The mythology of the Vikings did not denigrate women. Instead, they played important roles as powerful Viking Goddesses with unique talents and specialties. These powerful women were highly revered by the Vikings, who frequently associated them with adoration, fertility, marriage, but also death. This article explores the fascinating world of Viking goddesses, including Freya, one of the most well-known characters in Norse mythology.
Freya: Viking Goddess of Love and War
One of the most well-known and revered of the Viking goddesses is Freya, the goddess of love, fertility, war, and death. She was well known for her breathtaking good looks, ferocious warrior spirit, and magical skill. Freya was associated with sexuality as well, and it was rumored that she had both celestial and mortal lovers.
Freya was frequently portrayed as riding a chariot drawn by two cats and as having the ability to change into a bird while donning a cape made of falcon feathers. She was rumored to be a strong seer who could predict the future. After a fight, Freya would choose out half of the dead warriors to take to her domain of Fólkvangr and the other half to the land of Odin, called Valhalla.
Other Viking Goddesses
In addition to Freya, there were other formidable Viking deities. One of them was Skadi, the god of winter, skiing, and hunting. Skadi’s legendary strength and hunting skills were said to allow her to outpace any animal in the forest. She apparently had a link to mountains and was wedded to the deity Njord.
Another important goddess to the Vikings was Hel, the god of death and the underworld. The other gods feared and adored Hel for her control over the underworld. Hel was a semi-alive, semi-dead being. She was frequently depicted as having a partially decomposing corpse and as having the power to heal any wound or disease.
Other notable Viking goddesses include Frigg, the goddess of marriage and childbirth, and Ran, the goddess of the sea and of drowned sailors. It was believed that Ran would drag sailors to her underwater domain if they angered her. Many times, Ran was represented as a vicious sea serpent.
Conclusion
Viking goddesses played important roles in Norse mythology and were revered by the Viking people. The powerful Freya and the adored and feared Hel were only two of the fierce and ferocious deities that symbolized the values and beliefs of the Viking society. By looking into the world of the goddesses, we can gain a better understanding of the broad and complex Viking mythology.
