Freyja

('Lady'), sometimes known as Freya or Frea, was the daughter of the sea god Njord in Germanic mythology and sister of Freyr. She was an important fertility goddess and a member of the Vanir, one of the two branches into which the Germanic gods were divided. After a war the Vanir seem to have been supplanted by the youngest Aesir, who were led by Odin. When peace was agreed between two sides, Njord went with Freyr and Freyja to Asgard, where they lived with the Aesir as a token of friendship.

Freyja's greatest treasure was the Brising's necklace, which she obtained by sleeping with its four dwarf makers. Her beauty won her many admirers, including Ottar, whom she changed into a boar. She was said to be a sorceress who could fly in a falcon's skin. Some traditions state that, on her arrival in Asgard, she taught the gods the spells and charms of the Vanir.

Both Odin and Freyja took an interest in the heroic dead, dividing the slain between them at the end of every battle. Odin's share went to live in Valhalla, while Freyja's lived in her hall, Sessrumnir. It is possible that Freyja's lost husband Odur, or Od, of whom nothing is known but his name, was Odin. For she was the goddess of lust as well as love, a suitable partner for Odin who was the father of battles and the lover of destruction.

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