Sunday, December 12, 2010
Freya, Norse Goddess of Beauty and Love.
Freya, daughter to Njordr and wife to Od, is the Norse Goddess of love, fertility and beauty. She was a very sacred Goddess to the Norse, right alongside Odin. She is depicted with long golden hair, blue eyes and wearing her famous necklace, the Brisingamen which was made with amber and rubies. She is the leader of the Valkyrie, which are the "choosers of the slain". These warrior women rode over battlefields on winged horses, taking the souls of noble warriors killed in battle. Freya is also said to have a magical falcon cloak, that allows the wearer to become a bird.
In the myth of her wedding to Od, it is said that not long after they are wed, Od disappeared, and all feared that he had died. Freya distraught over her loss, cried tears of gold but refused to accept that he was dead. She put on her magical cloak made of falcon feathers, rose into the sky, and searched all over for him. She did eventually find him, and saw that he had not died, but was banished and lost at sea. Although Freya was too late, as Od had already been turned into a hideous sea monster.
Freya was said to ride a chariot lead by cats. The cat was the most sacred animal to Freya. There is a myth involving Freya and Thor, with magical blue kittens and their cat mother. The mother cat was singing a lullaby that was putting Thor to sleep. Thor did not like this so he brought them to Freya. The mother cat got angry, turned into bird and flew away, so Freya decided to keep the blue kittens, and give them the honor to accompany her on her trips around the sky.
Freya helps us to get in touch with our emotions. She is said to be able to see the future and was a Goddess of magic and divination. She helps us to accomplish our goals, or do something we've been longing to do for sometime. She is also a warrior Goddess and can give us strength and courage. Call on Freya when you need to get in touch with your emotions, or if you have trouble doing nice things for yourself. Freya reminds us to love ourselves as well as others. Sometimes we are too busy taking care of and loving others, that we forget to love and take care of ourselves. She is there to remind us to never forget ourselves.
On your altar to Freya, have representations of cats, rose or sandalwood incense, stones of amber, jade or moonstone and candle colors of red, silver or black or a combination of all three.
Enjoy working with this beautiful Norse Goddess of love and fertility!
Picture courtesy of Mahalo.com
Posted by Tara at 5:00 AM