Woden and Freyja or Woden and Frigg?

In The Tree: The Complete Book of Saxon Witchcraft by Raymond Buckland, specifically in the first edition that details the rituals of the foundational Book of Shadows for Seax Wica, it is noted on page 39 that among the deities worshiped by the Saxons 1500 years ago, alongside Woden, there was Freyja. The text mentions place names, geographical locations whose formation includes the name of this goddess:

“Freyja was the most important of the female deities; her name is found in Freefolk, Froyle, Fryup, Fridaythorpe, and Frobury” (The Tree: The Complete Book of Saxon Witchcraft, 1974 edition).

Now, it’s commonly known that there has often been confusion regarding the identities of the two principal goddesses of the Norse pantheon: Frigg and Freyja. Both names appear in Snorri Sturluson’s Edda, but on closer examination, they reveal themselves as two distinct and separate personalities, at least in the Scandinavian countries. This leads to a critical question: was Freyja worshipped among the continental Germanic tribes?

One answer comes from Enrique Bernardez, a specialist in Nordic linguistics and philology and the author of Los Mitos Germánicos (Alianza Editorial, Madrid, 2002):

“Under that name, Freyja only existed in Scandinavia, and even there, her worship seems geographically limited to parts of the peninsula, at least in the earliest times. Neither England nor the continent retains any memory of her” (p. 161).

“We already know that Freyja was a local goddess; it seems that her cult (as Freyja) was limited to Sweden and Norway, perhaps even more specifically to the region around the Oslo fjord and the southern and eastern parts of Sweden, where place names bearing her name are concentrated” (p. 177).

Reading this for the first time about eight months ago felt like a bucket of cold water. I decided to consult more sources, and the answers were almost always the same. Thus, my surprise turned into curiosity, and this piece is the result of that curiosity.

The Saxons migrated from the continent to the English coast around the 5th century. But which goddess did the Continental Saxons worship? The answer, which applies to Germanic peoples more broadly, can be found in Bernardez’s work:

“Frigg also appears as Frigga, Fricca, and Friia depending on the regions of Germania, which indicates that her figure and worship were far more widespread” (Los Mitos Germánicos, p. 161).

However, Bernardez does not claim outright that Freyja was unknown on the continent, instead stating:

“We cannot expect a specific goddess with the same name to endure within a religion like the Germanic one… Freyja is not a name but an epithet, ‘The Lady’” (p. 161).

As Bernardez points out, there are no traces of Freyja under that name on the continent, but there are traces of a goddess with attributes later associated with her. The only potential evidence of Freyja’s presence on the continent in its pagan period is found in a 7th-century “warrior burial” in what is now Eschwege in northwest Germany. There, a small statue of a female figure with large braids flanked by two cat-like creatures was discovered, interpreted by some as the Norse Freyja. However, it is uncertain who this figure represents.

In the same source, we read: “Like the name of the group of gods to which Freyja belongs, the Vanir, the name Freyja is not attested outside of Scandinavia, as opposed to the name of the goddess Frigg, who is attested as a goddess common among the Germanic peoples, and whose name is reconstructed as Proto-Germanic *Frijjō. Similar proof for the existence of a common Germanic goddess from which Freyja descends does not exist, but scholars have commented that this may simply be due to lack of evidence” (Grundy, Stephan (1998). “Freyja and Frigg”, pp. 56–66).

Recalling a previous article on the Matronae, whose attributes allowed us to trace figures such as the Alaisiagae, the “Most Venerable” (among many others) from votive altars to Sturluson’s listed goddesses, it appears that the name Freyja originated specifically in Norway and Sweden. Even though Freyja derives from the Germanic word Frau (“Lady”) or the Old High German Frouwa, does this imply that there was a Germanic goddess simply called “Lady”? This remains possible but unproven, as little written evidence survives.

Yet in The Tree: The Complete Book of Saxon Witchcraft (1974), we find place names in England ascribed to Freyja, such as Freefolk, Froyle, Fryup, Fridaythorpe, and Frobury. So how can this be explained?

“For the Germanic peoples, Friday became Friia’s day: ‘Friday’… Frigg derives from an Indo-European root meaning ‘to love’ and has led to the English word ‘Free’” (Los Mitos Germánicos, p. 162).

This could provide an updated explanation for at least two place names, Freefolk and Fridaythorpe, that may be attributable to Frigg rather than Freyja. Meanwhile, Froyle and Frobury might have a connection to the god Freyr rather than to his sister.

According to Wikipedia on Freyr:

“The name Freyr is thought to be cognate with frauja in Gothic and frēa in Old English, meaning ‘Lord.’ It is sometimes rendered in English as Frey, omitting the nominative case ending. In modern Scandinavian languages, it may appear as Frej, Frö, Frøy, or Fröj.”

Thus, we might conclude that the Saxons in England recognized Frey as Frö or Froh, but did not worship his sister. This seems unlikely but not impossible. Wikipedia notes that Freyr is cognate with the Old English Frea, but concerning Frigg:

“Frea also existed among the Lombards, a people of Gothic descent. Before dialectal divisions, the name of a goddess called ‘Friyyo’ was known” (Los Mitos Germánicos, p. 162).

Yes, it is apparent that Frea sounds similar to Freyja, but as the Lombard historian Paul the Deacon describes in Historia gentis Langobardorum, Woden’s wife Frea grants victory to the Lombards in a battle against the Vandals, supported by Woden himself. The “healthy” rivalry between these divine spouses suggests that Frea is indeed the same Frigg Sturluson later wrote about, who also contended with Odin over the sons of Hraudung (Geirrodr and Agnar) and was called “wife.” This clearly points to Frea as Frigg.

If these place names were indeed related to Freyja or Frey, however tentatively, it is worth noting that after the pagan Saxons in England converted to Christianity and England split into small kingdoms ruled by Christianized Saxon lineages, Viking invasions brought their gods along, including Freyja. However, such settlements would have occurred at least 200 years after the pagan Saxon era, and the same reasoning applies to Frey. Thus, further study into the antiquity of these place names is needed, though this may be obscured by time.

In Germanic mythology, Frigg (Old Norse), Frija (Old High German), Frea (Langobardic), and Frige (Old English) is a goddess. In nearly all sources, she is described as the wife of the god Odin. In Old High German and Old Norse sources, she is also associated with the goddess Fulla. The English weekday name Friday (etymologically from Old English “Frīge’s day”) bears her name.

In Norse mythology, Freyja (/ˈfreɪə/; Old Norse for “The Lady”) is a goddess associated with love, beauty, fertility, gold, seiðr (magic), war, and death. Freyja owns the necklace Brísingamen, rides a chariot pulled by two cats, keeps the boar Hildisvíni by her side, and possesses a cloak of falcon feathers. With her husband Óðr, she is the mother of two daughters, Hnoss and Gersemi. Along with her brother Freyr (Old Norse “The Lord”), her father Njörðr, and her mother (Njörðr’s sister, unnamed in sources), she is a member of the Vanir. The name Freyja, originally from Old Norse, has modern variants including Freya, Freija, Frejya, Freyia, Fröja, Frøya, Frøjya, Freia, Freja, Frua, and Freiya.

Regarding the antiquity of the cult of Frigg:

“One of Frigg’s invocations is Hlin, meaning ‘protection,’ a name we also find ascribed to a supposed goddess and some matronae” (Los Mitos Germánicos, p. 164). “Before dialectal division, we have the name of a goddess, ‘Friyyo'” (Los Mitos Germánicos, p. 162).

This dates back approximately to 500 BCE, possibly during the era of the Jastorf culture (though this is speculative).

The theonyms Frigg (Old Norse) and Frija (Old High German) share linguistic roots, both descending from the Proto-Germanic feminine noun Frijaz (through Holtzmann’s Law). Frijaz is derived from the same Proto-Indo-European source as the Sanskrit term Priya and the Avestan feminine Frya (both meaning “beloved, dear”). Thus, Frigg is clearly identified as “The Beloved Wife,” while Freyja means “The Lady” (Los Mitos Germánicos, p. 161). Let us now continue with Frigg.

Frigg also appears in the Merseburg Incantation under the name Friia. This document was written down, or “cleaned up,” from oral tradition by a monk in the 9th century. At that time, it was already historical, as it referred to the period when Germania was still pagan:

“Phol ende Vuodan Vuorun zi holza
Du uuart demo Balderes Volon sîn vuoz birenkit
Thû biguol en Sinhtgunt Sunna era suister
Thû biguol en Frîia Volla, era suister
Thû biguol en Vuodan Sô hê uuloa conda
Sôse bênrenkî Sôse Bluotrenkî Sôse lidirenkî
Bên zi bêna, bluot zi bluoda
Lid zi geliden Sôse gelîmida sîn:”

Translated, it reads:

“Phol and Wotan rode into the forest,
when the foal of Balder twisted its foot.
Sinhtgunt pronounced an incantation, Sunna, her sister.
Frigg pronounced an incantation, sister of Volla.
Wotan pronounced an incantation, as only he could:
As bone has twisted,
may the blood do the same,
may the joints do the same,
bone to bone, blood to blood,
joint to joint, so they may be healed.”

In this document, it is stated that Friia was the sister of Volla. And who was Volla? None other than Fulla, the attendant goddess of Frigg mentioned in Sturluson’s Edda.

According to the article on Fulla:

“In Germanic mythology, Fulla (Old Norse, possibly meaning ‘bountiful’ [1]) or Volla (Old High German) is a goddess. In Norse mythology, Fulla is described as wearing a gold headband and is entrusted with the care of the goddess Frigg’s casket and shoes. Frigg also confides her secrets to Fulla. Fulla is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from older sources; the Prose Edda, written by Snorri Sturluson in the 13th century; and in skaldic poetry. Volla is attested in the Merseburg Incantation, recorded anonymously in Old High German in the 10th century, where she assists in the healing of Phol’s foal. Scholars have proposed theories about the implications of this goddess.”

On the other hand, although it is uncommon to find indisputable references to Frigg in toponymy, they do exist. For example, in Västergötland, Sweden, there is an area called Friggeråker (Hellquist, Elof (1922). Svensk etymologisk ordbok. LiberLaromedel Lund (1980)). An English document from 936 mentions the name “Frigedun,” meaning “Valley of Frigg.” Likewise, Friden, in Derbyshire, England, is named in honor of the goddess (Davidson, Hilda Ellis (1998). Roles of the Northern Goddess. Routledge).

Returning to Freyja and exploring her antiquity within the continental Germanic pantheon, it can be suggested that we might trace her presence through her “attributes,” those for which she was venerated, as we saw in the discussion on the Matronae. “The Generous, the Bountiful,” brings to mind certain clearly Germanic Matronae, such as the Gabiae and Alagabiae, bearing the exact same name, as well as the goddess Gefion. In reality, Gefion and Gefn are the same, meaning that this supposed goddess is simply another aspect of Freyja. Gefn/Gefion is a virgin goddess, and it is to her afterlife realm that young women go (Los Mitos Germánicos, p. 174).

Any continental or Scandinavian Germanic divine figure related to production or abundance could be considered a Vanir god, and Freyja herself is Vanir. One of her names is Vanadis, and another epithet is Ptrungva, meaning “shoot” or “sprout,” which connects her to agriculture. Another is Horn, meaning “flax” (Los Mitos Germánicos, pp. 173–174).

Thus, it’s not a matter of hastily concluding that Freyja was not venerated on the continent, but rather that she was likely worshipped under another name. This could also apply to the Saxons who arrived on the English isles. From what I have been able to investigate, we cannot be certain that the Saxons called any particular goddess “Freyja” by name—a “Lady” who was generous, rode with cats or occasionally on a boar, and was associated with the harvest. What we can be certain of is that later Scandinavian invasions brought her with them, which would make sense. There are place names that could belong to either Frey or Freyja, as they carry the identical genitive for both gods. However, in my opinion, they may also relate to Frigga or Frigg, or perhaps “Frige,” which is the name the Scandinavian Frigg was known by among the English Saxons.

So, Woden and Freyja, or better yet, Woden and Frigg? Or Frige? Each person should draw their own conclusions, research further, and then offer an opinion. These topics are essential to a religion as young as ours, yet simultaneously ancient.

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Woden and Freyja or Woden and Frigg?

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