10/18/10

Goddess of the Week: Frigga

The god Odin whispers in the ear of the dead B...Image via WikipediaPhoebat needs a goddess that will help her stay strong and not try and rush in and solve other people's problems. I think we're going to have to go with the Norse goddess Frigg. She learned the hard way that, sometimes, you have to let go.

Frigg was married to Odin, leader of the Norse gods. Together, they had a son, Balder. Balder was a great guy--the life of the party. Everybody loved him. Everybody wanted to be him. Naturally, Frigg and Odin were delighted in that way that parents of the popular often are. They sort of saw this as a reflection of their own superiority, and we're always like, "Ah! Balder. He's like us, but better. We did such a good job with him."

One day, Balder woke up screaming. "I'm going to die!" he said.

Frigg was all, "Don't be silly. It was just a dream."

"No," he said. "It was a prophecy."

The next night, Balder woke up screaming again, and this time, Frigg worried that maybe Balder was right. Maybe he really was going to die. Terrified, she decided to fix it. She went to every living being on earth, and she got each one to promise not to hurt Balder.

The other gods thought this was pretty cool. They'd just sit around throwing, like, boulders and lions at him and watching everything bounce off him.

But the trickster god Loki discovered that Frigg had forgotten to ask the mistletoe to spare Balder. So Loki found this one blind god, and he said to him, "Hey! Don't you want to throw random stuff at Balder too! Maybe I can even help you!" The blind god was, like, "Ok," and Loki was, like, "Here! Throw this mistletoe." And the blind god was, like, "You bet."

So, with Loki's arm directing his throw, the blind god threw the mistletoe at Balder and killed him.

Frigg didn't know what to do. She thought she had fixed things. She thought she had protected Balder, but now Balder was dead. She hadn't fixed things at all. But she was still determined to save Balder, so she went to the goddess Hel, who oversaw the underworld, and she was all, "Can't you save Balder? He's so good. Everyone loves him."

Hel said, "Yeah? How about this: You get every living thing to tell me it's sorry Balder died and wants Balder to live again. You do that, and I'll give you back Balder."

Frigg did it. She went to every living thing on earth and begged them to admit that they loved and missed Balder, and they all did. Except for this one total cow of giantess who said, "I hate Balder. Let him die. What did he ever do for me?"

So that was it. No resurrection for Balder. He had to stay in the underworld, and his mother had to admit that there was nothing she could do about it.

Frigg reminds us that, sometimes, we have to let go. We can't fix everything. We can barely fix ourselves, and that's ok.

Channel this goddess: When you find yourself clinging. Let go. Let the universe take care of things for a while. And go do something nice for yourself while you're at it. Maybe watch this. It can help.

Need a goddess? I got goddesses! Post a comment stating your need, and I will see what I can do.

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20 comments:

Joanne said...

I like the sound of that, let go and just let the universe take care of things for awhile. It's kind of a restful place to be, and it's interesting how the universe has a way of working things out for us.

Anonymous said...

What chance do I have to be an optimist when my people gave us stories like this? But your way of telling it was so charming, for the moment I believe, perhaps, we're just darkly funny.

Petrea Burchard said...

Frigg: the goddess of 12 step.

I think you should include a link to that video in every post, Margaret.

Star said...

Thanks for that delightful video simply because I had never understood the words before. My thanks have nothing whatsoever to do with eye candy. Really. (If you believe that, I've got a Trevi Fountain in Rome, I'd like to sell you, and there's a smaller, but cute, one in Milan, in case you have room for two.)

Shell Sherree said...

Sounds liberating, Margaret. I enjoyed that clip, too ~ though "someone" seems to have worn it a bit bare in the Colin Firth frames from excessive pausing...

Jean Spitzer said...

Okay. Love the little thing diversion you found to make it easier to let go. Once again, great story and moral.

wv: nobli

I nobli watched the video.

Olga said...

I was really feeling Frigg's pain there, but then i watched the video mantage and i'm all like, "O.M.G. can't they edit out those female faces??"

Coppertop said...

Give up control to the universe? What???

Pasadena Adjacent said...

The Nords sure take it on the chin. Maybe because their stories are harsh and unsentimental

Odin = Odious

Frigg = frigid

Balder = Balderdash

Loki seems to have gotten off without a derogatory association

"like" good yarn Margaret

Petrea Burchard said...

When I was a kid we had a dog named Loki. He was beloved.

Margaret said...

AH: It's true. You are a tormented people. If only Bergman had been Italian.

Petrea: Don't you love that video. I got it from Paula Johnson.

Star: Of course not. I'm sure you only enjoyed the landscapes.

Shell: I am baffled, absolutely baffled. Whoever could you mean?

Jean: Yes. It is nobli of us.

Olga: I was thinking the same thing. That dare Kate Winslet is blocking the view.

PA: Good linguistical analysis. Wish I'd thought of that.

Mairie said...

And to all overbearing mothers everywhere- let your kids go!!!
Funny that the mistletoe became the plant to kiss under at Christmas - even Superman is beaten by Love - or Love does not actually guarantee a long life - something like that....
I always had a soft spot for Loki - - he was the little one always looking for attention - even if he had to do bad to get it - bless him. Who'd be the mother of the Norse Gods - you'd have to live in battle armour. Bless them.

Sarah Anne said...

That's the goddess I needed. Thanks. :)

Toyin O. said...

Nice post.

I also just wanted to thnak you for visiting my blog. Have a great day!

Deb @ PaperTurtle said...

Ugh! There has to be one in every crowd that goes against the grain, eh? I needed this goddess right now myself, Margaret! I'm slowly learning to "let go" but being the mother of a daughter who is now all grown up is a whole new ballgame!

And, wow, thanks for the video. Really nice eye candy to go with my morning coffee. ;o)

Watson said...

Good example in Frigga - some things just can't be fixed. Did anyone else notice the beautiful horse in the video? Needs a dog too.

Anonymous said...

That was a sad story. But the message behind it is so relevant!

Stacey said...

Can't even tell you how much I needed this one.

phoebat said...

Margaret - I've been unplugged and just got back to my fulfilled request. As bleak being one of my favorite literary landscapes... this was a treat :) Really brought home how overprotective energy can wreak havoc. Thank you so much Margaret!

claire bangasser said...

Just able to fix ourselves... How true!

Thank you.