View source for *Frijjō

{{italic title}}
[[File:Welschingen-B.jpg|thumb|The Welschingen-B bracteate (IK 389)]]
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Oberwerschen B-bracteate.jpg|thumb|The Oberwerschen-B bracteate (IK 311)]] -->
'''''*Frijjō''''' ("[[Frigg]]-Frija") is the reconstructed name or epithet of a hypothetical [[Common Germanic]] [[love goddess]], the most prominent female member of the ''*[[Aesir|Ansiwiz]]'' (gods), and often identified as the spouse of the chief god, *''[[Wōdanaz]]'' (''[[Woden]]-[[Odin]]'').
==Proposed etymology==
The name ''*Frijjō'' (Old Norse ''Frigg'', Old High German ''Frīja'') ultimately derives from [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]] ''*prih-y(a)h'', cognate to [[Sanskrit]] ''[[Priya (given name)|priya]]'' "dear, beloved".<ref>Wodtko et al., ''Nomina im Indogermanischen Lexikon'', Heidelberg (2008) {{ISBN|978-3-8253-5359-9}}, s.v. "preyH", pp. 568-573.</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bader |first1=Françoise |title=Autobiographie et héritage dans la langue des dieux : d'Homère à Hésiode et Pindare |journal=Revue des Études Grecques |date=1990 |volume=103 |issue=492 |pages=383–408 |doi=10.3406/reg.1990.2486 }}</ref> However, in the [[Germanic languages]], the word's meaning split into two etymons: one related to the semantic field of "love, courtship, friendship" (English ''[[:wikt:friend|friend]]''), whereas the other to the field of "freedom" (English ''[[:wikt:free|free]]''). Other cognates are:
* Gothic ''frijôn'' - translates φιλειν, αγαπαν "to love".
* Anglo-Saxon ''freogan'', ''freon''
* Old Saxon ''friehan''.
* Modern Germanic words for ''[[friend]]'', such as ''Freund''.
The Old High German verb ''frijôn'' "''nubere, uxorem ducere'', woo, to take a wife" (Modern German ''freien'') contrasts with ''frijan'' "liberare". It is foreign to [[Upper German]], and was probably adopted from [[Low German]].<ref name=DWG>([[Deutsches Wörterbuch|Grimm]]).{{full|date=September 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Mezger |first1=Fritz |title=Germ. frijōnd- 'Verwandte' |journal=Zeitschrift für vergleichende Sprachforschung auf dem Gebiete der Indogermanischen Sprachen |date=1964 |volume=79 |issue=1/2 |pages=32–38 |jstor=40848135 }}</ref>
==Derivations==
The theonyms in West Germanic are [[Old English language|Anglo-Saxon]] '''*Frīg''', [[Old High German]] '''Frīja''', [[Low German]] ([[Lower Saxony]]) '''Frike, Freke''' (''Fru Freen, Fru Frien, Fru Freke, Fru Frick, Fuik, Frie'')<ref>The ''k'' isn't a reflex of Old Norse ''ggj'' (as implied by Paul Hermann 1903), but a diminutive, as it were ''Frija-ke'', ''Frea-ke'' (Elard Hugo Meyer, ''Mythologie der Germanen'' 1903).</ref> and [[Lombardic language|Lombardic]] '''Frea''', attested in the ''[[Origo Gentis Langobardorum]]''.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Dumézil |first1=Georges |title=Le trio des Macha |journal=Revue de l'histoire des religions |date=1954 |volume=146 |issue=1 |pages=5–17 |doi=10.3406/rhr.1954.6992 }}</ref> The name of the Anglo-Saxon goddess is attested only in the name of the weekday, although ''frīg'' (strong feminine) as a common noun meaning "love" (in the singular) or "affections, embraces" (in the plural) is attested in poetry.<ref>[[OED]] s.v. "Friday".</ref>
The weekday [[Friday]] in English is named after the goddess [[Frigg]] ([[Old English]] ''frigedæg''). Friday in [[Old Norse]] was called ''Frjádagr'', originated in the South Germanic form of the Goddess,<ref>Johan Fritzner: ''Ordbog over det gamle norske sprog. Omarbeidet, forøget og forbedret udgave''. Volume 1 (1886) page 490 ([https://books.google.com/books?id=TewYAAAAYAAJ&pg=490 online] at Google Books),</ref> in modern Faröese it is called ''fríggjadagur''. The form ''freyjudag'' is an exception attested in the [[Breta sögur]].<ref>Johan Fritzner: ''Ordbog over det gamle norske sprog. Omarbeidet, forøget og forbedret udgave''. Volume 1 (1886) page 486 ([https://books.google.com/books?id=TewYAAAAYAAJ&pg=486 online] at Google Books).</ref> In [[Old High German]] there are no relations of the weekday to Freya (which would have been *''Frouwûntac''), the usual forms being derived from Frija: ''Frîatac, Frîjetac'', now ''Freitag''.
==Poetic epithets==
There is some evidence that the epithet  *''[[frawjō]]'' "lady" was applied to this goddess. The two names were confused from early times, especially in Old English, where the stem of ''*frīj-'' appears as ''frēo-, frīo-, frēa-'' (a contraction of ''*īj-'' and a following back vowel) beside a less frequent stem form ''frīg-'' (/fri:j-/), by development of a glide between ''ī'' and a following front vowel. The two forms would originally have figured in complementary distribution within the same paradigm (e.g. masculine nominative singular ''frēo'', masculine genitive singular ''frīges''), but in attested Old English analogical forms are already present and the distribution is no longer complementary<ref>[[OED]] s.v. "free"; A. Campbell Old Eng. Gram. (1959) §410.</ref>
In regards to the question, [[Jacob Grimm]] stated:
<blockquote>We gather from all this, that the forms and even the meanings of the two names border closely on one another. ''Freyja'' means the gladsome, gladdening, sweet, gracious goddess, ''Frigg'' the free, beautiful, loveable; to the former attaches the general notion of ''frau'' (mistress), to the latter that of ''frî'' (woman).<ref name=DWG/></blockquote>
The linguistic discussion of these names is complicated by issues of Germanic ''[[Verschärfung]]''. Old Norse ''Frigg'', ''friggjar-dagr'' is related to ''frakkr'' "free, bold", cognate to Old English ''frēo'', Gothic ''freis'' "free".<!--because for some unknown reason discussion of this question is being censored by edit warriors-->
==Characteristics==
Both Frigg and Freyja are associated with [[weaving]], combining the aspects of a love goddess and a [[Hearth goddess|domestic goddess]].<ref>Mythological Women: Studies in Memory of Lotte Motz, 1922-1997, Fassbaender, 2002, {{ISBN|978-3-900538-73-6}}, p. 70; M. J. Enright, ''The Goddess Who Weaves. Some Iconographic Aspects of Bracteates of the Fürstenberg Type''. In: FMSt 24, 1990, 54-70.</ref>
In Sweden and some parts of Germany, the asterism of [[Orion (constellation)|Orion's Belt]] is known as her [[distaff]] or [[Spindle (textiles)|spindle]].<ref>Edwardes and Spence (1913);  in Swedish both  ''Friggerock'' "Frigg's distaff" and ''Frejerock'' "Freyja's Distaff", see Schön, Ebbe. (2004). ''Asa-Tors hammare, Gudar och jättar i tro och tradition''. Fält & Hässler, Värnamo. p. 228.</ref>
==B7 bracteates==
The "woman" type of [[bracteates]] (''Frauenbrakteaten'', type B7, also called Fürstenberg or Oberwerschen type) has been identified as possibly depicting Frigg-Frija.
There are five known bracteates of this type: IK 259 ([[Großfahner]]-B); IK 311 ([[Oberwerschen]]-B); IK 350 (site of discovery unknown, reportedly from "south-western Germany"); IK 389 ([[Welschingen]]-B); and IK 391 ([[Gudme]] II-B).<ref name="PESCH125-128">Pesch (2007:125-128)</ref> In each of them the female figure depicted is holding a cross-shaped staff, interpreted as a distaff. IK 350 is additionally decorated with a number of crosses, and IK 259 has additional [[swastika (Germanic Iron Age)|swastika]]s. Iconographically related are five gold bracteates found in [[Hüfingen]], Bavaria.<ref name="PESCH125-128" />
==See also==
*[[Dís]]
*[[Freyja]]
*[[Frigg]]
*[[Frigg and Freyja origin hypothesis]]
*[[Holda]]
*[[Perchta]]
==References==
{{reflist|30em}}
==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last1=Lindow |first1=John |authorlink1=John Lindow |title=Norse Mythology: A Guide to Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs |date=2002 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-983969-8 |page=129 }}
*Grimm's ''[[Deutsche Mythologie|Teutonic Mythology]]'', [http://www.northvegr.org/lore/grimmst/013_13.php ch.13] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100330014930/http://www.northvegr.org/lore/grimmst/013_13.php |date=2010-03-30 }}
*M. Scheller, ''Vedisch ‘priyá-’ u. die Wortsippe ‘frei, freien, Freund’'' (1959)
*D. H. Green, ''Lang. & Hist. Early Germanic World'' (1998) 39–41.
*[[Jan de Vries (linguist)|Jan de Vries]], ''Studien over germaansche mythologie, VII: De skaldenkenningen met de namen der godinnen Freyja en Frigg'', Tijdschrift voor nederlandsche taal- en letterkunde 53 (1934), 210–217.
*Marian Edwardes, Lewis Spence, ''Dictionary of Non-Classical Mythology'' (1913); 2003 reprint {{ISBN|978-0-7661-4453-8}}, 2005 reprint: {{ISBN|978-1-59605-342-7}}, pp. 70f.
* {{cite journal |title=L'année de l'ancienne Belgique. Mémoire sur les saisons, les mois, les semaines, les jours, les fêtes dans les temps antérieurs à l'introduction du christianisme en Belgique, avec l'indication et l'explication de différentes dates qui se trouvent dans les documents du moyen âge, et qui en partie sont encore usitées de nos jours |journal=Compte-rendu des séances de la commission royale d'histoire |date=1844 |volume=7 |issue=7 |pages=11–192 |doi=10.3406/bcrh.1844.3181 |last1=Coremans }}
* {{cite journal |last1=Kurylowicz |first1=J. |title=The Germanic Verscharfung |journal=Language |date=June 1967 |volume=43 |issue=2 |pages=445–451 |doi=10.2307/411544 |jstor=411544 }}
* {{cite journal |last1=Sturtevant |first1=Albert Morey |title=A Note on the Semantic Development of Old Norse "Fría:Frjá" < Gothic 'Frijon' 'To Love' |journal=Scandinavian Studies |date=1941 |volume=16 |issue=5 |pages=194–196 |id={{ProQuest|1296912963}} |jstor=40915517 }}
==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090717033505/http://www.sitecenter.dk/schleu.dk/mand/view_all.nhtml B7 bracteates]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frijjo}}
[[Category:Germanic mythology]]
[[Category:Germanic goddesses]]
[[Category:Love and lust goddesses]]
[[Category:Etymologies]]
[[Category:Germanic deities]]
[[Category:Domestic and hearth deities]]
[[Category:Reconstructed words]]
[[nl:Frige]]
[[ro:Frige]]