Frigg Basics

Frigg is a significant goddess and the female equivalent of her husband, Óðin. She is considered “queen” of the gods and her name means “Beloved.” Her mother is the jötunn Fjörgynn (Mother Earth, or Jörð). Like Óðin, she is giant-descended. Her children are Baldr and Höðr, and Hœnir.

“Frigga” is a common, modern anglicized name. “Frigg” is more common among European language speakers, as well as among academics. “Frigga” is often used by native English-speaking, North American pagan groups, as “Frigg” sounds the same as the modern English curse word “frig” which means “to fuck something up” – hardly a desirable association for the most dignified of goddesses. In England she was worshiped by her Saxon name, Frije, or Frea.

She knows all fates, but keeps them in confidence. She is a goddess of wisdom, and in lore is the only deity other than Óðin who is permitted to sit in the High Tower of Hliðskjálf. Thus, like him she observes all that happens in the Nine Worlds. She accompanies Óðin (and Ullr) in the Wild Hunt.

Frigg is attested to in the Poetic and Prose Eddas, the Second Merseburg Incantation, the Gesta Danorum, and in the sagas, especially in Heimskringla. She is also found in archaeological records. She has a magical garment of falcon feathers and a chariot pulled by rams and sheep. She is associated with clouds, mist and fog, which she weaves from her spindle. The rain is described as the tears she weeps for the loss of her sons.

Her most famous story involves her son Baldr. To protect Baldr, Frigg extracted oaths from everything in creation, that none should harm him. She missed mistletoe (alternately, mistletoe wasn’t considered a threat, being “too young” to make an oath). Loki tricked this information out of her, and next tricked Höðr into murdering Baldr, his own brother, with a mistletoe dart.

Hel agreed to release Baldr from the realm of the dead if everything in creation would weep for him. Frigg got all to weep with her – even little mistletoe wept, and its white berries are said in folklore to be formed from her tears. In Snori’s Prose Edda, which is heavily influenced by Christian mythology, Baldr’s death is final, as Loki tricked Frigg again, and refused to cry (albeit in the form of an old hag) and Baldr could not return.

It is thought that this story may have originally been cyclical, in which Baldr dies and is reborn yearly. In another version, Frigg decrees all must promise a kiss under the mistletoe, to ensure Baldr’s (the sun’s) return and commemorate the event.

Saxo Grammiticus conflates Frigg with Freya, and relays a story of how Ollerus (Ullr) and her had an affair. Indeed, there is compelling evidence that the two goddesses may in fact be one in the same. Some Heathen groups approach them as such, and many scholars go back and forth, painstakingly debating this topic. Other Norse pagans distinguish them as distinct, if similar archetypes. 

Frigg is symbolised by a ring of keys. This represents both the purview of the lady of the house, as well as her association with unlocking wisdom. Each of her handmaids can be likened to different keys on the ring. These are the things that they represent and help with:

Sága – research, writing, history, and remembering. Goddess of family genealogy and community archives.

Eir – healing of body and mind. The main healer-deity Germanic pagans pray to. She is the doctor-goddess.

Gefjion – teenage girls, independence, and entrepreneurial ventures, especially concerning women. A good goddess to call on when raising, or teaching teenage girls. Also a goddess of female fertility.

Fulla – financial abundance and female friendships. The goddess of female enterprise and dowries. The woman who holds the purse-strings of the house.

Sjöfn – represents sibling and family relations. Call on Frigg-Sjofn to smooth things over with you sisters and brothers.

Lofn – thought to bless any marginalized adult, consensual relationship. Modern heathens see her as a goddess of LGBTQ relationships.

Var – weddings, commitment, and long-term arrangements, such as living together. Goddess of marriage, and divorce.

Vör – intuition and spiritual vision. Goddess of oracular practice.

Syn – interpersonal and physical boundaries. Goddess who helps assert one’s bottom lines, and the limits of what one can and cannot give.

Hlín – protection, especially of children. Goddess of childcare.

Snotra – social skills and social occasions. Goddess of event planning.

Gná – communication, messages, listening. Goddess who helps with all human relationships.

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Signs and Symbols

Water-wading birds, sheep, cows, and falcons. Wetlands, ponds, swamps and marshes. Cattails. Clouds, mist and vapor. Spinning and weaving, fabric and textiles, house keys. Winter Solstice and Christmas Eve. Midwives and mothers. Birch and linden trees. Fairy Godmothers and Mother Goose. The runes Bjarkan and Peorð.

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Associated Names

Frig, Frija, Frije, Frea, Perchte, Berchet, Frau Holda, Frau Gode, Frige, and yes, Mother Goose!