Freyr (Old Norse: Freyr, meaning ‘Lord’) is a deity of the Vanir tribe who came to dwell among the Æsir following the Æsir-Vanir War. He is the son of the sea deity Njörðr and the twin brother of Freyja. Freyr is among the most directly attested deities in terms of active cult evidence: Adam of Bremen’s Gesta Hammaburgensis describes his idol at the Uppsala temple as depicted with an oversized phallus (cum ingenti priapo) and identifies him as the deity who grants peace and pleasure to mankind. He is listed alongside Odin and Thor as one of the three principal deities at Uppsala.

Freyr’s principal myth is the narrative of his courtship of the jötunn Gerðr, recounted in the Eddic poem Skírnismál. Freyr catches sight of the radiant Gerðr from Hliðskjálf — Odin’s high seat — and becomes consumed with longing. He sends his servant Skírnir to court her on his behalf, giving Skírnir his own self-fighting sword as payment. Freyr is also associated with the legendary ship Skíðblaðnir and the golden boar Gullinbursti, both received as gifts according to Skáldskaparmál.

The loss of Freyr’s self-fighting sword — given to Skírnir as payment — is noted in Gylfaginning as the reason he is fated to face the giant Surtr at Ragnarök armed only with an antler. A cult horse sacred to Freyr is attested in Hrafnkels saga. Ynglinga saga describes Freyr as a legendary king of the Swedes and founder of the Yngling dynasty. Place-name evidence strongly supports the breadth of his cult: Frösö, Frösvi, Frölunda, and numerous Frey- compounds appear across Scandinavia, with particular density in Sweden.