Chapter 10

The Edda attributes to Freyr a sword of surpassing virtue, which could put itself into motion against the brood of giants, Sæm. 82. His giving it away when in straits, proved his ruin afterwards; it was held to be the cause of his death, when at the Ragnarökr he had to stand single combat with Surtr (swart), and missed his trusty blade. Sn. 73. There appear to have been other traditions also afloat about this sword; (9) and it would not seem far-fetched, if on the strength of it we placed the well-known trilogy of 'Thunar, Wôdan, Saxnôt' beside Adam of Bremen's 'Wodan, Thor, and Fricco' or the Eddic 'Oðinn, Asabragr, Freyr,' (10) that is to say, if we took Freyr, Fricco = Frô to be the same as Sahsnôt the sword-possessor. Add to this, that the Edda never mentions the sword of Týr. Nevertheless there are stronger reasons in favour of Sahsnôz being Zio: this for one, that he was a son of Wuotan, whereas Freyr comes of Niörðr, though some genealogies to be presently mentioned bring him into connexion with Wôden.

For the brilliant Freyr, the beneficent son of Niörðr, the dwarfs had constructed a wonderful ship Skiðblaðnir, which could fold up like a cloth, Sæm. 45b. Sn. 48. Yngl. saga cap. 7 (see Suppl.) (11)

Besides the Swedes, the Thrændir in Norway were devoted to Freyr above all other gods, Fornm. sög. 10, 312. Occasionally priests of his are named, as Thorðr Freys goði (of the 10thcentury), Landn. 4, 10 and Nialss. cap. 96; Flosi appears to have succeeded his father in the office; other Freysgyðlîngar are cited in Land. 4, 13. The Vigaglumssaga cap. 19 mentions Freys hof at Upsala, and cap. 26 his statue at Thverâ in Iceland, though only in a nightvision: he is pictured sitting on a chair, giving short and surly (stutt ok reðuliga) answers to his supplicants, so that Glûmr, who in cap. 9 had sacrificed an old ox to him, now on awaking from his dream neglected his service. In the Landn. 3, 2 and Vatnsd. pp. 44. 50 we are told of a Freyr giörr af silfri (made of silver), which was used in drawing lots; conf. Verlauff's note, p. 362. In the Landn. 4, 7 is preserved the usual formula for an oath: Hiâlpi mer svâ Freyr ok Niörðr ok hinn almâttki âs (so help me F. and N. and that almighty âs)! by which last is to be understood Thôrr rather than Oðinn, for in the Egilssaga p. 365, Freyr, Niörðr and the landâs (Thôrr) are likewise mentioned together. In the same Egilss. p. 672, Freyr ok Niörðr are again placed side by side. The story of the Brîsînga-men (-monile; append. to Sn. 354)says, Oðinn had appointed both Freyr and Niörðr to be sacrificial gods. Hallfreðr sang (Fornm. sög. 2, 53, conf. 12, 49):

Mer skyli Freyr oc Freyja, fiarð læt ek aðul Niarðar,

lîknist gröm við Grimni gramr ok Thôrr enn rammi!

That Freyr in these passages should be brought forward with Freyja and Niörðr, is easy to understand (see Suppl.).

Of Niörðr our German mythology would have nothing to tell, any more than Saxo Gram. ever mentions him by that name, had not Tacitus put in for us that happy touch of a goddess Nerthus, whose identity with the god is as abvious as that of Frô with Frouwa. The Gothic form Naírþus would do for either or even for both sexes; possibly Fráuja was considered the son of the goddess Naírþus, as Freyr is the god Niörðr, and in the circuit which the goddess makes in her car, publishing peace and fertility to mortals, we can recognise that of Freyr or of his father Niörðr. According to Yngl. saga cap. 11, these very blessings were believed to proceed from Niörðr also: 'auðigr sem Niörðr' (rich as N.) was a proverbial saying for a wealthy man, Vatnsd. p. 202. Snorri, in Formâli 10, identifies him with Saturn, for he instructed mankind in vine-dressing and husbandry; it would be nearer the mark to think of him and Freyr in connexion with Dionysus or Liber, or even with Noah, if any stress is to be laid on Niörð's abode being in Nôatûn. As 'freyr' was affixed to other names of heroes (p. 211-2), I find geirniörðr used for a hero in general, Sæm. 266b; conf. geirmîmir, geirniflûngr, &c. The name itself is hard to explain; is it akin to north, AS. norð, ON. norðr [[the North]], Goth. naúrþs? In Sæm. 109b there is niarðlâs for sera firma, or pensilis? I have met with no Nirdu, Nerd, Nird among OHG. proper names, nor with a Neorð in the AS. writings. Irminon's polyptych 222ª has Narthildis (see Suppl.).

Niörðr appears to have been greatly honoured: hofum oc hörgum hann ræðr hundmörgum, Sæm. 36ª; especially, no doubt, among people that lived on the sea coast. The Edda makes him rule over wind, sea and fire, he loves waters and lakes, as Nerthus in Tacitus bathes in the lake (Sn. 27); from the mountains of the midland he longs to be away where the swans sing on the cool shore; a water-plant, the spongia marina, bears the name of Niarðar vöttr, Niörð's glove, which elsewhere was very likely passed on to his daughter Freyja, and so to Mary, for some kinds of orchis too, from their hand-shaped root, are called Mary's hand, lady-hand, god's hand (Dan. gudshaand).




ENDNOTES:

9. In old French poetry I find a famous sword wrought by Galant himself (Wielant, Wayland), and named Froberge or Floberge (Garin 1, 263. 2, 30-8); the latter reading has no discoverable sense, though our later Flamberge seems to have sprung from it. Froberge might very well be either a mere frô-bergende (lord-protecting) weapon, or a reminiscence of the god Frô's sword; conf. the word-formations quoted in my Gramm. 2, 486. There are townships called in OHG. Helidberga, Marahaberga (horse-stable). The ON. has no Freybiörg that I know of, though it has Thôrbiörg fem., and Thôrbergr masc.  (back)

10. Also in Sn. 131, Oðinn, Thôrr, Freyr are speakers of doom.  (back)

11. Pliny N. H. 5, 9 mentions Ethiopian 'naves plicatiles humeris translatas.'  (back)