Norse Gods and Goddesses: Frigg

Frigg is the Queen of the Aesir, and the driving force behind the modern-day Norse mythological TV show, The Almighty Johnsons. But who is she, and why is her name so funny to say? Read on to find out.

Wife of Odin, Mother of Baldr
We mostly hear of Frigg in conjunction with Odin, her husband, or her son Baldr. Unfortunately for her, little else is said of her own, personal deeds. Instead, as so often happens to women even in modern media, she is simply a mirror of grief for whatever horrible thing happens to these men. When Baldr is killed, she weeps for him, and the kenning-name for the eventual death of Odin is The Second Grief of Frigg.

But for her own agency, we know these things of Frigg:
– She has the gift of prophecy, just like Odin.
– All of the Aesir descend from her and Odin, including mighty Thor
– She is considered the most high-ranking goddess, and Freyja follows her
– She has a handmaiden named Fulla who does as she bids (but mostly carries her shoes and listens to her secrets); one name Lofn who arranges unions between men and women; Hlín is the handmaiden who protects those Frigg claims to need protection; and Gna, who travels throughout the various realms to conduct Frigg’s business.
– She can help people have babies! If you’re struggling to get pregnant, all you need to do is ask Frigg, and she’ll plead your case to Odin.

In her most famous appearance is where she makes every creature and item in all of the realms promise to protect beautiful Baldr from harm. Her fatal mistake? Thinking that mistletoe is too young to be ask, which of course, leads to the death of Baldr.

Of course, she is also the origin of the word Friday, making her the original god in the acronym TGIF.

Are Frigg and Freyja the same person?
A recent video game brought this idea up (we’re going to withhold the name for sake of spoilers!), and the answer is, as mythology with a strong oral culture often is, a bit mushy. Frigg has a some imagery in common with Freyja, and is often considered to be an aspect of her, like the Holy Spirit is an aspect of the Christian God. But they are also occasionally mentioned together, such as in the Lokasenna, when Loki accuses them both of being disloyal to their husbamds.