Freyr is a god who is classified as part of the Vanir faction. He is also an honorary member of the Aesir tribe, having arrived in Asgard as a hostage at the end of the War between the two divine factions.
Freyr was one of the most venerated deities among the Norse pagans and Germanic peoples. An old poem calls him "chief of the gods" and "hated by none." This veneration is a product of the northern peoples' view of the goodness Freyr bestowed. Norse legends say that he brought well-being and prosperity, and that this was particularly manifested in sexual and agricultural fertility, abundant harvests, wealth and peace. His role in providing health and abundance was often symbolized by his fylgja, the boar Gullinborsti, and by his erect phallus.
Freyr was a frequent recipient of sacrifices. He was invoked at wedding blessings or harvest celebrations. During harvest festivals, the sacrifice traditionally took the form of his favorite animal, the boar.
Regarding Freyr's family tree, it is known that his father is Njord and his mother is Njord's unnamed sister (presumably Nerthus). Freyr himself has been the lover of numerous goddesses and giantesses, including his own sister, Freya. Incest is apparently a common and acceptable practice among the Vanir (though not among the historical Germanic peoples).
Freyr's residence is Alfheim, the world of the elves. This could mean that Freyr is the ruler of the elves, but as this is never explicitly stated in the surviving sources, it will remain a fascinating conjecture. The relationship between the gods and the elves is ambiguous enough to allow for a number of possible connections between Freyr and the elves.
Another of Freyr's characteristic details is his ship Skíðblaðnir, which always has a favorable wind and can be folded and carried in a small bag. Its name means "assembled from pieces of thin wood" and suggests that it served as the mythological archetype of ships only built for ritual purposes and never intended to be seaworthy.
We know from archaeological evidence that ships played an important role in the pre-Christian religious rites of the Germanic peoples, which coincides with the major role played by ships in the Bronze and Iron Ages, particularly among the Scandinavians.
On land, Freyr travels in a chariot drawn by boars. This mythological feature was reflected in historical rituals. We know from medieval Icelandic sources that priestesses and/or priests of Freyr travelled around the country in a chariot containing a statue of the god. Also the Roman historian Tacitus describes processions connected with the ancient Germanic goddess Nerthus, whose name is the proto-Germanic form of the name of Freyr's father Njord.
When the chariot arrived at a village or town, the people would lay down their weapons and all iron objects and enjoy a period of peace and joy in the gracious presence of the deity. Such processions and celebrations seem to have been a common feature of the worship of the deities the Norse called Vanir from at least the first century CE into the Viking Age.
Like the name of his sister Freya ("Lady"), the word "freyr" ("Lord") is only a title rather than a proper name. Freyr's original Proto-Germanic name seems to have been Ingwaz, which became Ing among the Anglo-Saxons and Yngvi (or Yngvi-Freyr or Ingunar-Freyr) among the Scandinavians. (Unfortunately, the meaning and etymology of this name are unknown.) Whenever he is mentioned in Germanic literature or in foreign works describing Germanic peoples, he is noted for possessing and bestowing the same qualities: fertility, well-being, and prosperity. His connections to chariots and ships are frequently noted, as he is the founder of several tribes, groups of tribes (such as the Ingaevones), and royal lines (such as the Yngling dynasty of Sweden). Thus, the role played by Freyr in the pre-Christian religion of the Germanic peoples was immense, as was the esteem with which they thought of him.
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