GODLY FAMILY
Frey was a god of fertility and birth.
The best image of him is this small statue
from Södermanland in Sweden. It is only
3 in (7 cm) high. People called on Frey in the
spring for rich crops. When they got married,
they asked Frey to bless them and give them
many children. His sister Freyja was a
goddess of fertility and love. One story says
that half the warriors killed in battle went to
join Freyja, while the rest went to Odin.52
Gods and legends
Cone-shaped hat
TȩȦȷȪȬȪȯȨȴȣȦȭȪȦȷȦȥȪȯȮȢȯȺ different gods and goddesses.
The gods all had their own personalities, much like human
beings. The chief gods were Odin, Thor, and Frey. Odin, the godof wisdom and war, had many strange supernatural powers.
Thor was more down-to-earth. He was incredibly strong, but
he wasn’t very bright. Frey, a god of fertility, was generous.
The German traveler Adam of Bremen visited Uppsala,Sweden, in about 1075. He saw a great temple with
statues of Odin, Thor, and Frey. Earlier in the Viking
Age, people worshiped outdoors, in woods and on
mountains, and by springs and waterfalls.One hand holding
his beard, a symbol
of growt hTHREE GODS?
These three figures have been identified as Odin (left),
Thor (middle), and Frey (right). But they may be
kings or Christian saints. They are on a 12th-century
tapestry from Skog Church
in Sweden (p. 63).MONSTROUS MASK
Frightening faces were
sometimes drawn on
memorial stones or
pieces of jewelry. They
may be gods, or they
might have been meant
to scare off evil spirits.
This face from a stone in
Århus, Denmark, has a
long braided beard and
glaring eyes.