Frigg

Frigg is the goddess of marriage, motherhood, and wisdom in Norse mythology. She is the wife of Odin, the All-Father, and the mother of Baldur, the god of light and joy. Frigg is also the queen of Asgard, the realm of the gods, and has the power to see the future, although she rarely reveals what she knows. Frigg is often associated with weaving, as she spins the clouds and the threads of fate. She is also a patron of love, fertility, and domestic arts. Frigg is revered by many as the All-Mother, a compassionate and protective figure who cares for her family and her people.

Frigg the mother of Balder, the god of light and joy. Frigg is often depicted as a beautiful and dignified woman, wearing a crown and a cloak. She has the power of prophecy, but she never reveals what she knows about the future. She also has the ability to weave the clouds and control the weather.

One of the funny aspects of Frigg is her relationship with Odin. They are often portrayed as a loving couple, but they also have their disagreements and conflicts. For example, in one myth, Frigg tries to protect Balder from harm by making everything in the world swear not to hurt him. However, she forgets to ask the mistletoe, which is used by Loki, the trickster god, to kill Balder. Odin is furious with Frigg for her oversight, and blames her for their son's death.

Another humorous aspect of Frigg is her rivalry with Freya, another goddess of love and beauty. Frigg and Freya are sometimes confused with each other, because they have similar names and attributes. However, they are very different in personality and style. Frigg is more reserved and elegant, while Freya is more adventurous and sensual. They often compete for the attention and admiration of the other gods and mortals. In one story, Frigg and Freya both claim to be the most beautiful goddess in Asgard, and ask Heimdall, the guardian of the rainbow bridge, to judge between them. Heimdall decides to award them both with a necklace of precious stones, but secretly gives Frigg a larger one.

Frigg was the Norse goddess of love, marriage, and fertility. She was also associated with prophecy and wisdom. She was the wife of Odin, the chief of the gods, and the mother of Baldur, the god of joy and light. Frigg had several pets that represented her attributes and powers.

One of them was a falcon, which she used to fly over the nine worlds and observe everything that happened. The falcon also symbolized her ability to shape-shift and transform herself into different forms. Frigg lent her falcon cloak to other gods and goddesses who needed to travel quickly, such as Loki and Freyja.

Another pet of Frigg was a boar named Hildisvini, which means "battle swine". The boar was a sacred animal to the Vanir, a group of fertility gods that Frigg belonged to before she married Odin. The boar represented her connection to the earth and nature, as well as her role as a protector of warriors and heroes. Frigg rode Hildisvini into battle and used him as a mount when she visited other realms.

Frigg also had two cats that pulled her chariot. They were Norwegian Forest Cats, a large and powerful breed that could withstand the cold climate of Scandinavia. The cats were a gift from Thor, the god of thunder and strength, who admired Frigg's beauty and grace. The cats symbolized Frigg's independence and elegance, as well as her affinity for magic and mystery.

Frigg is the Norse goddess of motherhood and marriage, and the wife of Odin. She is also associated with wisdom and prophecy, and is often depicted as a queen of the gods. Frigg's name means "beloved" or "dear" in Proto-Germanic, and is related to the English word "Friday", which comes from the Old English "Frīġedæġ", meaning "Frigg's day".

Friday was named after Frigg because the Romans identified her with Venus, the goddess of love and beauty. Venus' day in Latin was "dies Veneris", which became "Friday" in English. Some Icelandic writers tried to call Friday "Freyjudagr", after Freyja, another Norse goddess of love and fertility, but this name did not catch on. Frigg and Freyja are sometimes considered to be different aspects of the same goddess, but they have distinct personalities and attributes.

Frigg is an important figure in Norse mythology, especially in the stories of her son Baldur's death and resurrection. She is also a powerful practitioner of seidr, a form of magic that involves altering or foreseeing the future. Frigg lives in Fensalir, a watery realm that may be a marsh or a bog. She owns a box of unknown contents and a set of falcon feathers that allow her to shapeshift into a bird.

Why does Frigg live away from Odin?

There are different possible answers to this question, depending on the sources and interpretations of Norse mythology. One answer is that Frigg lives away from Odin because she is a goddess of the Vanir, a tribe of gods that was at war with the Aesir, Odin's tribe, before they made peace and exchanged hostages. Frigg was one of the hostages sent to the Aesir, along with her brother Freyr and her father Njord. She married Odin as a sign of alliance, but she still maintained her ties to the Vanir and their realm of Vanaheim. She often visited her family and friends there, and sometimes acted as a mediator between the two tribes.

Another answer is that Frigg lives away from Odin because she is a goddess of seidr, a form of magic that involves seeing and shaping the future. Seidr was considered a feminine and even shameful practice for male gods, and Odin had to disguise himself as a woman to learn it from Freya, Frigg's sister or alter-ego. Frigg was a master of seidr, and she used it to protect her son Baldur from harm. She also kept her knowledge of fate secret from Odin, who was obsessed with finding out his own destiny. Frigg preferred to live in her own hall, Fensalir, where she could weave the clouds and the threads of fate without interference from Odin or anyone else.

A third answer is that Frigg lives away from Odin because she is a goddess of love, marriage, and fertility, while Odin is a god of war, wisdom, and poetry. Frigg represents the domestic and peaceful aspects of life, while Odin represents the adventurous and violent ones. They have different interests and priorities, and they often disagree on how to deal with their children and other gods. Frigg is loyal and faithful to Odin, but she also has her own will and power. She does not always follow his commands or share his views. She lives away from him to preserve her autonomy and dignity, as well as to avoid conflict and strife.

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Seidr is a form of Norse magic and shamanism that involves discerning and shaping the course of fate by symbolically weaving new events into being. Seidr practitioners, who were often women called völvas or seiðkonur, entered an ecstatic trance to interact with the world of spirit and perform various tasks such as prophecy, healing, cursing, weather control, and animal attraction. Seidr was associated with the goddess Freyja, who taught it to the god Odin, and the Norns, who wove the fate of all beings. Seidr was a highly gendered and socially ambiguous activity in Norse society, and it gradually declined after the Christianization of Scandinavia.

Sources:
- Seiðr - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sei%C3%B0r
- Seidr - Norse Mythology for Smart People https://norse-mythology.org/concepts/seidr/
- Seidr | Exploring Norse Magic, Shamanism and Divination https://vikingr.org/magic-symbols/seidr