1/26/10

Goddess of the Week: Freyja

Sometimes, you might feel like you have to cross a line to get what you want. You might even feel that you need to give up a part of yourself to get what you want. For example, my secret boyfriend, Colin Firth, recently thought he had to make himself all frumpy and old looking (which he may be, but not when he's being my secret boyfriend) and star in a totally boring movie in order to get accolades as a serious artiste. Instead, what my secret boyfriend should have done was thought of the goddess Freyja and practiced some personal restrai

Freyja, by J. Doyle Penrose (1862-1932). Bette...Image via Wikipedia

nt.

Freyja is a Norse goddess. Think Venus and Hades all wrapped in one. She is the goddess of beauty, fertility, and love, but also of death and war. I know what you're thinking. How can one goddess represent such opposite concepts? Think lust. Think desire. Now let them out of the bedroom. Let them grow like yeast in anger and resentment, in infidelity and broken promises. There you go. You got Medea. You got Mia Farrow. You got Charlie Sheen. Love, poisoned, leads to bad places.

What Freyja lusted after was the Brisingamen, a golden necklace of dazzling beauty made by four dwarves. She went to the dwarves to buy it.

"No way," they said. "This thing is priceless."

"Everything has a price," she said. "Even a goddess has a price."

So the dwarves made a deal. In return for the necklace, she would spend one full night with each dwarf.

When Freyja returned to the gods wearing the necklace, and when the other gods found out how she had cheapened herself for the sake of mere bling, they were totally grossed out. They couldn't even look her in the eye, and soon she became the butt of so many jokes that she basically had to go star in a Holocaust drama just so that people would take her seriously again.

The lesson here is that what you want, isn't always what you should have. Some prices are just too high. Goddesses may have a price, but self respect does not.

Channel this goddess: If you must channel unbridled lust, be like Freyja. Indulge in precious medals. They're a sure bet in a weak economy.

Need a goddess: The queue is open! Tell me what you need a goddess to help you with, and I will find the perfect goddess just for you. Just post a comment specifying your particulars, and I'll see what I can do.
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31 comments:

Cafe Pasadena said...

Now whenever I, "think lust. Think desire. and, Now then let them out of the bedroom!", I'll have someone to blame it on!

Thanks, MF, for your divine thoughts today.

Desiree said...

Oh my. I am SO glad this post wasn't dedicated to anyone. Unless you count people in reality shows, (ugh, my secret addiction--Celebrity Rehab, Jersey, Housewives, et cetera, et cetera).

Unknown said...

Hey! Maybe you and Colin can double date with me and my secret boyfriend, Matthew Macfadyen!

Margaret said...

Paula: Anytime. Colin will pay. He's just generous that way.

Desiree said...

Paula and Margaret:
That's it. Riven with envy, I shall never be able to speak to either of you, again.
Farewell--

Margaret said...

Be as riven as you want, Dez. We have our secret boyfriends to indulge our very whims. That's all we need.

Cafe Pasadena said...

Just leave me outta this. I'm limited to woman's best friend. Then, what kinda secret wood that bee??

Watson said...

:-) OK, so I had to Google "Colin Firth". I feel so dumb!

Joanne said...

Margaret, next I'll be seeing you and Colin caught dating on TMZ, in some random airport, or leaving a restaurant. I'll be looking for you two.

Deb @ PaperTurtle said...

Oh my gosh, Margaret. I missed you so. I LOL'd when I read "Love, poisoned, leads to bad places." mm-hm.

I loved your take on this goddess. :o)

Lynne said...

I think you're secret boyfriend had to do his serious movie because he was still getting teased about Mama Mia! Thank goodness he always has you to stand by him!

Stacey said...

You're so funny.

Margaret said...

Daisy: I think that this speaks to my pathetic nerdiness more than anything else.

Lynne: You could be right. But he did sing better than Pierce Brosnan.

Curly said...

"The lesson here is that what you want, isn't always what you should have. Some prices are just too high. Goddesses may have a price, but self respect does not."
This is a thought I had over and over again lately...
BRILLIANT!

Anonymous said...

Not to be nationalistic, but the Norsk goddesses definitely rock.

Maria said...

Yes, Freya's left quite a legacy. Norse and Celtic gods and goddesses had quite a dark side to them....

Thanks for your good wishes and kind words over at mine. Much appreciated!

Bec said...

"What you want isn't always what you should have" - so true . . . if we all came imprinted with that idea in our brains as teenagers (heck, I'm even trying to teachi it to my toddler), we wouldn't have to learn it the hard way.

Petrea Burchard said...

I read this last night and went away to sleep on it. I read it again this morning and I'm still in awe. It's so damned pithy and good it ought to be the frontispiece to every teenage girl's diary and every women's magazine.

Petrea Burchard said...

Is Colin's movie boring? I kind of wanted to see it.

My secret boyfriend, by the way, is Nathaniel Parker. You might have to look him up but he's real. I'm a bit nervous now because he just did a picture that screened at Sundance.

Petrea Burchard said...

Hey! Congratulations on being the winner at Rose City Sisters!

Anonymous said...

Too much credit is given to the greeks. Time spent with your unique slant on the goddesses is time not wasted. Plus I like red heads (and dead heads). All my secret boyfriends are dead. Shouldn't be a problem though. I'm sure there's a goddess that raises the dead.

btw: Colin Firth is the background voice in my latest wee video production.

Margaret said...

Petrea: The movie wasn't my favorite. It's always stressful for me to see my secret boyfriends in movies because I so worry about how he'll do. I don't know Mr. Parker, but I'm going to Google him. Oh -- and thanks for the congratulations. I feel quite honored.

PA: Dead secret boyfriends? You do need a goddess. Can't wait to check out your video.

Margaret said...

Petrea: Ah, THAT Nathaniel Parker. I think I've only seen him in Stardust, but I would feel much more superior if I could say I'd seen him in Bleak House.

Petrea Burchard said...

I discovered Nat (we call him "Nat") in the Inspector Lynley mysteries on BBC America. I haven't seen him in enough but I think he's fab.

Watson said...

Pasadenaadjacent, aren't your legs all scratched from the cat? He's very handsome by the way - I just felt sore watching his claws dig into you!

Shell Sherree said...

Hahaha!!! I do think Colin should confer with you as to which roles he should take on, Margaret. Sticking with those that include 'Darcy' in his character's name should be a safe place to start.

Coppertop said...

Margaret - congrats on your short story win from Rose City Sisters!!

Was just reading about a Freyja-related topic in Women Who Run With the Wolves...

Anonymous said...

Oh, I'll tell you something that I LOVED, featuring your secret boyfriend: Valmont. So much better than the other version.

Petrea Burchard said...

Shakespeare in Love.

Though I know he was the creepy guy. Still, I loved that movie.

JCK said...

The Charlie Sheen line made me almost spit out my drink. Hilarious.

I LOVE this painting of Freyja.

I could use a Goddess of courage or daring or leap of faithing... :)

Pasadena Adjacent said...

o dear

You and I shall never do a movie date. A single man was an excellent movie; and related to one of my posts...which you commented on

thats ok

After the first Star Wars, I never saw another