Freya

Freya is arguably the most important Goddess in the Norse pantheon. Her name means only "Lady".
Her consort and twin brother, Frey ("Lord" wink is associated with the god Ing of the Celts. Freya is her
own deity, though. Her name, if she has one other than "Freya" doesn't matter. She is the Goddess, the
Lady, and has quickly become my Lady, my personal deity.

heart * heart * heart * heart

Aspects

Fertility Goddess:
The feritlitity of humans and animals is her purview. Her brother Frey is the one to talk to regarding
agriculture.

Death Goddess
One of Freya's titles is "The Chooser of the Slain". This doesn't mean she foretells death or causes it.
She isn't a Death Goddess in that sense, but half of the men killed in battle (and all warrior women,
unless they are already dedicated to another God) go to Her hall Sessrumnir, as do women who die in
childbirth, which was considered an honorable death.

The Goddess of Love, Beauty, Sex, and Sexuality:

Freya is the most beautiful of all Norse Goddesses. She is a highly sexual Goddess, and has had many
lovers, both God and mortal. She values beauty in all forms, and is fond of jewelry, especially
necklaces.

The Goddess of Gold and Wealth:

Gold is Freya's sacred metal. She weeps golden tears, and it is said that all gold in the world came from
her weeping and wandering the earth in searc of her lost husband Od (probably an older form of Odin).
Because of Her association with material wealth, Freya works well as an urban Goddess. While it has
been easy for me to find Her in nature, she easily fits into an urban or suburban setting.

The Goddess of Seidh (Norse magic):

Freya was Odin's teacher in this art. She is rather protective of women who use magic. She has been
associated with Gullveig ("Gold-Greedy" wink an old woman (Freya in disguise) sent by the Vanir to
the Aesir inValhalla. The Aesir feared Her and tried to burn Her three times, each time She emerged
from the fire unscathed. If Freya and Gullveig are (as I believe) one and the same, this would serve as a
form of divine sacrifice, much as Odin's hanging of Himself.

The Goddess of War:

Freya is a very protective deity, and while she is understanding and generous, she is also not to be
crossed. She is often depicted wielding a spear, and is the leader of the Valkyries.

Not Really a Mother Goddess:

Interestingly enough, though She does have two daughters, She is rarely seen as a Mother-figure. The
one exception to this is that She protects women in childbirth in particular, as well as women in general.
(Then again, so did Artemis, a Virgin Goddess) She has also been associated by some with
 homosexuality, both male and female.

heart * heart * heart * heart

Animal Associations
Animals associated with Her include the falcon (She posesses a cloak of falcon feathers that She uses to
transform into the animal), the cat (Her chariot is drawn by two giant cats), the boar (She rides a boar
into battle sometimes, as does Her twin brother Frey), and the stag (Frey, a Horned God, is Her divine
consort as well as Her twin brother).

heart * heart * heart * heart

Freya's Symbols and Associations

There are a number of symbols associated with this Goddess. This list is by no means comprehensive,
and will be periodically updated with more information.

Amber: "Tregul" or "Tree-Gold" in Old Norse. Freya's sacred stone.

Bees: Freya is associated wit bees through her fondness for honey and mead, sacred foods to her.

Cats: Cats are one of the animals sacred to this Goddess. She sometimes rides a chariot pulled by two
cats.

Colors: Colors associated with Freya include red, gold, amber, dark green, earth tones, and black.

Falcon: Freya has a Falcon-feather cloak that she can use to transform into the animal. She even lent it
to Loki once, so he could retrieve Idunn's golden apples from a frost giant. But that's a myth for another
day. ^_^

Gold: Gold is Freya's sacred metal, though she is fond of all precious metals. Her necklace Brisingr is
gold, and she weeps tears of gold when she cries.

Honey: Honey was called "Begul" in Old Norse, or "Bee-Gold". It is sacred to Freya, as is meas, the
alcoholic drink it is made from.

Heart: A more modern but very appropriate symbol. Not only does it symbolize love, but the shape
mimics female genitalia, and Freya is also the Goddess of sexuality.

Mead: An alcoholic beverage made from honey, which is sacred to Freya.

Necklaces: Freya's gold and amber necklace is called "Brisingr". ("Fire" wink in old Norse. It was
forged by four Dwarves (who might represent the four elements). Freya is supposedly irresistible when
she wears it. It is symbolic of both love and fertility.
Roses: Not a traditional symbol of Freya. Still, they are associated with love and passion. I feel they are
more than appropriate for this Goddess. I always use red roses when working wiuth Freya, since red is
one of Her colors, but I doubt she'd mind.

heart * heart * heart * heart

Freya's Hall
Valhalla is not the only Hall in Asgard. Most of the Gods have Their own Halls. Folkvangr , Freya's
area of Asgard, is the largest, even larger than Valhalla. Within the boundaries of Folkvangr is
Sessrunir, her main Hall. In fact, Freya has first pick of those who die in battle to come to her hall, even
before Odin. As much as half of the dead slain in battle, as well as any women who died in childbirth
and any female warriors not dedicated to another God or Goddess go to Folkvangr, and it is considered
just as great an honor. Sessrumnir is a place of feasting, lovemaking, art, and poetry rather than eternal
battle like Valhalla. It is said tat Freya will be the only God still living after Ragnarok, so it is unsure
whether the warriors in her Hall will fight in the last battle or not.

heart * heart * heart * heart

The Nine Noble Virtues

These are the standards by which those who worship the Norse Gods try to live there lives. They are
less ambiguous than the Wiccan Rede (which I have nothing against, but it is open to a wide
interpretation) but they are hardly the Ten Commandments either. They are more like guidelines, open
to personal interpretation and individual morality.

When I first began to worship Freya, I set aside a nine-week period. Each week I tried to focus on
following one of the virtues--not that I ignored the others, just picked one to be foremost in my mind.
They helped me organize my life, and because of them I think I have become a better person.

There are different interpretations of the Virtues, but these are the ones I follow. I will expand on their
meanings in a later update.

Courage

Truth

Honor

Fidelity

Hospitality

Discipline

Industriousness
 Self-Reliance

Perseverance.

heart * heart * heart * heart

Working With Freya

NOTE/DISCLAIMER: most of this section comes from personal exprience, and may not apply to
everyone.

Invocation
Freya is a very easy Goddess to work with. She will respond to almost any invocation, as long as it is
respectful. Simply meditating in front of an altar dedicated to her works quite well. In alling upon Her
in ritual, I often get the feeling that she is a very easygoing Goddess (if you're familiar with invoking
the Gods, you probably know not all deities are so relaxed). She is happy to help with any problems
dealing with love, money, and everyday liffe--but she wants you to help yourself and will not do all the
work for you.

Case in point: I recently had a cash flow problem. I said prayes to Freya aski ng for her help, and made
several offerings of fresh mint from my garden and butterscotch Schnapps

Music and dance are sacred to Freya. If you are in a place where you are unable to dance, simply move
as much as you can. Freya is the Goddess of sexuality--it is important that you be as comfortable with
your body as you can. Doing Yoga or other forms of exercise while you meditate and focus on the
Goddess are great ways to call on Freya.

As for music, love songs are always good, or any music that gets you in a meditative mood or makes
you want to get up and dance.

Burn incense--Freya likes sweet smells. I usually use rose incense, but any appealing smell is fine.

She is closely associated with fire, so you might try meditating while focusing on a bonfire or even a
candle flame.

Offerings

Alcohol:

DISCLAIMER: Many religions (including Christianity) use alcohol as a sacrament. It has a long and
rich tradition. Having said that, please, PLEASE do NOT read this and then go try and by alcohol if
you're under-age. I'm covering my a** here, because I'm old enough to drink and don't want to be
accused of encouraging underage drinking. You can make other offerings that are perfectly legal and
work just as well.
(Besides, "But I'm dedicating it to my Goddess!" is probably not an excuse the police will accept if you
get caught.)

Having said that, it is traditional and commonplace to use alcoholic beverages as an offering to Norse
Gods, as well as ingested during ceremonies as a sacrament.

Norse deities (from what I have read and experienced) respong well to alcohol. I remember reading an
article about Loki worship wherein the author claimed that a shot of Scotch--straight up--as an offering
worked wonders when asking for that God's help. This doesn't mean you should get flat-out drunk
everytime you worship, but a small amout of alcohol drunk during a ceremony is by no means
inappropriate.

I have given alcoholic offerings to Freya before, and in my experience, this is what works. (feel free to
experiment on your own, I don't claim to know everything here, this is just my personal experience
talking)

Wine: I have had good results with wine, both white and red. Decent wine, if you can manage it. You
don't have to break the bank buying super-expensive liquor--as the Goddess of Wealth, Freya certainly
wouldn't want that-- but don't grab the cheapest white zin you can find, either.

Chocolate Liqueur: I have only used this once, but I often dedicate actual chocolate to Freya. She seems
to appreciate it, and since it is the food of love, it makes sense that She would do so. For an art project
in my Freshman year of college I made an entire set of runes out of chocolate, did readings for my class,
and then we all ate them. A bit beside the point, but it was tremendous fun and I'm currently trying to
find a way to work it into a ritual ^^

Butterscotch Schnapps: Due to it's golden color, I think it makes a great offering. I've used it on
multiple occasions.

Mead: I haven't managed to get my hands on any yet, but since it is made from honey which is sacred to
Freya, it would probably be one of the best offerings you can give Her.

How to offer Alcohol to the Goddess: Indoors at my altar I place the offering in a small glass (a shot
glass, sherry glass, sake glass, or even a small wine glass works just fine) on my altar and respectfully
dedicate it to her. If I lived alone I would simply let it evaporate. Unfortunately I have pets, and my
altar isn't that tall, so leaving cups of liquid out in the open is not advisable. If you worship outside, you
can pour the offering on the ground and let the earth absorb it, if not, do a separate ritual for taking the
alcohol outside and pouring it out.

Incense: As well as helping set the mood for an invocation, incense is alspo a good offering to the
goddess.

Plants:

(NOTE: Norse herb lore is not my specialty, but I will post more information as I do more research.)
 Roses are a good flower to dedicate to Freya. See the "Symbols and Associations" section for more
detail. I always keep dried roses around my altar to Her.

Wheat/grains: She is a fertility Goddess after all, and her twin brother is a Harvest God. Wheat, rye,
even corn make excellent offerings, especially if you are woishiping Frey and Freya together (more on
that to come).

heart * heart * heart * heart

Information on Worshipping Norse Gods in General

What happens when you die?

Note/Disclaimer: There are different views on the Norse afterlife, because of different myths,
discrepancies in historical sources, etc. Unfortiunately, no one can hop into a time machine and go
quiz a priest of the Norse Gods on his beliefs. This is just my view, based on various things I ave
read. If you have a different one, let me know what it is, why you think so, and I'll happily list it
here.

The other half of the honorable dead go to Valhalla (Odin's Hall in Asgard, perhaps one of the best
known places in Norse Mythology), but Freya is allowed first pick, hence the title "Chooser of the
Slain". Those who do not die in battle go to Helheim (Hel's realm in Niflheim, the Underworld and
the world of the frost giants), which I've come to understand from several Heathen texts is not an
unpleasant place. It's more like the Greek Elysidan Fields, not quite eaven, but a pleasnt, calm place
to rest before you choose to be reincarnated or to stay forever. If you had loved ones there, I can
imagine having a very pleasant afterlife.