Færeyja

Færeyja is the Norse goddess commonly known in English as Freyja. The name is typically understood as meaning "the lady" or "the mistress," and she is a central figure in Norse mythology. She is a member of the Vanir, the sister of Freyr, and a daughter of Njord. Freyja features prominently in myths surrounding love, beauty, fertility, sexuality, wealth, and magic, and she also appears in contexts related to war and death.

In myth, Freyja is associated with seiðr, a form of magic linked to prophecy and altering fate, which she is said to have taught to gods and humans. She travels in a chariot drawn by two cats and possesses a renowned necklace called Brísingamen, forged by dwarves in some accounts. Freyja is also described as having a cloak of falcon feathers, enabling flight. She is the ruler of the field of Sessrúmnir, and she receives half of the slain in battle, with the rest going to Odin and Valhalla.

Etymologically, Freyja’s name is linked to Proto-Germanic roots meaning “lady” or “mistress,” though scholarly interpretations vary and emphasize her status as a principal female deity. She is usually associated with the Vanir and is mentioned in both the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda, the primary medieval sources on Norse mythology.

In modern references, Freyja remains a prominent figure in scholarship and popular culture as an archetype of feminine power, love, and magic within Norse myth.