Freya’s Cats

 

 

Don’t know how I stumbled across Freya and her cats, but I’ve always loved any kind of mythology and started looking into it. Because: cats.

 

As with a lot of mythological tales, there are several versions of this. Here are a few nuggets that I discovered:

 

Freya was the goddess of war, love and beauty. One story says that Thor gave her the two cats to draw her chariot. Another one says that when her husband Odr left Valhalla she cried red-gold tears and they formed into the two cats. Tradition gave the cat’s names as Bygul and Trjegul.

 

She rules over the heavenly field Fólkvangr, where she receives half of those who die in battle. The other half go to Odin in Valhalla. Although she always searched for her husband, she never found him.

 

There is a ton more info in various books and poetry, but I didn’t feel like plowing through it past the few bits I’ve shared here. After all, I was mainly in this for the cats…

 

So…in lieu of a real Norse saga I thought I’d write some Haiku.

 

Brave Goddess Freya

Her chariot drawn by cats

Weeping red-gold tears

 

Bygul and Trjegul

Her cats of power and strength

Always by her side

 

Grieving for all time

Searching the heavens for Odr

Never to be found