Goddess Frigga is a powerful and revered figure in Norse mythology. She is the wife of Odin, the All-Father and the mother of Baldr, the god of light and purity. Frigga is known as the goddess of marriage, motherhood, and domestic affairs. She is also a skilled weaver and spinner, and it is said that she spins the clouds in the sky.
Frigga’s Servants (Avatars)
Frigga’s Servants are her avatars and aspects of her ‘personality’. Frigga is deeply connected to this earth and to our physical and emotional wellbeing.
Fulla (also known as Volla).
Her name means Bountiful.
Fulla is Frigga’s handmaiden, and she is often depicted holding Frigga’s keys, which symbolize the goddess’s power and control over the home. Her golden, long, and flowing hair was restrained by a golden circlet. Her hair represents the golden grain and the circlet represent the binding of the sheaf. Fulla is also associated with fertility, and it is said that she helps Frigga to bless and protect newborn babies.
Fulla is also known as Abundia or Abundant in some parts of Germany. She is a symbol of the providing nature of earth.
Hlin
Her name means Protectress.
Hlin is another of Frigga’s servants, and she is known as the goddess of consolation. She is responsible for comforting those who are grieving or suffering, and she is often depicted holding a bowl or cup of mead, which is said to have a soothing effect on those who drink it. Mead in Norse mythology is often referred to as Precious Mead and is a symbol of the Divine Essence in all things, Creator of all. Hlin is the goddess who listens with ever-open ears to the prayers of mortals, carrying them to Frigga, and advices at how to best answer them.
Gna
Her name means to Soar.
Gna is a goddess in Norse mythology who is associated with travel and messenger duties. Gna is described as a beautiful and swift goddess who rides a flying, gold-bridled horse named Hofvarpnir. Hofvarpnir means Hoof-thrower. She is often depicted as having long hair and wearing a hood or veil. She travels through fire and air, over land and sea, and was considered the personification of the refreshing breeze. Gna saw all that was happening upon earth and told Frigga all that she say.
According to Norse mythology, Gna was sent by Frigg to deliver messages to people in different parts of the world. She was also tasked with carrying Frigg’s wishes to her husband Odin, the chief of the gods, and to other important figures in the pantheon.
Gna was passing over Hunaland when she say King Rerir, a descendant of Odin, mourning his childlessness. Upon hearing this, Frigga took an apple from her private store, gave it to Gna and told her to give it to the king. Gna passed over Rerir’s head and dropped the apple into his lap. The king gave the apple to his wife to eat. In due season she bore him a son, Volsung, the great Northern hero.
Lofn
Her name means Loving.
Lofn is described as a gentle and kind goddess who has the power to bring together couples. She removes all obstacles from the path of lovers. She is often depicted as having a gentle smile and wearing a long, flowing gown.
Lofn is one of the few goddesses who could intercede on behalf of lovers who are forbidden to be together. She had the power to convince the gods and goddesses to grant permission for such relationships, even if they are considered taboo. She is also said to have the power to bless marriages and to make them strong and lasting.
She represents the idea of a compassionate and understanding deity who could help people overcome obstacles and find happiness with the ones they love.
Syn
Her name means A Sight
Syn is a goddess who is associated with protection and defense. She is often depicted as having a stern expression and wearing armor and a helmet. Her name, which means “A Sight,” guards the doors of the hall where legal proceedings and important meetings are held.
She represents the truth and can not be changed. She therefore presided over all tribunals and trials, and whenever a thing was to be vetoed, it was common to declare that Syn was against it.
Vjofn
Vjofn (also known as Sjofn)
Her name means affection.
Vjofn’s duty duty was to generate peace and harmony between mankind and to reconcile quarrelling husbands and wives. She inclines obdurate hearts to receive love and affection.
If you begin to think of Love and Romance, it is likely Vjofn has something to do with it. :)
Gefjon (also known as Gefn)
Her name means Giver.
Gefjon is a goddess in Norse mythology. She is associated with fertility, ploughing, and the abundance of the land. According to the Norse myth, Gefjon ploughed the land of Zealand (an island in Denmark) away from Sweden and gave it to the king of Denmark, in exchange for the promise of four oxen and as much land as she could plough in a day and a night. Gefjon was said to have turn her four sons into oxens and harnessed them to ploughs. They dragged the land into the sea creating Seeland (Zealand). The hollow left behind was turned into a lake, known as Lake Maler. Gefjon married Skiold, one of Odin’s sons, and became the ancestress of royal Danes.
Gefjon is often depicted as a beautiful woman with a plough or a basket of fruits, and she is sometimes accompanied by animals such as oxen or swans. To her were entrusted all those who died unwedded. She made them happy ever after.
Eira (also known as Eyra)
Her name means Mercy.
Eira is associated with healing and medicine. She is considered a most skilful physician. She gathers cures all over the earth to cure both wounds and diseases. She taught her knowledge to women who were the only ones to practise medicine among the our northern ancient nations. She is therefore referred to as the goddess of healing, or the goddess of mercy. Eira’s name is derived from the Old Norse word “eir,” which means “mercy” or “protection.”
Vara (also known as Vór)
Her name means Pledge.
She is associated with promises, agreements, and oaths. Vara’s name is derived from the Old Norse word “vara,” which means “pledge” or “guarantee.” She hears all oaths and punishes perjurers, while rewards those who faithfully keep their word.
In Norse mythology, Vara is sometimes mentioned in passing as a goddess who witnesses or oversees oaths and promises made by mortals. She is said to be a goddess of truth and integrity, and her role is to ensure that oaths are upheld and that promises are kept.
One of the most famous references to Vara comes from the Skáldskaparmál, a section of the Prose Edda. In this story, Loki is caught stealing and is punished by being bound with the entrails of his own son. To try to ease his suffering, a goddess named Sigyn stands by Loki’s side and holds a bowl to catch the venom dripping from a snake above him. However, when the bowl becomes full, Sigyn must leave to empty it, and the venom falls on Loki, causing him great pain. According to the Skáldskaparmál, Vara is one of the few goddesses who feels sympathy for Loki and tries to help him, but she is unable to do so because of his past misdeeds.
Snotra
Her name means Clever.
Snotra is a goddess in Norse mythology who is associated with wisdom, virtue, and feminine beauty. Her name is derived from the Old Norse word “snotr,” which means “clever” or “wise.”
Despite being a lesser-known goddess in Norse mythology, Snotra is mentioned in a number of medieval Icelandic texts, such as the Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda. In these sources, she is described as a wise and virtuous goddess who embodies feminine beauty and grace.
Snotra is associated with the virtues of wisdom, self-control, and gentleness, and she is often depicted as a role model for women. In some sources, she is also associated with spinning and weaving, which were considered important skills for women in Norse society.
Snotra’s association with wisdom and feminine beauty suggests that she played an important role in Norse society as a model of feminine virtue and excellence.
In addition to her servants, Frigga is also associated with a number of other symbols and rituals. For example, it is said that she blesses marriages and that she can help women who are struggling with infertility. Frigga is also closely associated with the spinning and weaving of thread, which is said to represent the interconnectedness of all things in the universe.
Freya
Her name means Lady.
Freya is a Norse goddess associated with love, fertility, war, wealth, and magic. She is one of the most prominent figures in Norse mythology and is often depicted as a powerful and beautiful goddess with long golden hair. Freya is said to be the daughter of the sea god Njord and the sister of Freyr, another important Norse deity. She is also the leader of the Valkyries, female warriors who choose the bravest warriors to be taken to Valhalla, the afterlife for fallen heroes. Freya is also associated with cats, as she is said to travel in a chariot pulled by two cats.
Fólkvangr
Folkvang (or Fólkvangr) is a field or meadow in Norse mythology that is said to be ruled by the goddess Freya. According to Norse mythology, Folkvang means People Field and it is the place where Freya receives half of the warriors who die in battle, while the other half go to Valhalla, the great hall of the slain. Folkvang is described as a beautiful and peaceful place, where the fallen warriors live with Freya until they are called to fight in the final battle of Ragnarok.
Freya’s husband is Our (Odin). Odr’s name means Inspiration. Odr is also known as the “Wandering God” because he is said to travel the world seeking knowledge and wisdom. Freya started out finding him, passing through many lands. She is known by many other names.
Brísingamen
Freya’s Necklace, also known as Brísingamen, is a powerful and mysterious artifact in Norse mythology. Brísingamen means Golden Jewellery. According to legend, it was created by four dwarves named Alfrigg, Berling, Dvalin, and Grer, who were known for their skill in metalworking. The necklace was said to be made of gold and encrusted with precious jewels, and it was considered one of the most valuable treasures in all of Asgard, the home of the Norse gods.
Freya was said to have been so enamored with the necklace that she traded her own body to the dwarves in exchange for it. Some versions of the story suggest that Freya was not willing to give up her body entirely, so she instead agreed to spend one night with each of the four dwarves in order to obtain the necklace.
In some versions of the story, it is suggested that the necklace gave her the power to control the minds and hearts of men, while in others it is said to have given her great magical abilities. Whatever its true powers may have been, it is clear that the necklace was a symbol of Freya’s beauty, wealth, and power, and it remains one of the most fascinating and mysterious artifacts in all of Norse mythology.
Bertha the white lady
Bertha is an ancestress of the imperial house of Germany, and she associated with various legends and folktales, including the legend of the White Lady, who was said to haunt the forests and castles of Europe. Bertha was renowned for her spinning and was regarded as the patroness of female industry.
Frigga is the female version of Odin
In Mecklenburg, the same goddess is known as Frau Gode, or Wode, the female version of Wotan (Odin). In some stories, she is even the leader of the Wild Hunt as a great Huntress riding a white horse. In Holland she was known as Vrou-Elde, and gave her name to the Milky Way, Vrou-Eldenstraat.
Hella ~ The Goddess of the Subconscious
Hella means Holy.
Hel, also known as Hella, is a figure in Norse mythology who was associated with the underworld and the dead. She was the daughter of Loki, the trickster god, and the giantess Angrboda, and was said to have a half-human, half-corpse appearance, with one side of her body being beautiful and the other side being rotting and decayed.
In Norse mythology, Hel was the ruler of Helheim, one of the nine worlds in the Norse cosmology.
Despite her somewhat gruesome appearance and associations with death, Hella was not seen as an evil deity in Norse mythology. She was simply performing her duties as the ruler of the underworld, and was regarded as a necessary part of the natural order. In fact, in some sources, she was even depicted as a benevolent figure, who would offer food and shelter to those who sought refuge in her realm.
During the Vision Quest, Hella represents the subconscious part of yourself that you fear but must face to experience the Divine Essence in all things. I talk about the vision quest here.
Idunn, the youthful part of Hella
Idunn is a goddess in Norse mythology who is associated with youth, vitality, and rejuvenation.
In Norse mythology, Idunn was known for her magical apples, which had the power to grant immortality to those who ate them. The gods of Asgard relied on these apples to maintain their youth and vitality, and would often ask Idunn to bring them the fruit to ensure their continued well-being.
According to the myth, the trickster god Loki once stole Idunn and her magical apples from Asgard. Without the apples, the gods began to age rapidly and became weak and frail. In order to save them, Loki was forced to retrieve Idunn and the apples from the giants who had taken them, and bring them back to Asgard.
The story of Loki returning Idunn by transforming her into a Nut is a story of Soul retrieval.
The story goes like this:
One day, while Idunn was in the forest collecting her apples, she was approached by a giant named Thjazi. Thjazi, who was jealous of the gods’ immortality and had long coveted Idunn’s apples, tricked her into leaving Asgard with him by telling her that he had found even more magical apples in the forest.
Once Idunn was outside of Asgard, Thjazi, who was a powerful giant, captured her and took her back to his lair in Jotunheim, the land of the giants. When the gods of Asgard realized that Idunn was missing, they began to age rapidly and grow weak, realizing that they needed her and her magical apples to maintain their youth and vitality.
Loki, who was known for his cunning and trickery, offered to rescue Idunn from the giants. He transformed himself into a falcon and flew to Jotunheim, where he found Thjazi’s lair. There, he transformed Idunn into a nut and flew back to Asgard with her in his talons.
Thjazi, who was also a shapeshifter and had transformed himself into an eagle, saw Loki and Idunn flying away and pursued them. Eagle is a symbol of entering in and out of the underworld and the subconscious. The gods of Asgard had prepared for this and had built a huge fire, which they lit as soon as they saw Loki returning. The heat from the fire caused Thjazi’s feathers to catch fire, and he fell to the ground and was killed.
Idunn is a symbol of the eternal soul and Hella’s face is on one side forever youthful, connecting Hella and Idunn together. It is likely that Idunn was seen as part of Hella and that Hella was seen as the goddess that aids human soul across the veil.