Freyr Research Paper

Freyr was born in Vanaheim to Njord and his Vana wife/sister, making him originally of the Vanir race. When Freyr was still young he and his sister Freyja came with their captive Father Njord to live in Asgard. Upon teething, as was customary with the Gods of Asgard, Odin gave Freyr the gift of Alfheim for a teething present. No longer a hostage, Lord Freyr grew to become the God of Sunshine, Summer Rain, Fertility, and Prosperity; Freyr is said to bestow peace and pleasure on mortals. At some point in Freyr's life the Gods gave him a magnificent shining sword, signifying rays of sunshine, that had the power to fight on its own. The Dwarfs gave him Gullinbursti, meaning Golden Bristled, a giant boar; personification of the golden wheat fields. It's said that Gullinbursti is who first taught man how to plow fields when he ran his tusk into the Earth and turned the soil over. Freyr also had a magnificent horse named Blodug-Hofi; A magical ship called Skidbladnir, that was big enough to carry all the Gods and their belongings but could still be folded up and carried in a pack; Skidbladnir also had the magical ability to always be carried forward by favorable winds. The most famous account of Freyr is his courtship of the Giantess Gerdr. It seems that one day while Odin was away Freyr mounted the famous throne Hlidskialf, the throne that looks out over all the universe, from there he first saw and fell in love with the beautiful Gerdr, whom was entering the Frost Giant Home of her father Gymir. Freyr then made his way back to Alfheim and began to dream & fret about Gerdr, to a point that his fantasies interfered with his behavior. Seeing his son so distraught, Fjord asked his attendant Skirnir to inquire of Freyr what the matter was. Freyr told Skirnir of what he'd seen and how infatuated he was, but also how depressed, due to the bad blood between the Gods and the Frost Giants. Skirnir seeing no real problem about it himself offered to go to Gerdr and win her love for Freyr, as long as he could borrow the famed steed Blodug-Hofi, and also have the magical sword that fights on its own if wise be he who wields it. Freyr agreed and Skirnir went to Gerdr. Unbeknownst to Freyr, Skirnir had stolen his image from the reflection in the river and put it in his drinking horn, intending to charm Gerdr with it. Once in Jotunheim Skirnir came across the flaming barrier that protected the home of Gymir, where Gerdr lived; since he had Blodug-Hofi he easily sped through the flames and was soon before Gerdr herself. Upon being offered the portrait of Freyr, 11 golden apples, and the magical ring Draupnir, Gerdr shunned his offer saying that her father already had plenty of gold. Skirnir, angered by her refusal threatened to cut off her head with his magical sword. Seeing that Gerdr was not even frightened by his threats, he resorted to the use of his magical prowess, and convinced her that if she did not consent to marry Freyr she would either be forced into celibacy, or have to marry a terrible old Frost Giant whom she would never love. This threat worked and Gerdr promised to meet Freyr in nine nights in the land of Buri, where she would then make all his dreams come true and marry him. They went on to have a son named Fjolne. It seems that Freyr had an older name that ancient Swedes and ancient Germans knew him by, Yngvi, or Ing; originally meaning Lord. Thus, he was sometimes referred to as Yngvi-Frey. More commonly regarded by the Swedes than the Germans, Freyr was considered an ancestor of the Swedish Royal Family. The royal lineage of Freyr are known as Ynglings. Originally Odin, after having conquered in the North, then built a palace in Sweden, when he died Njord took over, and when Njord died Freyr reigned as Firth Lord, Bringer of Fruitful Peace.

Resources:
- Myths of the Northern Lands by H.A. Guerber, American Book Co. 1885, pp. 112-123 - Asgard and the Gods by M.W. MacDowell, W. Swan Sonnenschein & Co., 1880, pp. 189-206 - Norse Mythology @ http://norse-mythology.org/gods-and-creatures/the-vanir-gods-and-goddesses/freyr/ - Geni.com @ http://www.geni.com/people/Yngvi-Frey-King-of-Sweden-Njardarson/3138268