CHAPTER 1 HOSTAGES Who is Freya What happened between the Aesir and Vanir Freya was a Norse goddess Norse means from the Norway area She was the goddess of love She was the goddess of beauty She was the goddess of war She was the goddess of death She was the goddess of fertility Fertility is the ability to make babies Many women prayed to her They wanted help with childbirth They wanted help with marriage They wanted to have good crops 44
Freya was really beautiful She had blonde hair She had blue eyes She was called the Fair One Fair means pretty Every woman wanted to be Freya Every man wanted to marry her There were two tribes of Norse gods and goddesses They were the Vanir and the Aesir Freya was a Vanir goddess Freya loved poems and music 5
Most of the stories we know are about the Aesir tribe She practiced magic She could control fate She sat on a high throne She wore animal skins She wore gloves made from cats skins To see things she ate animal hearts She moved from town to town She sold her magic She went to Asgard Asgard was at the universe’s center It was heaven It was where the Aesir lived 6 6
The Aesir fell in love with Freya They wanted her magic But some Aesir gods and goddesses became mad They believed in honor loyalty and law Freya’s magic upset their beliefs Family Tree Grandparent Buri god of creation Parents Njord god of sea wind and storm Nerthus Mother Earth Brother Freyr god of good fortune sunshine and fair weather Spouse Odr symbol of the summer sun Children Hnoss goddess of desire and lust Gersemi goddess of beauty and possessions 7 7
