Saga: Stories and Prophecy, Handmaid of Frigga

At her hall of Fensalir, Frigga, the Norse All-Mother, has twelve Handmaidens (Note 1) or ladies-in-waiting to attend to Her. Not much is known about who these Handmaidens were since the Lore is scanty about Norse Goddesses in general. Much of what is known today is by Group Verified Gnosis.

Saga (in brief)
At her hall, Sokkvabekkr (Sunken Hall), Saga drinks with Odin, the All-Father. The two Gods spend their time trading stories. In common usage, “saga” means “a long tale.” Since She is the Patroness of Historians, Saga collects and passes on knowledge.

In the Gylfaginning, Saga is listed as first of the Goddesses who attended Frigga. “Saga, who dwells in Sokkvabekkr, and this is a large dwelling.” In the Poetic Edda (Grimnismal), Saga and Odin meet at her home each day. (Sokkvabekkr, Saga’s home is listed as one of the named residences of the Gods.) Her home is believed to be partially underwater or abutting a stream. This is significant since water offers wisdom and prophecy.

Sökkvabekk is the fourth, where cool waves flow,
And amid their murmur it stands;
There daily do Othin and Saga drink
In gladness from cups of gold.

In their daily meetings, the All-Father listens to Saga, since She is a source of wisdom and knowledge that He appreciates. From Her, Odin learns about the past history and the future destiny of the Nine Worlds. This Goddess perseveres history and provides an understanding of everyone’s places in the Worlds

Saga is the Progenitor, Keeper, and Foreteller of Stories. She lends her name to the Norse Sagas, their tales of generational histories. One could say that Saga knows all since She knows the past, present, and future.

Saga provides guidance of how everyone can understand their destiny. This Goddess gives people a sense of how to navigate the flow of their life’s events. This is in keeping with the Norse sense of “orlog,” (Note 2) where the past defines the future and fates are known.

I see Saga inspiring the spark of creativity in people. She offers a way to bring life into prosaic stories and elevates them. Saga encourages people to engage in the process of creating their stories. These stories can be the ones of your life that you are writing or your future. For me, She inspires my passions in writing.

Notes:
Note 1. Saga (seer), Eir (healer), Gefjun (unmarried girls), Fulla (plenty), Sjofn (love), Lofn (forbidden love), Var (oaths), Vor (wisdom), Syn (truth), Hlin (protector), Snorta (diplomacy), Gna (travelers).

Note 2. Orlog is defined as the primal layers of strands that weave together to make an individual. It is the relationship between the actions and outcomes of each person. People’s souls are inherited in part from their Ancestors and part influenced through the person’s own actions. It is not to be confused with “karma” which is that one’s actions impacts one’s reincarnation cycle.

Gefjun (Gefjon): Giver of Gifts, Frigga Handmaid

At her hall of Fensalir, Frigga, the Norse All-Mother, has twelve Handmaidens (Note 1) or ladies-in-waiting to attend to Her. Not much is known about who these Handmaidens were since the Lore is scanty about Norse Goddesses in general. Much of what is known today is by Group Verified Gnosis.

Gefjun (Gefjon) briefly:
As an Ancestor of the Kings of Norway and Denmark, Gefjon plowed Zealand into existence. Since She holds power the land and sea, Gefjon is the Giver of Gifts. In addition, all unmarried women go to her hall when they die.

In the Prose Edda, Snorri Sturluson writes, “Gefjun, who is a maid, and those who die maids become her hand-maidens.” Out of this Goddess’ many accomplishments, Snorri focuses on her care for maids (virgins), as the most important. Even though, Gefjun has four sons and is an Ancestor of the Kings of Denmark and Norway, She is considered to be a maid. This is because She is thought to be unmarried. But that is confusing since Snorri writes in the Ynglinga Saga that Gefjun married Skjold, Odin’s son and started the line of Danish Kings. Whether Gefjun is a maid or not highlights how complex this Goddess is. What is important is that She cares for the maids who come to her Hall.

The Sagas tell of the diverse attributes of Gefjun. In the Gylfaginning, the Goddess ploughs land into being. She is given the task by King Gylfi of Sweden to plough as much land as She could in one day and one night. Before Gefjun attempts that task, She has four sons with a Jotun. Then, She turns her sons into oxen, and ploughs Zealand from Sweden. (Zealand is now a part of Denmark.)

From the Gylfaginning:
“Gefjun dragged from Gylfi,
gladly the land beyond value.
Denmark’s increase,
steam rising from the swift-footed bulls.
The oxen bore eight
moons of the forehead and four heads,
hauling as they went in front of
the grassy isle’s wide fissure.”

In the Lokasenna, Loki bitterly rebukes the Gods for injustices done to Him. Gefjun tries to mediate between Him and the rest of Them. She counsels the other Gods,
“Why will ye, Æsir twain, here within,
strive with reproachful words?
Loki perceives not that he is deluded,
and is urged on by fate.”

Loki then interrupts Her with a rejoinder. He tells the sordid story of how Gefjun slept with a boy for jewelry. Shocked at Loki’s brashness, Odin scolds Him,

“Mad art thou, Loki, and little of wit,
The wrath of Gefjun to rouse;
For the fate that is set for all she sees.
Even as I, methinks.”

The All Father is warning Loki not to be so insane as to accuse Gefjun of anything. Odin explains that She knows the destinies of everyone as well as He does. Gefjun’s powers expand beyond being the Keeper of Maids and Creator of Land.

Finally, in the “Tale of the Penis,” the maid of the home swears by a penis of a stallion. A part of her oath is swearing by Gefjun. (This is in keeping with the Goddess watching over maids.) Gefjun is concerned with young women and their fertility. (Note 2) This Goddess seeks to husband that fertility in appropriate ways.

The Oath:
“I swear by Gefjun
and the other gods
that against my will
do I touch this red proboscis.
May giantesses
accept this holy object,
but now, slave of my parents,
grab hold of Völsi.”

A complex Goddess, Gefjun is independent in her actions, She may be an Handmaid of Frigga, but She has adventures elsewhere. This Goddess is concerned with the fertility of the land and young women. Moreover, her power encompasses the respect of Odin.

Notes:
Note 1. Saga (seer), Eir (healer), Gefjun (unmarried girls), Fulla (plenty), Sjofn (love), Lofn (forbidden love), Var (oaths), Vor (wisdom), Syn (truth), Hlin (protector), Snorta (diplomacy), Gna (travelers).

Note 2. The oath could be thought of as containing fertility.