After a great battle, Lady Freyja of the Vanir was brought among the Aesir. The customs of the Vanir were quite different from those of the Aesir, most notably their freedom of sexual expression, and although free with their independence in such things, adultery was unacceptable. Freyja avoided marriage until she finally found herself in love with a mysterious God named Od of whom little is known.
One day, the Aesir were showered with gifts from the skilled hands of the Dwarves. As Freyja gazed upon them, she saw where she must seek her own fortune. She had dreamt of a necklace of unparalleled beauty and power that she saw echoed now in the treasures before her. As Freyja announced her quest to visit the Dwaves and barter for commission of the piece, a great feeling of foreboding enshrouded Od. He expressed his concern, requesting to accompany her, but Freyja merely shook her head and declined, for her quest was hers alone.
Freyja returned wearing her prized necklace, Brisingamen, and immediately sought her husband. Sadly, while Freyja was away, Od had disappeared. Rumors flew that he was banished by the Aesir. Many presumed him dead, but Freyja refused to accept this as truth! She began to weep and weep, each tear turning into a golden jewel. In her grief, Freyja covered herself in her shapeshifting cloak of Falcon feathers, giving her the form of the great bird. She rose into the sky and began to fly, searching the Earth for her lost love. As she flew across the land, her streaming tears rained down as treasure from the Upperworld, marking the trail of her search among the trees.
At last, she discovered her husband and was greatly distressed at his state. Od had been lost to what is now the Baltic Sea. By the time she found him, he had already morphed into a monstrous sea creature, hideous to behold. Still, Freyja’s love for him was not bound by appearances. Freyja wept greatly for the loss of the great God he had once been and stayed by him in her devotion, serving as his source of comfort and strength.
One fatal day, the sea monster was discovered by fishermen from the nearby village who laid him to waste. Freyja’s wrath was terrible, and she threatened to take her revenge on those who cursed Od to the sea—and as a great battle maiden and Valkyrie, Freyja’s wrath was certainly to be feared! After much deliberation a compromise was made, and even though not slain in battle, Od was admitted to Valhalla, the Hall of Odin, Lord of the Aesir, where Freyja was finally able to see him returned to glory and death could never separate them again.
In honor of Freyja’s love and unending devotion, her tears, golden orbs of amber, are collected and worn as adornments by those who have “taken up the amber” as a symbol of their love and unending devotion to the Lady of the Vanir.
