FREIA
Real Name: Freya (original spelling)
Occupation: Goddess of beauty and fertility, former Valkyrie
Legal Status:
Citizen of Asgard
Identity: The general populace of Earth is unaware of Freia except as a
mythological deity.
Other Aliases: Eostra, Ostara (Saxon names), Gondul
Place of Birth:
Vanaheim
Marital Status: Separated, possibly Widowed
Known Relatives: Njord (father), Gaea (mother, alias Nertha), Skadi (former step-mother), Nertha (aunt), Frey (brother), Ve (first husband, alias Lodur), Hnossa (daughter by Lodur), Idunn, Nanna, Syn, Sjofn, Sigyn, Lofn, Var, Snotra (daughters by Iwaldi), Odin (brother-in-law), Frigga (sister-in-law), Thor, Hermod, Hoder, Heimdall (nephews), Balder, Bragi, Loki (nephews/sons-in-law),
Group Affiliation: Gods of Asgard, The Valkyries
Base of Operations: Sessrumnir Hall at Folkvanger in Asgard
First Appearance: Journey into Mystery #114
History: Freia is the daughter of the sea-god, Njord and Gaea in her
impersonation of their aunt, the earth-goddess, Nertha. Exceedingly beautiful,
she was once married to Lodur, brother of Odin, but he left her for reasons
unknown to explore Midgard (Earth). Among the early Germans, she was worshipped as Eostra, and lent her name to the Christian holiday of Easter. In Scandinavia, she took a mortal named Ottar to be her
lover, but to prove his worthiness to be near her, she revealed him to the
goddess Hyndla and revealed to her that Ottar was a descendant of the great
German hero, Sigurd.
Freia, however, loved gold and had dwarves
create her many treasures such as the necklace Brisingamen. To pay for their
services, she gave herself to their father, Iwaldi, many times and had several
daughters, among them Nanna, wife of Balder, Idunn, wife of Bragi, and Sigyn,
wife of Loki. The dwarves also reputedly created for her Hildisvini, a great
boar of solid gold whom she rode to show her way through the dark, who was very
much like Gullinbursti, her brother’s mount.
Loki, meanwhile, heard about her indiscretions and told Odin who requested that he bring to him Freia and her Brisingamen. Loki meanwhile absconded with the necklace rather than bring it to Odin. When Freia reported its theft, Odin told her he could retrieve it only after she spent a certain time in servitude to him as one of his Valkyries claiming the souls of the slain. As the Valkyrie Gondul, Freia delivered the spirits of dead heroes to Valhalla as a part of her penance and Odin then sent Heimdall to retrieve Loki with the stolen necklace. After serving her penance, Freia retired to her home Sessrumnir outside Asgard.
In recent years, the giant Thrym stole Mjolnir, the hammer of the gods, and refused to return it until Freia promised to wed him. Freya refused to be a part of this chicanery than allow herself to be bartered away, but Thor borrowed her wedding dress to deceive Thrym and once more retrieved his hammer.
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 375 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blonde
Strength Level: Freia possesses superhuman strength enabling her to lift
(press) almost 30 tons under optimal conditions.
Known Superhuman Powers: Freia possesses the conventional physical
attributes of the Asgardian gods. Like all Asgardians, she is has an enchanted
youth factor and is extremely long-lived, but she is not immortal like the gods
of Olympus. She has not aged since reaching adulthood and cannot die by any
conventional means. She is immune to all Earthly diseases and is resistant to
conventional injury. If she were somehow wounded, her godly life force would
enable her to recover with superhuman speed. It would take an injury of such
magnitude that it dispersed a major portion of her bodily molecules to cause her
a physical death. Even then, it might be possible for a god of significant
power, such as Odin or for a number of Asgardian gods of equal power working
together to revive her. Freia also possesses superhuman strength and her Asgardian
metabolism provides her with far greater than human endurance in all physical
activities. (Asgardian flesh and bone is about three times as dense as similar
human tissue, contributing to the Asgardians' superhuman strength and weight.)
Freia seems to have mystical powers of an unknown nature to grant fertility to
the earth, allowing plants to grow where they could not grow before. She can
also bless fertility upon living things to procreate. As one of the Valkyries,
she could see the glow around individuals as they were about to die and could
carry their astral spirits (souls) to Valhalla.
Weaponry/Paraphernalia: Freia has a mystical cloak of feathers which she
uses to change form and take the appearance of a falcon. Loki once stole it and
gave it as a gift to Storm of the X-Men, but it is once more back in her
possession.
Pets: Freia is often surrounded by rabbits, which became a symbol of rebirth and fertility and sometimes rides a winged horse. In ancient times, she rode a golden-skinned boar called Hildisvini.
Clarifications: Freia is not to be confused with:
Last updated: 05/06/06