View source for Freyr

{{redirect|Frey|Freÿr|Castle of Freÿr|other uses of "Frey" and "Freyr"|Frey (disambiguation)}}
{{short description|Norse deity}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
[[File:Frej Rällinge.jpg|thumb|The [[Rällinge statuette]] from [[Södermanland]], [[Sweden]], believed to depict Freyr, [[Viking Age]]{{Sfn|Lindow|2001|p=121}}]]
In [[Norse mythology]], '''Freyr''' ([[Old Norse]]: "(the) [[Lord]]") is the god associated with kingship, fertility, peace, prosperity, fair weather, and good harvest. Freyr, sometimes referred to as [[Yngvi]]-Freyr, was especially associated with [[Sweden]] and seen as an ancestor of the [[Yngling|Swedish royal house]]. According to [[Adam of Bremen]], Freyr was associated with peace and pleasure, and was represented with a [[phallus|phallic]] statue in the [[Temple at Uppsala]]. According to [[Snorri Sturluson]], Freyr was "the most renowned of the [[æsir]]", and was venerated for good harvest and peace.

In the mythological stories in the Icelandic books the ''[[Poetic Edda]]'' and the ''[[Prose Edda]]'', Freyr is presented as one of the [[Vanir]], the son of the god [[Njörðr]] and [[Sister-wife of Njörðr|his sister-wife]], as well as the twin brother of the goddess [[Freyja]]. The gods gave him [[Álfheimr]], the realm of the [[Álfar|Elves]], as a teething present. He rides the shining [[Norse dwarves|dwarf]]-made boar [[Gullinbursti]], and possesses the ship [[Skíðblaðnir]], which always has a favorable breeze and can be folded together and carried in a pouch when it is not being used. Freyr is also known to have been associated with the [[Horses in Germanic paganism|horse cult]]. He also kept sacred horses in his sanctuary at [[Trondheim]] in Norway.{{sfn|Davidson|1964|pp=96–97}} He has the servants [[Skírnir]], [[Byggvir]] and [[Beyla]].

The most extensive surviving Freyr [[mythology|myth]] relates Freyr's falling in love with the female [[jötunn]] [[Gerðr]]. Eventually, she becomes his wife but first Freyr has to give away [[Sword of Freyr|his sword]], which fights on its own "if wise be he who wields it." Although deprived of this weapon, Freyr defeats the jötunn [[Beli (Norse giant)|Beli]] with an [[antler]]. However, lacking his sword, Freyr will be killed by the fire jötunn [[Surtr]] during the events of [[Ragnarök]].

Like other Germanic deities, veneration of Freyr was revived during the modern period through the [[Heathenry (new religious movement)|Heathenry]] movement.

== Name ==
The [[Old Norse]] name ''Freyr'' ('lord') is generally thought to descend from a [[Proto-Norse]] form reconstructed as {{lang|mis|*frawjaʀ}}, stemming from the [[Proto-Germanic language|Proto-Germanic]] noun ''*[[Fraujaz|frawjaz]]'' ~ *''fraw(j)ōn'' ('lord'), and [[cognate]] with [[Gothic language|Gothic]] {{lang|got|frauja}}, [[Old English]] {{lang|ang|frēa}}, or [[Old High German]] {{lang|goh|frō}}, all meaning 'lord, master'.{{Sfn|de Vries|1962|p=142}}{{Sfn|Orel|2003|p=112}} The runic form {{lang|mis|frohila}}, derived from an earlier {{lang|mis|*frōjila}}, may also be related.{{Sfn|de Vries|1962|p=142}} Recently, however, an etymology deriving the name of the god from a nominalized form of the Proto-Scandinavian adjective *''fraiw(i)a''- ('fruitful, generative') has also been proposed.{{Sfn|Elmevik|2003}}{{Sfn|Sundqvist|2013|p=26}} According to linguist Guus Kroonen, "within Germanic, the attestation of ON ''frjar'', ''frjór'', ''frær'', Icel. ''frjór'' <small>adj.</small> 'fertile; prolific' < *''fraiwa''- clearly seems to point to a stem *''frai(w)''- meaning 'fecund'. Both in form and meaning, ''fraiwa''- ('seed') is reminiscent of ''Freyr'' 'fertility deity' < *''frauja''-. The possibility must be considered, therefore, that *''fraiwa''- was metathesized from *''frawja''-, a collective of some kind."{{Sfn|Kroonen|2013|pp=152–153}} Freyr is also known by [[List of names of Freyr|a series of other names]] which describe his attributes and role in religious practice and associated mythology.

==Adam of Bremen==
Written {{circa}} 1080, one of the oldest written sources on pre-Christian Scandinavian religious practices is [[Adam of Bremen]]'s {{lang|la|[[Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum]]}}. Adam claimed to have access to first-hand accounts on pagan practices in Sweden. He refers to Freyr with the [[Latinized name]] '''Fricco''' and mentions that an [[Cult image|image]] of him at [[Skara]] was destroyed by the Christian missionary [[Egino (Bishop of Dalby)|Bishop Egino]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Tschan|2002|p=192}} (Book 4, ix (9))</ref> Adam's description of the [[Temple at Uppsala]] gives some details on the god.

{|
| style="padding: 1pt 10pt;" |In hoc templo, quod totum ex auro paratum est, statuas atrium deorum veneratur populus, ita ut potentissimus eorum Thor in medio solium habeat triclinio; hinc et inde locum possident Wodan et Fricco. Quorum significationes eiusmodi sunt: 'Thor', inquiunt, 'praesidet in aere, qui tonitrus et fulmina, ventos ymbresque, serena et fruges gubernat. Alter Wodan, id est furor, bella gerit, hominique ministrat virtutem contra inimicos. Tertius est Fricco, pacem voluptatem que largiens mortalibus'. Cuius etiam simulacrum fingunt cum ingenti priapo.
::''Gesta Hammaburgensis'' 26, [https://web.archive.org/web/20050207105412/http://hbar.phys.msu.su/gorm/chrons/bremen.htm Waitz' edition]
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In this temple, entirely decked out in gold, the people worship the statues of three gods in such wise that the mightiest of them, [[Thor]], occupies a throne in the middle of the chamber; [[Woden]] and '''Frikko''' have places on either side. The significance of these gods is as follows: Thor, they say, presides over the air, which governs the thunder and lightning, the winds and rains, fair weather and crops. The other, Woden—that is, the Furious—carries on war and imparts to man strength against his enemies. The third is Frikko, who bestows peace and pleasure on mortals. His likeness, too, they fashion with an immense [[phallus]].
::''Gesta Hammaburgensis'' 26, Tschan's translation<ref>{{Harvnb|Tschan|2002|p=207}} (Book 4, xxvi (26))</ref> 164815
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Later in the account Adam states that when a marriage is performed a [[libation]] is made to the image of Fricco.

Historians are divided on the reliability of Adam's account.<ref>Haastrup 2004, pp. 18–24.</ref>

==''Prose Edda''==
When [[Snorri Sturluson]] was writing in 13th century Iceland, the indigenous Germanic gods were still remembered although they had not been openly worshiped for more than two centuries.

===''Gylfaginning''===
In the ''[[Gylfaginning]]'' section of his ''[[Prose Edda]]'', Snorri introduces Freyr as one of the major gods.

{|
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Njörðr í Nóatúnum gat síðan tvau börn, hét sonr Freyr en dóttir Freyja. Þau váru fögr álitum ok máttug. Freyr er hinn ágætasti af ásum. Hann ræðr fyrir regni ok skini sólar, ok þar með ávexti jarðar, ok á hann er gott at heita [[til árs ok friðar]]. Hann ræðr ok fésælu manna. ''Gylfaginning'' 24, [https://web.archive.org/web/20060219152329/http://www.hi.is/~eybjorn/gg/ggrpar23.html EB's edition]
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[[Njördr]] in [[Nóatún (mythology)|Nóatún]] begot afterward two children: the son was called Freyr, and the daughter [[Freyja]]; they were fair of face and mighty. Freyr is the most renowned of the [[Æsir]]; he rules over the rain and the shining of the sun, and therewithal the fruit of the earth; and it is good to call on him [[Til árs ok friðar|for fruitful seasons and peace]]. He governs also the prosperity of men. ''Gylfaginning'' XXIV, [https://web.archive.org/web/20100401223136/http://northvegr.org/lore/prose/037040.php Brodeur's translation]
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[[File:Frey had seated himself on the throne of Odin.jpg|thumb|Seated on Odin's throne Hliðskjálf, the god Freyr sits in contemplation in an illustration (1908) by Frederic Lawrence]]
This description has similarities to the older account by Adam of Bremen but the differences are interesting. Adam assigns control of the weather and produce of the fields to Thor but Snorri says that Freyr rules over those areas. Snorri also omits any explicitly sexual references in Freyr's description. Those discrepancies can be explained in several ways. Adam and Snorri were writing with different goals in mind. It is possible that the Norse gods did not have exactly the same roles in Icelandic and Swedish paganism. Either Snorri or Adam may also have had distorted information.

The only extended myth related to Freyr in the ''Prose Edda'' is the story of his marriage.

{|
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Þat var einn dag er Freyr hafði gengit í Hliðskjálf ok sá of heima alla. En er hann leit í norðrætt, þá sá hann á einum bœ mikit hús ok fagrt, ok til þess húss gekk kona, ok er hon tók upp höndum ok lauk hurð fyrir sér þá lýsti af höndum hennar bæði í lopt ok á lög, ok allir heimar birtusk af henni. ''Gylfaginning'' 37, [https://web.archive.org/web/20060219152340/http://www.hi.is/~eybjorn/gg/ggrpar33.html EB's edition]
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It chanced one day that Freyr had gone to [[Hlidskjálf]], and gazed over all the world; but when he looked over into the northern region, he saw on an estate a house great and fair. And toward this house went a woman; when she raised her hands and opened the door before her, brightness gleamed from her hands, both over sky and sea, and all the worlds were illumined of her. ''Gylfaginning'' XXXVII, [https://web.archive.org/web/20090604222039/http://www.northvegr.org/lore/prose/045048.php Brodeur's translation]
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The woman is [[Gerðr]], a beautiful [[Jötunn|giantess]]. Freyr immediately falls in love with her and becomes depressed and taciturn. After a period of brooding, he consents to talk to [[Skírnir]], his foot-page. He tells Skírnir that he has fallen in love with a beautiful woman and thinks he will die if he cannot have her. He asks Skírnir to go and woo her for him.

{|
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Þá svarar Skírnir, sagði svá at hann skal fara sendiferð en Freyr skal fá honum sverð sitt. Þat var svá gott sverð at sjálft vásk. En Freyr lét eigi þat til skorta ok gaf honum sverðit. Þá fór Skírnir ok bað honum konunnar ok fekk heitit hennar, ok níu nóttum síðar skyldi hon þar koma er Barey heitir ok ganga þá at brullaupinu með Frey. ''Gylfaginning'' 37, [https://web.archive.org/web/20060219152340/http://www.hi.is/~eybjorn/gg/ggrpar33.html EB's edition]
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Then Skírnir answered thus: he would go on his errand, but Freyr should give him his own sword—which is so good that it fights of itself—and Freyr did not refuse, but gave him the sword. Then Skírnir went forth and wooed the woman for him, and received her promise; and [[Numbers in Norse mythology|nine nights later]] she was to come to the place called [[Barrey]], and then go to the bridal with Freyr. ''Gylfaginning'' XXXVII, [https://web.archive.org/web/20090604221954/http://www.northvegr.org/lore/prose/049052.php Brodeur's translation]
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The loss of [[Sword of Freyr|Freyr's sword]] has consequences. According to the ''Prose Edda'', Freyr had to fight [[Beli (Norse giant)|Beli]] without his sword, and slew him with an [[antler]]. But the result at [[Ragnarök]], the end of the world, will be much more serious. Freyr is fated to fight the fire-giant [[Surtr]], and since he does not have his sword he will be defeated.
[[Image:Freyr and Surtr by Frølich.jpg|right|thumb|The final battle between Freyr and Surtr, illustration by [[Lorenz Frølich]]]]
Even after the loss of his weapon Freyr still has two magical artifacts, both [[Norse dwarves|dwarf]]-made. One is the ship [[Skíðblaðnir]], which will have favoring breeze wherever its owner wants to go and can also be folded together like a napkin and carried in a pouch. The other is the boar [[Gullinbursti]] whose mane glows to illuminate the way for his owner. No myths involving Skíðblaðnir have come down to us but Snorri relates that Freyr rode to [[Baldr]]'s funeral in a wagon pulled by Gullinbursti.

===Skaldic poetry===
Freyr is referred to several times in [[skaldic poetry]]. In ''[[Húsdrápa]]'', partially preserved in the Prose Edda, he is said to ride a boar to Baldr's funeral.

{|
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:Ríðr á börg til borgar
:böðfróðr sonar Óðins
:Freyr ok folkum stýrir
:fyrstr enum golli byrsta. ''Húsdrápa'' 7, [https://web.archive.org/web/20070304005008/http://www.hi.is/~eybjorn/ugm/skindex/hdr.html FJ's edition]
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:The battle-bold Freyr rideth
:First on the golden-bristled
:Barrow-boar to the bale-fire
:Of Baldr, and leads the people. ''Húsdrápa'' 7, [https://web.archive.org/web/20060108014642/http://www.northvegr.org/lore/prose/109112.php Brodeur's translation]
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In a poem by [[Egill Skalla-Grímsson]], Freyr is called upon along with [[Njörðr]] to drive [[Eric I of Norway|Eric Bloodaxe]] from Norway. The same [[skald]] mentions in ''[[Arinbjarnarkviða]]'' that his friend has been blessed by the two gods.

{|
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:[E]n Grjótbjörn
:of gæddan hefr
:Freyr ok Njörðr
:at féar afli. ''Arinbjarnarkviða'' 17, [https://web.archive.org/web/20070304005018/http://www.hi.is/~eybjorn/ugm/skindex/egar.html FJ's edition]
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:Frey and Njord
:have endowed
:rock-bear
:with wealth's force. ''Arinbjarnarkviða'' 17, Scudder's translation
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===''Nafnaþulur''===
In ''[[Nafnaþulur]]'' Freyr is said to ride the horse [[Blóðughófi]] (''Bloody Hoof'').

==''Poetic Edda''==
[[Image:Detail from G 181.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.36|A detail from [[Gotland]] [[runestone]] [[Gotland Runic Inscription 181|G 181]], in the [[Swedish Museum of National Antiquities]] in [[Stockholm]]. The three men are interpreted as [[Odin]], [[Thor]], and Freyr.]]
Freyr is mentioned in several of the poems in the ''[[Poetic Edda]]''. The information there is largely consistent with that of the ''Prose Edda'' while each collection has some details not found in the other.

===''Völuspá''===
''[[Völuspá]]'', the best known of the Eddic poems, describes the final confrontation between Freyr and Surtr during Ragnarök.

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:Surtr fer sunnan
:með sviga lævi,
:skínn af sverði
:sól valtíva.
:Grjótbjörg gnata,
:en gífr rata,
:troða halir helveg,
:en himinn klofnar.

:Þá kømr Hlínar
:harmr annarr fram,
:er Óðinn ferr
:við úlf vega,
:en bani Belja
:bjartr at Surti,
:þá mun Friggjar
:falla angan. ''Völuspá'' 51–52, [https://web.archive.org/web/20090413124631/http://www3.hi.is/~eybjorn/ugm/vsp3.html EB's edition]
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:Surtr moves from the south
:with the scathe of branches:<ref>A ''[[kenning]]'' meaning "fire".</ref>
:there shines from his sword
:the sun of Gods of the Slain.
:Stone peaks clash,
:and troll wives take to the road.
:Warriors tread the path from [[Hel (realm)|Hel]],
:and heaven breaks apart.

:Then is fulfilled [[Hlín]]'s
:second sorrow,
:when Óðinn goes
:to fight with the [[Fenrisulfr|wolf]],
:and [[List of names of Freyr|Beli's slayer]],
:bright, against Surtr.
:Then shall [[Frigg]]'s
:sweet friend fall. ''Völuspá'' 50–51, [[Ursula Dronke|Dronke]]'s translation
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Some scholars have preferred a slightly different translation, in which the sun shines "from the sword of the gods". The idea is that the sword which Surtr slays Freyr with is the "sword of the gods" which Freyr had earlier bargained away for Gerðr. This would add a further layer of tragedy to the myth. [[Sigurður Nordal]] argued for this view but the possibility represented by [[Ursula Dronke]]'s translation above is equally possible.

===''Grímnismál''===
''[[Grímnismál]]'', a poem which largely consists of miscellaneous information about the gods, mentions Freyr's abode.

{|
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:Alfheim Frey
:gáfu í árdaga
:tívar at tannféi. ''Grímnismál'' 5, GJ's edition{{dead link|date=October 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
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:[[Alfheim]] the gods to Frey
:gave in days of yore
:for a tooth-gift. ''Grímnismál'' 5, [https://web.archive.org/web/20080106055516/http://www.northvegr.org/lore/poetic2/003_01.php Thorpe's translation]
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A [[tooth-gift]] was a gift given to an infant on the cutting of the first tooth. Since ''Alfheimr'' or ''Álfheimr'' means "World of [[Álfar]] (Elves)" the fact that Freyr should own it is one of the indications of a connection between the Vanir and the obscure Álfar. ''Grímnismál'' also mentions that the sons of [[Ívaldi]] made Skíðblaðnir for Freyr and that it is the best of ships.

===''Lokasenna''===
In the poem ''[[Lokasenna]]'', [[Loki]] accuses the gods of various misdeeds. He criticizes the Vanir for [[incest]], saying that [[Njörðr]] had Freyr with [[Sister-wife of Njörðr|his sister]]. He also states that the gods discovered Freyr and Freyja having sex together. The god [[Týr]] speaks up in Freyr's defense.

{|
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:Freyr er beztr
:allra ballriða
:ása görðum í;
:mey hann né grætir
:né manns konu
:ok leysir ór höftum hvern. ''Lokasenna'' 37, GJ's edition{{dead link|date=October 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
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:Frey is best
:of all the exalted gods
:in the Æsir's courts:
:no maid he makes to weep,
:no wife of man,
:and from bonds looses all. ''Lokasenna'' 37, [https://web.archive.org/web/20100330165232/http://www.northvegr.org/lore/poetic2/013_02.php Thorpe's translation]
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''Lokasenna'' also mentions that Freyr has servants called [[Byggvir]] and [[Beyla]]. They seem to have been associated with the making of bread.

===''Skírnismál''===
[[Image:The Lovesickness of Frey.jpg|thumb|"The Lovesickness of Frey" (1908) by W. G. Collingwood.]]
The courtship of Freyr and Gerðr is dealt with extensively in the poem ''[[Skírnismál]]''.
Freyr is depressed after seeing Gerðr. Njörðr and [[Skaði]] ask Skírnir to go and talk with him. Freyr reveals the cause of his grief and asks Skírnir to go to [[Jötunheimr]] to woo Gerðr for him. Freyr gives Skírnir a steed and [[Sword of Freyr|his magical sword]] for the journey.

{|
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:Mar ek þér þann gef,
:er þik um myrkvan berr
:vísan vafrloga,
:ok þat sverð,
:er sjalft mun vegask
:ef sá er horskr, er hefr. ''Skírnismál'' 9, [http://wayback.vefsafn.is/wayback/20070910215457/http%3A//www.heimskringla.no/original/edda/skirnismal.php GJ's edition]
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:My steed I lend thee
:to lift thee o'er the weird
:ring of flickering flame,
:the sword also
:which swings itself,
:if wise be he who wields it. ''Skírnismál'' 9, [https://web.archive.org/web/20060226015034/http://www.jackowitch.com/Skirnismal.html Hollander's translation]
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When Skírnir finds Gerðr he starts by offering her treasures if she will marry Freyr. When she declines he forces her to accept by threatening her with destructive magic.
{{Expand section|date=June 2008}}

==''Ynglinga saga''==
[[Image:Yngve Frey bygger Gamla Upsala tempel by Hugo Hamilton.jpg|thumb|Yngvi-Freyr constructs the [[Temple at Uppsala]] in this early 19th century artwork by [[Hugo Hamilton (artist)|Hugo Hamilton]].]]
[[Image:In Freyers Tempel bei Upsala by F. W. Heine.jpg|thumb|"In Freyr's Temple near Uppsala" (1882) by [[Friedrich Wilhelm Heine]].]]
[[Snorri Sturluson]] starts his epic history of the kings of Norway with ''[[Ynglinga saga]]'', a euhemerized account of the Norse gods. Here Odin and the Æsir are men from Asia who gain power through their prowess in war and Odin's skills. But when Odin attacks the Vanir he bites off more than he can chew and peace is negotiated after the destructive and indecisive [[Æsir-Vanir War]]. Hostages are exchanged to seal the peace deal and the Vanir send Freyr and Njörðr to live with the Æsir. At this point the saga, like ''Lokasenna'', mentions that incest was practised among the Vanir.

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Þá er Njörðr var með Vönum, þá hafði hann átta systur sína, því at þat váru þar lög; váru þeirra börn Freyr ok Freyja. En þat var bannat með Ásum at byggja svá náit at frændsemi. ''Ynglinga saga'' 4, [http://www.heimskringla.no/original/heimskringla/ynglingasaga.php Schultz's edition] {{Webarchive|url=http://web.archive.bibalex.org/web/20051231070651/http://www.heimskringla.no/original/heimskringla/ynglingasaga.php |date=31 December 2005 }}
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While Njord was with the Vanaland people he had taken his own sister in marriage, for that was
allowed by their law; and their children were Frey and Freya.  But among the Asaland people it was forbidden to intermarry with such near relations. ''Ynglinga saga'' 4, [https://web.archive.org/web/20051211092306/http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/OMACL/Heimskringla/ynglinga.html Laing's translation]
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Odin makes Njörðr and Freyr priests of sacrifices and they become influential leaders. Odin goes on to conquer the North and settles in Sweden where he rules as king, collects taxes and maintains sacrifices. After Odin's death, Njörðr takes the throne. During his rule there is peace and good harvest and the Swedes come to believe that Njörðr controls these things. Eventually Njörðr falls ill and dies.

{|
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Freyr tók þá ríki eptir Njörð; var hann kallaðr dróttinn yfir Svíum ok tók skattgjafir af þeim; hann var vinsæll ok ársæll sem faðir hans. Freyr reisti at Uppsölum [[Heathen hofs|hof]] mikit, ok setti þar höfuðstað sinn; lagði þar til allar skyldir sínar, lönd ok lausa aura; þá hófst Uppsala auðr, ok hefir haldizt æ síðan. Á hans dögum hófst Fróða friðr, þá var ok ár um öll lönd; kendu Svíar þat Frey. Var hann því meir dýrkaðr en önnur goðin, sem á hans dögum varð landsfólkit auðgara en fyrr af friðinum ok ári. Gerðr Gýmis dóttir hét kona hans; sonr þeirra hét Fjölnir. Freyr hét Yngvi öðru nafni; Yngva nafn var lengi síðan haft í hans ætt fyrir tignarnafn, ok Ynglingar váru síðan kallaðir hans ættmenn. Freyr tók sótt; en er at honum leið sóttin, leituðu menn sér ráðs, ok létu fá menn til hans koma, en bjoggu haug mikinn, ok létu dyrr á ok 3 glugga. En er Freyr var dauðr, báru þeir hann leyniliga í hauginn, ok sögðu Svíum at hann lifði, ok varðveittu hann þar 3 vetr. En skatt öllum heltu þeir í hauginn, í einn glugg gullinu, en í annan silfrinu, í hinn þriðja eirpenningum. Þá hélzt ár ok friðr. ''Ynglinga saga'' 12, [http://www.heimskringla.no/original/heimskringla/ynglingasaga.php Schultz's edition] {{Webarchive|url=http://web.archive.bibalex.org/web/20051231070651/http://www.heimskringla.no/original/heimskringla/ynglingasaga.php |date=31 December 2005 }}
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Frey took the kingdom after Njord, and was called ''drot'' by the Swedes, and they paid taxes to him. He was, like his father, fortunate in friends and in good seasons. Frey built a great temple at Upsal, made it his chief seat, and gave it all his taxes, his land, and goods.  Then began the [[Uppsala öd|Upsal domains]], which have remained ever since. Then began in his days the [[Fróði's Peace|Frode-peace]]; and then there were good seasons, in all the land, which the Swedes ascribed to Frey, so that he was more worshipped than the other gods, as the people became much richer in his days by reason of the peace and good seasons. His wife was called Gerd, daughter of [[Gymir (father of Gerðr)|Gymir]], and their son was called [[Fjölnir|Fjolne]]. Frey was called by another name, [[Yngvi|Yngve]]; and this name Yngve was considered long after in his race as a name of honour, so that his descendants have since been called [[Yngling]]er. Frey fell into a sickness; and as his illness took the upper hand, his men took the plan of letting few approach him. In the meantime they raised a great [[tumulus|mound]], in which they placed a door with three holes in it. Now when Frey died they bore him secretly into the mound, but told the Swedes he was alive; and they kept watch over him for three years. They brought all the taxes into the mound, and through the one hole they put in the gold, through the other the silver, and through the third the copper money that was paid. Peace and good seasons continued. ''Ynglinga saga'' 12, [https://web.archive.org/web/20051211092306/http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/OMACL/Heimskringla/ynglinga.html Laing's translation]
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Þá er allir Svíar vissu, at Freyr var dauðr, en hélzt ár ok friðr, þá trúðu þeir, at svá mundi vera, meðan Freyr væri á Svíþjóð, ok vildu eigi brenna hann, ok kölluðu hann veraldar goð ok blótuðu mest til árs ok friðar alla ævi síðan. ''Ynglinga saga'' 13, [http://www.heimskringla.no/original/heimskringla/ynglingasaga.php Schultz's edition] {{Webarchive|url=http://web.archive.bibalex.org/web/20051231070651/http://www.heimskringla.no/original/heimskringla/ynglingasaga.php |date=31 December 2005 }}
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When it became known to the Swedes that Frey was dead, and yet peace and good seasons continued, they believed that it must be so as long as Frey remained in Sweden; and therefore they would not burn his remains, but called him the [[List of names of Freyr|god of this world]], and afterwards offered continually [[blót|blood-sacrifices]] to him, principally for peace and good seasons. ''Ynglinga saga'' 13, [https://web.archive.org/web/20051211092306/http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/OMACL/Heimskringla/ynglinga.html Laing's translation]
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Freyr had a son named [[Fjölnir]], who succeeds him as king and rules during the continuing period of peace and good seasons. Fjölnir's descendants are enumerated in ''[[Ynglingatal]]'' which describes the [[mythological kings of Sweden]].

==''Ögmundar þáttr dytts''==
The 14th century Icelandic ''[[Ögmundar þáttr dytts]]'' contains a tradition of how Freyr was transported in a wagon and administered by a priestess, in Sweden. Freyr's role as a fertility god needed a female counterpart in a divine couple (McKinnell's translation 1987<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://userpage.fu-berlin.de/~alvismal/3search.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040610190449/http://userpage.fu-berlin.de/~alvismal/3search.pdf |archive-date=2004-06-10 |url-status=live|title=Heinrichs, Anne: ''The Search for Identity: A Problem after the Conversion'', in ''alvíssmál 3''. pp. 54–55.|access-date=22 May 2020}}</ref>):

{{Blockquote|Great heathen sacrifices were held there at that time, and for a long while Frey had been the god who was worshipped most there – and so much power had been gained by Frey's statue that the devil used to speak to people out of the mouth of the idol, and a young and beautiful woman had been obtained to serve Frey. It was the faith of the local people that Frey was alive, as seemed to some extent to be the case, and they thought he would need to have a sexual relationship with his wife; along with Frey she was to have complete control over the temple settlement and all that belonged to it.}}

In this short story, a man named Gunnar was suspected of manslaughter and escaped to Sweden, where Gunnar became acquainted with this young priestess. He helped her drive Freyr's wagon with the god effigy in it, but the god did not appreciate Gunnar and so attacked him and would have killed Gunnar if he had not promised himself to return to the Christian faith if he would make it back to Norway. When Gunnar had promised this, a demon jumped out of the god effigy and so Freyr was nothing but a piece of wood. Gunnar destroyed the [[Anthropomorphic wooden cult figurines of Central and Northern Europe|wooden idol]] and dressed himself as Freyr, then Gunnar and the priestess travelled across Sweden where people were happy to see the god visiting them. After a while he made the priestess pregnant, but this was seen by the Swedes as confirmation that Freyr was truly a fertility god and not a scam. Finally, Gunnar had to flee back to Norway with his young bride and had her baptized at the court of [[Olaf Tryggvason]].

==Other Icelandic sources==
Worship of Freyr is alluded to in several [[Icelanders' sagas]].

The protagonist of ''[[Hrafnkels saga]]'' is a [[goði|priest]] of Freyr. He [[Horses in Germanic paganism#Dedication to gods|dedicates a horse to the god]] and kills a man for riding it, setting in motion a chain of fateful events.

In ''[[Gísla saga]]'' a chieftain named ''[[Þorgrímr Freysgoði]]'' is an ardent worshipper of Freyr. When he dies he is buried in a [[Tumulus|howe]].

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''Varð og sá hlutur einn er nýnæmum þótti gegna að aldrei festi snæ utan og sunnan á haugi Þorgríms og eigi fraus; og gátu menn þess til að hann myndi Frey svo ávarður fyrir blótin að hann myndi eigi vilja að freri á milli þeirra.''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.snerpa.is/net/isl/gisl.htm|title=Gísla saga Súrssonar|website=www.snerpa.is|access-date=22 May 2020}}</ref>
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And now, too, a thing happened which seemed strange and new. No snow lodged on the south side of Thorgrim's howe, nor did it freeze there. And men guessed it was because Thorgrim had been so dear to Frey for his worship's sake that the god would not suffer the frost to come between them. -<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://northvegr.org/lore/gisli/015.php |title=The Story of Gisli The Outlaw|website=Northvegr|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080605035403/http://www.northvegr.org/lore/gisli/015.php |archive-date=5 June 2008 |url-status=deviated}}</ref>
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''[[Hallfreðar saga]]'', ''[[Víga-Glúms saga]]'' and ''[[Vatnsdœla saga]]'' also mention Freyr.

Other Icelandic sources referring to Freyr include ''[[Íslendingabók]]'', {{Lang|is|[[Landnámabók]]}}, and ''[[Hervarar saga]]''.

''[[Íslendingabók]]'', written {{circa}} 1125, is the oldest Icelandic source that mentions Freyr, including him in a genealogy of Swedish kings. {{Lang|is|[[Landnámabók]]}} includes a heathen oath to be sworn at an assembly where Freyr, Njörðr, and "[[almáttki áss|the almighty ''áss'']]" are invoked. ''[[Hervarar saga]]'' mentions a [[Yule]]tide sacrifice of a boar to Freyr.

==''Gesta Danorum''==
The 12th Century Danish ''[[Gesta Danorum]]'' describes Freyr, under the name '''Frø''', as the "viceroy of the gods".

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Frø quoque deorum satrapa sedem haud procul Upsala cepit, ubi veterem litationis morem tot gentibus ac saeculis usurpatum tristi infandoque piaculo mutavit. Siquidem humani generis hostias mactare aggressus foeda superis libamenta persolvit. ''Gesta Danorum'' 3, [http://www.kb.dk/elib/lit/dan/saxo/lat/or.dsr/3/2/index.htm Olrik's edition]
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There was also a viceroy of the gods, Frø, who took up residence not far from Uppsala and altered the ancient system of sacrifice practised for centuries among many peoples to a morbid and unspeakable form of expiation. He delivered abominable offerings to the powers above by instituting the slaughter of human victims. ''Gesta Danorum'' 3, Fisher's translation
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That Freyr had a [[Cult (religion)|cult]] at Uppsala is well confirmed from other sources. The reference to the change in sacrificial ritual may also reflect some historical memory. There is archaeological evidence for an increase in [[human sacrifice]]s in the late [[Viking Age]]<ref>Davidson 1999, Vol. II, p. 55.</ref> though among the Norse gods human sacrifice is most often linked to Odin. Another reference to Frø and sacrifices is found earlier in the work, where the beginning of an annual ''[[blót]]'' to him is related. King [[Hadingus]] is cursed after killing a divine being and atones for his crime with a sacrifice.

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Siquidem propitiandorum numinum gratia Frø deo rem divinam furvis hostiis fecit. Quem litationis morem annuo feriarum circuitu repetitum posteris imitandum reliquit. Frøblot Sueones vocant. ''Gesta Danorum'' 1, [http://www.kb.dk/elib/lit/dan/saxo/lat/or.dsr/1/8/index.htm Olrik's edition]
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[I]n order to mollify the divinities he did indeed make a holy sacrifice of dark-coloured victims to the god Frø. He repeated this mode of propitiation at an annual festival and left it to be imitated by his descendants. The Swedes call it Frøblot. ''Gesta Danorum'' 1, Fisher's translation
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The sacrifice of dark-coloured victims to Freyr has a parallel in [[Ancient Greek religion]] where the [[chthonic]] fertility deities preferred dark-coloured victims to lighter ones.

In book 9, Saxo identifies Frø as the "king of Sweden" (''rex Suetiae''):

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Quo tempore rex Suetiae Frø, interfecto Norvagiensium rege Sywardo, coniuges necessariorum eius prostibulo relegatas publice constuprandas exhibuit. ''Gesta Danorum'' 9, [http://www.kb.dk/elib/lit/dan/saxo/lat/or.dsr/9/4/index.htm Olrik's edition]
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About this time the Swedish ruler Frø, after killing Sivard, king of the Norwegians, removed the wives of Sivard's relatives to a brothel and exposed them to public prostitution. ''Gesta Danorum'' 9, Fisher's translation
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The reference to public prostitution may be a memory of fertility cult practices. Such a memory may also be the source of a description in book 6 of the stay of [[Starcatherus]], a follower of Odin, in Sweden.

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Mortuo autem Bemono, Starcatherus ab athletis Biarmensibus ob virtutem accitus, cum plurima apud eos memoratu digna edidisset facinora, Sueonum fines ingreditur. Ubi cum filiis Frø septennio feriatus ab his tandem ad Haconem Daniae tyrannum se contulit, quod apud Upsalam sacrificiorum tempore constitutus effeminatos corporum motus scaenicosque mimorum plausus ac mollia nolarum crepitacula fastidiret. Unde patet, quam remotum a lascivia animum habuerit, qui ne eius quidem spectator esse sustinuit. Adeo virtus luxui resistit. ''Gesta Danorum'' 6, [http://www.kb.dk/elib/lit/dan/saxo/lat/or.dsr/6/5/index.htm Olrik's edition]
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After Bemoni's death Starkather, because of his valour, was summoned by the Biarmian champions and there performed many feats worthy of the tellings. Then he entered Swedish territory where he spent seven years in a leisurely stay with the sons of Frø, after which he departed to join Haki, the lord of Denmark, for, living at Uppsala in the period of sacrifices, he had become disgusted with the womanish body movements, the clatter of actors on the stage and the soft tinkling of bells. It is obvious how far his heart was removed from frivolity if he could not even bear to watch these occasions. A manly individual is resistant to wantonness. ''Gesta Danorum'' 6, Fisher's translation 
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==Yngvi==
{{main|Yngvi}}
A strophe of the Anglo-Saxon [[rune poem]] (c. 1100) records that:

:''Ing was first among the [[East Dane]]s seen by men''

This may refer to the origins of the worship of '''[[Ingui]]''' in the tribal areas that [[Tacitus]] mentions in his ''[[Germania (book)|Germania]]'' as being populated by the Inguieonnic tribes. A later Danish chronicler lists Ingui was one of three brothers that the Danish tribes descended from. The strophe also states that "then he (Ingui) went back over the waves, his wagon behind him" which could connect Ingui to earlier conceptions of the wagon processions of [[Nerthus]] and the later Scandinavian conceptions of Freyr's wagon journeys.

Ingui is mentioned also in some later Anglo-Saxon literature under varying forms of his name, such as "For what doth Ingeld have to do with Christ" and the variants used in [[Beowulf]] to designate the kings as 'leader of the friends of Ing'. The compound Ingui-Frea (OE) and Yngvi-Freyr (ON) likely refer to the connection between the god and the [[Germanic king]]s' role as priests during the sacrifices in the pagan period, as ''Frea'' and ''Freyr'' are titles meaning 'Lord'.

The Swedish royal dynasty was known as the [[Yngling]]s from their descent from Yngvi-Freyr. This is supported by Tacitus, who wrote about the Germans: "In their ancient songs, their only way of remembering or recording the past they celebrate an earth-born god [[Tuisco]], and his son [[Mannus]], as the origin of their race, as their founders. To Mannus they assign three sons, from whose names, they say, the coast tribes are called [[Ingaevones]]; those of the interior, [[Herminones]]; all the rest, [[Istaevones]]".

==Archaeological record==

===Rällinge statuette===
{{main|Rällinge statuette}}
In 1904, a [[Viking Age]] statuette identified as a depiction of Freyr was discovered on the farm Rällinge in [[Lunda, Södermanland]] parish in the province of [[Södermanland]], Sweden. The depiction features a cross-legged seated, bearded male with an erect penis. He is wearing a pointed cap or helmet and stroking his triangular beard. The seven-centimeter-tall statue is displayed at the [[Swedish Museum of National Antiquities]].<ref name="NATANTSTAT">Swedish Museum of National Antiquities inventory number 14232. Viewable online: [http://www.historiska.se/historia/jarnaldern/vikingar/hedniskagudar/relaterade-bilder-hedniska-gudar/frejstatyett/]</ref>

===Skog tapestry===
{{main|Skog tapestry}}
A part of the Swedish Skog tapestry depicts three figures that have been interpreted as allusions to Odin, Thor, and Freyr,<ref>Leiren, Terje I. (1999). ''From Pagan to Christian: The Story in the 12th-Century Tapestry of the Skog Church''. Published online: http://faculty.washington.edu/leiren/vikings2.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071231052200/http://faculty.washington.edu/leiren/vikings2.html |date=31 December 2007 }}</ref> but also as the three Scandinavian holy kings [[Canute IV of Denmark|Canute]], [[Eric IX of Sweden|Eric]] and [[Olaf II of Norway|Olaf]]. The figures coincide with 11th century descriptions of statue arrangements recorded by Adam of Bremen at the Temple at Uppsala and written accounts of the gods during the late Viking Age. The tapestry is originally from [[Hälsingland]], Sweden but is now housed at the Swedish Museum of National Antiquities.

===Gullgubber===
{{main|Gullgubber}}
Small pieces of gold foil featuring engravings dating from the [[Migration Period]] into the early [[Viking Age]] (known as ''[[gullgubber]]'') have been discovered in various locations in [[Scandinavia]], at one site almost 2,500. The foil pieces have been found largely on the sites of buildings, only rarely in graves. The figures are sometimes single, occasionally an animal, sometimes a man and a woman with a leafy bough between them, facing or embracing one another. The human figures are almost always clothed and are sometimes depicted with their knees bent. Scholar [[Hilda Ellis Davidson]] says that it has been suggested that the figures are taking part in a dance, and that they may have been connected with weddings, as well as linked to the [[Vanir]] group of gods, representing the notion of a divine marriage, such as in the ''Poetic Edda'' poem ''[[Skírnismál]]''; the coming together of Gerðr and Freyr.{{sfn|Davidson|1988|p=121}}

<gallery>
File:Guldgubbe.jpg
Image:Three kings or three gods.jpg|The Skog Church Tapestry portion possibly depicting Odin, Thor and Freyr
File:Goldgubb.jpg|An example of the small gold pieces of foil that may depict Gerðr and Freyr
</gallery>

==Toponyms==
===[[Norway]]===
* ''Freysakr'' ("Freyr's field") - name of two old farms in [[Gol Municipality]] and [[Torpa Municipality]].
* ''Freyshof'' ("Freyr's temple") - name of two old farms in [[Hole Municipality]] and [[Trøgstad Municipality]].
* ''Freysland'' ("Freyr's land/field") - name of six old farms in [[Feda Municipality]], [[Halse og Harkmark Municipality]], [[Førde Municipality]], [[Sogndal Municipality]], [[Søgne Municipality]], and [[Torpa Municipality]].{{citation needed|date=September 2015}}
* ''Freyslíð'' ("Freyr's hill") - name of two old farms in [[Lunner Municipality]] and [[Torpa Municipality]].
* ''Freysnes'' ("Freyr's headland") - name of an old farm in [[Sandnes Municipality]].
* ''Freyssetr'' ("Freyr's farm") - name of two old farms in [[Masfjorden Municipality]] and [[Soknedal Municipality]].
* ''Freyssteinn'' ("Freyr's stone") - name of an old farm in [[Lista Municipality]].
* ''Freysteigr'' ("Freyr's field") - name of an old farm in [[Ramnes Municipality]].
* ''[[Fresvik|Freysvík]]'' ("Freyr's inlet/bay") - name of two old farms in [[Vik Municipality]] and [[Ullensvang Municipality]].
* ''Freysvin'' ("Freyr's meadow") - name of four old farms in [[Hole Municipality]], [[Lom Municipality (Norway)|Lom Municipality]], [[Sunnylven Municipality]], and [[Østre Gausdal Municipality]].
* ''Freysvǫllr'' ("Freyr's field") - name of an old farm in [[Sør-Odal Municipality]].
* ''Freysþveit'' ("Freyr's thwaite") - name of an old farm in [[Hedrum Municipality]].
===[[Sweden]]===
* ''Fröslunda'' ("Freyr's grove") - [[Uppland]]
* ''Frösåker'' ("Freyr's field") - [[Uppland]]
* ''[[Frösön]]'' ("Freyr's island") - [[Jämtland]]
* ''Fröseke'' ("Freyr's oak forest") - [[Småland]]
* ''Frösve'' ("Freyr's sanctuary") - [[Västergötland]]
* ''[[Frösakull]]'' ("Freyr's hill") – [[Halland]] 
===[[Denmark]]===
* ''[[Frøs Herred]]'' ("Freyr's Shire") - [[Southern Jutland]]

==Modern influence==
Freyr appears in numerous works of modern art and literature. He appears, for example, alongside numerous other figures from Norse mythology in the Danish poet [[Adam Gottlob Oehlenschläger]]'s ''Nordens Guder'' (1819). He also appears in Icelandic poet [[Gerður Kristný]]'s ''Blóðhófnir'' (2010),<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kristný |first=Gerður |title=Blóðhófnir |publisher=Mál og menning |year=2010}}</ref> a feminist retelling of the Eddic poem ''Skírnismál'' that won the 2010 [[Icelandic Literature Award]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Crocker |first1=Christopher |title=Cultural legacies of Old Norse literature: new perspectives |last2=Geeraert |first2=Dustin |date=2022 |publisher=D. S. Brewer |isbn=978-1-84384-638-3 |location=Cambridge}}</ref>

==See also==
{{commons category|Freyr}}
* [[List of Germanic deities]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
{{refbegin|2}}
* Ásgeir Blöndal Magnússon (1989). ''Íslensk orðsifjabók''. Reykjavík: Orðabók Háskólans.
* {{cite book|last=Berger|first=Pamela|title=Goddess Obscured: Transformation of the Grain Protectress from Goddess to Saint|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6kAj30ftRaAC|year=1988|publisher=Beacon Press|isbn=978-0-8070-6723-9}}
* [[Arthur Gilchrist Brodeur|Brodeur, Arthur Gilchrist]] (tr.) (1916). ''The Prose Edda by Snorri Sturluson''. New York: The American-Scandinavian Foundation. [https://web.archive.org/web/20110917032757/http://www.cybersamurai.net/Mythology/nordic_gods/LegendsSagas/Edda/ProseEdda/ Available online]
*{{Cite book|last=Davidson|first=Hilda E.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mxuqQRczoFYC|title=Gods and Myths of Northern Europe|date=1964|publisher=Penguin|isbn=978-0-14-194150-9|language=en|author-link=Hilda Ellis Davidson}}
* {{cite book|first=H. R. Ellis |last=Davidson|title=Myths and Symbols in Pagan Europe: Early Scandinavian and Celtic Religions|url=https://archive.org/details/mythssymbolsinpa00davi|url-access=registration|year=1988|publisher=Manchester University Press |isbn=978-0-7190-2579-2}}
* {{Cite book|last=de Vries|first=Jan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hLceAAAAIAAJ|title=Altnordisches Etymologisches Worterbuch|date=1962|publisher=Brill|isbn=978-90-04-05436-3|edition=1977|author-link=Jan de Vries (linguist)}}
* {{cite book|last=Dronke|first=Ursula|title=The Poetic Edda: Mythological poems|year=1997|publisher=Oxford University Press, USA|isbn=978-0-19-811181-8}}
* {{cite book|last=Dumézil|first=Georges|title=From Myth to Fiction: The Saga of Hadingus|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k7C9CRAI4TYC|year=1973|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=978-0-226-16972-9}}
* {{cite journal |last=Elmevik |first=Lennart |year=2003 |title=''Freyr'', ''Freyja'', och ''Freyfaxi'' |journal=Studia Anthroponymica Scandinavica|volume= 21 | pages=5–13}}
* Eysteinn Björnsson (ed.) (2005). ''Snorra-Edda: Formáli & Gylfaginning : Textar fjögurra meginhandrita''. Published online: [https://web.archive.org/web/20080611212105/http://www.hi.is/~eybjorn/gg/ GYLFAGINNING]
* [[Finnur Jónsson]] (1913). ''Goðafræði Norðmanna og Íslendinga eftir heimildum''. Reykjavík: Hið íslenska bókmentafjelag.
* Finnur Jónsson (1931). ''Lexicon Poeticum''. København: S. L. Møllers Bogtrykkeri.
* Guðni Jónsson (ed.) (1949). Eddukvæði : Sæmundar Edda. Reykjavík: Íslendingasagnaútgáfan.
* {{cite book|last1=Kaspersen|first1=Søren|last2=Haastrup|first2=Ulla.|title=Images of Cult and Devotion: Function and Reception of Christian Images in Medieval and Post-Medieval E Urope|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ib3VTuP87i0C|year=2004|publisher=Museum Tusculanum Press|isbn=978-87-7289-903-9}}
* {{Cite book|last=Kroonen|first=Guus|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cgmFRAAACAAJ|title=Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic|year=2013|publisher=Brill|isbn=978-9004183407}}
* {{cite book|author=Lee Milton Hollander|title=The Poetic Edda|year=1986|publisher=University of Texas Press|isbn=978-0-292-76499-6}}
* Leiren, Terje I. (1999). ''From Pagan to Christian: The Story in the 12th-Century Tapestry of the Skog Church''. Published online: [http://faculty.washington.edu/leiren/vikings2.html ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071231052200/http://faculty.washington.edu/leiren/vikings2.html |date=31 December 2007 }}
* {{Cite book|last=Lindow|first=John|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KlT7tv3eMSwC|title=Norse Mythology: A Guide to Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs|date=2001|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-983969-8|language=en|author-link=John Lindow}}
* {{Cite book|last=Orel|first=Vladimir E.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LY1iAAAAMAAJ|title=A Handbook of Germanic Etymology|date=2003|publisher=Brill|isbn=978-90-04-12875-0|language=en|author-link=Vladimir Orel}}
* "Rällinge-Frö" ''Historiska museet''. Retrieved 6 February 2006, from the World Wide Web. [https://web.archive.org/web/20060212105546/http://www.historiska.se/collections/treasures/viking/frej.html Rällinge-Frö]
* {{cite book |last=Sundqvist |first= Olof |year=2020 |chapter=Freyr |title=The Pre-Christian Religions of the North: History and Structures |volume= 3, ch. 43 |pages= 1195–1245 |editor-first1= Jens Peter |editor-last1=Schjødt |editor-first2= John |editor-last2=Lindow |editor-first3= Andres |editor-last3=Andrén |location= Turnhout |publisher= Brepols}}
* {{cite journal |last=Sundqvist |first= Olof |year=2013 |title=On ''Freyr'': The 'Lord' or 'The Fertile One'? Some Comments on the Discussion of Etymology from the Historian of Religions' Point of View |journal=Onoma |volume= 48 |pages=11–35}}
* Thordeman, Bengt (ed.) (1954) ''Erik den helige : historia, kult, reliker''. Stockholm: Nordisk rotogravyr.
* [[Benjamin Thorpe|Thorpe, Benjamin]] (tr.) (1866). ''Edda Sæmundar Hinns Froða : The Edda of Sæmund The Learned''. (2 vols.) London: Trübner & Co. [http://www.germanicmythology.com/works/ThorpeEdda/ThorpeMAIN.html Available online]
{{refend}}

===Primary sources===
* [[Adam of Bremen]] (edited by G. Waitz) (1876). ''Gesta Hammaburgensis Ecclesiae Pontificum''. Berlin. Available online Translation of the section on the Temple at Uppsala available at [http://www.germanicmythology.com/works/uppsalatemple.html The Temple at Old Uppsala: Adam of Bremen]
* {{cite book|ref={{SfnRef|Tschan|2002}}|author=Adam of Bremen|others=Tschan, Francis J. (trans.)|title=History of the archbishops of Hamburg-Bremen|publisher=Columbia University Press|year=2002|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4XfoxDEcIcgC|isbn=978-0-231-12575-8}}
* {{cite book|last=Saxo|first=Grammaticus|title=The History of the Danes|year=1979|publisher=DS Brewer |isbn=978-0-85991-502-1}}
* Olrik, J. and H. Ræder (1931). ''Saxo Grammaticus : Gesta Danorum''. [http://www.kb.dk/elib/lit/dan/saxo/lat/or.dsr/index.htm Available online]

{{s-start}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Njörðr]]}} 
{{s-ttl|title=[[Mythological king of Sweden]]|years=
|before=[[Njörðr]]}} 
{{s-aft|after=[[Fjölnir]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{Freyr}}
{{Norse mythology}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Freyr| ]]
[[Category:Abundance gods]]
[[Category:Æsir]]
[[Category:Agricultural gods]]
[[Category:Divine twins]]
[[Category:Fertility gods]]
[[Category:Killed deities]]
[[Category:Light gods]]
[[Category:Peace gods]]
[[Category:Sky and weather gods]]
[[Category:Solar gods]]
[[Category:Summer deities]]
[[Category:Norse gods]]
[[Category:Semi-legendary kings of Sweden]]
[[Category:Mythological rapists]]
[[Category:Vanir]]
[[Category:Legendary progenitors]]