Freya or Frigg was the Norse counterpart to Juno and Hera. These has always been much debate regarding the similarities between Norse and Greek and Roman Mythologies. Many hold the Norse Mythology with its Asgard reflects in a Nordic way the Olympian pantheon. Above we see a rendering of Freya by Boris Vallejo. As pictured here, Freya is young and strong and does not reflect the matronly aspects of either Hera or Juno. Perhaps this is just the artist's interpretation. Traditionally Freya was accorded the rank of "Queen of Heaven", just as Juno and Hera. She was concerned with marriage and prosperity. This equates her perfectly with Hera and Juno, as well as with our own Obba. However, in the Norse tradition, Freya seems to have some of the attributes of Ochun, as she reportedly had numerous affairs. It seems that in the Norse tradition that the tables were turned on Jupiter and Zeus. This may be in part to the long-standing position of matriarchal societies that existed in the earliest times in that part of the world. It may also be due to the fact that the Norse cosmology was not as complicated as that of the Yorubas of Africa which had many more goddesses, all representing different aspects of womankind. Perhaps the African ancestors were more aware of the subtle differences in the psyche of women, and their goddesses reflected this more complete view of women, with different goddesses representing very different aspects of female archetypes.
Green Tara represents active compassion to the followers of Buddhism, especially Tibetan Buddhism. We chose this aspect of Tara, who is considered to be the mother of all the Buddhas to correspond to Obba. Obba feels compassion for those women who have problems with their husbands and in their homes. But this is an active compassion. Obba will work to remedy the situation. Works can be done with Obba to unite a failing marriage. Obba often works to get rid of the home-breakers, so that a marriage can heal. We imagine that those who work with Green Tara often have similar results. Of course, in Buddhism, results are obtained by meditation and prayer, but it is still working with the same energy. Obba represents an aspect of the Great Mother that is long - suffering and perhaps due to this suffering, she has a greater compassion for those that seek her help.
