The Bringer of Plenty
Freyr, sometimes referred to as Frey or Fro, is the twin brother of Freya, and son of Njord. He is a Vanir from Vanaheim, and was brought to Asgard, along his sister and father, when the war between Aesir and Vanir ended. This act has made him recognize as the God of Peace. He is known as one of the most important Gods in the norse religions, and he was one of the three gods venerated in the great temple of Upsalla. Freyr is associated with abundance, harvest, summer, male energy, and he is also rules as the Lord of Alfheim, which is the land of the fairies.
Freyr possessed a radiant sword, which can fight of its own accords any enemy of the God, without needing a hand to guide it. He needs only to unsheathe it and it brings victory every time. As the God of Summer, Freyr fought the frost giants with this swords, like the sun rays fight against the remains of winter snow on a warm spring day. As the God of Male Fertility, Freyr once was smitten with the Jotun maiden Gerd, or Gerda. In order to gain her favor and ask for her hand in marriage, he sent his servant Skirnir. The servant asked in reward for wooing the fair maiden the radiant sword. Freyr accepted and after some shenanigans involving the servant stealing the reflection of Freyr, to show the fair maiden how perfect was the God’s body and face, Gerd accepted to marry the Vanir God after 9 long days. After those days have passed the maiden became his wife.
The previous story made it so Freyr was missing his sword when Ragnarok came, where he fought the mighty Surtur, or Surtr, the biggest of the Fire Giants of Muspelheim. Freyr put the hardest fight of al the Gods against the walking inferno, but died at the hands of the Muspel giant, due to him not having his radiant sword. The giant Surtr proceeded to scorch the Earth, but after the embers finished burning and Ragnarok was over, from Freyr’s ashes new plant life was born, ensuring the new world would have plenty of food and life, because still after his dead, Freyr is the God of Prosperity, Peace and Fertility.
Freyr also possesses the golden-bristled boar Gullinbursti, which some have claimed is a representation of the sunlight. The boar can tear up the ground with his sharp tusks and that’s how Freyr taught humans to plow the land for agriculture. Freyr rides his boar across the sky, melting the frost and plowing the Earth, as the God of Summer and Prosperity.
Freyr is also heavily associated with Yule, the winter solstice, as the God of Summer. The Yule Feast is the greatest feast of the year, and it is in it’s a multiple-day celebration that the long winter nights are going to give way to the Sun. Freyr is the God of Summer, therefore, the Boar, is central in the celebrations. The toasting and offering in honor of Freyr is at the center of the ritual to bring back the summer and ensure next year’s harvest. A special boar is selected and sacrificed to Freyr. The animal’s head is crowned with rosemary and and laurel. His blood is poured in the altar to the Gods, while the meat is cooked in the fire and served in the feast. This is a sacrifice in honor of Freyr, to bring peace and prosperity to us. This is the origin of the Christmas Ham and all the Pork-related Christmas activities. In modern yule rituals, we have no access to pig’s blood, so what we do is that we sacrifice a portion of the ham used in the feast to Freyr. In my house we have gotten the tradition of Yule Sandwiches, which wee prepare with smoked ham, and we always prepare one extra sandwich specially for the offering. We throw it in the fire to be burned in it as an offering to Freyr.
Hail Freyr!
Bringer of Plenty
Bringer of Peace
Master of Alfheim
Lord of the Elves
Lord of Fertility and Abundance
Bless the Fruits of my Labor
Transform my hard work into
Bountiful harvest.
Bring Prosperity and Harmony.
Bless my Endeavours.
Help me nurture my desires
Into full blossom
And a fruitful harvest.
Hail Freyr!
Prayer to Freyr, created by the author.
Recommended Books
The following books were part of my research in the writing of this article. If you want to contribute to my journey, purchasing through these affiliate Amazon links would be a great help:
Helen A. Guerber - Tales Of Norse Mythology
Ryan Smith - The Way of Fire and Ice: The Living Tradition of Norse Paganism