MessageToEagle.com – The Viking Age can often seem far away and it can be difficult to imagine Viking people.
Can an intriguing Viking artifact shed more light on the identity of the Goddess Freya?
Who was the Norse Goddess Freya?
In Norse mythology, Freya is a powerful goddess. She belongs to belongs to a group of Gods and Goddesses known as the Vanir who were associated with nature, wild places and animals and unseen realms. She is considered to be the goddess of Love and Beauty, but is also a warrior goddess and one of great wisdom and magic.
Freya was renowned for her beauty and no man could resist her when she wore her enchanting necklace known as the Brisingamen. This necklace was made for her my four dwarves. They demanded that as repayment she spent a night with each of them in turn.
See also:
Mysterious And Powerful Valkyries In Norse Mythology: The Choosers Of The Slain
The Realms Of Jötunheimr – The Home Of The Fearful Giants In Norse Mythology
Ragnarok In Norse Mythology – The Doom Of The Gods And Apocalyptic Record Of The Coming Comet
The cat is her sacred symbol. Equal in prowess to Thor, Freya is nearly the equal of Odin, the Allfather. The northern Europeans gave her name to the sixth day of the week, Friday. Freya who taught magic to the Aesir gods, Odin in particular is often depicted riding her golden chariot through the skies.
A mysterious ancient rare gilded figurine could depict the powerful Goddess Freya
A metal detectorist scanning a field near Revninge in eastern Denmark discovered a rare gilded figurine of a woman that could depict the goddess Freya.
The small figurine known as the “Revninge-Woman” is of Viking manufacture and dates to around 800 A.D.
She is only 4.6 centimeters (1.8 inches) in high and is made of solid silver under a top layer of gold.
Her hair is pulled back in a tight bun around a three-dimensional head. The body, on the other hand, is two dimensional.
This is a very rare combination, as most figures from this period are flattened 2D in their entirety.
The “Revninge-Woman” is an extraordinary discovery. It gives an idea of how Vikings looked like and what clothes they wore.
“Small humanoid characters from the Viking period are extremely rare. Revninge-Woman’s dress is incredibly detailed and will no doubt contribute to the discussion on how the clothes might look like at the time,” Archaeologist Claus Feveile, Department of Landscape & Archaeology at Østfyns Museums said.
In this case, archaeologists are particularly interested in the clothing and jewelry. The Revninge-Woman wears an ankle-length gown with long sleeves and elaborates decoration. Each part of the dress has a different pattern illustrating different textile-making approaches: nesting V-shapes at the neck, radiating lines or furrows on the torso, horizontal cuts on the sleeves, lines of raised squares on the left and right of the skirt, stamped circles in between them.
Around her neck she wears a big piece of jewelry, perhaps a pearl or gold chain in several rows. Was it perhaps the necklace known as the Brisingamen?
There is a hole between the ear and the bun which indicates the figurine was worn as a pendant. Her facial features and the piercing underneath her bun resemble the gilded silver 3D valkyrie found in central Denmark last year.
Both figurines date to the same period and feature prominent women, but unlike the valkyrie, Revninge-Woman is not carrying any weapons or a shield. The lack of weapons suggests the Revninge-Woman represents Freya as the fertility goddess.
From 28 May and the summer will Revninge-Woman be on display at the Viking Museum Ladby where everyone can come and see the more than 1,100-year-old lady.
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