Freyr

In Skírnismál, Freyr looked out from Hlidskjalf, Odin’s high seat, towards the north. He saw a hamlet with a large and beautiful house. A woman approached the house and raised her hands to open the door. The light from her arms made the sea, the sky, and the whole world shine. Freyr had never seen anyone like her. He returned in grief and would not speak, sleep, or drink. No one dared approach him until Skírnir, his servant and old companion, came to ask what troubled him.

Freyr told Skírnir that the woman was Gerðr, daughter of the giant Gymir. He loved her, but feared that the marriage would never be accepted. The giants had no love for the Aesir, and they especially hated Freyr. His desire overcame his fear, so he ordered Skírnir to go to Gymir’s hall and bring Gerðr to him. Skírnir agreed, but asked for Freyr’s horse and magic sword. The horse could travel through darkness and pass unharmed through fire. The sword fought by itself against giants. Freyr gave him both treasures.

Skírnir rode into Jotunheim. A ferryman carried him across the river, and he continued through the night. The horse found its way in the dark and carried him through a wall of fire. By morning, they had reached Gerðr’s hall, where fierce dogs guarded the entrance. Skírnir first offered gifts, then threatened Gerðr with curses and exile. She finally agreed to meet Freyr. His mission secured her consent, but Freyr remained without the sword that had protected its wielder.

In Gylfaginning, Ragnarök begins with the gods and the fallen warriors going to battle. Surt leads a host from Muspellsheim towards the realm of the gods. His flaming sword shines like a terrible sun and sets everything in its path ablaze. After Surt crosses it, the rainbow bridge collapses.

Freyr faces Surt without his magic sword. He had given it to Skírnir when Skírnir travelled to Jotunheim to seek Gerðr for him. Skírnir returned with good news, and Freyr later married Gerðr, but the sword did not return to its former owner. Freyr therefore fights with a stag’s antler instead.

Freyr drives the antler into Surt’s eye. The fire giant strikes back with his blazing sword and cuts Freyr down. Freyr dies in the final battle. The account connects his defeat with the loss of his sword, since he must face Surt with the antler rather than the weapon that could fight by itself.

Another account presents the result less firmly. It says that Freyr might have defeated Surt if he had kept the sword, but it leaves that possibility uncertain. The sources therefore agree that Freyr lacks the sword and dies in the combat, while differing over how firmly the lost weapon is linked with the outcome.

Freyr succeeded Njörðr and ruled Sweden. During his reign, peace prevailed, and the seasons were fruitful. He established the great centre at Uppsala, where people honoured him and gathered under his protection.

Every ninth year, people from all Sviaveldi travelled to Uppsala for a great sacrifice. The gathering included an assembly, a fair, and a market. People met there for sacred rites and public business. A consecrated fire burned during the ceremony, and food was blessed in honour of Thor, Odin, and Freyr.

Each peasant who joined the gathering brought a contribution to the feast. A chieftain who held a sacrifice at his own expense gained great prestige. The ceremony took place for the whole Swedish commonwealth, and Freyr held a prominent place within it. Songs and performances accompanied the celebrations, and Adam of Bremen described them as shameless.

The Yngling kings traced their descent to Yngvi-Freyr. At Uppsala, an image called Fricco stood beside images of Odin and Thor. Fricco had a large phallus. The people honoured the images during the celebrations, and Freyr's reign remained linked with peace, fruitful seasons, and the gatherings at Uppsala.