More About Goddesses: The Norse Goddess, Freya (New Column)

More About Goddesses: The Norse Goddess Freya

by Tim Kavi

Freya (also commonly spelled Freyja) is the Norse goddess of love, fertility, and sexuality.  Her name is derived from the Old Norse word for “the lady.” In Norse mythology, she is a member of the Vanir deities, together with her brother Freyr (“the lord”), her father Njoror, and her mother, whose identity is unknown.  Her husband is a god named Odr, and partly due to the similarities in name (Odr and Freya, Odin and Frigg), many scholars believe that these two couples are one and the same.

Freya’s afterlife field is known as Folkvangr, and that’s where half of the soldiers killed in battle go to, with the other half going to the god Odin’s Valhalla

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Life of the Party, and Then Some

It can be said that Freya is the “life of the party” among Norse deities, given that she represents the aforementioned love, fertility, and sexuality, and also has a love for material trappings.  One can even say that Freya is a “player” of sorts, in informal terms.  The poem Lokasenna describes how Loki had accused Freya of sleeping with all the gods, and even her own brother Freyr.  But Freya’s seeming proclivity for decadence is just one of the many facets of her personality. 

Freya as a Master of Seidr

Freya is also known as the first to introduce seidr, a form of Norse magic, to the Aesir, also introducing the art to humanity indirectly. Seidr mainly deals with changing the course of destiny, and can be used in a number of ways, including manipulating any human destiny documented in Old Norse mythology.  

Seidr practitioners are known as volvas, and in Viking times, they traveled across different towns, performing this form of magic in exchange for food, shelter, or other types of compensation.  Due to the shamanistic nature of their craft, people reacted to Freya and other volvas with ambivalence, some respecting and exalting her and others treating her with scorn.

Freya and Frigg – Are They the Same?

It has been a much-debated topic as to whether Freya and Frigg are the same goddess, or similar, yet ultimately different goddesses from each other.  Migration Period mythology (400-800 AD) suggests that Freya was Odin’s wife, while Old Norse literature points to Freya’s husband being a god named Odr, which is very close to Odin.  This similarity in name is arguably the main reason why several experts do not differentiate between Freya and Frigg, instead considering them one and the same.

Other similarities include Freya and Frigg both being accused of infidelity while their husbands were away.  Tales such as Frigg sleeping with Odin’s brothers while he was exiled from Asgard refute the belief that Frigg differed from Freya by being more chaste.  Furthermore, the poem Lokasenna clearly shows Frigg as a volva in the same way that Freya is.

Freya after Christianization

The Christianization of Scandinavia resulted in the demonization of the Old Norse gods, though Freya remained revered by people even in modern times.  This was despite her sexual nature going against the epitome of an ideal woman for Christians – a chaste virgin.  Freya was still prayed to as a fertility goddess as recently as the 19^th century, specifically for the purpose of ensuring a prosperous harvest.

About the image: The image is from the painting “Freyja and the Necklace” by James Doyle Penrose (1890)

Celestial Meadow (new poem)

Celestial Meadow

by Tim Kavi

gentle lands of rest

stretch across maps of peaceful

bliss of grassy green

my feet float on airy paths

of glorious silence

stretching to the horizon

sparse trees dot the place

that beckon to places

of pause and reflection

away from all the stress

away from racing thoughts

not just to survive

but to bravely exist

gentle bluebirds

of my Mother's voice

Gaia would you sing to me?

black crows wait to pick

but I know

that your beauty prevails

you will live longer

than humans have tread

oh pray

they will not kill you dead

for in your silence

they gravely mistake

you are not there

but there is only

too much noise

to hear you and be blest

but at moments like this

I only can gently walk

on the pillows

of your endowment

in the shadows of forest

and the paths of wooded trail

the stream flows nearby

into the ocean it flows

goes to the clouds

descends to the earth again

born again

to live again

and to see your glory

in forest, and stream

celestial meadows

where I see all my friends

playing again. 

lovely and beautiful (new poem)

lovely and beautiful

by Tim Kavi

lovely and beautiful

your smile lights the world

where on twisted pathways

the foot of this admirer has trod

until at last

lit by your pretty essence

home has been found

love has been found

forever reflected

in your lovely smiling grace.

poets' afterword:  the photo is of the Greek goddess, the smiling Athena. She is found at the Aphaia Temple at Aegina. She is the tallest representation over all the goddesses depicted in the excavations.  Has a goddess like this ever graced your life?  Hope you tell her so today.~~TK

More About Goddesses: Minerva, the Roman Goddess of the Arts

More About Goddesses: Minerva, the Roman Goddess of the Arts by Sir William Smith (Guest Blog Post)

Minerva is called Athena by the Greeks. The Greek goddess is spoken of in a separate article. [Athena]. Minerva was one of the great Roman divinities. Her name seems to be of the same root as mens; and she is accordingly the thinking, calculating, and inventive power personified. Jupiter was the 1st, Juno the 2nd, and Minerva the 3rd in the number of the Capitoline divinities. Tarquin, the son of Demaratus, was believed to have united the 3 divinities in one common temple, and hence, when repasts were prepared for the gods, these 3 always went together.

The Later CapitoLine Dieties:
Juno, Jupiter and Minerva

She was the daughter of Jupiter, and is said to have sometimes wielded the thunderbolts of her father. As Minerva was a virgin divinity, and her father the supreme god, the Romans easily identified her with the Greek Athena, and accordingly all the attributes of Athena were gradually transferred to the Roman Minerva. But we confine ourselves at present to those which were peculiar to the Roman goddess.

Being a maiden goddess, her sacrifices consisted of calves which had not home the yoke. She is said to have invented numbers; and it is added that the law respecting the driving in of the annual nail was for this reason attached to the temple of Minerva. She was worshipped as the patroness of all the arts and trades, and at her festival she was particularly invoked by all who desired to distinguish themselves in any art or craft, such as painting, poetry, the art of teaching, medicine, dyeing, weaving, and the like. This character of the goddess may be perceived also from the proverbs to do a thing skillfully even mindlessly, i. e. to do a thing in an awkward or clumsy manner; and with Minerva's blessing even the efforts of a stupid person may be they who (are) presumed to set right an intelligent one.

Minerva, however, was the patroness, not only of females, on whom she conferred skill in sewing, spinning, weaving, but she also guided men in the dangers of war, where victory is gained by cunning, prudence, courage, and perseverance. Often she was represented with a helmet, shield, and a coat of mail; and the booty made in war was frequently dedicated to her. Minerva was further believed to be the inventor of musical instruments, especially wind instruments, the use of which was very important in religious worship, and which were accordingly subjected to a sort of purification every year on the last day of the festival of Minerva. This festival lasted 5 days, from the 19th to the 23rd of March, and was called QuintArius, because it began on the 5th day after the ides of the month. This number of days was not accidental, for we are told that the number 5 was sacred to Minerva,

More About Goddesses: The Hindu Goddess Kali (New Essay)

More about Goddesses: The Hindu Goddess Kali

By Tim Kavi

Kali, also known as the Dark Mother, is a ferocious form of the mother goddess which can be quite fearful as well. Those who are devoted to this goddess can form a very deep and intimate bond despite the fearful and intense appearance of this goddess. Kali takes her followers in, assuming the mother role and treating them as her children.

She is one of the first of ten Mahavidyas in the Hindu tradition. Others include Shodashi, Bhuvaneshwari, Tara, Chinnamasta, Bhairavi, Matangi, Dhumavati, Bugala Muki and Kamala. Due to this association, Kali is also known as Adya in her firstborn form. These goddesses represent the ten essential energies that bring about the ten essential insights sought through the main paths of Tantra Yoga. Kali, the first of these goddesses teaches that life seems temporary, but in reality both time and life are endless. Death is merely an illusion that the Kali mantra can be used to overcome. Those that choose to follow this mantra must be willing to give up their attachment to the body. This helps her followers remove the insecurity associated with the first Chakra, or fears located in the primitive brain and brain stem.

Kali is the consort of Lord Shiva, and is often depicted standing on Shiva’s form. Placing her foot on Shiva subdues her anger. Her name translates to “the black one,” referring to the fact that she is an entity that is beyond time. Kali is depicted with black coloring as a contrast to Shiva, symbolizing the time that was created with her manifested in her creation.

The Dark Mother is most well-known for sending the Mother Gauri Shakti to free the other gods from the demonic clutches of Nishumbh and Shumbh when these forces conquered the celestial plane, astral plane and earth, establishing her place as one of the foremost goddesses in Hindu culture.

Poet's Afterword:  At the time of the initial publication of this column in 2013, we are on the eve of the third day of Navratri.  Maa Durga has her nine Avatars during the nine nights of this Hindu festival. On the seventh day of Navratri, it is sometimes viewed as the time of worshiping the Hindu goddess Kali. (In this case, Maa Durga's incarnation as Kali). ~~TK

If you liked this column you will like my eBook Collection, More About Goddesses, even more! You can order it here! Also, don't forget it's simple to view a Kindle ebook on any device with an App (or even in a web browser), the FREE apps for doing so are here.  My kids and I appreciate the support, you see, they need me home, and I'm trying to get there!  Thanks!~~TK