Freyja

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The goddess associated with love, beauty, and fertility in Norse mythology
2. A divine figure revered for her warrior spirit and connection to magic and fate in Viking culture
3. A central deity in the pantheon, often depicted as a guiding force in matters of romance and nature

Etymology: Freyja is the Old Norse goddess whose name simply meant "lady." In Old Norse, "freyja" was a common noun, the feminine counterpart of "freyr" ("lord"), so the goddess's name is a title as much as a proper name. Both words trace back to a Proto-Germanic form, "frawjǭ," that carried the same sense of a noble mistress, and the pairing of a lord and lady sits at the heart of the Norse pantheon's fertility gods. English borrowed the name directly from Old Norse, so the word arrived with its Scandinavian shape intact rather than passing through Old English. Its use is largely confined to discussions of Norse myth, where it names the goddess associated with love, beauty, and fertility, as well as with the afterlife and battle.

Synonyms: Norse goddess, goddess of love