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Mythos Atlas

Norse Pantheon

Freyr

Also known as Yngvi, Lord

Illustration of Freyr, a deity of the Norse Pantheon
Illustrative imageIllustration of Freyr. Generated with an AI image model; not a historical artifact. About our images
  • prosperity
  • sunshine
  • rain
  • fertility
  • peace

One of the Vanir, god of fertility, prosperity, and fair weather. Owner of the magical ship Skidbladnir and the golden boar Gullinbursti.

About Freyr

Lord of the Harvest

Freyr is the noble brother of Freyja and ruler of Alfheim (realm of the Elves). He brings peace and prosperity to mortals.

The Price of Love

He fell in love with the giantess Gerdr and gave away his magical sword (which could fight on its own) to win her hand. This sacrifice will cost him his life at Ragnarok, where he will be defenseless against the fire giant Surtr.

Origin story

Freyr is the son of Njord, the sea god, and twin brother to Freyja. Born among the Vanir, he came to live with the Aesir as part of the hostage exchange that ended the Aesir-Vanir War. Upon his arrival in Asgard, the gods were so impressed by his noble bearing that they gave him Alfheim, the realm of the Light Elves, as a teething gift. He received the magical ship Skidbladnir and the golden boar Gullinbursti as gifts from the dwarven craftsmen, the sons of Ivaldi. His worship was especially prominent in Sweden, where he was considered an ancestor of the Yngling dynasty.

Across traditions

Parallel figures

Figures who play a role like Freyr's in other traditions.

Worship and cult

Temples, festivals, and practices recorded for Freyr

Peace, rain, and the harvest. The boar Gullinbursti and the ship Skidbladnir are myth-objects; the cult is grain and kingship. He is Njord's son and a different weather from Thor's thunderstorm.

Sacred sites

  • Uppsala, with a noted phallic image in Adam of Bremen
  • Trøndelag and Swedish king-lore (Ynglingar)

Festivals

  • Harvest blót
  • Fröblot

Family

Parents
Njord
Freyr
Siblings
Freyja

Relationship sources

  1. Prose Edda — Njord parent of Freyr: Njord is father of Freyr

    Snorri Sturluson · Arthur Gilchrist Brodeur, The Prose Edda (1916), American-Scandinavian Foundation; Internet Sacred Text Archive transcription · Gylfaginning XXIV (24)

Questions about Freyr's family
Who are Freyr's parents?
The atlas's kinship records name one parent of Freyr: Njord. Ancient accounts do not always agree on divine parentage.
Who are Freyr's siblings?
Siblings of Freyr recorded in the atlas: Freyja.

In the atlas

Where Freyr appears

Sources and further reading

Source notes

These references are recorded in the catalog. Their passage wording and translation have not been checked, so quotations are not displayed here.

  • Prose Edda, Gylfaginning (trans. Anderson)

    Catalog date: c. 1220 CE

About this entry

By Elizabeth Stein for Mythos Atlas. . Editorial notes are grounded in the site's cited sources and can be challenged through the contact page.

Parallels are editorial comparisons across traditions: a shared role does not, by itself, establish a shared origin.

Family relationships come from the atlas's kinship records. Ancient sources often disagree on divine genealogy.

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Genealogy

Family tree

Freyr's parents, consorts, children and rivals, as recorded in the atlas.

Open the full tree