Drawing from a small bronze figure wearing a pointed cap, thought to represent the fertility deity Freyr, found at Rallinge, Sodermanland, Sweden.
Click on image for full size
Freyr
According to Norse mythology, Freyr was closely linked with the Sun.
He was the god of peace and fertility. His parents were the sea god
Njord and the giantess Skadi. He was part of the Vanir family which was
at war with the family Aesir.
Once, Freyr climbed into Odin's throne,
from which he could see into all worlds, and saw a beautiful maiden in
the underworld. She was a giantess and her name was Gerd. She had such
white arms that their brightness spread into the air and the sea. At
first sight, Freyr fell in love with Gerd and sent his servant
Skirnir to woo Gerd for him.
After a long journey and many adventures,
Skirnir finally reached the underworld with the help of Odin's magic sword.
Unfortunately, Gerd refused the precious gifts sent by Freyr. Skirnir
was then forced to threaten Gerd with his magic sword in order to
convince her to meet Freyr in a grove and become his bride.
The journey of Skirnir, whose name means Bright One, to bring about the marriage of Freyr with Gerd, is said to represent the journey of the Sun over the sky and down into the underworld.
Shop Windows to the Universe Science Store!
Our
online store includes fun
classroom activities for you and your students.
Issues of NESTA's quarterly journal, The Earth Scientist are also full of classroom activities on different topics in Earth and space science!
You might also be interested in:
There are people of different cultures and backgrounds who live in the Arctic region. Read on to learn more about two of these cultures. Inuit The Inuit are the native cultures that continue to live on
...more
Ahsonnutli was the sky father and chief deity of the Navajo Indians. He created heaven, Earth, and the sky. Each of the four cardinal directions was supported by a giant. Each direction was also associated
...more
Amphitrite was one of the fifty Nereids, the attendants of the sea-god Poseidon. Poseidon (Neptune) had fallen in love with Amphitrite after seeing her dancing on the island of Naxos. Amphitrite rejected
...more
Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of love and beauty. She was known to the Romans as Venus. There were actually two different Aphrodites, one was the daughter of Uranus, the other the daughter of Zeus and
...more
In Greek mythology, Apollo was the son of Jupiter(in Greek Zeus) and Leto (Letona). He was the god of the Sun, logic, and reason, and was also a fine musician and healer. Leto travelled all over Greece
...more
According to an ancient Greek legend, the figure of a gigantic crab was placed in the nighttime sky by the goddess Hera to form the constellation Cancer. Hera was the jealous wife of the sky god, Zeus.
...more
In the Northern Hemisphere sky is the constellation Cepheus, king of Ethiopia, and that of his wife Cassiopeia. Cassiopeia claimed that she and her daughter Andromeda were more beautiful than the sea nymphs,
...more
