Goddesses of Imbolc: Frigg - Norse Goddess of Sovereignty, Destiny, Marriage and Motherhood
Goddess Frigg
Frigg (pronounced similarly to modern English ‘free’ with a rolled ‘r’), also known as Frigga, Frij in German and Fricka, is a Norse Sovereignty Goddess whose vast domains encompass Destiny, Love, Fertility, Marriage, Motherhood, Domestic Life, Wisdom and Weaving.
Her name means ‘well-beloved’ and ‘spouse’. She was the ‘Chief Goddess’ and wife of the principal God Odin and mother of Baldr and the blind god Hodr and was often given the epithet “Queen or Mistress of the Gods” or “Goddess or Lady of the Sky” showing the high esteem in which she was held.
Like our other Imbolc Goddess Brigid, Frigg is also a Goddess of hearth, home and domestic life. She protected marriages and made them fruitful and also reigned over motherhood, midwifery and women’s rites.
A custodian of ancient wisdom, she was the all-knowing, all-seeing Wise Mother, ‘Seeress’ and Divine Patron to seeresses. She was said to have knitted all the stars together and possessed all the wisdom of how everything fit together in the universe. She was however very discerning about when (and with whom) she shared her omniscient wisdom.
One of her sacred symbols was the weaving distaff - a tool used in weaving to hold the un-spun fibres - a symbol of her position as the Goddess of Weaving and Destiny. She was believed to create all of life and was the Creatrix of the thread of Destiny that was woven by the Norns, the triple sisters of Fate*(1) meaning she didn’t just know the future but spun the future; in ancient times many thought that the art of weaving imitated the creation of fate.
She was known for her talents as a spinner of gold threads particularly, which some believe symbolised the creation of sunlight making her a Goddess of Light and an ideal Goddess to work with around Imbolc as the sun starts to gradually return.
She was often depicted with keys, symbolic of keys to the home and the right to manage the resources of the home, as well as the keys to wisdom and keys to the doorways, or portals, to the future.
Her sacred animal was the goose, known for being a very protective guardian bird. Likewise. she was a protective Guardian over the home and children and was affectionately known as Mother Goose. Ravens, hawks, falcons and rams were also associated with her.
As a fertility Goddess, she was also connected to fertility of the land, harvesting and ensuring good crops, similar to how Brigid was worshipped at Imbolc to ensure the continued fertility of the earth.
Despite being considered a ‘domestic Goddess’ this was by no means diminutive - she was the ultimate ‘Commander’ of her 12 Priestesses or ‘Valkyries’ and was generally accepted to possess more wisdom than Odin himself, the most dominant god of the Norse pantheon.
There is much conjecture that Frigg and Freya are the same Goddess and perhaps they once were but then at some point in ancient history split into two distinct personalities. Indeed both were owners of falcon-plumed robes, they were both love and fertility Goddesses and both rode throughout the sky in a chariot (though Frigg’s chariot-toting animals of choice were believed to be rams whereas Freya’s were cats). They also have different domains - Freya primarily being a Goddess of love, beauty and warfare whereas Frigg’s domains were more centred around being a Seer, Weaving and the home and hearth.
A number of English place-names bear her name including Freefolk (from Domesday Book ‘Frigefolk’: ‘Frigg’s People’), Froyle, Fretherne, Friden and Frobury. She is also the namesake of the day of the week, Friday.
HER MYTH
There is little substantial surviving myth about Frigg other than that in the Prose Edda, a collection of myths from thirteenth-century Iceland, where she was acknowledged as “foremost among the Goddesses”. The Ásynjur court over which she ruled is composed of twelve Goddesses or hand-maidens led by Frigga, just as the Aesir court is composed of twelve Gods led by Odin.
Her role mirrors that of women in the sagas, who defend their own families — whether by advising their husbands, urging their husbands to avenge wrongs, or conducting their own diplomacy. This sometimes set her at cross purposes with Odin, who frequently disregarded social rules that conflicted with his own agenda.
Sometimes she gets the better of him; for example, when Gambara, the matriarch of the tribe of Winniles, prays to her for help against the rival Vandals, she tricks Odin into giving victory to the Winniles, who take the new name of Langobards(2).
She had two sons, Baldur who shared her gift of foresight and was known as the ‘God of Light’ and Baldr who was blind. After Frigg dreams of Baldur's death, she tries to ensure that nothing can harm him except mistletoe, which seems to be harmless anyway. However, the trickster god Loki then causes his brother, the blind god Hodur, to shoot Baldur with a mistletoe arrow, which kills him.
WORKING WITH FRIGG:
SOVEREIGNTY
Frigg is ultimately a Goddess of Sovereignty and was seen as the highest of all the Goddesses, even having twelve other Goddesses, sometimes known as Valkyries, working for her. She is nearly always depicted on her imposing throne in the act of commanding or weaving the yarn for destiny.
On the Goddess Inspiration Oracle the invocation from Goddess Fricka (Frigg) on her card is:
“You can be foremost among women, take aim to reach your goals”.
Stepping into our sovereignty over all aspects of our life is something she is hugely dedicated to supporting us with. She can help us cultivate self-authority and self-assurance, to have the ultimate rule over our selves, our bodies, our days, our work, our lives. She encourages us to take up the mantle of shaping our own destinies (and will give us a nudge in the right direction if we’ve become lost on our path) and she can help us galvanise the courage to step into positions of leadership if we’re feeling called to.
Leadership doesn’t have to be climbing to the top in a top-down hierarchical organisation or politics - though you can absolutely ask for Frigg’s help with this if that’s what’s calling you! Many of the Goddesses ruled in a more collaborative ‘power-with’ rather than linear ‘power-over’ type of way so she will support you to find your power and authority where you can.
This can mean smaller acts of taking up sovereignty - taking the lead or creating and steering a project at work, or creating your own business empire or side hustle so that you can have total sovereignty over your time, energy and location (she’s a particular supporter of home businesses!). It could be sovereignty within the routine of your day, with a hobby you engage with, within your community or even within your family or home. It could be stepping into sovereignty with sharing your truth, shining your light and being an authority on a subject area you know a lot about or are enthusiastic about - whether that’s on a social media platform, a blog, a podcast or on any soapbox of your choice!
Remember this is a Goddess with twelve, twelve no less!!, under-Goddesses and is usually depicted commanding people - so if you are the type of person who people often turn to for advice or guidance, if you enjoy bossing people about in a particular area you really know your stuff (and they’re happy to be guided and led and it creates a mutual benefit for all) or generally you just long to be Captain of your own ship, she can help you take up that position as Commander.
INTENTION-SETTING & WEAVING DESTINY
Imbolc is a perfect time to sow the seeds of our intentions. It is Goddess Frigg who is beautifully represented on the Intention card in Wendy Andrews dreams of the Goddess deck:
Goddess Frigg, spinner of fate, calls to you to remember. You too are a spinner of fate! ...
It is told that Goddess Frigg brought the flax plant to earth and taught people how to spin and weave the fibres into linen. The making of cloth was a vital skill, and involved as single-pointed concentration as in meditation. Goddess Frigg calls you to regularly take yourself away from the hustle and bustle of modern-day living to be still and meditate. With attention and intention, wonderful yarns can be spun.
Frigg’s sacred symbol, the distaff, is a long-standing symbol of women and women’s work. Weaving is often a significant power of many Goddesses (for example Brigid (Celtic), Athena (Greek), Neith (Egypt), Arachne (Greek) and also Grandmother Spider (Hopi), and that’s without digging out my (far too many) Goddess decks and conducting a thorough inventory!)
Along with Goddesses, it was also a power often attributed to witches and is a motif in many fairytales (such as the Sleeping Beauty). Indeed in the seminal Mists of Avalon novel (an Arthurian legend centring on the ancient Celtic Priestesses on Avalon) weaving is a continuous theme throughout the novel - both as a domestic task and as a magickal act to create and influence destiny. The main character, Morgaine (Morgan Le Fay), increasingly wields her powers to use her spindle to weave the fate of herself, and others, to sometimes macabre ends.
CREATIVITY
Like Brigid who is a Goddess of arts and crafts, one of Frigg’s primary domains was as a Goddess of Fiber Arts and Creativity. Her sacred symbol, the distaff, is the item that holds the fibre before it comes down and is spun on the spindle to create the thread. The distaff is symbolic of being the womb space, the vessel, the container of creation. This is very linked to the sabbat of Imbolc which literally translates to ‘in the womb’.
So over this fertile time, if there is anything you wish to bring forth or give life to, you can ask Frigg for help. She is the Patron Goddess for those with a heart-felt wish to birth something into this world - whether a creative project or baby or even re-birthing your self as an authentic and sovereign being.
As she used to ride her ram-driven chariot through the air in a blue, falcon-plumed robe, she was associated with the Sky and the element of Air which is connected to vata and creative ideas. The colour blue is connected to the throat chakra, which is all about self-expression, truth and authenticity. Amazonite is a helpful crystal to help with clarity, truth and harmony and helps us to express ourselves clearly from our heart.
HOME/HEARTH/DOMESTIC LIFE
Also like Brigid, a fellow Goddess of hearth and home, Frigg is a Goddess of the home, hearth and domestic life Frigg encourages us to spend time at home and to enjoy nesting and living in our special space. She can help us with any aspect of domestic life - particularly cleaning and purifying our space - purification also being a primary theme of Imbolc.
She can help us to be a great mother - if we don’t have actual human children - then to our pets, our plants and even ourselves, ensuring we’re taking care of ourselves and our space and cultivating good harmony in the home. She can support us with any aspects relating to the heart chakra, helping us to develop self-love, love of others and love of nature. Any issues relating to harmony in relationships or domestic harmony, you can ask for Goddess Frigg’s help with.
She encourages us to create a sense of sacredness in the mundane - to turn everyday tasks into devotional rituals and in so doing, we can cultivate a sense of mindfulness and inner connection throughout our day. Even chores that may feel boring or burdensome like cleaning, de-cluttering or cooking can feel different if done with intention and attention.
“[Frigg] entreats you to rediscover the magic in the mundane. With sacred intention the simplest action can have profound effects: a meal cooked with love can feed hearts as well as hunger; a story told with enthusiasm can feed imagination and enrich lives; a smile at a stranger can make someone’s day. “ From Wendy Andrews, Goddess Dream, Intention card
On this same vein, I feel like the gorgeous ‘Sacred Space’ card from the Seasons of the Witch, Imbolc Oracle by Lorriane Anderson and Juliet Diaz, encompasses the spirit of Frigg in her capacity as Goddess of the home, hearth and domestic life:
“Keywords: mundane tasks, gaining control over life, a need for practicality.
Sacred doesn’t always mean extraordinary. Grand ceremonies are preceded by small, often boring labours that come together to create a masterpiece.
While these small duties are often overshadowed in the grand scheme of things, they are ultimately what fuels the beautiful side of life. There is powerful magick and healing in putting in the hard work now so that you can play later. Consider saving money for a quality purchase down the road rather than splurging on things that might break or fall apart quickly, staying in and working on a project instead of going out or compromising now for the long-term health of your relationship.
When this card comes up it may be time to be more reasonable, responsible or practical in your endeavours. If you’re seeking to gain more control over your life or situation or are failing to see desired results then you are urged to shift your focus from glamorous expectations and start seriously investing the time and effort needed to create the rewards you desire. Certain tasks or engagements may not be fun but are necessary all the same if a successful outcome is desired.”
RITUALS TO CONNECT WITH FRIGG:
Set the intentions for any creative projects you would like to birth into being and ask for Goddess Frigg’s support to weave them through to completion
Learn or get back into a type of weaving art: eg crocheting, cross-stitch, embroidering, sewing, willow-weaving.
Create some rituals and routines to cultivate order and harmony around the home - in particular do some spring-cleaning (an Imbolc ritual as well as this was the time of the ‘spring clean’ - after all that living indoors throughout winter, early spring and imbolc was a time of purification), do some decluttering a la Marie Kondo (a perfect Frigg embodiment) or nest a part of the home that may have been left as a dumping ground.
In honour of Frigg you can drink (or better yet leave her an offering!) of milk, honey and nutmeg. Milk and honey are connected to Imbolc with the return of dairy and celebration of the fertility of the land returning.(you can use oat or other plant milk if dairy-free). Rams are also sacred to her so you could cook a feast with lamb or mutton
Create an altar in dedication to her with keys or any of her other associations: yarn, wool, thyme and crystals such as lapis lazuli (enchances confidence and regal self-esteem), blue calcite (aids clear communication), moonstone (to connect to feminine energy), snowflake obsidian (a protective and purifying stone) and amazonite (self expression from the heart) .
Listen to this beautiful meditation music track dedicated to Frigg - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e64NkvmQzkA&t=72s
The Norns were the Norse goddesses of fate, represented as three sisters named Urd, Verdandi, and Skuld [insert hyperlink]. They lived underneath the world tree, where they wove the tapestry of fate.)
Paul the Deacon, History of the Lombards I.viii; transl. Foulke, pp. 16-17
REFERENCES:
The Goddess Dream Oracle - Wendy Andrew
The Goddess Inspiration Oracle - Kris Waldherr
Seasons of the Witch - Imbolc Oracle - Lorraine Anderson and Juliet Diaz
The Witches’ Goddess - Janet and Stewart Farrar