The Mythology Of Freya Explained

March 2024 · 2 minute read

Freya was a busy woman, being a warrior and a shaman, so it stands to reason her mode of transportation would be just as fantastical as she is. Legend has it that she traveled with her own glittering carriage, pulled by two male cats.

As written by William P. Reaves for Germanic Mythology, there is a lot of mystery surrounding Freya's cats, and the idea that Freya drove around in a carriage pulled by cats was not accepted easily by the male scholars of the 19th century. A reason for this is that Freya's means of transport isn't mentioned in the Poetic Edda, the original source of these legends. The first time her chariot is mentioned is in Prose Edda, Snorri Sturluson's version of the stories. While the writer uses the word köttum on one occasion, meaning cats, he uses fressa on another one. Because the word fressa could be translated as a bear, confusion arises. 

It should be noted that by the time these scholars tried to unravel this cat enigma, the idea that cats were evil and connected to witchcraft was already firmly planted, Reaves notes. Because Freya was associated with sorcery, cats seem the most likely to pull her carriage. 

Cats often represent femininity, divinity, secrecy, capriciousness, and independence, according to researcher and therapist Ae-kyu Par – all things associated with Freya's nature.

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