Frey |
Frey: Son of Njord, twin brother of Freya. "Frey" is a title simply meaning
"Lord," his original name was apparently some form of Yngvi/Ing. Together with
Thor, Frey was one of the best-loved gods of the Viking Age.
Frey was the main god of kingship among the Swedes, whose royal family, the Ynglings, was
descended from him. His holy animal was the boar, which appears several times on richly
decorated helmets from the sixth century through the eighth.
Frey was called on for protection in battle, for frith (fruitful peace) at home, and for
good weather and gentle rains. He was, and is, often thought of as a giver of riches,
whose blessing is called on for fruitfulness and growth in all fields of endeavor. His
priests at Uppsala were said to ring bells and clap their hands with effeminate gestures,
and it has been suggested that this cryptic reference hints at a tradition involving
shamanic cross-dressing.
Frey is the lord of the elves (see below), and is especially connected with the blessings
and worship given to the ancestral spirits and possibly land-spirits. His image was often
shown with an enlarged phallus; like his twin sister, he is sometimes seen today as a
deity of love and pleasure. Frey owns a gold boar called Gullinbursti (Gold-Bristled) on
which he can ride over air and water. He once had a horse named Bloody-Hooved (perhaps
having to do with his role as battle-god) and a sword, but these he gave to his manservant
Skírnir (the Shining One) for winning the giant-maiden Gerd for him. At Ragnarok, he will
fight Surt with a stag's antler.
Old Norse Freyr or Yngvi-Freyr, Ingunar-Freyr; Anglo-Saxon Ing or Frea, Old High German
Fro, Modern German (Wagnerian) Froh, Proto-Germanic *Ingwaz, also called Fro Ing (Lord
Ing).