 2-3
-------------------- Her oppsto Ynglingeætta -------------------- Freyr (sometimes anglicized Frey, from *frawjaz "lord") is one of the most important gods of Norse paganism. Freyr was highly associated with agriculture, weather and, as a phallic fertility god, Freyr "bestows peace and pleasure on mortals". Freyr, sometimes referred to as Yngvi-Freyr, was especially associated with Sweden and seen as an ancestor of the Swedish royal house.
In the Icelandic books the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda, Freyr is presented as one of the Vanir, the son of the sea god Njörðr, brother of the goddess Freyja. The gods gave him Álfheimr, the realm of the Elves, as a teething present. He rides the shining dwarf-made boar Gullinbursti and possesses the ship Skíðblaðnir which always has a favorable breeze and can be folded together and carried in a pouch when it is not being used. He has the servants Skírnir, Byggvir, and Beyla.
The most extensive surviving Freyr myth relates Freyr's falling in love with the giantess Gerðr. Eventually, she becomes his wife but first Freyr has to give away his magic sword which fights on its own "if wise be he who wields it". Although deprived of this weapon, Freyr defeats the giant Beli with an antler. However, lacking his sword, Freyr will be killed by the fire giant Surtr during the events of Ragnarök.
Njördr in Nóatún begot afterward two children: the son was called Freyr, and the daughter Freyja; they were fair of face and mighty. Freyr is the most renowned of the Æsir; he rules over the rain and the shining of the sun, and therewithal the fruit of the earth; and it is good to call on him for fruitful seasons and peace. He governs also the prosperity of men. Gylfaginning XXIV,
It chanced one day that Freyr had gone to Hlidskjálf, and gazed over all the world; but when he looked over into the northern region, he saw on an estate a house great and fair. And toward this house went a woman; when she raised her hands and opened the door before her, brightness gleamed from her hands, both over sky and sea, and all the worlds were illumined of her. Gylfaginning XXXVII
The woman is Gerðr, a beautiful giantess. Freyr immediately falls in love with her and becomes depressed and taciturn. After a period of brooding, he consents to talk to Skírnir, his foot-page. He tells Skírnir that he has fallen in love with a beautiful woman and thinks he will die if he cannot have her. He asks Skírnir to go and woo her for him.
Then Skírnir answered thus: he would go on his errand, but Freyr should give him his own sword-which is so good that it fights of itself;- and Freyr did not refuse, but gave him the sword. Then Skírnir went forth and wooed the woman for him, and received her promise; and nine nights later she was to come to the place called Barrey, and then go to the bridal with Freyr. Gylfaginning XXXVII
The loss of Freyr's sword has consequences. According to the Prose Edda, Freyr had to fight Beli without his sword and slew him with an antler. But the result at Ragnarök, the end of the world, will be much more serious. Freyr is fated to fight the fire-giant Surtr and since he does not have his sword he will be defeated.
Even after the loss of his weapon Freyr still has two magical artifacts, both of them dwarf-made. One is the ship Skíðblaðnir, which will have favoring breeze wherever its owner wants to go and can also be folded together like a napkin and carried in a pouch. The other is the boar Gullinbursti whose mane glows to illuminate the way for his owner. No myths involving Skíðblaðnir have come down to us but Snorri relates that Freyr rode to Baldr's funeral in a wagon pulled by Gullinbursti.
The courtship of Freyr and Gerðr is dealt with extensively in the poem Skírnismál. Freyr is depressed after seeing Gerðr. Njörðr and Skaði ask Skírnir to go and talk with him. Freyr reveals the cause of his grief and asks Skírnir to go to Jötunheimr to woo Gerðr for him. Freyr gives Skírnir a horse and his magical sword for the journey
Frey took the kingdom after Njord, and was called drot by the Swedes, and they paid taxes to him. He was, like his father, fortunate in friends and in good seasons. Frey built a great temple at Upsal, made it his chief seat, and gave it all his taxes, his land, and goods. Then began the Upsal domains, which have remained ever since. Then began in his days the Frode-peace; and then there were good seasons, in all the land, which the Swedes ascribed to Frey, so that he was more worshipped than the other gods, as the people became much richer in his days by reason of the peace and good seasons. His wife was called Gerd, daughter of Gymis, and their son was called Fjolne. Frey was called by another name, Yngve; and this name Yngve was considered long after in his race as a name of honour, so that his descendants have since been called Ynglinger. Frey fell into a sickness; and as his illness took the upper hand, his men took the plan of letting few approach him. In the meantime they raised a great mound, in which they placed a door with three holes in it. Now when Frey died they bore him secretly into the mound, but told the Swedes he was alive; and they kept watch over him for three years. They brought all the taxes into the mound, and through the one hole they put in the gold, through the other the silver, and through the third the copper money that was paid. Peace and good seasons continued.
When it became known to the Swedes that Frey was dead, and yet peace and good seasons continued, they believed that it must be so as long as Frey remained in Sweden; and therefore they would not burn his remains, but called him the god of this world, and afterwards offered continually blood-sacrifices to him, principally for peace and good seasons.
Freyr - also spelled Frey , also called Yngvi, in Norse mythology, the ruler of peace and fertility, rain, and sunshine and the son of the sea god Njörd. Although originally one of the Vanir tribe, he was included with the Aesir. Gerd, daughter of the giant Gymir, was his wife. Worshiped especially in Sweden, he was also well-known in Norway and Iceland. His sister and female counterpart, Freyja, was goddess of love, fertility, battle, and death. The boar was sacred to both. Freyr and Freyja figure in many lays and stories of medieval Iceland.
-- "Freyr." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2005. Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service
28 Apr. 2005 <http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?tocId=9035401>.
Freyr is the god of sun and rain, and the patron of bountiful harvests. He is both a god of peace and a brave warrior. He is also the ruler of the elves. Freyr is the most prominent and most beautiful of the male members of the Vanir , and is called 'God of the World'. After the merging of the Aesir and the Vanir, Freyr was called 'Lord of the Aesir'. Freyr was also called upon to grant a fertile marriage.
He is married to the beautiful giantess Gerd , and is the son of Njord . His sister is Freya. He rides a chariot pulled by the golden boar Gullinbursti which was made for him by the dwarves Brokk and Eitri. He owns the ship Skidbladnir ("wooden-bladed"), which always sails directly towards its target, and which can become so small that it can fit in Freyr's pocket. He also possesses a sword that would by itself emerge from its sheath and spread a field with carnage whenever the owner desired it.
Freyr's shield bearer and servant is Skirnir, to whom he gave his sword, which Skirnir demanded as a reward for making Gerd his wife. On the day of Ragnarok he will battle without weapons (for he gave his sword away to Skirnir), and will be the first to be killed by the fire giant Surt . The center of his cult was the city Uppsala in Sweden. In southern Sweden he was called Fricco.
From Norsk mythology
Freyr also spelled Frey, also called YNGVI, in Norse mythology, the ruler of peace and fertility, rain, and sunshine and the son of the sea god Njörd. Although originally one of the Vanir tribe, he was included with the Aesir. Gerd, daughter of the giant Gymir, was his wife. Worshiped especially in Sweden, he was also well-known in Norway and Iceland. His sister and female counterpart, Freyja, was goddess of love, fertility, battle, and death. The boar was sacred to both. Freyr and Freyja figure in many lays and stories of medieval Iceland.
Freyr
Much more is told of Freyr, the son of Njörd. His name means "Lord" (compare Old English Frea), but Freyr had other names as well; he was called Yngvi or Yngvi-Freyr, and this name suggests that he was the eponymous father of the north Germans whom Tacitus calls Ingvæones (Ingævones). The Old English Runic Poem indicates that the god Ing was seen first among the eastern Danes; he departed eastward over a wave and his chariot went after him. It is remarkable how the chariot persists in the cult of the Vanir, Nerthus, Ing, and Freyr. A comparatively late source tells how the idol of Freyr was carried in a chariot to bring fertility to the crops in Sweden. In an early saga of Iceland, where crops were little cultivated, Freyr still appears as the guardian of the sacred wheatfield. Freyr's name often is found as the first element of a place-name, especially in eastern Sweden; the second element often means "wheatfield," or "meadow
The Eddic poem Skírnismál ("The Lay of Skírnir") relates the wooing of Freyr's bride, Gerd (Ger?r), a giant-maiden. This story has often been considered as a fertility myth. Gerdr (from gar?r, "field") is held fast in the clutches of the frost-giants of winter. Thus, Freyr, as sun-god, would free her. However, this interpretation rests entirely on disputable etymologies. The narrative indicates that Freyr's bride belongs to the otherworld, and her wooing may rather symbolize the affinities of the fertility god with the chthonian powers, dominating the cycle of life and death. Several animals were sacred to Freyr, particularly the horse and, because of his great fertility, the boar.
The centre of Freyr's cult was Uppsala, and he was once said to be king of the Swedes. His reign was one of peace and plenty. While Freyr reigned in Sweden, a certain Frodi ruled the Danes, and the Danes attributed this age of prosperity to him. Frodi (Fró?i) was also conveyed ceremoniously in a chariot, and some have seen him as no other than a doublet of Freyr. Freyr was said to be ancestor of the Ynglingar, the Swedish royal family. Such myths are connected with the concept of "divine kingship" in the Germanic world, but earlier views on "sacral royalty" are now being challenged.
FREYR PROPOSES TO GERDUR
One day Freyr was sitting in Hli?skjálf, and saw the giant-maiden Ger?ur daughter of Gymir. She seemed to him the most beautiful of all maidens, and he was filled with longing and sorrow, but dared not tell the other gods, who worried about him. Of all the Giants Gymir was now the most terrible, and a sworn enemy of Ásgar?ur, and therefore a bond of matrimony between the Gods and Gymir would be a shameful thing indeed, and most dangerous for all of creation. Nevertheless Freyr's passion became so overwhelming that he felt that he would die unless Ger?ur become his. He opened his heart to Svipdagur, and it came to pass that Svipdagur went to Ger?ur in order to propose marriage on Freyr's behalf. He took with him the ring Draupnir and eleven golden apples, but she would only
accept the proposal on three conditions: that her father Gymir receive Völundur's sword; that Svipdagur and Freyja fetch her and accompany her into Ásgar?ur; and that she become one of the Goddesses in Ásgar?ur.
THE SWORD OF REVENGE IN GYMIR'S POWER
The Gods accepted unwillingly, and thus forfeited the certain victory, which the sword had ensured. The sword was a great gain for the giants, even if they would never be able to use it without destroying themselves. Gymir gave the sword into the keeping of his kinsman Egg?ér, who buried it deep below the earth in the Iron-Wood (Járnvi?ur).
BATTLE IN THE HALL OF GYMIR
Svipdagur went to Gymir's hall along with Freyja. They planned to betray the Giants. ?órr and Ullur rode secretly to the north, and hid themselves near to Gymir's mountainous abode. Gymir told Svipdagur that he planned to keep Freyja, and proposed that he himself marry Ger?ur. Thus he would regain the sword of revenge, be able to fulfil
the blood vengeance which he had sworn, overthrow the God-powers and himself become Lord of the Universe. Svipdagur pretended to accept this, and now a double wedding was prepared. Just in time ?órr and Ullur burst into the rocky hall. Svipdagur grabbed his weapons, and Freyja fought valiantly by her husband's side. Gymir and all his clan were slaughtered after a violent battle, and the Gods brought Ger?ur into Ásgar?ur.
Freyr (fray-er), Frey, Fro - (also Ingve-Frey) Vana-God, brother-consort of Freyja; son of Njord and Njord's sister. "The Lord", fertility and creativity God; "the Lover"; God of Yule. He is the god of wealth and peace and contentment. Blood was not allowed to be spilled through violence, nor where weapons or outlaws allowed on or in his holy places. He owns the boar, Gullinbursti, the ship, Skidbladnir, and a magic sword, that moves by itself through the air. Gerd, a Giantess, is his wife. Sensual love, fertility, growth, abundance, wealth, bravery, horses, boars, protector of ships and sailors, peace, joy happiness, rain, beauty, weather, guarantor of oaths, groves, sunshine, plant growth, sex. He ruled over the land of the light elves, Alfheim.
Frey
Frey, also known as Fro Ing, is Son to Niord and brother to Freya. Apparently, Frey?s mother is Niord?s sister. He is married to the giantess Gerd and they have a son named Fiolnir.
Frey is the god of kings, especially in Denmark and Sweden. Known, as the god of frith (fruitful peace) and of good weather, this ?God of the World? rides a boar named Gullenbursti. It was made out of an ingot of gold and boar skin.
He also has a boat called Skidhbladnir. It fits in his pocket and can grow to any size he needs it to be. Fro Ing gave up his horse, Blodhughofi, and his sword to his best friend Skinir. With this sword and steed he went to Muspellheim and convinced Gerd to marry Frey. His hall is Alfheim, world of the elves.
At Ragnarok, Frey will fight with a Stag?s horn and be killed by Surt, the fire giant.
From http://www.timelessmyths.com/norse/vanir.html
God of light, rain, fertility and prosperity. Freyr was son of Njörd (Njord) and Njörd's nameless sister (possibly Nerthus). Freyr was the brother of his twin sister Freyja. Like his father and sister, he was originally a Vanir, but he became an important god of the Aesir. Freyr was one of the hostages after their war against the Aesir. Sometimes, the giantess Skadi was said to be his mother, but usually she was his stepmother.
Freyr was sometimes called Yngvi or Yngvi-Freyr. Another name was Ingi-Freyr.
Freyr was originally the husband and lover of his sister, before they moved and lived with the Aesir gods. Though, it was natural for the Vanir deities to have incestuous relation between siblings, incest was obviously not approved in Asgard.
Like his sister, Freyr was the god of fertility and his sacred animals was also the pig. Brokk and Eiti created a wild boar with golden bristles, called Gullinbursti (which literally means "golden bristles"), which drew his chariot. Sturluson also mentioned the boar was probably Slidrugtanni, instead of Gullinbursti. Freyr also possessed a collapsible ship made by sons of Ivaldi called Skidbladnir (Wooden-bladed), which can be reduce to size small enough to put in his pocket when he was not on it. (See Gifts of the Dwarves for the full story.)
Freyr was god of light and the sun, or more precisely the god of sunshine. Freyr also appeared to be god of rain and agriculture. He resided in Alfheim and was either ruler or patron god of the elves. Freyr has three companions, his servants, Byggvir ("Barley") and his serving maid Beyla, and his shield-bearer, Skirnir ("Shining One"). Byggvir and Beyla appeared in appeared in the poem Lokasenna, from the Poetic Edda. While Skirnir appeared in the poem, Skirnismal.
Among the Vanir, Freyr was their strongest and bravest god. Several times, he was mentioned as the war leader of the gods. Freyr had possessed a magical sword, but he lose this blade.
Freyr married the giantess Gerd, daughter of the giants - Gymir and Aurboda. Freyr asked his servant Skirnir to help him woo Gerd. Skirnir asked for the great magical sword from his master as payment for this service, Freyr agreed. At first, Gerd refused to marry Freyr, no matter what gifts Skirnir offered her. She only consent to marry the Vanir, when Skirnir threatened her to cause the beautiful giantess to aged into old woman. See the Wooing of Gerd. They were later married and had a son named Fiolnir.
In Ragnarök (Ragnarok), he fought the fire-giant, Surt, without a weapon, and was the first to be killed. His shield-bearer Skirnir had asked for his sword as payment for his services and his help in getting Gerd to marrying him.
Freyr, like the other Vanir deities, was popular in Sweden, though he was known in Norway and Iceland. A statue was found in the temple at Uppsala, where he was portrayed with a gigantic phallus. Clearly this statue and other statuettes and amulets found in Sweden, showed that Freyr was a fertility god. -------------------- Yngvi-Frey Njordsson King Of Swedes 1
Birth: About 235 in <, Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden> 2 3
Death:
Sex: M
Father: Njord De Noatun King Of Swedes b. About 214 in (Noatun, Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden)
Mother: Njord De Noatun Queen Of Swedes b. About 217 in (Noatun, Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden)
Unknown: , Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden 3
Spouses & Children
Gerd Gymersdotter Queen Of The Swedes (Wife) b. About 239 in (, Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden)
2 3
Marriage: Abt 255 6 Nov 2004 14:29
Children:
Fjolner Yngvi-Freysson b. About 256 in , Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden
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Notes
Individual:
Name Suffix: King of Swedes
REFN: HWS8922
Ancestral File Number: G6SX-FG
OBJE: C:\LEGACY\PICTURES\C_EnfantFrance.GIF
OBJE: C:\LEGACY\PICTURES\Suede_Moderne.GIFCHAN20 Mar 2001
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Sources
Title: "Concise Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia"
Author: Ansley, Clarke F.
Publication: (Morningside Heights, New York, Columbia University Press
, Licensed from INSO Corporation, December 31, 1941, 1994), Hard C
Title: "FamilySearch® Ancestral Fileâ„¢ v4.19"
Author: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Publication: 3 Feb 2001
Title: "Genealogical Research of Kirk Larson"
Author: Larson, Kirk
Publication: Personal Research Works including Bethune & Hohenlohe Desce
ndants, 1981-2001, Kirk Larson, Private Library
-------------------- Freyr (sometimes anglicized Frey, from *frawjaz "lord"[1]) is one of the most important gods of Norse paganism. Freyr was highly associated with farming, weather and, as a phallic fertility god, Freyr "bestows peace and pleasure on mortals". Freyr, sometimes referred to as Yngvi-Freyr, was especially associated with Sweden and seen as an ancestor of the Swedish royal house.
In the Icelandic books the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda, Freyr is presented as one of the Vanir, the son of the sea god Njörðr, brother of the goddess Freyja. The gods gave him Álfheimr, the realm of the Elves, as a teething present. He rides the shining dwarf-made boar Gullinbursti and possesses the ship Skíðblaðnir which always has a favorable breeze and can be folded together and carried in a pouch when it is not being used. He has the servants Skírnir, Byggvir, and Beyla.
The most extensive surviving Freyr myth relates Freyr's falling in love with the female jötunn Gerðr. Eventually, she becomes his wife but first Freyr has to give away his magic sword which fights on its own "if wise be he who wields it". Although deprived of this weapon, Freyr defeats the jötunn Beli with an antler. However, lacking his sword, Freyr will be killed by the fire jötunn Surtr during the events of Ragnarök.
Adam of Bremen
Written around 1080, one of the oldest written sources on pre-Christian Scandinavian religious practices is Adam of Bremen's Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum. Adam claimed to have access to first-hand accounts on pagan practices in Sweden. He refers to Freyr with the Latinized name Fricco and mentions that an image of him at Skara was destroyed by a Christian missionary. His description of the Temple at Uppsala gives some details on the god.
In hoc templo, quod totum ex auro paratum est, statuas trium deorum veneratur populus, ita ut potentissimus eorum Thor in medio solium habeat triclinio; hinc et inde locum possident Wodan et Fricco. Quorum significationes eiusmodi sunt: 'Thor', inquiunt, 'praesidet in aere, qui tonitrus et fulmina, ventos ymbresque, serena et fruges gubernat. Alter Wodan, id est furor, bella gerit, hominique ministrat virtutem contra inimicos. Tertius est Fricco, pacem voluptatemque largiens mortalibus'. Cuius etiam simulacrum fingunt cum ingenti priapo.
Gesta Hammaburgensis 26, Waitz' edition
In this temple, entirely decked out in gold, the people worship the statues of three gods in such wise that the mightiest of them, Thor, occupies a throne in the middle of the chamber; Woden and Frikko have places on either side. The significance of these gods is as follows: Thor, they say, presides over the air, which governs the thunder and lightning, the winds and rains, fair weather and crops. The other, Woden—that is, the Furious—carries on war and imparts to man strength against his enemies. The third is Frikko, who bestows peace and pleasure on mortals. His likeness, too, they fashion with an immense phallus.
Gesta Hammaburgensis 26, Tschan's translation
Later in the account Adam states that when a marriage is performed a libation is made to the image of Fricco.
Historians are divided on the reliability of Adam's account.[2] While he is close in time to the events he describes he has a clear agenda to emphasize the role of the Archbishopric of Hamburg-Bremen in the Christianization of Scandinavia. His timeframe for the Christianization of Sweden conflicts with other sources, such as runic inscriptions, and archaeological evidence does not confirm the presence of a large temple at Uppsala. On the other hand, the existence of phallic idols was confirmed in 1904 with a find at Rällinge in Södermanland.[3]
Prose Edda
When Snorri Sturluson was writing in 13th century Iceland the indigenous Germanic gods were still remembered though they had not been openly worshiped for more than two centuries.
Gylfaginning
In the Gylfaginning section of his Prose Edda, Snorri introduces Freyr as one of the major gods.
Njörðr í Nóatúnum gat síðan tvau börn, hét sonr Freyr en dóttir Freyja. Þau váru fögr álitum ok máttug. Freyr er hinn ágætasti af ásum. Hann ræðr fyrir regni ok skini sólar, ok þar með ávexti jarðar, ok á hann er gott at heita til árs ok friðar. Hann ræðr ok fésælu manna. Gylfaginning 24, EB's edition
Njördr in Nóatún begot afterward two children: the son was called Freyr, and the daughter Freyja; they were fair of face and mighty. Freyr is the most renowned of the Æsir; he rules over the rain and the shining of the sun, and therewithal the fruit of the earth; and it is good to call on him for fruitful seasons and peace. He governs also the prosperity of men. Gylfaginning XXIV, Brodeur's translation
This description has similarities to the older account by Adam of Bremen but the differences are interesting. Adam assigns control of the weather and produce of the fields to Thor but Snorri says that Freyr rules over those areas. Snorri also omits any explicitly sexual references in Freyr's description. Those discrepancies can be explained in several ways. It is possible that the Norse gods did not have exactly the same roles in Icelandic and Swedish paganism but it must also be remembered that Adam and Snorri were writing with different goals in mind. Either Snorri or Adam may also have had distorted information.
The only extended myth related about Freyr in the Prose Edda is the story of his marriage.
Þat var einn dag er Freyr hafði gengit í Hliðskjálf ok sá of heima alla. En er hann leit í norðrætt, þá sá hann á einum bœ mikit hús ok fagrt, ok til þess húss gekk kona, ok er hon tók upp höndum ok lauk hurð fyrir sér þá lýsti af höndum hennar bæði í lopt ok á lög, ok allir heimar birtusk af henni. Gylfaginning 37, EB's edition
It chanced one day that Freyr had gone to Hlidskjálf, and gazed over all the world; but when he looked over into the northern region, he saw on an estate a house great and fair. And toward this house went a woman; when she raised her hands and opened the door before her, brightness gleamed from her hands, both over sky and sea, and all the worlds were illumined of her. Gylfaginning XXXVII, Brodeur's translation
The woman is Gerðr, a beautiful giantess. Freyr immediately falls in love with her and becomes depressed and taciturn. After a period of brooding, he consents to talk to Skírnir, his foot-page. He tells Skírnir that he has fallen in love with a beautiful woman and thinks he will die if he cannot have her. He asks Skírnir to go and woo her for him.
Þá svarar Skírnir, sagði svá at hann skal fara sendiferð en Freyr skal fá honum sverð sitt. Þat var svá gott sverð at sjálft vásk. En Freyr lét eigi þat til skorta ok gaf honum sverðit. Þá fór Skírnir ok bað honum konunnar ok fekk heitit hennar, ok níu nóttum síðar skyldi hon þar koma er Barey heitir ok ganga þá at brullaupinu með Frey. Gylfaginning 37, EB's edition
Then Skírnir answered thus: he would go on his errand, but Freyr should give him his own sword-which is so good that it fights of itself;- and Freyr did not refuse, but gave him the sword. Then Skírnir went forth and wooed the woman for him, and received her promise; and nine nights later she was to come to the place called Barrey, and then go to the bridal with Freyr. Gylfaginning XXXVII, Brodeur's translation
The loss of Freyr's sword has consequences. According to the Prose Edda, Freyr had to fight Beli without his sword and slew him with an antler. But the result at Ragnarök, the end of the world, will be much more serious. Freyr is fated to fight the fire-giant Surtr and since he does not have his sword he will be defeated.
Even after the loss of his weapon Freyr still has two magical artifacts, both of them dwarf-made. One is the ship Skíðblaðnir, which will have favoring breeze wherever its owner wants to go and can also be folded together like a napkin and carried in a pouch. The other is the boar Gullinbursti whose mane glows to illuminate the way for his owner. No myths involving Skíðblaðnir have come down to us but Snorri relates that Freyr rode to Baldr's funeral in a wagon pulled by Gullinbursti.
Skaldic poetry
Freyr is referred to several times in skaldic poetry. In Húsdrápa, partially preserved in the Prose Edda, he is said to ride a boar to Baldr's funeral.
Ríðr á börg til borgar
böðfróðr sonar Óðins
Freyr ok folkum stýrir
fyrstr enum golli byrsta. Húsdrápa 7, FJ's edition
The battle-bold Freyr rideth
First on the golden-bristled
Barrow-boar to the bale-fire
Of Baldr, and leads the people. Húsdrápa 7, Brodeur's translation
In a poem by Egill Skalla-Grímsson, Freyr is called upon along with Njörðr to drive Eric Bloodaxe from Norway. The same skald mentions in Arinbjarnarkviða that his friend has been blessed by the two gods.
[E]n Grjótbjörn
of gæddan hefr
Freyr ok Njörðr
at féar afli. Arinbjarnarkviða 17, FJ's edition
Frey and Njord
have endowed
rock-bear
with wealth's force. Arinbjarnarkviða 17, Scudder's translation
Nafnaþulur
In Nafnaþulur Freyr is said to ride the horse Blóðughófi (Bloody Hoof).
Poetic Edda
Freyr is mentioned in several of the poems in the Poetic Edda. The information there is largely consistent with that of the Prose Edda while each collection has some details not found in the other.
Völuspá
Völuspá, the best known of the Eddic poems, describes the final confrontation between Freyr and Surtr during Ragnarök.
Surtr fer sunnan
með sviga lævi,
skínn af sverði
sól valtíva.
Grjótbjörg gnata,
en gífr rata,
troða halir helveg,
en himinn klofnar.
Þá kømr Hlínar
harmr annarr fram,
er Óðinn ferr
við úlf vega,
en bani Belja
bjartr at Surti,
þá mun Friggjar
falla angan. Völuspá 51–52, EB's edition
Surtr moves from the south
with the scathe of branches:[4]
there shines from his sword
the sun of Gods of the Slain.
Stone peaks clash,
and troll wives take to the road.
Warriors tread the path from Hel,
and heaven breaks apart.
Then is fulfilled Hlín's
second sorrow,
when Óðinn goes
to fight with the wolf,
and Beli's slayer,
bright, against Surtr.
Then shall Frigg's
sweet friend fall. Völuspá 50–51, Dronke's translation
Some scholars have preferred a slightly different translation, in which the sun shines "from the sword of the gods". The idea is that the sword which Surtr slays Freyr with is the "sword of the gods" which Freyr had earlier bargained away for Gerðr. This would add a further layer of tragedy to the myth. Sigurður Nordal argued for this view but the possibility represented by Ursula Dronke's translation above is equally possible.
Grímnismál
Grímnismál, a poem which largely consists of miscellaneous information about the gods, mentions Freyr's abode.
Alfheim Frey
gáfu í árdaga
tívar at tannféi. Grímnismál 5, GJ's edition
Alfheim the gods to Frey
gave in days of yore
for a tooth-gift. Grímnismál 5, Thorpe's translation
A tooth-gift was a gift given to an infant on the cutting of the first tooth. Since Alfheimr or Álfheimr means "World of Álfar (Elves)" the fact that Freyr should own it is one of the indications of a connection between the Vanir and the obscure Álfar. Grímnismál also mentions that the sons of Ívaldi made Skíðblaðnir for Freyr and that it is the best of ships.
Lokasenna
In the poem Lokasenna, Loki accuses the gods of various misdeeds. He criticizes the Vanir for incest, saying that Njörðr had Freyr with his sister. He also states that the gods discovered Freyr and Freyja having sex together. The god Týr speaks up in Freyr's defense.
Freyr er beztr
allra ballriða
ása görðum í;
mey hann né grætir
né manns konu
ok leysir ór höftum hvern. Lokasenna 37, GJ's edition
Frey is best
of all the exalted gods
in the Æsir's courts:
no maid he makes to weep,
no wife of man,
and from bonds looses all. Lokasenna 37, Thorpe's translation
Lokasenna also mentions that Freyr has servants called Byggvir and Beyla. They seem to have been associated with the making of bread.
Skírnismál
The courtship of Freyr and Gerðr is dealt with extensively in the poem Skírnismál. Freyr is depressed after seeing Gerðr. Njörðr and Skaði ask Skírnir to go and talk with him. Freyr reveals the cause of his grief and asks Skírnir to go to Jötunheimr to woo Gerðr for him. Freyr gives Skírnir a steed and his magical sword for the journey.
Mar ek þér þann gef,
er þik um myrkvan berr
vísan vafrloga,
ok þat sverð,
er sjalft mun vegask
ef sá er horskr, er hefr. Skírnismál 9, GJ's edition
My steed I lend thee
to lift thee o'er the weird
ring of flickering flame,
the sword also
which swings itself,
if wise be he who wields it. Skírnismál 9, Hollander's translation
When Skírnir finds Gerðr he starts by offering her treasures if she will marry Freyr. When she declines he gets her consent by threatening her with destructive magic.
Ynglinga saga
Snorri Sturluson starts his epic history of the kings of Norway with Ynglinga saga, a euhemerized account of the Norse gods. Here Odin and the Æsir are men from Asia who gain power through their prowess in war and Odin's skills. But when Odin attacks the Vanir he bites off more than he can chew and peace is negotiated after the destructive and indecisive Æsir-Vanir War. Hostages are exchanged to seal the peace deal and the Vanir send Freyr and Njörðr to live with the Æsir. At this point the saga, like Lokasenna, mentions that incest was practised among the Vanir.
Þá er Njörðr var með Vönum, þá hafði hann átta systur sína, því at þat váru þar lög; váru þeirra börn Freyr ok Freyja. En þat var bannat með Ásum at byggja svá náit at frændsemi. Ynglinga saga 4, Schultz's edition
While Njord was with the Vanaland people he had taken his own sister in marriage, for that was allowed by their law; and their children were Frey and Freya. But among the Asaland people it was forbidden to intermarry with such near relations. Ynglinga saga 4, Laing's translation
Odin makes Njörðr and Freyr priests of sacrifices and they become influential leaders. Odin goes on to conquer the North and settles in Sweden where he rules as king, collects taxes, and maintains sacrifices. After Odin's death, Njörðr takes the throne. During his rule there is peace and good harvest and the Swedes come to believe that Njörðr controls these things. Eventually Njörðr falls ill and dies.
Freyr tók þá ríki eptir Njörð; var hann kallaðr dróttinn yfir Svíum ok tók skattgjafir af þeim; hann var vinsæll ok ársæll sem faðir hans. Freyr reisti at Uppsölum hof mikit, ok setti þar höfuðstað sinn; lagði þar til allar skyldir sínar, lönd ok lausa aura; þá hófst Uppsala auðr, ok hefir haldizt æ síðan. Á hans dögum hófst Fróða friðr, þá var ok ár um öll lönd; kendu Svíar þat Frey. Var hann því meir dýrkaðr en önnur goðin, sem á hans dögum varð landsfólkit auðgara en fyrr af friðinum ok ári. Gerðr Gýmis dóttir hét kona hans; sonr þeirra hét Fjölnir. Freyr hét Yngvi öðru nafni; Yngva nafn var lengi síðan haft í hans ætt fyrir tignarnafn, ok Ynglingar váru síðan kallaðir hans ættmenn. Freyr tók sótt; en er at honum leið sóttin, leituðu menn sér ráðs, ok létu fá menn til hans koma, en bjoggu haug mikinn, ok létu dyrr á ok 3 glugga. En er Freyr var dauðr, báru þeir hann leyniliga í hauginn, ok sögðu Svíum at hann lifði, ok varðveittu hann þar 3 vetr. En skatt öllum heltu þeir í hauginn, í einn glugg gullinu, en í annan silfrinu, í hinn þriðja eirpenningum. Þá hélzt ár ok friðr. Ynglinga saga 12, Schultz's edition
Frey took the kingdom after Njord, and was called drot by the Swedes, and they paid taxes to him. He was, like his father, fortunate in friends and in good seasons. Frey built a great temple at Upsal, made it his chief seat, and gave it all his taxes, his land, and goods. Then began the Upsal domains, which have remained ever since. Then began in his days the Frode-peace; and then there were good seasons, in all the land, which the Swedes ascribed to Frey, so that he was more worshipped than the other gods, as the people became much richer in his days by reason of the peace and good seasons. His wife was called Gerd, daughter of Gymis, and their son was called Fjolne. Frey was called by another name, Yngve; and this name Yngve was considered long after in his race as a name of honour, so that his descendants have since been called Ynglinger. Frey fell into a sickness; and as his illness took the upper hand, his men took the plan of letting few approach him. In the meantime they raised a great mound, in which they placed a door with three holes in it. Now when Frey died they bore him secretly into the mound, but told the Swedes he was alive; and they kept watch over him for three years. They brought all the taxes into the mound, and through the one hole they put in the gold, through the other the silver, and through the third the copper money that was paid. Peace and good seasons continued. Ynglinga saga 12, Laing's translation
Þá er allir Svíar vissu, at Freyr var dauðr, en hélzt ár ok friðr, þá trúðu þeir, at svá mundi vera, meðan Freyr væri á Svíþjóð, ok vildu eigi brenna hann, ok kölluðu hann veraldar goð ok blótuðu mest til árs ok friðar alla ævi síðan. Ynglinga saga 13, Schultz's edition
When it became known to the Swedes that Frey was dead, and yet peace and good seasons continued, they believed that it must be so as long as Frey remained in Sweden; and therefore they would not burn his remains, but called him the god of this world, and afterwards offered continually blood-sacrifices to him, principally for peace and good seasons. Ynglinga saga 13, Laing's translation
Freyr had a son named Fjölnir, who succeeds him as king and rules during the continuing period of peace and good seasons. Fjölnir's descendants are enumerated in Ynglingatal which describes the mythological kings of Sweden.
Ögmundar þáttr dytts
The 14th century Icelandic Ögmundar þáttr dytts contains a tradition of how Freyr was transported in a wagon and administered by a priestess, in Sweden. Freyr's role as a fertility god needed a female counterpart in a divine couple (McKinnell's translation 1987[5]): “ Great heathen sacrifices were held there at that time, and for a long while Frey had been the god who was worshipped most there — and so much power had been gained by Frey’s statue that the devil used to speak to people out of the mouth of the idol, and a young and beautiful woman had been obtained to serve Frey. It was the faith of the local people that Frey was alive, as seemed to some extent to be the case, and they thought he would need to have a sexual relationship with his wife; along with Frey she was to have complete control over the temple settlement and all that belonged to it. ”
In this short story, a man named Gunnar was suspected of manslaughter and escaped to Sweden, where Gunnar became acquainted with this young priestess. He helped her drive Freyr's wagon with the god effigy in it, but the god did not appreciate Gunnar and so attacked him and would have killed Gunnar if he had not promised himself to return to the Christian faith if he would make it back to Norway. When Gunnar had promised this, a demon jumped out off the god effigy and so Freyr was nothing but a piece of wood. Gunnar destroyed the wooden idol and dressed himself as Freyr, and then Gunnar and the priestess travelled across Sweden where people were happy to see the god visiting them. After a while he made the priestess pregnant, but this was seen by the Swedes as confirmation that Freyr was truly a fertility god and not a scam. Finally, Gunnar had to flee back to Norway with his young bride and had her baptized at the court of Olaf Tryggvason.
Other Icelandic sources
Worship of Freyr is alluded to in several Icelanders' sagas.
The protagonist of Hrafnkels saga is a priest of Freyr. He dedicates a horse to the god and kills a man for riding it, setting in motion a chain of fateful events.
In Gísla saga a chieftain named Þorgrímr Freysgoði is an ardent worshipper of Freyr. When he dies he is buried in a howe.
Varð og sá hlutur einn er nýnæmum þótti gegna að aldrei festi snæ utan og sunnan á haugi Þorgríms og eigi fraus; og gátu menn þess til að hann myndi Frey svo ávarður fyrir blótin að hann myndi eigi vilja að freri á milli þeirra.[6]
And now, too, a thing happened which seemed strange and new. No snow lodged on the south side of Thorgrim's howe, nor did it freeze there. And men guessed it was because Thorgrim had been so dear to Frey for his worship's sake that the god would not suffer the frost to come between them. -[7]
Hallfreðar saga, Víga-Glúms saga and Vatnsdœla saga also mention Freyr.
Other Icelandic sources referring to Freyr include Íslendingabók, Landnámabók, and Hervarar saga.
Íslendingabók, written around 1125, is the oldest Icelandic source to mention Freyr, including him in a genealogy of Swedish kings. Landnámabók includes a heathen oath to be sworn at an assembly where Freyr, Njörðr, and "the almighty áss" are invoked. Hervarar saga mentions a Yuletide sacrifice of a boar to Freyr.
Gesta Danorum
The 12th Century Danish Gesta Danorum describes Freyr, under the name Frø, as the "viceroy of the gods".
Frø quoque deorum satrapa sedem haud procul Upsala cepit, ubi veterem litationis morem tot gentibus ac saeculis usurpatum tristi infandoque piaculo mutavit. Siquidem humani generis hostias mactare aggressus foeda superis libamenta persolvit. Gesta Danorum 3, Olrik's edition
There was also a viceroy of the gods, Frø, who took up residence not far from Uppsala and altered the ancient system of sacrifice practised for centuries among many peoples to a morbid and unspeakable form of expiation. He delivered abominable offerings to the powers above by instituting the slaughter of human victims. Gesta Danorum 3, Fisher's translation
That Freyr had a cult at Uppsala is well confirmed from other sources. The reference to the change in sacrificial ritual may also reflect some historical memory. There is archaeological evidence for an increase in human sacrifices in the late Viking Age[8] though among the Norse gods human sacrifice is most often linked to Odin. Another reference to Frø and sacrifices is found earlier in the work, where the beginning of an annual blót to him is related. King Hadingus is cursed after killing a divine being and atones for his crime with a sacrifice.
Siquidem propitiandorum numinum gratia Frø deo rem divinam furvis hostiis fecit. Quem litationis morem annuo feriarum circuitu repetitum posteris imitandum reliquit. Frøblot Sueones vocant. Gesta Danorum 1, Olrik's edition
[I]n order to mollify the divinities he did indeed make a holy sacrifice of dark-coloured victims to the god Frø. He repeated this mode of propitiation at an annual festival and left it to be imitated by his descendants. The Swedes call it Frøblot. Gesta Danorum 1, Fisher's translation
The sacrifice of dark-coloured victims to Freyr has a parallel in Ancient Greek religion where the chthonic fertility deities preferred dark-coloured victims to white ones.
In book 9, Saxo identifies Frø as the "king of Sweden" (rex Suetiae):
Quo tempore rex Suetiae Frø, interfecto Norvagiensium rege Sywardo, coniuges necessariorum eius prostibulo relegatas publice constuprandas exhibuit. Gesta Danorum 9, Olrik's edition
About this time the Swedish ruler Frø, after killing Sivard, king of the Norwegians, removed the wives of Sivard's relatives to a brothel and exposed them to public prostitution. Gesta Danorum 9, Fisher's translation
The reference to public prostitution may be a memory of fertility cult practices. Such a memory may also be the source of a description in book 6 of the stay of Starcatherus, a follower of Odin, in Sweden.
Mortuo autem Bemono, Starcatherus ab athletis Biarmensibus ob virtutem accitus, cum plurima apud eos memoratu digna edidisset facinora, Sueonum fines ingreditur. Ubi cum filiis Frø septennio feriatus ab his tandem ad Haconem Daniae tyrannum se contulit, quod apud Upsalam sacrificiorum tempore constitutus effeminatos corporum motus scaenicosque mimorum plausus ac mollia nolarum crepitacula fastidiret. Unde patet, quam remotum a lascivia animum habuerit, qui ne eius quidem spectator esse sustinuit. Adeo virtus luxui resistit. Gesta Danorum 6, Olrik's edition
After Bemoni's death Starkather, because of his valour, was summoned by the Biarmian champions and there performed many feats worthy of the tellings. Then he entered Swedish territory where he spent seven years in a leisurely stay with the sons of Frø, after which he departed to join Haki, the lord of Denmark, for, living at Uppsala in the period of sacrifices, he had become disgusted with the womanish body movements, the clatter of actors on the stage and the soft tinkling of bells. It is obvious how far his heart was removed from frivolity if he could not even bear to watch these occasions. A manly individual is resistant to wantonness. Gesta Danorum 6, Fisher's translation
Yngvi
A strophe of the Anglo-Saxon rune poem (c. 1100) records that:
Ing was first among the East Danes seen by men
This may refer to the origins of the worship of Ingui in the tribal areas that Tacitus mentions in his Germania as being populated by the Inguieonnic tribes. A later Danish chronicler lists Ingui was one of three brothers that the Danish tribes descended from. The strophe also states that "then he (Ingui) went back over the waves, his wagon behind him" which could connect Ingui to earlier conceptions of the wagon processions of Nerthus, and the later Scandinavian conceptions of Freyr's wagon journeys.
Ingui is mentioned also in some later Anglo-Saxon literature under varying forms of his name, such as "For what doth Ingeld have to do with Christ", and the variants used in Beowulf to designate the kings as 'leader of the friends of Ing'. The compound Ingui-Frea (OE) and Yngvi-Freyr (ON) likely refer to the connection between the god and the Germanic kings' role as priests during the sacrifices in the pagan period, as Frea and Freyr are titles meaning 'Lord'.
The Swedish royal dynasty was known as the Ynglings from their descent from Yngvi-Freyr. This is supported by Tacitus, who wrote about the Germans: "In their ancient songs, their only way of remembering or recording the past they celebrate an earth-born god Tuisco, and his son Mannus, as the origin of their race, as their founders. To Mannus they assign three sons, from whose names, they say, the coast tribes are called Ingaevones; those of the interior, Herminones; all the rest, Istaevones".
Archaeological record
Rällinge statuette
In 1904, a Viking Age statuette identified as a depiction of Freyr was discovered on the farm Rällinge in Lunda parish in the province of Södermanland, Sweden. The depiction features a cross-legged seated, bearded male with an erect penis. He is wearing a pointed cap and stroking his triangular beard. The statue is 9 centimeters tall and is displayed at the Swedish Museum of National Antiquities.[9]
Skog Church Tapestry
A part of the Swedish 12th century Skog Church Tapestry depicts three figures that has been interpreted as allusions to Odin, Thor, and Freyr,[10] but also as the three Scandinavian holy kings Canute, Eric and Olaf. The figures coincide with 11th century descriptions of statue arrangements recorded by Adam of Bremen at the Temple at Uppsala and written accounts of the gods during the late Viking Age. The tapestry is originally from Hälsingland, Sweden but is now housed at the Swedish Museum of National Antiquitie.
Gullgubber
Small pieces of gold foil featuring engravings dating from the Migration Period into the early Viking Age (known as gullgubber) have been discovered in various locations in Scandinavia, at one site almost 2,500. The foil pieces have been found largely on the sites of buildings, only rarely in graves. The figures are sometimes single, occasionally an animal, sometimes a man and a woman with a leafy bough between them, facing or embracing one another. The human figures are almost always clothed and are sometimes depicted with their knees bent. Scholar Hilda Ellis Davidson says that it has been suggested that the figures are taking part in a dance, and that they may have been connected with weddings, as well as linked to the Vanir group of gods, representing the notion of a divine marriage, such as in the Poetic Edda poem Skírnismál; the coming together of Gerðr and Freyr.[11]
Toponyms
Norway
* Freysakr ("Freyr's field") - name of two old farms in Gol and Torpa.
* Freyshof ("Freyr's temple") - name of two old farms in Hole and Trøgstad.
* Freysland ("Freyr's land/field") - name of six old farms in Feda, Halse, Førde, Sogndal, Søgne and Torpa.
* Freyslíð ("Freyr's hill") - name of two old farms in Lunner and Torpa.
* Freysnes ("Freyr's headland") - name of an old farm in Sandnes.
* Freyssetr ("Freyr's farm") - name of two old farms in Masfjorden and Soknedal.
* Freyssteinn ("Freyr's stone") - name of an old farm in Lista.
* Freysteigr ("Freyr's field") - name of an old farm in Ramnes.
* Freysvík ("Freyr's inlet/bay") - name of two old farms in Fresvik and Ullensvang.
* Freysvin ("Freyr's meadow") - name of four old farms in Hole, Lom, Sunnylven and Østre Gausdal.
* Freysvǫllr ("Freyr's field") - name of an old farm in Sør-Odal.
* Freysþveit ("Freyr's thwaite") - name of an old farm in Hedrum.
Sweden
* Fröseke ("Freyr's oak forest") - Småland
* Fröslunda ("Freyr's grove") - Uppland
* Frösön ("Freyr's island") - Jämtland
* Frösve ("Freyr's sanctuary") - Västergötland
* Frösåker ("Freyr's field") - Uppland
Netherlands
* Franeker ("Freyr's field") - Friesland
-------------------- Yngvi-Frey, as described in Ynglingesoga, sections 4-10.
Father: Njord of the Vanir
Mother: The sister of Njord
Wife: Gerd Gymesdatter
Son: Fjolne
There seems to be two Freyr, the one that is the son of Njördr and the one that is the son of Odin. They're mixed up most of the time.
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Yngvi, Ingui or Ing appears to have been the older name for the god Freyr (originally an epitheton, meaning "lord")
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yngvi
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Freyr (sometimes anglicized Frey)[1] is one of the most important gods of Norse paganism. Freyr was highly associated with agriculture, weather and, as a phallic fertility god, Freyr "bestows peace and pleasure on mortals". Freyr, sometimes referred to as Yngvi-Freyr, was especially associated with Sweden and seen as an ancestor of the Swedish royal house.
In the Icelandic books the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda, Freyr is presented as one of the Vanir, the son of the sea god Njörðr, brother of the goddess Freyja. The gods gave him Álfheimr, the realm of the Elves, as a teething present. He rides the shining dwarf-made boar Gullinbursti and possesses the ship Skíðblaðnir which always has a favorable breeze and can be folded together and carried in a pouch when it is not being used. He has the servants Skírnir, Byggvir and Beyla.
The most extensive surviving Freyr myth relates Freyr's falling in love with the giantess Gerðr. Eventually, she becomes his wife but first Freyr has to give away his magic sword which fights on its own "if wise be he who wields it". Although deprived of this weapon, Freyr defeats the giant Beli with an antler. However, lacking his sword, Freyr will be killed by the fire giant Surtr at Ragnarök, the end of the world.
....
Snorri Sturluson starts his epic history of the kings of Norway with Ynglinga saga, a euhemerized account of the Norse gods. Here Odin and the Æsir are men from Asia who gain power through their prowess in war and Odin's skills. But when Odin attacks the Vanir he bites off more than he can chew and peace is negotiated after a destructive and indecisive war. Hostages are exchanged to seal the peace deal and the Vanir send Freyr and Njörðr to live with the Æsir. At this point the saga, like Lokasenna, mentions that incest was practised among the Vanir.
"While Njord was with the Vanaland people he had taken his own sister in marriage, for that was allowed by their law; and their children were Frey and Freya. But among the Asaland people it was forbidden to intermarry with such near relations."
Odin makes Njörðr and Freyr priests of sacrifices and
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