Nordic symbols of love

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In Norse culture, there was a strong belief in gods that ruled over various aspects of life. Themes, such as war, death, love, courage, strength, protection, and the like, could each be ascribed to one or more gods. There were male and female gods, but the nature of love and the emotion it evokes this particular trait was considered feminine.

Here, we are going to look at the goddess of love and the symbols ascribed to her. It’s worth remembering there are a lot of sides to love, so it would be impossible for it to have a universal character. People in the past, therefore, adopted runes to help specify what kind of love they were talking about; we’ll mention a few later in the text. Let’s dive in.

The goddess of love

Frigga

There is significant confusion between goddess Frigga and goddess Freyja, with some texts implying they were the same. However, multiple Norse-mythology accounts state they were two different goddesses, albeit having similarities. Frigga, the person whom the day Friday is named after, was Odin’s wife. She was associated with wisdom and foresight. It was her sister Frejya that was crowned as the goddess of love, fertility, sex, beauty, war, and gold.

Frejya’s, or Freya’s, name means “Lady,” making it a title and not her actual name. The mystery exists because of her many travels to the mortal world, looking for her lost husband. She used many disguises to hide her identity and thus earning her the title Frejya. The goddess of love earner the reputation of being a party girl among the gods. What’s more, she was said to have slept with every gold and elf in Asgard, her brother included. Despite her questionable character, Freyja was powerful, with only Odin possessing similar magical abilities.

Symbols associated with Frejya

Frejya

The symbols associate with her includes Aurora Borealis (The Northern Lights), romantic music or words in general, floral bouquets, and a Viking helmet and a sword to depict war. You can also use animals and plants to symbolize Frejya too. It is thought horses, sparrows, and geese were her spirit animals, with vervain, thyme, yarrow, cypress, apple, and bramble being the plants used to depict her. If you’re looking to have color added to any of these symbols, opt for red and black, as those were Frejya’s colors. The gems and metals you can opt for include ruby, jade, malachite, red jasper, citrine, and copper.

What is the rune for love?

Various kinds of runes depict love, depending on who it’s directed towards. However, the primary rune for love is quite simple; even you can draw it. Essentially, it is an X drawn, with a straight line passing through the middle point of the character. A line is then drawn from the top end of the straight line to the right slant of the X. There are various sources for the same; you can check out Pinterest to locate the runes that speak of the kind of love you’re looking for.

Wrap up

Love is fluid, and thus impossible to give it a singular symbol. That’s a fantastic thing, as you can find something unique to you and adopt it, particularly if you love Nordic symbols.  

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