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Freyja the Vanadis, Lady of the Vanir, is the twin sister to Freyr and daughter to Njord and Nerthus. She is the Goddess of love, beauty, sex, and fertility. Freyja lives in Fólkvangr (‘Field of the People’), rides a carriage drawn by cats, and is connected not just with love and lust but also with wealth, magic and war, as well as hand-picking half of all fallen warriors on battlefields that will go into her hall Sessrumnir – the other half being selected by Odin himself for Valhalla. She is married to Ódr and with him they have two daughters Hnoss and Gersemi. It is said that Ódr is often gone on long journey’s, inexplicably leaving Freyja behind, who would then search for him while weeping tears of gold, amber or honey; this tale dates back to at least as early as the 10th century CE.
The Heimskringla tells us that Freyja is the Priestess of Sacrificial Offerings and it was she who introduced Seidr to the Æsir, previously only practiced by the Vanir. In chapter 10 of the Ynglinga Saga, it explains that, due to Freyja's fame, all women of rank become known by her name—Frúvor ("ladies"), a woman who is the mistress of her property is referred to as Freyja, and Húsfreyja ("lady of the house") for a woman who owns an estate. The Prose Edda book Gylfaginning states that Freyja is "the most approachable one for people to pray to, and from her name is derived the honorific title whereby noble ladies are called Fruvor [noble ladies]". High adds that Freyja has a particular fondness for love songs, and that "it is good to pray to her concerning love affairs”.
Freyja’s many attributes include her cat drawn carriage and her cloak made of falcon feathers that allows her to shape shift and fly. The boar Hildisvíni should also be counted among Freyja’s attributes; the Hyndluljóð poem has her riding said boar, and a boar connection, in general, is made more plausible by the fact that her brother Freyr is also associated with a boar, in his case named Gullinbursti. Last but not least a famous attribute of Freyja is the necklace Brísingamen, which in order for Freyja to receive such a golden necklace she agreed to spend a night with each of the four dwarfs that made the necklace.
There are many poetic references that link her to treasure, assigning her as a Goddess of wealth. Her tears are said to be made of gold, amber or honey, all three of these were held in high regard in times of old. In Skáldskaparmál, 37 it says “Gold is called Freyja’s tears, many a fearless swordsman, received the tears of Freyja”. Freyja’s daughters Hnoss and Gersemi mean ‘preciousness’ and ‘treasure’, further recognizing Freyja as a Goddess ruling over wealth.
