Sunday, June 8, 2014

Freya is the Greek Artemis


 
Freya (1882) by Carl Emil Doepler (public domain)



After Odin-Zeus died and King Njord died, Frey-Apollo took over as king.  He took ill and his priests lied to the Swedes when he died.  They put him in a burial mound and pretended he was alive for three years.  After the Swedes found out he was dead, the now married Freyja-Artemis continued the rituals until she died.  Since the Swedes had good crop yields, they attributed it to the presence of Frey's body in the mound.  It was probably more likely due to the farming techniques taught to the Swedes by the Cronides.  Here is what Snorri Sturluson wrote:


Frey took sick; and when the sickness gained on him, his follower hit upon a plan to let few men see him, and they threw up a great burial mound with a door and three windows.  And when Frey was dead they carried him secretly into the mound and told the Swedes that he was still alive, and kept him there for three years.  But all the tribute they poured into the mound- gold by one window, silver by another, and copper coin by the third.  Thus good seasons and peace endured.

Freya kept up the sacrifices for she was the only one among the godheads who survived.  Therefor she became most famous, so that all women of rank came to be called by her name.  They are now called fruvur ["ladies"].  thus everyone who is a mistress over her property is called Freya, and husfreya ["lady of the house"] one who owns an estate.

Freya was rather fickle-minded.  Her husband was called Oth and her daughters, Hnoss and Gersimi.  They were very beautiful, and we give their names to our most precious possessions.

When all Swedes knew that Frey was dead but that good seasons and peace still prevailed, they believed this would be the case so long as Frey was in Sweden; and so they would not burn him and called him the God of the World and sacrificed to him ever after for good harvests and peace.
Snorri Sturluson, Heimskringla, page 14.


by Rita Jean Moran (www.thelibrarykids.com and www.hiddenhumanstory.com)



Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freyja

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