Frigg
Frigg Norse Goddess & Odin’s Wife and goddess of marriage.
Frigg, also called Friia, in Norse
mythology, the wife of Odin and mother of Balder. She was a promoter of marriage and of
fertility. In Icelandic stories, she
tried to save her son's life but
failed.
Some myths depict her as the weeping and loving mother,while others
stress her loose morals. She is the goddess of motherhood and is
herself the mother of Balder, Hodor and Hermod. Frigg is also the goddess of marriage and her name comes from the
verb "frija" = to love.
While the male gods may steal the show in most Norse myths, Asgard had its fair share of Norse goddesses.
Principal
among them was the Norse goddess Frigg, also sometimes called Frigga,
who was the queen of Asgard, Odin’s wife and the mother of Balder, the
favourite son.As this description shows, Frigg was predominantly known
through her relationship to men as a wife and mother. Nevertheless,
Frigg was an important Norse goddess in her own right.
Beloved One
Frigg,
or Frigga, means beloved in Old Norse, and is probably a reference to
her role as the consort of Odin, the king of the gods. But this was not
her only function. Frigg was also a sky goddess and a Norse goddess of
the moon, but her main role was as the Norse goddess of the household,
linked with motherhood, love, fertility, marriage and the domestic
arts.In terms of domestic life Frigg, a mother herself, may have helped
some women to have children. According to one source, a barren king and
queen prayed fervently for children, and it was Frigg who heard their
prayers and took the issue to Odin. As a domestic goddess she was also
associated with domestic arts such as spinning, and according to some
stories, Frigga wove the clothes of the gods from the wool of the cloud
sheep. Frigga’s symbols were the spinning wheel, mistletoe and silver.
But,
as the queen of Asgard, Frigg’s power was more than just that of a
mother and household matron. For example, she was also the lady of the
hall, and it was her duty to carry the mead horn around at feasts.
Considering the important role of feasting in diplomacy, Frigga was also
associated with this art, and the Norse goddess was called on by
leaders to ensure smooth and beneficial negotiations.Finally, Frigg is
thought to have been able to see the fate of all beings, but she chose
never to speak of what she saw. It is said that Frigga saw the fate of
both her son Balder and her husband Odin, but she seems to have been
powerless to change the course of events.
As the Norse goddess of the
home, it is no surprise that Frigg was one of the Norse goddesses most
venerated by the Vikings.She is often described as the most important
Norse goddess in the Asgardian pantheon, and, aside from Odin himself,
she alone was able to sit in Odin’s throne which allowed him to look out
over the nine worlds and see all things. The force of her importance is
preserved in the English word Friday, which is derived from Frigedaeg,
which means ‘Frigg’s day’.
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