Gefjun
Gefjun (or Gefjon, Gefion) is one of the Æsir in Norse mythology. This name could be from Old Norse geð fiá meaning "chaste"[1] is one of the Asynjur in Norse mythology.[1] She appears only a few times in surviving sources. Medieval sources talk of her mainly as a goddess of chastity. However, modern scholarship suggests that she may originally have been a fertility goddess connected with ritual plowing,[2] and even that she was originally the same fertility goddess as Freyja.[3]
It has also been suggested that she is the origin of Grendel's mother who appears in the epic poem Beowulf.
References
[change | change source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The article Gefjun in Nordisk familjebok (1908).
- ↑ The article Gefjon in Nationalencyklopedin (1992).
- ↑ Schön, Ebbe. (2004). Asa-Tors hammare, Gudar och jättar i tro och tradition. Fält & Hässler, Värnamo. ISBN 91-89660-41-2 p. 136.
