Page 67 - All About History 58 - 2017 UK

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A depiction of Freyja from 1890
by Donald A Mackenzie

Freyja and Loki assembled as
they are in the poem Lokasenna

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The Prose Edda tells of the Old
Norse gods

be Freyja, to trick Thrym in order to regain his social alliances with each other, rather than as
hammer. To the giants, Freyja was an object of an institution of love. A male relative, usually her
lust and desire and was subject to their various father or her brother, represented the bride
plots and schemes to trap her into a marriage, as during the marriage negotiations.
mentioned in the sagas. A happy marriage was in everyone’s best
Freyja’s ability to refuse these marriages reflects interests as it was a financial investment. The
the real-life situation of Norse women. Despite bride’s family were compensated for the loss of
the image of brutish and forceful men that may her labour, known as the bride-price, and the
be conjured up when thinking of the Vikings, groom took her dowry. It was good practice to
Norse women generally couldn’t be forced into seek a bride’s approval of her future husband —
a marriage against their will. Marriage was seen an unhappy match could lead to divorce, ending
as an arrangement between families to build the alliance that had been built.