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Freyja, Lady, Vanadis: An Introduction to the Goddess
An Insightful Look at a Complex Deity
Freyja, Lady, Vanadis: An Introduction to the Goddess examines Freyja, perhaps the best-known goddess of Norse mythology. Using original source material, extant writings, and scholarship the author builds an image of the goddess as she may have appeared to her followers in pre-Christian Northern Europe. Patricia Lafayllve then uses the knowledge she has compiled to speculate on aspects of modern worship of this complex deity.
124 pages, Paperback
First published August 16, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
March 15, 2014
I recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn more about the Goddess Freya. This is an in depth, academic look at her which goes beyond the surface examinations found elsewhere. Each chapter deals with different aspects of the mythology and how they shape our understanding of this goddess in relation to sex, love, war, death, magic, wealth, other gods and more. I especially liked the final chapter which looks at modern interactions with the goddess as interpreted through a selection of different peoples' personal gnosis. My only complaint with this book is that it is so short, however it is still more than worth the money to have such a wonderful resource on hand.
August 31, 2022
Akin to a Pagan Portals book, this is a brief introduction to Freya. The text is rather repetitive, but that's only because we don't have enough recorded information about the goddess to really flesh things out. Still, the author does her best to give detail, add structure, share theories, share modern perspectives, and offers some poetry and song to her. I would recommend this book to anyone who wishes to know Freya more.
May 28, 2018
Great information, poorly presented. Still worth the read if you are interested in Freyja and her origins. Definitely reccomend
June 18, 2018
To being, this was actually a well researched and cited book. I knew the basics about Freyja, but the resources offered definitely added more to the story. I appreciate that she acknowledged UPG, or unverifiable personal gnosis, and allowed for the personal stories to speak for themselves, while also recording the facts. Her speculations on the text were interesting, and well thought out. And finally the poems, rituals, and blots were very nice, and I look forward to performing them in the future.
However, this was difficult to read. The writing style was easy to follow, but it read more like a second draft, that hadn't been edited thoroughly yet. How can I tell? Because I've turned in papers, rushed for time, like this book before. Her sentence structure was confusing and it blurred, she jumped between the different spells of some places, lore titles, and names (she misspelled Loki, went between Frey and Freyr, and then replaced the "th" sound of Thattr, there is a archaic symbol, that she left out twice). At first reading, I was reading it aloud during a car ride, so I thought at first that maybe it was the motion of the car, but once we stopped moving at some point, I read over what I had just read, and saw it was not me going crazy, but this poor books poor editing. This, I'm sure, is not entirely the authors fault, (unless she is the author, editor, and publisher), but my gods, who was in charge of the beta reading for this?! This was so poorly read through for the final edit, it was painful.
Anyway, would recommend, but understand that there are mistakes. Grammatical and structural, not factual.
However, this was difficult to read. The writing style was easy to follow, but it read more like a second draft, that hadn't been edited thoroughly yet. How can I tell? Because I've turned in papers, rushed for time, like this book before. Her sentence structure was confusing and it blurred, she jumped between the different spells of some places, lore titles, and names (she misspelled Loki, went between Frey and Freyr, and then replaced the "th" sound of Thattr, there is a archaic symbol, that she left out twice). At first reading, I was reading it aloud during a car ride, so I thought at first that maybe it was the motion of the car, but once we stopped moving at some point, I read over what I had just read, and saw it was not me going crazy, but this poor books poor editing. This, I'm sure, is not entirely the authors fault, (unless she is the author, editor, and publisher), but my gods, who was in charge of the beta reading for this?! This was so poorly read through for the final edit, it was painful.
Anyway, would recommend, but understand that there are mistakes. Grammatical and structural, not factual.
June 4, 2019
I thought this was a good summary of the lore of Freyja, but to be honest, I could wish for more of the UPG she seems so nervous to relate. A part two, that vastly expanded her interviews and personal work would be good. I liked the appendix at the end that lists every instance that mentions Freyja in the lore.
January 18, 2021
A good introduction to the deity, examining how she was seen and what she meant to the Norse people in the past. A good examination of her domain and spheres of influence and what kind of a goddess she is.
December 24, 2023
Great short introduction to the Goddess Freyja analysing all her different aspects. I also really enjoyed the last chapter about personal experiences and the few poems/songs/prayers in the appendices.
February 18, 2024
The author does a lot with the very little information we have. It’s a small book, but I appreciated how she was able to contextualize the works available with historical knowledge. There are very few books that exist on this topic, so that in itself makes it a valuable read.
October 4, 2018
Well-written and thoroughly researched book about worship of Freyja. I appreciated the multiple interpretations of texts and sagas. There are a couple of friendly spells in the appendices. :)
February 8, 2019
A well-researched and short introduction to Freyja. For those who are interested in Freyja this book should be one of many on their shelves.
July 9, 2020
Love this book! Would definitely recommend to anyone learn about Norse deities or just a big fan of Freyja herself
July 22, 2020
Informative as promised. Some of this I already knew based on my own research, but its nice to have all these sources gathered in one definitive text.
October 11, 2007
An interesting look at the Norse goddess Freyja! I've always liked the Norse myths, and this book examines and comments on her different aspects. It's a quick read, and a good introduction to Freyja. It even has a section on modern worship, which is a nice touch.
June 10, 2013
A wonderful textual analysis of Freyja as she is depicted, characterized and represented within 'Ynglinga Saga'. I particularly enjoyed the sections pertaining to sexuality and seidr. I found the author's "voice" to be very accessible and balanced.
March 30, 2011
I love how the author differentiates what is historical and what is her opinion. Very well rounded information!
August 17, 2012
I used this as a reference all the time in my Northern European studies
January 20, 2013
A great little book on a wonderful goddess.
March 21, 2013
a must have for practitioners of Vanatru and Asatru
August 23, 2015
Very informative insights on the Lady Freyja, some that I've never read before. Highly recommended as a beginner's introduction to this most powerful Goddess.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews