Frijjō


*Frijjō is the reconstructed name or epithet of a hypothetical Common Germanic love goddess, the most prominent female member of the *Ansiwiz, and often identified as the spouse of the chief god, *Wōdanaz.

Proposed etymology

The name *Frijjō ultimately derives from Proto-Indo-European *prih-yh, cognate to Sanskrit priya "dear, beloved". However, in the Germanic languages, the word's meaning split into two etymons: one related to the semantic field of "love, courtship, friendship", whereas the other to the field of "freedom". Gothic frijôn translates φιλειν, αγαπαν "to love". Anglo-Saxon freogan, freon Old Saxon friehan. Also cognate are the Germanic terms for friend. The Old High German verb frijôn "nubere, uxorem ducere, woo, to take a wife" contrasts with frijan "liberare". It is foreign to Upper German, and was probably adopted from Low German

Derivations

The theonyms in West Germanic are Anglo-Saxon *Frīg, Old High German Frīja, Low German Frike, Freke and Lombardic Frea, attested in the Origo Gentis Langobardorum. The name of the Anglo-Saxon goddess is attested only in the name of the weekday, although frīg as a common noun meaning "love" or "affections, embraces" is attested in poetry.
The weekday Friday in English is named after for the goddess Frigg. Friday in Old Norse was called both Freyjudagr and Frjádagr, in Faröese fríggjadagur, and in Old High German never *Frouwûntac, but Frîatac, Frîgetac, now Freitag.

Poetic epithets

There is some evidence that the epithet *frawjō "lady" was applied to this goddess. The two names were confused from early times, especially in Old English, where the stem of *frīj- appears as frēo-, frīo-, frēa- beside a less frequent stem form frīg-, by development of a glide between ī and a following front vowel. The two forms would originally have figured in complementary distribution within the same paradigm, but in attested Old English analogical forms are already present and the distribution is no longer complementary
In regards to the question, Jacob Grimm stated:
We gather from all this, that the forms and even the meanings of the two names border closely on one another. Freyja means the gladsome, gladdening, sweet, gracious goddess, Frigg the free, beautiful, loveable; to the former attaches the general notion of frau, to the latter that of frî.
The linguistic discussion of these names is complicated by issues of Germanic Verschärfung. Old Norse Frigg, friggjar-dagr is related to frakkr "free, bold", cognate to Old English frēo, Gothic freis "free".

Characteristics

Both Frigg and Freyja are associated with weaving, combining the aspects of a love goddess and a domestic goddess.
In Sweden and some parts of Germany, the asterism of Orion's Belt is known as her distaff or spindle.

B7 bracteates

The "woman" type of bracteates has been identified as possibly depicting Frigg-Frija.
There are five known bracteates of this type: IK 259 ; IK 311 ; IK 350 ; IK 389 ; and IK 391. In each of them the female figure depicted is holding a cross-shaped staff, interpreted as a distaff. IK 350 is additionally decorated with a number of crosses, and IK 259 has additional swastikas. Iconographically related are five gold bracteates found in Hüfingen, Bavaria.