This article contains lore based on real-life sources from Norse mythology as introduced from the God of War Norse era.
| “ | We lost everything to that maniac you called HUSBAND. The man's family set me on fire. | ” |
–Freyr, to Freya | ||
Freyr (Old Norse: Frey, Nordic: ᚠᚱᛅᚢᛦ), also known as Freyr Njördson (Translation: Freyr, Son of Njörd) and Yngvi, is the Vanir God of Rain and Fertility. He is the son of Njörd and Nerthus, the younger twin brother of Freya, and the uncle of Baldur.
He is introduced in God of War: Ragnarök as a supportive character. Freyr is the charming leader of the Vanir resistance against the Asgardians, he eventually crosses the path of Kratos and Mimir as the two of them travelled to Vanaheim in order to help Freya break Odin's hold on her.
Quick Answers
What role does Freyr play in the God of War: Ragnarök game?
Who are Freyr's parents in Norse mythology?
What is Freyr known as the god of in Norse mythology?
Who is Freyr's twin sister in Norse mythology?
What is Freyr's relationship to Baldur in Norse mythology?
Norse Mythology
Freyr (Old Norse: Lord), sometimes anglicized as Frey, is a widely attested god associated with sacral kingship, virility and prosperity, with sunshine and fair weather, and pictured as a phallic fertility god in Norse mythology. Freyr is said to "bestow peace and pleasure on mortals." Freyr, sometimes referred to as Yngvi-Freyr, was especially associated with Sweden and seen as an ancestor of the Swedish royal house.
In the Icelandic books the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda, Freyr is presented as one of the Vanir, the son of the sea god Njörðr, as well as the twin brother of the goddess Freyja. The gods gave him Álfheimr, the realm of the Elves, as a teething present. He rides the shining dwarf-made boar Gullinbursti and possesses the ship Skíðblaðnir which always has a favorable breeze and can be folded together and carried in a pouch when it is not being used. He has the servants Skírnir, Byggvir and Beyla.
The most extensive surviving Freyr myth relates Freyr's falling in love with the female jötunn Gerðr. Eventually, she becomes his wife but first Freyr has to give away his magic sword which fights on its own "if wise be he who wields it." Although deprived of this weapon, Freyr defeats the Jötunn Beli with an antler. However, lacking his sword, Freyr will be killed by the fire jötunn Surtr during the events of Ragnarök.
Like other Germanic deities, veneration of Freyr is revived in the modern period in Heathenry movement.
In the God of War Series
Early Life
Before he become a leader, Freyr met a Jötunn named Gerð, whom she offered teach them the secrets of travelling between realms by using Bifrost Light, much became infatuated to her, and they exploring the World Tree from root to branch. One day, Gerð came the time for wander away nor disappeared. Freyr was heartbroken, for a time he resolved to perform some great feat to win her back and set his own for aim for the grandest of gestures. While he intended to be the first to find the elusive sources of Bifrost light, he enjoying his smoking for fortified potent blend of Vanir Herbs resulting he wandered around the World Tree and he fell directly to the Lake of Souls. As he rises from Lake of Souls, the Elves got attention and worshiped to him for never seen him before making him the earliest visitor and being one of the few gods welcomed in Alfheim, to the point that he has his own temple there which Mimir describes as "beautiful."
According to Mimir, Freyr has a long history with the elves. He educated the Elves about uniquely situated to gain the trust of both sides and help to create a truce, although the both sides trusted only him.
Freyr, a leader of the Vanir is attested to have initially wanted his kin to have cooperation with the Aesir gods, traveling the realms and teaching them how to cultivate the land and harvest crops; as well as spells that could facilitate the provisions of all of Asgard. Diplomacy seemed to work for a while, but the stubborn nature of the Aesir led them to blame Freyr for their eventual inability to properly use the magic he had taught them. The Vanir god was later burned by a mob of lesser Aesir (set up by Thor), but he was able to survive and escape the Aesir and return to Vanaheim. Because of what happened, this replaced Freyr's insouciance with anger and paranoia for a while. Due to the incident that happened in Asgard, this event cited as one of the catalysts for the Aesir-Vanir War.
When Freya married Odin to end the war, Freyr felt hurt by this (resulted he abandoned his beloved Alfheim) and believed what his sister did was selfish. He proceeded to angrily say some awful words to her during the wedding. After Freya was banished to Midgard by the All-father, Freyr didn't bother to find her, as he believed that his sister was dead. For many years, despite his strong disapproval of Freya's marriage, he greatly missed her and always had hope that she would return someday.
At some point, Freyr forged a sword called Ingrid. He swore that he would only relinquish it when he died, or upon meeting the love of his life. Odin took an advantage of this by turning into the most beautiful person Freyr has ever seen, successfully fooling the Vanir god. Therefore, claiming the possession of Ingrid "with an embarrassing speed".
But a time has passed, Freyr assembled his allies and set up their group camp as a part of resistance in hopes for reclaim their homes and rebel against the Odin and the Aesir. At one point, Freyr found Helka, a pup had nearly dead in the jungles of Vanaheim that she had presumably escaped from a Bloð Hundr breeding farm that is not far from their camp. Though his fellow allies tried to convince ther leader that Helka is beyond saving, so Freyr never gave up on her.
God of War (2018)
By the time duo released the Light of Alfheim and the Light Elves alongside it, the first order of action of the Elves was to look out for their missing Vanir Lord, Freyr.
Atreus can find a note in Freyr's temple left by the Light Elves, who have recently regained control of the Light of Alfheim but believe Freyr's presence will ensure true peace. Freyr had sent them forces and the sword of legend to help the Light Elves, but he himself has yet to appear. The Light Elves wish to help Freyr. Some believe he has returned to Vanaheim while others believe he is being held in Asgard. Unfortunately, the paths to both realms are shut.
God of War Ragnarök
Freyr made his appearance when Kratos, Mimir, Brok, and Freya arrived on his camp in Vanaheim. He expressed a heavy hatred for Odin of all he has done to him and his realm. He even asked the whereabouts of his sister and wonder whether she's still alive or not. Thinking that Kratos and Mimir are spies sent by the All-Father, Freyr ready to engage a battle, but Freya soon stop it.
it is revealed that Freyr had abandoned Alfheim to its fate in response to Freya's decision in marrying Odin. He also harbored a strong hatred for Mimir under the false belief that he had sold Freya to the Aesir, as well as wanting to cut off the former ambassador's head.
After Freya broke her binding spell casted by Odin, she returned to Freyr's camp and finally met her brother there. While Freyr was initially overjoyed and asked for his sister to lead the Vanir once more like in the old days, Freya refused as she still had some important work to do with Kratos. Feeling hurt by this, Freyr asked if the Vanir mean little to his sister, but Freya counters that Vanaheim turned their back on her, justifying that her marriage to Odin was to save as many of her people as she could, one that Freyr didn't take seriously then and now. Their argument reaches a point when Freyr questions the pain he was put through by the Aesir for being set on fire and having lost everything to Odin and his reaction to it all. Freya angrily replied that she wanted him to act like her brother, from the boy who always had her back and whom she always trusted no matter how selfish he was. After throwing his bottle of mead to the fire, Freya reveals she expected Freyr to come looking for her in her exile despite the hurt she had been in, but Freyr points out that he thought she was dead and had to live lifetimes with those last awful words he said to her, mourning her in the process. Both siblings soon reconcile and reunite, with Freya promising to send help to her brother soon.
Sometimes later, Vanaheim got assaulted by the Einherjars led by Heimdall and Freyr was kidnapped by them, wounded. He was carried on Kratos' shoulders before they were escorted off by Skiðblaðnir. After being rescued, Freya and Lúnda tried to heal his wound before he was escorted to Sindri's house, where he gets high on his sister's healing remedy.
Later after Kratos killed Heimdall and brought Gjallarhorn with him to Sindri's house and presented it to the group, Freyr expressed surprise and asked the Spartan how he managed to do it. The group then discussed their next move, collectively deciding that whether they liked it or not, Atreus had to return to Asgard to complete Odin's Mask of Creation and escape from him after and bring it back to them.
Atreus then brings the mask back and the group then decide to plan their entry into Asgard. Suddenly, Tyr mentions he knows of a secret passage, making Brok immediately suspicious as ever since he arrived at their house Tyr did not contribute let alone co-operate in their efforts to stop Ragnarök and also because Tyr called Atreus by his giant name, Loki. Tyr is then revealed to be Odin in disguise as he fatally stabs Brok and holds Atreus at knifepoint. Freyr, Freya and Kratos then try to force Odin to release him, which Odin says he will do if he gives them the mask. As Freya rushes to help heal Brok, Freyr and Kratos look at each other and throw the mask to distract Odin as Atreus turns into a bear and bites his arm. Odin gets the mask and tries running away with it but fails as an arrow is shot at it and it gets pinned to the wall.
Freyr then stays by Freya's side in order to plan their war on Asgard, while Kratos, Atreus and Mimir leave to recover from the shock of Brok's death.
Freyr later participated in the war against Asgard and finally got his sword Ingrid back. He is notably distracting Ragnarök to slow the fire giant down to give more times for his allies to save the Midgardians refugees and stop Odin.
However, after Odin died, Ragnarök shows up and thrusting his sword down to the Asgard to destroy the realm, finally about to fulfill his purpose. Freyr blocked the first hit with his swords to give Freya and others time to escape. Giving a final farewell to his sister, Freyr once again shielded the second blow of the Ragnarök's sword and then die along with Asgard that finally got destroyed by Ragnarök.
Freyr's death deeply affected everyone, including his sister. However, as stated by many people like Angrboda, his sacrifice will never be forgotten.
Appearance
Freyr is portrayed as a handsome man with swarthy skin, brown eyes, and long, messy brown hair tied back with a grey ponytail and some braided pieces strewn in random locations. He is wearing a tunic-like garment with various colors of greens, reds, and browns, showing signs of wear and use. Additionally, he wars Vanir armor that appears worn from constant fighting or possibly due to the Aesir burning him. He wears a layered leather or metal armor piece over his torso, patterned with metal plates and straps, and decorated with various adornments, including an ivory-colored crescent-shaped ornaments. Fringed fabric is also attached to some parts of his outfit, which has a more decorative appearance. Freyr is also seen wearing a necklace of some sort. His arms have wraps/bandages around the forearms and visible on the upper arms, possibly a weak attempt to cover some of his burn scars.
Personality
When Kratos first encounters Freyr in Vanaheim, he is shown to be mistrustful of him - believing him to be one of Odin's lackeys - mostly due to fear and paranoia. He then grows hostile when he sees Mimir, due to having a strong grudge against him for convincing Freya to marry Odin. Once he discovers that his sister is free, however, he calms down and becomes much more amicable. Freyr is characterized by his laid-back attitude and is a competent leader, although he considers himself as only being good for "inspiring" others. His followers in Vanaheim seem to disagree, and acknowledge his leadership capabilities. Despite the odd circumstances of his arrival in Alfheim, both Light and Dark Elves consider Freyr to be a god that can bring them both to peace, something he does later in the game.
Freyr has a distinct love of special Vanir "herbs" (seemingly marijuana), and is seen smoking it or referencing it at several points in the story. When on this special herb, he is notably more relaxed and calm even more so than his usual self. His love of this herb is so great that he once got so high he fell into the Lake of Light in Alfheim, and subsequently became revered by the elves when he emerged from it. When Kratos finds him in this state alongside his sister, he laments that he's not as good a leader as her and wishes he were better.
His relationship with his sister is more complicated. As children, Freyr and Freya were extremely close and loved one another, going on adventures together as they grew up. However, after Freya's marriage to Odin fell apart, it seems he believed she had turned traitor on them and ceased contact. Freyr also regrets the words he said to his sister at her wedding, believing that they would have been the last things he ever said to her. Despite this, when Kratos first meets Freyr he becomes incensed at the idea that she's being held prisoner. While there is some tension between the two, due to his actions, it's very clear that the siblings still do love each other greatly.
Like his sister, Freyr also held a strong hatred for Mimir under the false belief that he had sold Freya to the Aesir, as well as wanting to cut off the former ambassador's head.
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Immortality: As a Norse God, Freyr is immortal, only powerful weapons and beings can kill him. This was evident as how only Surtr, as Ragnarök, was able to kill him.
- Seiðr Mastery: Being a Vanir God, Freyr has a lot of experience in Seiðr magic and even sought to use his mastery of magic to teach the undisciplined Aesir how to have bountiful harvests via some Seiðr magic.
- Spell Casting: Freyr is very skilled at casting spells and has been shown to cast several spells without any effort or concentration.
Abilities
- Swordsmanship: Being the original wielder of Ingrid, Freyr is a deftly competent swordsman. Enough so to keep Odin's forces at bay in Vanaheim for decades and to fight in Ragnarok alongside the likes of Kratos, Freya, and Atreus.
Weapons
- Ingrid: This is the sentient sword of Freyr. Odin took Ingrid from him and later the sword returned to him during Ragnarök.
Gallery
Concept Arts
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Trivia
- According to The Lost Pages of Norse Myth, the Aesir led by a drunken Thor attempted to kill Freyr by burning him alive, using the very crops Freyr had enchanted as kindling for the fire, which Freyr recalls to her sister during their argument in God of War: Ragnarök.
- Freyr loves smoking with Vanir herbs, this is supposed to reference smoking marijuana.
- While the God of War series took liberties in changing or altering the fates of certain characters in Norse mythology, so much so that defying prophecy is a large theme in Ragnarök, Freyr is one of the few characters whose fate is retained from the original myths. Just like his mythological counterpart, Freyr dies to Surtr in battle during Ragnarök. However, compared to the texts, Freyr does have his sword, Ingrid, with him as he perishes.
- Freya mentioned that it was his godhood itself that caused the elves to uphold the peace when they were in his presence. This, coupled with the level of loyalty displayed by his "ragtag bunch of misfits" followers, alludes to the original myth, in which one of Freyr's domain is "sacral kingship".
- In God of War (2018), there is a treasure map that possibly alludes to Freyr. The Dead and Bloated map has the author state that they killed a troll responsible for killing their kin, and that the treasure is buried on a beach where "Ingrid and I used to... watch the sun rise over the temple".
- Freyr's facial model was made using his voice actor Brett Dalton's face/appearance.
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