Frigg Cheats On Her Husband, Odin
Carl Emil Doepler/Wikimedia CommonsFrigg and her servants.
Frigg, the wife of Odin, was the highest of all the Norse goddesses. She was associated with knowledge and held power over all others. She was loyal to Odin as long as he was within arm’s reach. However, whenever he left for a few minutes, all bets were off.
The story of Frigg’s betrayal is one of the strangest stories in Norse mythology, mostly because there are just so few details. According to the ancient legends, Odin once went on a trip that took a bit longer than she’d hoped, and an impatient Frigg decide that he was probably dead and it was time to start sleeping around.
It’s a conflicting story because Frigg was gifted with prophecy — meaning she could see the future. The legend doesn’t explain if her gift wasn’t strong enough to tell her that Odin was coming home, or if she just didn’t care. All we know is that Frigg gave all of her husband’s possessions to his brothers, Ve and Vili, and took turns sleeping with them.
John Charles Dollman/Wikimedia CommonsFrigg weaving the threads of fate in the clouds.
An Anticlimactic Ending
It seems like there should be an epic conclusion – but that’s the other weird thing about it. Nothing really happens. Odin’s brothers stole everything he owned and were sleeping with his wife, but the whole affair ends with only a single sentence:
“However, a short while afterwards, Odin returned and took possession of his wife again”.
That’s it. That’s how that tale ends. Odin just shows up, seemingly not even miffed about the situation, and there are no life lessons learned.
