Frigg
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Frigg (/frɪɡ/; Old Norse: [ˈfriɡː]) is a goddess, one of the Æsir, in Germanic mythology. In Norse mythology, the primary source of most information about her, she is associated with marriage, prophecy, foresight, and motherhood, and resides in the marshy halls of Fensalir. In the broader Germanic mythology, she is known as Frīja in Old High German, Frēa in Lombardic, Frīg in Old English, Frīa in Old Frisian, and Frī in Old Saxon, all ultimately deriving from the Proto-Germanic theonym *Frijjō, meaning "(the) Beloved" or "(the) Free." In almost all sources, she is depicted as the wife of the god Odin.
In Old High German and Old Norse sources, she is specifically associated with Fulla but also connected with the goddesses Lofn, Hlín, Gná, and ambiguously with Earth, otherwise personified as Jörð (Old Norse: "Earth"). Frigg and Odin's children include the radiant god Baldr. Scholars have suggested a connection with the goddess Freyja due to significant thematic overlaps.
The English weekday name Friday ("Frigg's Day") bears her name. After Christianization, Frigg continued to appear in Scandinavian folklore. In modern times, Frigg features in popular culture, is the subject of art, and is venerated in Germanic neopaganism.
Name and Origins
Etymology
The theonyms Frigg (Old Norse), Frīja (Old High German), Frīg (Old English), Frīa (Old Frisian), and Frī (Old Saxon) are cognates—linguistic siblings of common origin. They derive from the Proto-Germanic feminine noun *Frijjō ('Beloved' or 'Free'), formed through the Holtzmann's law as a substantivized feminine of the adjective *frijaz ('free'). In a clan-based social system, "free" evolved from the concept of being "related."
The name is closely related to Sanskrit priyā and Avestan fryā ("own, dear, beloved"), all ultimately stemming from the Proto-Indo-European root *priH-o-, meaning "one's own, beloved." The Proto-Germanic verb *frijōnan ('to love') and the nouns *frijōndz ('friend') and *friþuz or *frijađwō ('friendship, peace') are also related.
Modern editors sometimes add an -a suffix to mark femininity, resulting in the form "Frigga." This spelling also serves to distinguish the goddess from the English expletive frig. Several place names in present-day Norway and Sweden reference Frigg, although her name does not appear in recorded place names in Denmark.
Origins of Frigg
The connection and possible earlier identification of the goddess Freyja with Frigg in Proto-Germanic times (the Frigg and Freyja origin hypothesis) is a subject of scholarly debate. Unlike the name of the gods' group Vanir, to which Freyja belongs, the name Freyja is not attested outside Scandinavia. This contrasts with the name of the goddess Frigg, which is attested as a widespread Germanic deity and reconstructed as Proto-Germanic *Frijjō. There is no evidence of a common Germanic goddess from whom the Old Norse Freyja descends, but scholars note this could simply be due to a lack of preserved sources.
Regarding the hypothesis of a shared origin of Freyja and Frigg, scholar Stephan Grundy observes: "The question of whether Frigg or Freyja might originally have been a single goddess is a difficult one, complicated by the lack of pre-Viking age evidence for Germanic goddesses and the varying quality of sources. The best we can do is outline the arguments for and against their identity and assess how well each is supported."
Origin of Friday
The English weekday name Friday originates from Old English Frīġedæġ, meaning "day of Frig." It is related to Old Frisian Frīadei (≈ Fri(g)endei), Middle Dutch Vridach, and Old High German Frîatac, which was borrowed into Old Norse as Frjádagr. All these terms derive from Late Proto-Germanic *Frijjōdag ('Day of Frijjō'), a calque of the Latin Veneris dies ('Day of Venus'; cf. modern Italian venerdì, French vendredi, Spanish viernes).
Testimonies
Origo Gentis Langobardorum and Historia Langobardorum
The Origo Gentis Langobardorum from the 7th century and the derived Historia Langobardorum by Paul the Deacon from the 8th century narrate the foundation myth of the Lombards, a Germanic people who ruled a region in present-day Italy (see Lombardy). According to this legend, a "small tribe" called the Winnili was ruled by a woman named Gambara, who had two sons, Ybor and Agio. The Vandals, led by Ambri and Assi, approached the Winnili with their army and demanded either tribute or war. Ybor, Agio, and their mother Gambara refused to pay tribute. Subsequently, Ambri and Assi sought the god Godan’s favour for victory over the Winnili. Godan responded (in the longer version from the Origo): "To whom I first turn my gaze at sunrise, to them I shall grant victory."
Meanwhile, Ybor and Agio sought the advice of Frea, Godan’s wife. Frea advised that "at sunrise, the Winnili should appear, including their women, who should let their hair fall over their faces like beards." At sunrise, Frea turned Godan’s bed so that he faced east and then woke him. Seeing the Winnili, including the "bearded" women, Godan asked: "Who are these long-beards?" Frea replied: "As you have given them a name, so give them victory too." Godan did so, allowing them to defend themselves and claim victory. From that moment, the Winnili became known as the Lombards (Old Lombardic Langobardi, meaning "long-beards").
Second Merseburg Incantation
A 10th-century manuscript discovered in Merseburg, Germany, contains an incantation known as the Second Merseburg Incantation. The spell invokes various continental Germanic deities, including the Old High German Frija and a related goddess, Volla, to heal a horse:
Old High German:
Phol ende uuodan uuoran zi holza.
du uuart demo balderes uolon sin uuoz birenkit.
thu biguol en sinthgunt, sunna era suister,
thu biguol en friia, uolla era suister
thu biguol en uuodan, so he uuola conda:
sose benrenki, sose bluotrenki, sose lidirenki:
ben zi bena, bluot si bluoda,
lid zi geliden, sose gelimida sin!
Translation by Bill Griffiths:
Phol and Woden rode into the woods.
Then for Baldr's colt, the foot was wrenched.
Then it was charmed by Sinthgunt (and) Sunna, her sister,
then charmed by Frija (and) Volla, her sister,
then charmed by Woden, as he well knew how,
As the bone-splint, so the blood-splint, (and) so the joint-splint:
Bone to bone, blood to blood,
limb to limb, so be glued together!
Poetic Edda
In the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier material, Frigg is mentioned in the poems Völuspá, Vafþrúðnismál, the prose of Grímnismál, Lokasenna, and Oddrúnargrátr.
Frigg appears three times in Völuspá. In the first instance, the poem recounts that Frigg mourned her son Baldr’s death in Fensalir. Later, when Odin’s future death is foretold, he is described as the "beloved of Frigg," and his death is called Frigg’s "second sorrow." Both references connect to her grief over Baldr’s death.
Frigg plays a significant role in the prose introduction to Grímnismál. The story narrates how two sons of King Hrauðungr, Agnar (10 years old) and Geirröðr (8 years old), were blown out to sea while fishing. They landed at a farmstead, where an elderly couple raised them. In spring, the old man (Odin in disguise) gave Geirröðr advice and ensured his return to their kingdom, where Geirröðr became king. Odin and Frigg later observe the brothers from Hliðskjálf, and a wager about Geirröðr’s character leads to a series of events culminating in Odin’s visit to the king in disguise as Grímnir.
In Lokasenna, during a heated exchange at a banquet hosted by Ægir, Loki accuses Frigg and other goddesses of promiscuity and unfaithfulness. A tense verbal duel ensues between Loki and Frigg, with Freyja also intervening. The poem depicts Frigg’s role within the larger mythological framework, though she is portrayed as less combative than Loki
Prose Edda
Frigg is mentioned in the Poetic Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson. She is first introduced in the Prose Edda’s prologue, where a euhemerised account of the Norse gods is presented. The author describes Frigg as Odin's wife and, in an instance of folk etymology, attempts to connect her name to the Latinised form Frigida. The prologue adds that both Frigg and Odin "possessed the gift of prophecy."
In the next section of the Prose Edda, Gylfaginning, High tells Gangleri (the disguised King Gylfi) that Frigg, the daughter of Fjörgynn (Old Norse Fjörgynsdóttir), is married to Odin and that the Æsir are descended from this pair. He adds that "the Earth [Jörðin] was both Odin’s daughter and his wife." According to High, the couple had many sons, the first of whom was the mighty god Thor.
Later in Gylfaginning, Gangleri asks about the ásynjur, the Norse goddesses. High replies that the "highest" among them is Frigg and that only Freyja "ranks equally high beside her." Frigg resides in Fensalir, "and it is exceedingly magnificent." This section also links Frigg to other ásynjur: Fulla carries Frigg’s casket of ashes, "looks after her footwear, and shares her secrets"; Lofn is granted permission by Frigg and Odin to "arrange unions" between men and women; Hlín is tasked by Frigg with protecting those she deems worthy; and Gná is sent by Frigg "to carry out her errands in different worlds."
In section 49 of Gylfaginning, a story is told about the fate of Frigg’s son Baldr. High explains that Baldr began having dreams indicating his life was in danger. When Baldr shared these dreams with his fellow Æsir, the gods convened and decided to request "immunity from all dangers" for Baldr. Frigg subsequently obtained vows of protection from the elements, the environment, diseases, animals, and stones, among other things. The request succeeded, and the Æsir amused themselves with Baldr’s newfound invulnerability: no matter what struck him, Baldr remained unharmed.
When Loki learned of this, he was displeased and disguised himself as a woman to visit Frigg at Fensalir. Frigg asked the female visitor what the Æsir were doing. The woman replied that they were shooting at Baldr, who remained unscathed. Frigg explained: "Weapons and wood will not harm Baldr." The woman then asked if all things had sworn to spare Baldr, prompting Frigg to reveal an exception: "To the west of Val-hall grows a sprig of a tree called mistletoe. It seemed too young to me to demand an oath from it." Loki immediately disappeared.
Armed with a mistletoe sprig, Loki returned to where the Æsir were gathered. He tricked the blind Höðr, Baldr’s brother, into throwing a mistletoe projectile at Baldr. To the shock of everyone present, the mistletoe pierced Baldr and killed him. The gods were horrified and, paralysed by grief, could only weep. Frigg spoke up, asking, "Who among the Æsir wishes to earn all my love and favour and is willing to ride to Hel to try to find Baldr and offer Hel a ransom to return him to Asgard?"
Hermóðr, Baldr’s brother, accepted Frigg’s request and rode to Hel. In the meantime, Baldr received a grand funeral, attended by many beings, including his parents, Frigg and Odin. During the funeral, Nanna, Baldr’s wife, died of grief and was placed on the pyre alongside her husband. Hermóðr found Baldr and Nanna in Hel. He negotiated an agreement for Baldr’s return, and Nanna sent gifts with Hermóðr for Frigg (a linen robe) and Fulla (a finger ring). Hermóðr returned to the Æsir and reported what had happened. However, the agreement failed due to sabotage by a jötunn named Þökk (Old Norse for "Thanks"), who may have been Loki in disguise.
Frigg is mentioned several times in Skáldskaparmál, another section of the Prose Edda. The first mention occurs at the beginning of the section, where it is stated that the Æsir and ásynjur once held a feast in a hall in the divine land of Asgard. Frigg is listed as one of the twelve ásynjur in attendance.
Heimskringla and Sagas
In the Ynglinga saga, the first book of Heimskringla, the origin of the gods is presented in euhemerised form, and Frigg is mentioned once. According to the saga, Odin's brothers, Vili and Vé, oversaw Odin’s possessions during his absence. On one occasion, when Odin was away for an extended period, the Æsir assumed he would not return. His brothers began dividing Odin’s inheritance, "and they also took his wife, Frigg, for themselves." Shortly thereafter, [Odin] returned and reclaimed his wife.
In the Völsunga saga, the high king Rerir and his unnamed wife are unable to conceive a child. "This lack displeased them both, and they fervently prayed to the gods for a child." It is said that Frigg heard their prayers and informed Odin of their request.
Archaeological Records
On a wall of the Schleswig Cathedral in Schleswig-Holstein (northern Germany), a 12th-century depiction shows a veiled but otherwise nude woman riding a large cat. Beside her is another veiled but otherwise nude woman riding a distaff. Due to their iconographic similarities to literary traditions, these figures have been interpreted as representations of Freyja and Frigg, respectively.
Scholarly Reception and Interpretation
Due to numerous similarities, some scholars have proposed that the Old Norse goddesses Frigg and Freyja descend from a shared origin in the Proto-Germanic period. Regarding this hypothesis, scholar Stephan Grundy notes: "The question of whether Frigg and Freyja might originally have been a single goddess is a complex one, further complicated by the sparse evidence for Germanic goddesses from the pre-Viking era and the varying quality of the sources. The best we can do is to summarise the arguments for and against their identity and evaluate how well each is supported."
Unlike Frigg, whose name is widely attested among Germanic peoples and reconstructed as Proto-Germanic Frijjō, the name Freyja, like the group of gods to which she belongs, the Vanir, is not attested outside Scandinavia. There is no comparable evidence for the existence of a shared Germanic goddess from whom Freyja might descend. However, scholars have noted that this could simply reflect the lack of sources outside the North Germanic tradition.
Modern Influence
Frigg has been referenced in art and literature into the modern era. In the 18th century, Gustav III of Sweden, King of Sweden, wrote the play Friggja, and in 1937, Frau Frigg und Doktor Faust by H. F. Block and Hans Friedrich Blunck was published. Other examples include works of visual art, such as K. Ehrenberg’s Frigg, Freyja (drawing, 1883), John Charles Dollman’s Frigga Spinning the Clouds (painting, c. 1900), Emil Doepler’s Wodan und Frea am Himmelsfenster (painting, 1901), and H. Thoma’s Fricka (drawing, date unknown).