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On Freyr—The 'Lord' Or 'The Fertile One'? Some Comments on the Discussion of Etymology from the Historian of Religions

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On Freyr—The 'Lord' Or 'The Fertile One'? Some Comments on the Discussion of Etymology from the Historian of Religions On Freyr—the ‘Lord’ or ‘the fertile one’? Some comments on the discussion of etymology from the historian of religions’ point of view1 Olof SUNDQVIST Introduction Ever since the beginning of modern research in the 19th century, histo- rians of religions have used gods’ names, and the etymologies that can be associated with them, as a method to determine and distinguish the various mythical beings, their nature and functions. Also the Old Norse deities have been interpreted by means of their names. In the present paper focus will be put on the ancient Scandinavian deity Freyr. His name has been a matter of debate in recent research, especially among philologists and specialists on names (onomasticians). Their arguments have, however, not always been based on linguistic arguments exclu- sively, but also on knowledge brought from the history of religions. Since some of the theories on Freyr in the history of religions are dis- puted, it is important that such aspects are brought to light also for the researchers in onomastics. A paradox may be discerned in research today. A new etymology of the god’s name has been suggested. This etymology has support from previous interpretations of the god Freyr made by historians of religions working in the mid 20th century. While a new and more nuanced image of Freyr, produced by historians of religions around 1995-2015, can find support from the old etymology. Freyr and the etymology of his name There has almost been consensus that Freyr’s name should be con- ceived as a Proto-Nordic *Fraujaz (derived from the Indo-European 1 During the preparation of this article some individuals have given me important advices, answered questions and discussed some problems related to linguistic aspects. I would thus like to express my gratitude to Professor Thorsten Andersson and Professor Lennart Elmevik. Onoma 48 (2013), 11-35. doi: 10.2143/ONO.48.0.3223612. © Onoma. All rights reserved. 12 OLoF SUNDQVIsT root *pro- ‘forward, ahead, uppermost, before’) meaning ‘the upper- most’ or ‘Lord (ruler)’. Probably this name is based on an appellative closely related to Gothic frauja ‘Lord (ruler)’ (Proto-Germanic *frau- jan-, Old English frīega, Old Saxon frōio; alongside this jan-stem also an an-stem is postulated, Proto-Germanic *frawan-, which is presumed to appear in Old English frēa, Old Saxon frōho, frāho, Old Frisian frā, and Old High German frō).2 This name may originally have been a title or a Noa-name of the god (cf. Kock 1896; Sahlgren 1918; Wessén 1923; Green 1965, pp. 19-55; Vikstrand 2001, p. 55, 101). Also in other ancient religions the designation ‘Lord’ is quite common in the naming customs of gods, e.g. Greek Adonis (see Burkert 1985, pp. 176- 177; Vikstrand 2001, p. 55). There are, however, also some other sug- gestions regarding the etymology of Freyr. George van Langenhove (1939, pp. 58-59) argued that the appellative behind the name must be a Proto-Germanic *frauja(n)- ‘celui qui possède (apporte) la force vitale, animatrice’ (the one who possesses (brings) the vital force (vita- larity), faciliator). Most recently Lennart Elmevik (2003) has discussed the etymology of this name. He points out and emphasizes the fact that Freyr is not inflected as a jan-stem but as an i-stem, and that this speaks against the general opinion of the origin of the name of the god in question. He suggests therefore that this deity’s name could instead be a substantivized form of the adjective ON *freyr (along with frjór, frær) (attested in Norwegian and Swedish dialects as frøy and frö respectively) meaning ‘fertile, which is germinated or is fit to sowing’, from *fraiwia- (or *fraiwi-?), derived from Proto-Germanic *fraiwa- ‘seed’. Elmevik (2003, pp. 8-9) states that this interpretation is more likely than the conventional explanation, since Freyr is a fertility god: Even though I do not whish to definitely discharge the usual interpre- tation of the god’s name Freyr as ’the Lord’, I do mean that it is more plausible that we are dealing with an old substantivation with the meaning ’the fertile’ from the adjective ON *freyr <*fraiwia- (*fraiwi-) reflecting the notion of Freyr as an embodiment of the pow- ers of fertility, as ‘the promoter of the fertility of the soil and animate generation as well as of human fecundity and societal peace’ … 2 Cf. the jan-stem Gothic gudja ‘priest’, Proto-Nordic gudija ‘priest’ (in a runic inscription), and the an-stem ON goði ‘priest’. These words, appearing with differ- ent stems, are derived from a word meaning ‘god’ (cf. Gothic guþ). ON FREYR—THE ‘LoRD’ oR ‘THE FERTILE oNE’? 13 Elmevik’s argument is thus in a decisively way based on the idea that Freyr is a fertility god. This common and well-established idea (see below) has however recently been contradicted by several scholars in the history of religions who has emphasized that Freyr should be seen as king-god or a sovereignty in the Norse pantheon in addition to his role as a god of fertility (see e.g. Motz 1996 and Simek 2003; cf. Schjødt 2012 and Sundqvist 2015). For them the etymology ‘Lord’ is thus compatible with Freyr’s function as a ruler deity and counter- part of the human king. In what follows I will present some arguments supporting these aspects of the god beside his function as a fertility god. In the very end I will turn back to the interpretation of the name. But first I will shortly survey the history of research related to the function of the deity. Previous research on Freyr It is mainly in Snorra Edda we get the image that Freyr was a fertility god. When Snorri described Freyr in Gylfaginning he wrote thus: Freyr er hinn ágætasti af Ásum. Hann ræðr fyrir regni ok skini sólar ok þar með ávexti jarðar, ok á hann er gott at heita til árs ok friðar (Faulkes 1988, p. 24). (Freyr is the most glorious of the Æsir. He is ruler of rain and ­sunshine and thus of the produce of the earth, and it is good to pray to him for prosperity and peace (Faulkes 1987, p. 24)). Snorri was thus one of the first “commentators” of mythic traditions who made Freyr to a pure fertility god. When modern study of Old Norse mythology emerged in the 19th century, Snorri’s version of the old myths was relied upon. The idea that Freyr was the Scandinavian fertility god, par préférence, was thus frequently reproduced in research for decades to come (see e.g. Brate 1914; Lid 1942; cf. de Vries 1956-57:2, pp. 178-181). However, in the late 19th century some scholars changed their opinions about the source value in Snorri’s mythical texts. Sophus Bugge (1881-1889) was one of the first to claim that the Old Norse myths and heroic narratives transmitted by Snorri were influenced by medieval Christian thinking. Eugen Mogk (1923 and 1932) argued that Snorri in his Edda composed “mythological novellas” by reworking­ 14 OLoF SUNDQVIsT the old traditions. These novellas had no value when reconstructing pre-Christian religion except in cases where Snorri cited old poetic traditions. Even if Mogk exaggerated his argument, his scepticism was instrumental in establishing the modern treatment of Snorri’s texts (cf. Baetke (1950 and 1951)). Although few researchers in the mid 1900s, only started from Snorri’s description when interpreting Freyr, the idea that this deity would mainly be seen as a fertility god persisted. Crucial for this interpretation was probably Georges Dumézil’s important contribu- tions to the research on Old Nose mythology. He related Freyr and the other Vanir deities to “the third (nourishing-fertility) function” of the Indo-European structural and ideological system called “l’idéologie tripartite” (cf. Dumézil 1958, p. 55; 1973). Dumézil’s structuralist interpretation of Old Norse myths was very important and influential. Jan de Vries, for instance, adjusted his explanation of Germanic pan- theon to Dumézil’s theory in his second edition of Altgermanische Religionsgeschichte (1956-57).3 He stated that Freyr was much more important than his father Njǫrðr and emphasized that his ability to give luck and particularly fertility was most crucial. A similar image was produced also by other important scholars, who wrote essential handbooks on ancient Scandinavian and Germanic religion. E.O.G. Turville-Petre (1964, p. 175) stated, for instance, thus: “Freyr appears chiefly as a god of fertility. For some people, for whom wel- fare depended on the fertility of the crops, he was most important of all gods; he was ‘god of the World’”. According to Åke V. Ström (1975, p. 143) Freyr “ist ein typischer Fruchtbarkeitsgott”. Also other Scandinavian scholars had a similar opinion. Folke Ström, for instance, stated in his general overview Nordisk hedendom (1985) that Freyr and the Vanir-deities were the most important fertility-powers (­Swedish “fruktbarhetsgudar”) in Old Norse religion. Anne Holtsmark­ (1992, p. 68) mentioned that the function of Njǫrðr as the Scandina- vian fertility god, par préférence, was taken over by his two children Freyr and Freyja, while Gro Steinsland (2005, p. 151) described Freyr as a “deity of fertility and love” (Norwegian “fruktbarhets- og 3 Cf. e.g. Strutynski (1973 s. xxxii) and Hultgård (2003b). Jan de Vries (1956-57:2, p. 163) writes thus: ”Die Götter [i.e. the Vanir], die wir in diesem Abschnitt behan- deln werden, sind als mächte der Fruchtbarkeit verehrt worden; sie hatte daher ihre eigentliche Stelle in agrarischen Kulten.” ON FREYR—THE ‘LoRD’ oR ‘THE FERTILE oNE’? 15 ­kjærlighetsgudom”). Also Britt-Mari Näsström (2001, p.
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