Frija (Frigg, Frige, Fricka, Frijjo)

Odin_and_Frigga_by_Harry_George_Theaker_1920

Frija (Frigg, Frige, Fricka, Frijjo)

The most widely known of all the Germanic goddesses considered a mother figure who namesake falls on the day of Friday. Frigg is Odin's wife and the mother of Baldur. She is also a formidable sorceress in her own might and main, a goddess of the family and social order. The name Frija comes from an Indo-European root meaning beloved and in the mythology, Frija is depicted as protecting her children or her favourites.

Frigga and Freyja are often confused as the same Nordic goddess, they are not!

Some scholars hypothesize that both Frigga and Freyja may have their origin in a Common Germanic goddess. There is no firm evidence for this, but scholars have found some similarities both in their mythological features and the possible etymologies of their names, as well as place-names associated with them. The day of the week Friday in Old Norse is called both Freyjudagr and Frjádagr (for Freyja and Frigg respectively), in Faröese Fríggjadagur, and in Old High German was Frîatac, Frîgetac, and now Freitag, for Frigg. On Old English Frigedæg referred to Frigg as well. Frigga is according to the sagas the wife of Oðinn, and Freyja the sister of Freyr, a pair easy to confound and often confounded because of their similar names.
Some significant similarities between Frigg and Freyja have been noted:
1) The power of prophecy is attributed to Frigg, which seems more properly related to the seiðr-craft of Freyja.
2) Hugo Junger argues that place-names in Scandinavia seem to link cult sites for Freyja with names derived from Frigg.
3) Freyja's husband Ód is often away on journeys, like Frigg's husband Odin
4) Frigga is often associated with weaving (a known seiðr praxis), combining the aspects of a love goddess and a domestic goddess. In Sweden and some parts of Germany, the asterism of Orion's Belt is known as her distaff or spindle.

But make no mistake, Frigga remains in my view a formidable sorceress in her own might and main. Frigga is a long cry from the domestic goddess of the home and family. She is capable of powerful and effective magic especially when the homestead is under threat by war or supernatural forces. Frigga is especially important to me and my home. She is my protector of the home and my children. She is also a formidable sorceress. A lot can be learned by allying with Frigga. Friend have asked me about her appearance and features. To me in my observations of the goddess Frigg, she appeared in the most regal blue and white with gold  tortoiiseshell broaches, strong facial features and definitely red hair.

Heimdall returns the Brisingamen to Frøya (Freyja) . Blommér, Nils Jakob (1816-1853). Oil on canvas. Classicism. 1846. Sweden. Malmö Konstmuseum. 89x66,5. Mythology, Allegory and Literature. Painting.