The month of May is associated with pagan fertility rites like the Maypole and Beltane festival. So who better to mark this month's full moon than the Norse fertility goddess Freya? She is one of the oldest Norse goddesses, a member of the ancient Vanir family of deities. Freya and her twin brother-husband Frey (whose names mean "The Lady" and "The Lord" respectively) rule over love, sex and fertility and ensure the renewal, birth and growth of all living things.
My Freya statue is by Paul Borda of Dryad Design, which I bought in an Edmonton spirituality store about 20 years ago. She wears a floral crown and her magic winged cloak of flight named Fjadrhamr. Freya's other mode of transportation is a chariot pulled by two cats, one of which is snuggling up to her side. I obtained the brightly coloured placemat of fluorescent cats in Winnipeg about 30 years ago.
Freya is also the Norse goddess of Seidr (shamanic sorcery). To represent this, I have put a tarot card depicting Freya on each side of the altar. The first card is from the Universal Goddess Tarot and the second is from the Runic Tarot.
The candles of Freya and her cat at the back of the altar are by a local Edmonton crafter, Skuhl Candles, which I bought recently at a witches market. Aren't they gorgeous? Too nice to burn, actually, but alas, they must fulfill their destiny. The Freya candle's design is reminiscent of the famous viking Lewis chessmen, it seems to me.
The cat's forehead bears a silver moon phases symbol -- waxing crescent moon / full moon / waning crescent moon -- which represent the maiden / mother / crone phases of the Triple Goddess.
And if this full moon altar is not already loaded with enough symbolism, Freya's sacred day is Friday to which she gave her name. And what day of the week is today? Precisely.
TGIF -- Thank Goddess It's Freya's-Day!
[Photos © Debra She Who Seeks, 2023]
40 comments:
Your collection is a wonder. And, yes, it would be hard to watch those beautiful candles melt. Do you now remember all these details or do you have to still sometimes look up the meanings of things?
What an interesting alter this month. I'm sure that HRH the Cat approves of this one. Well maybe...I'm not sure what she thinks of a cat head on a pedestal? lmao!
Cats? Pulling a chariot? Oh those Norsepeople were hilarious.
Any goddess who favours cats is alright by me!
@ Moving with Mitchell -- I do simply remember most of the details I share but admittedly, this month I had to look up the Norse words I used. The Norse named EVERYTHING. Just like IKEA.
Wait, she's got a chariot pulled by two cats? That alone makes her absolutely fab.
And if she looks like she looks in that Tarot card, I'd get to worshipping right away.
XOXO
Ohh this is brilliant. You have the best alters. Happy day to you.
Well done!!!
bobbie
I can't believe she got TWO cats to pull the chariot let alone one.
I love this so much..you know Freya is my girl..you should have a little dish to put something shiny in it for her..she loves shiny stuff. Then when you get enough shiny things you can turn it into green stuff and donate it to meals on wheels..
What a beautiful altar you've erected. And I completely understand wanting to keep the candles. I've kept two skull candles for what seems like forever. But I think they will serve their purpose this Samhain.
I hope you had a wondrous Beltane.
It's nice to see HRH's head on a pike at long last!
@ Tundra Bunny -- Sleep with one eye open, rabeet.
@ HRH -- bring it on, you toothless old fleabag!
@ Tundra Bunny -- Sheesh, Bugs, who pissed in your carrot juice this morning?
Now, now, do I have to step in and send both of you to your cages?
A beautiful and magical alter.
Oh yes lighting those candles would seem criminal. You are correct. They’re made to be used
I'll keep that in mind, TGIF.
Thanks, i love the Full Moon Altars! I was looking forward to it. As usual,i will have to read the post more than once and
" do some research".
I confess i have always been a little afraid of Freya.
She has an implacable side to her that, i dont want to incur her wrath. I wonder if that is where we get the expression
"walking on eggshells" ? Nice altar, thank you.
Wonderful collection, Debra. Loved learning about all things Freya and TGIF indeed. Hope you had Frey-day and a nice weekend.
Also Feliz Cinco de Mayo! We are not having public fiestas this year because we do not want to antagonize or create fear and misunderstandings. In good years it can be a fun party.
Everybody knows it is not really a Mexican thing, but it is an excuse to celebrate our friendship.
I will celebrate with an avocado and appreciation for my Mexican friends.
Absolutely stunning! Every time I think this is your best alter yet, you one-up it! LOL Those cat candles are gorgeous. I would hesitate to burn them but they really do have to fulfill their destiny. That card from the Universal Goddess Tarot is stunning. It's the first time I'm seeing it because I don't have that deck.
Looked out to see that full moon on the rise last night and it was the color of the oranges in your banner! Beautiful!
Hello Debra, Messing around with the Black Arts is one thing, but setting up altars to the Goddess of Fertility is really playing with fire! Well, in case you are the sudden recipient of unanticipated progeny, if you can't use them, just send them to me.
--Jim
p.s. What is this I see-our Debra lighting a cat on fire? I would tremble to be there when HRS wreaks her harrowing revenge.
@ Parnassus (Jim) -- What can I say, I like to live dangerously, LOL!
You have an impressive Freya collection, dear Debra! (I didn't know the goddess appeared on tarot cards - mine doesn't show her.) And your cat head with moon phases is in good, colorful company, too (they all look friendlier than the cats in your previous post) 😊😽
🌸❤️🌸
Warm May greetings!
Hugs, Traude 😘
And here the May Fayre got cancelled because of the rain. A sad day in English history. Not their finest hour.
On a sidenote, great pictures. It makes me want to play Dungeons and Dragons.
I couldn't imagine starting a family at my age.
Coffee is on and stay safe.
Oh very cute altar
Baby M named her female kitten Freya. She must have known more about the Goddess/cat connection than I did.
Dear Guillaume, also it was Ederlezi festival, a balkan thing.
I think it is associated with Saint George the Dragonslayer. Djurdjevdan. Like i said, we didn't want any trouble. We have trouble enough.
I absolutely love this altar. It's perfect in every way. Freya is becoming a very popular girls name in the US. All hail the Goddess!
Pretty altar..Interesting post..I always learn something..
Beautiful in every way. 😍 Thank you for sharing this with us.
What a pretty alter! I love how you give us so much detail on the objects on it. I did my usual pre Full Moon affirmations using crystals and candles.
I knew YDG would love this. Freya is her goddess.
"love, beauty, fertility, sex, war, gold, and seiðr (magic for seeing and influencing the future)" in other words, a woman's woman.
wow she is magnificent and elegant indeed
your love for such precious items is impressing no doubt ,i loved her look thoroughly and the objects along are also really beautiful
wishing you wonderful days ahead !
That modern art might be why neo Norse paganism is on the rise
The hanged man card is actually Frigg not Freya.
@ Anonymous -- Thanks for your comment -- good catch! You are absolutely right that the LWB of the Universal Goddess Tarot deck identifies this goddess as Frigg. There is scholarly dispute in Norse mythological studies whether Frigg and Freya are in fact the same goddess under two names, or whether they are truly two separate characters. Since the goddess depicted on the card has Freya's cats and winged cloak of flight, I decided that for the purposes of this altar I would conflate the two and simply identify her as Freya.
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