Frey is the god of fertility. He is the noblest of gods. He controls the rain and sunshine and therefore the natural increase of the earth and it is good to call upon him for fruitful seasons and for peace; he also controls the good fortunes of men. Frey was the paramount god of the Swedes and revered as the divine ancestor of their kings. Frey is said to have built the great temple at Uppsala (just north of Stockholm) when he made it his chief seat and the Swedes made sacrifices to him at weddings: "He bestows peace and pleasure on mortals". In Norse mythology, Frey is remembered as a symbol of the divine marriage between the sky and the earth that produces Spring. (His twin sister, Freyja, is the most excellent of the goddesses and was the mistress of Odin for a time. Her name is the basis for our modern-day Friday.) |