The Norse god Freyr, with his shining golden boar, was associated with virility, fertility, and good fortune. He was one of the most popular gods in the Viking Age. He was widely worshiped in a trinity along with Odin and Thor. Claimed as a divine ancestor by the Swedish kings, stories about Freyr reveal that he was both a lover and a fighter. Learn more about Freyr and his stories with these six fascinating facts.
1. Freyr Was Married to His Twin Sister Freyja
While Freyr is always listed in the Old Norse sources as among the principal gods of Asgard, the realm of the Aesir gods, he was not an Aesir. In Norse mythology, the Aesir gods, led by Odin, are just one race or tribe of gods. The Vanir, who lived in the realm of Vanaheim, were another tribe.
While the Aesir gods lived in a structured and fortified community and were rulers of elements such as warfare, the household, and justice, the Vanir gods were more akin to nature spirits. They ruled over elements such as fertility, love, and the sea. The Vanir gods also lived by different societal rules. For example, it was very common for Vanir siblings to marry one another, a practice considered unacceptable by the Aesir gods.
These cultural differences brought the Aesir and the Vanir gods into conflict. They also seem to have disputed who should receive sacrifices from mankind. As a result, the two tribes went to war, as recounted in the Voluspa.
The war ended in a stalemate and the two sides declared a truce. This involved the exchange of hostages. Mimir and Hoenir were sent to Vanaheim to live among the Vanir. Meanwhile, the sea god Njord and his twin children Freyr and Freyja were sent to live in Asgard. When they arrived, Freyr and Freyja were married to one another in the Vanir custom. The Aesir dissolved their marriage and Freyja was swiftly married to the Aesir god Odr.
Nevertheless, the relationship between Freyr and Freyja may never have ended. In the Lokasenna, Loki interrupts a feast of the gods to criticize everyone present. He criticizes the Vanir gods in general for their incestuous practices and claims to have caught Freyr and Freyja having sex together. While Loki is slandering all the gods at the dinner, all his accusations seem to carry a grain of truth.
2. Freyr Was the Prince of the Elven Realm
All the Aesir gods are described as having grand halls in Asgard. Thor has an enclosure called Thrundheim (stronghold) with a hall called Bilskirnir (lightning crack), which has 540 rooms. Forseti, the god of justice, has a hall called Glitnir made with pillars of gold and a roof of silver.
No surviving sources describe a hall of Freyr in Asgard. Instead, he is described as the ruler of Alfheim, the realm of the light elves. According to the Grimnismal, he received the realm as a tooth gift, a gift commonly given when infants cut their first tooth. Therefore, he was already the ruler of Alfheim before he was sent to live in Asgard.
This raises questions about the relationship between the Vanir gods and the elves. The alfar or ljosalfar (light elves) are never clearly described in the surviving sources, but they seem to be nature spirits, divine ancestors, or something in between. Moreover, the line between the elves and the gods is not a clear one. They are often described in the same breath using the common saying “Aesir ok Alfar.” Since the Vanir gods are also closely associated with nature, Freyr’s connection with Alfheim may suggest a relationship between the Vanir and the elves, but there is not enough evidence to say more than that.
This story also seems to suggest that Freyr was a kind of “prince” among the Vanir, just like Balder and Thor, as sons of Odin, were princes among the Aesir. Freyr also seems to share many attributes with these two Aesir gods.
Balder’s name means lord or prince in Old Norse, and he seems to have been a god of light or sunshine because he is described as shining like the sun. Freyr also means “lord” and he is linked with sunshine and good weather. One of his attributes is also a golden boar that shines like the sun.
Thor is described as the strongest of the Norse gods and the ideal warrior. Freyr is also considered a great warrior. He is a phallic deity, often represented by phallic objects, which associate him with virility and masculinity. As the god of thunder, Thor was associated with the weather and fertility, while Freyr is a god of fertility and good harvest. So, as princes of their respective tribes, Freyr seems to share many attributes with Thor and Balder.
3. Freyr Was Represented by Phalluses and Boars
The Norse gods were often characterized by their attributes. Thor had his mighty hammer Mjolnir, while Odin had a spear called Gungnir and his eight-legged steed Sleipnir. He also famously had only one eye, since he plucked one out as a sacrifice to drink from the Well of Wisdom. Images of Odin are often identified by his horse and the presence of just one eye.
Freyr’s most identifiable symbol was the phallus. According to the 11th-century historian Adam of Bremen, Freyr was represented with a large phallus at the Temple of Uppsala in Sweden. A statue of a seated god with a noticeable phallus from Sodermanland in Sweden is also believed to be Freyr.
The god was also represented by a boar, and images of boars on Viking helmets and shields are believed to be references to Freyr. The Vanir god is described as either riding a boar or in a chariot pulled by a boar, at the funeral of Balder, suggesting that the animal was intrinsic to his identity. According to the Hervarar Saga, boars were sacrificed to Freyr at Yule.
The Skaldskaparmal, part of the Prose Edda written by Snorri Sturluson in the 13th century, suggests an origin for Freyr’s boar and another treasure owned by the god. This account needs to be taken with a grain of salt. A Christian source, this is the only place where this story is recorded, and conflicting origins exist for some of the other items listed in the tale.
Nevertheless, according to the story, as a joke, Loki decided to permanently remove the golden hair of the goddess Sif, the wife of Thor. When his trick was discovered, Thor demanded that Loki replace the hair with something just as fine or suffer the consequences.
To get what he needed, Loki went to the dwarves, the master craftsmen in the Norse cosmos. He went to two dwarven craftsmen known as the sons of Ivaldi and asked them to make Sif a wig of finely spun gold that could be enchanted to grow on her head. He also asked for two more great treasures to give to the gods to help appease their anger.
The brothers made a spear called Gungnir, which was gifted to Odin. They also made a ship called Skidbladnir. It was enchanted to always have a fair wind and to sail on air as well as water. It was large enough to carry all the gods with their mounts at the same time but could also be folded down like a piece of paper to be carried. The Vikings would often carry their ships over land. This ship was gifted to Freyr.
While among the dwarves, Loki also taunted another pair of dwarven craftsmen, Bokkr and Eitri, saying that no one could make treasures equal to those of the sons of Ivaldi. The dwarves took the challenge, also agreeing to make three treasures for the gods. The gods were to choose the finest treasure, and if it was made by Bokkr and Eitri, they would take Loki’s head.
This pair of dwarves made Thor’s hammer Mjolnir, an enchanted ring for Odin called Draupnir, and a boar with golden hair so bright that it turned night into day. The boar was called Gullinbursti, which means golden bristles, and it could run faster on land, water, and through the air than any horse. Again, it was gifted to Freyr.
That he received gifts alongside Odin and Thor again suggests that Freyr was considered some kind of Vanir prince.
Despite Loki sabotaging Bokkr and Eitri, causing Mjolnir to come out with a handle much shorter than anticipated, the gods still chose it as the finest of the six pieces. But Loki refused to turn over his head, saying that he had not promised his neck and they could not take one without the other. They settled for sewing Loki’s mouth shut, though it was only temporary.
4. Freyr Had an Unbeatable Sword but Will Still Die at Ragnarök
Freyr also had a sword that was magically enchanted to fight on its own and would never lose. But, if Snorri Sturluson is to be believed, Freyr lost the sword because of a woman.
One day, Freyr decided to sit in Odin’s seat, Hildskjalf, which allowed the god to look out over all existence. He caught sight of a woman who was raising her hands to open a great door, causing light to gleam from her hands, illuminating both the sky and sea. Freyr fell in love instantly and then fell into a deep depression when he realized that he could not have the woman, who was the giantess Gerdr.
After a period of brooding, Freyr agreed to ask his servant Skirnir to go and woo Gerdr on his behalf. In exchange for doing this, Skirnir requested Freyr’s sword, which he was given. Skirnir started by offering Gerdr many treasures to marry Freyr, but she refused them all. He ended up turning to threats, threatening her life, her father’s life, madness, and misery. His threats included an eternity drinking goat’s urine and suffering from an unbearable desire that could be satisfied by no man.
In the end, Gerdr agrees to the marriage, despite previously pledging never to love one of the Vanir. She agrees to meet Freyr at a tranquil place called Barri, where they would spend nine nights together, and then be wed. Though Freyr did not know how he would contain his lust for this period of waiting, the two eventually married.
This story helps to explain why Freyr no longer had his sword when he did battle with the giant Beli, whom he killed with an antler. But more importantly, it explains why Freyr does not have his sword at Ragnarök, the prophesied great battle between the gods and the giants that will destroy the world.
During Ragnarök, many of the gods will fight to the death with monsters from Norse mythology. Odin will be devoured by the wolf Fenrir who will be killed by Odin’s son Vidarr. Thor and Jormungandr will fight to the death and kill one another, as will Loki and Heimdall.
Freyr will fight with a fire giant called Surtr, who has been trapped in Muspelheim from the time of creation. The chaos caused by Ragnarök will allow the giant to break free and join the attack on the gods with a flaming sword that will set much of the world on fire. Without his enchanted sword, Freyr’s victory is not assured and the two will end up killing one another.
5. The Early Swedish Kings Claimed Descent From Freyr
Freyr is portrayed in some sources as the legendary ancestor of the earliest kings of Sweden. In his Heimskringla, Snorri Sturluson transforms the gods into players in the legendary history of Sweden and Norway. The work opens with the Ynglinga Saga, which tells the story of the Aesir-Vanir war as a battle between two great Viking tribes. The battle ends in the same way, with Njord, Freyr, and Freyja being sent to live among the Aesir. They are made priests of sacrifices and become important leaders within the community.
Odin becomes the king of Sweden. When he dies, he passes power to Njord, not one of his sons. Njord rules for a period of peace and good harvest before he falls ill and dies. He is succeeded by his son Freyr, who was fortunate and had good seasons like his father.
The story credits Freyr with establishing the Temple at Uppsala and ushering in a period of peace and prosperity. In this version of events, Freyr was also known as Yngve, and he gave his name to Sweden’s founding dynasty, the Ynglinger.
When Freyr became sick, his followers built a great burial mound for him. They deposited Freyr’s body there when he died but did not tell the people of his passing. They continued to pay him gold, silver, and other precious items as taxes, and these were placed in the mound. This continued for three years, and they had three years of great prosperity.
When the people realized that Freyr was dead, but prosperity continued, they believed that they would continue to be lucky for as long as Freyr’s body remained in Sweden. They started to venerate him as a god, making blood sacrifices for peace and good fortune.
6. Freyr Was One of the Most Popular Gods Worshiped in the Viking Age
Freyr was one of the most popular gods worshiped in the Viking age, though he seems to have become more popular over time. According to Adam of Bremen, in his 11th-century Gesta Hammaburgensis Ecclesiae Pontificum, Thor was worshiped as the principal god of the harvest. But, according to Snorri Sturluson, by the 12th century, Freyr had usurped this position.
Adam of Bremen also describes a great Norse pagan temple at Uppsala, where Odin, Thor, and Freyr seem to have been worshiped together. He says that the temple is decorated with enormous amounts of gold and has a statue of Thor in the middle and statues of Odin and Freyr on either side. He says that Thor is venerated as the god of weather and crops, Odin as the god of war, and Freyr for bestowing peace and pleasure. He notes that Freyr’s likeness is fashioned with an immense phallus.
According to the 14th-century Icelandic story Ogmundar pattr dytts, Freyr was worshiped as a fertility deity and had to be attended by a female priestess, who assumed the roles of his female counterpart. The Christian writer also suggested that the devil spoke to the people out of the mouth of Freyr’s idol, which was made from gold and transported around the countryside in a wagon.
Depictions of Freyr survive in many contexts, often alongside Odin and Thor as a trio of gods. It is also believed that a dancing couple that appears on many small pieces of gold foil from the pre-Viking Period and used to consecrate sacred spaces, is probably Freyr and a consort, Gerdr or Freyja, representing divine marriage and fertility.
