7/30/2019 The Goddess Frigg Research
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Goddess Frigg
Frigg is most commonly remembered in prose as the grieving
mother of Baldr. She is also thewife of Odinn, thus the Mother
Goddess. Although her children by blood are Baldr and Hodr, she
was
the stepmother of Thor, Hermodr, Heimdallr, Tyr, Bragi, Vidar,
Valli, & Skjoldr, She had a companion
goddess name Eir, whom was known as having medical skills; she
had 10 handmaiden goddesses, the
three most famous of which were: Hlin (a goddess of protection),
Gna (a messenger goddess), andFulla (a fertility goddess). Some
sources say that the three most noted handmaidens were just
alternate
faces of the Goddess herself. Frigg is often called Friia and
there is strong suspicion that she and Freyawere one and the same;
they both had falcon winged cloaks, and could shapeshift, a special
golden
necklace, & both had the Earth as a parent. But to separate
the two goddesses, Frigg is associated with
Motherhood, Marriage, Childbirth, & Household management;
also she is the goddess of Wisdom,
Weaving and Spinning, Destiny, and has the gift of Prophesy.
Being the goddess of weaving andspinning, Frigg was responsible for
Spinning the clouds, and threads of fate, known as the Wyrd.
Frigg had a dark side to her history one that some of her people
don't even acknowledge. She
was known by others to be lacking in her moral standing. One
account is the tale of Odin's brothersVili and Ve. As told by
Snorri Sturluson in the Ynglinga Saga the story goes that Vili
& Ve would
watch over things in Asgard while the All Father was away; and
one time he was away so long that thetwo brothers decided he was
gone forever. Since apparently no one had a problem with their
authority,they began to divide all of Odin's things up between
themselves, but when they reasoned who should
have Odin's wife the conclusion they came to was that they
should share her. To their disappointment
Odin finally did return and upon arrival took back all of his
belongings and his wife who it seems had
consented to the affair with his brothers. Though this
assumption of infidelity is due in part to whatLoki has to say and
therefore should definitely be taken with a grain of salt. Although
in another story
about Frigga written by Saxo Grammaticus called the Gesta
Danorum, he relays of events that make
Frigga out to be weak in moral character. Saxo Grammaticus tells
how certain Kings of the Northwanted to show admiration of King
Odin and further their worship with him as Deity, to do so they
sent
a statue of him leafed in gold, and adorning bracelets to his
palace in Byzentium. Odin was very happy
about this but his wife Frigg must have felt left out or over
looked for she had the Smiths strip thestatue of its gold so that
she could wear it in a tailor made jeweled fashion about her
person. To further
her poor character in the Gesta Danorum, Grammaticus tells of
her submitting herself to one of her
servants and in so doing double shaming the All Father. Odin, so
enraged by the conducts of theSmiths is said to have hanged them.
And in dealing with his wife, in shame he exiled himself to
give
time to the matter. Upon his return he found his wife to be in
arms with a Mith-Othin, so he drove
both of them out. It wasn't until later when Frigg died that the
All father regained his honor.
The Wyrd Frigg is said to have come from the old Icelandic word
Frja, which means to Love;it is also said that her name derives
from the Old Saxon word Fri, translated as beloved lady. In
certain parts of the world there are towns named after the
Goddess Frigg; one such place is Friggeraker
in Vastergotland, Sweden. An English town from the 10th century
is reported to have been called
Frigedun, translated Valley of Frigg. Also in England,
Derbyshire area is a place called Friden. Twomore places in England
named after Frigg are Froyle and Freefolk, translated respectively
as Frigg's
Hill, & Frigg's People.
Resources:
Goddess-Guide.com @ http://www.goddess-guide.com/frigg.html
Goddessgift.com @
http://www.goddessgift.com/goddess-myths/goddess-frigga.htm
Reference.com @ http://www.reference.com/browse/Frigg
Wikipedia @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frigg
