Planting A Freya Garden
by Raven Kaldera
As
a goddess of love, spring, and fertility, Freya is also a goddess of blossoms,
and nothing could be more fitting than to plant her a garden. There are a
variety of plants that are associated with her in folklore, as well as some
that have become associated with her in modern times, and some that have no
particular association, but she would probably love them.
Before
we speak of flowers, however, we need to bring her sacred tree, the Linden (Tilia europaea). If 
you’ve ever seen a
Linden (or Lime, in the UK) tree with its swaying, dancing branches and
rustling leaves, it will become clear to you why this is Freya’s tree. While
Linden trees grow to a pretty fair height and putting one in the middle of a
garden might overshadow the plants, the tree could be planted at the edge of the
garden and a bench placed under it, for sitting and admiring Freya’s garden.
There
is a folktale than when Freya first came to Asgard as a hostage, she spent the
first year quite unhappy. After the lush flora of Vanaheim, she found the bleak winters and lack of
spring flowers to be depressing. When she wept with homesickness, her tears
fell to the earth and white flowers sprang forth.
In one version of the tale,
they are Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis);
in another, they are the Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis). Both these white flowers can therefore be
considered sacred to her; they are also small and bloom at different times, and
can thus be interplanted. Snowdrops bloom first and will probably be the
earliest plant in her garden; Convalilly erupts in May, and was thus sometimes
called the Mayflower.
Cowslips
(Primula veris) were traditionally
associated with Freya, as was their domestic cousin Primrose (Primula vulgaris). Two old names for the
Cowslip flower were “Lady’s Keys” and “Password”, as they could supposedly be
used to travel magically to her hall, Sessrumnir, and get you in the door. They
are also golden, as she is. 
Primroses were originally only pale yellow –
“primrose yellow” as it came to be called – but they have been bred in modern
times into many different colors. I don’t think that Freya has a problem with
this, and Primroses of any color can surely be put into her garden.
The
wild Daisy (Bellis perennis) is
sacred to both Freya and Baldur. This isn’t the tall ox-eye dairy, but the
low-growing tiny one with many petals. Daisy is a warrior’s plant, despite its
size; it was given to warriors as a good-luck charm, and can be given for the
protection of Freya in her warrior form. Its protection extends especially to
warriors who are women or
nonheterosexuals, as these come under Freya’s dominion rather than Odin’s.
The
harlequin-bonnet Columbine flower (Aquilegia
vulgaris) is associated with Freya in Swedish folklore, and it became
well-known as a supposed aphrodisiac, reflecting her Love Goddess aspect.
Potions of Columbine were made to arouse brides on their wedding nights, and
during the “language of flowers” era it still meant unbridled lust. In fact, it
was considered poor taste to give it to someone you were courting for that
reason. Columbine flowers are actually mildly poisonous when ingested raw, but
the immediate poisons break down when heated, so it must be infused in boiling
water.
One
rather surprising plant associated with Freya is the humble European bean (Vicia faba). These, too, can be
incorporated into a Freya garden – there are numerous wonderful colors of
runner beans, scarlet and white and lavender and pink, with edible flowers. In
fact, the center of the garden could be trellises decorated with these annual
beans that can twine six feet high or more.
The
scarlet Pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis)
is not one of the plants traditionally associated with Freya, but when I asked, She told me
authoritatively that it was Hers. Freya and her brother Frey are both light-bringers and joy-bringers, although the nature of their
light and joy is subtly different. The Pimpernel is
Freya’s joy-plant; its ground-hugging nature and
relationship with the sky reflects Freya’s earth-goddess Vanic nature that reaches upward to connect
with the Aesir sky-nature. It is an antidepressant, and is
said to be especially good for youthful girls.
Modern
followers of Freya have found that she definitely loves strawberries (Fragaria vesca) and the wild strawberry
plant, with its intense flavor packed into tiny fruits, is a nice ground cover
for the Freya garden. More domesticated strawberry plants can be put in as
well. They grow well in pots if there is little room, or perhaps in a
“strawberry pyramid” in the center of the garden.
As a last point, while most practitioners will not want to get involved with this plant for legal reasons, Hemp (Cannabis sativa) was also sacred to the Vanir Gods and supposedly used in seidhr ceremonies. Beyond this, there are many lovely flowers unknown to the ancestors that are appropriate for this beautiful goddess’s garden for their looks alone. Look for golden flowers, for her title as Golden Lady; pink or red ones are for her Love Goddess passion, and white ones are for her warrior side. A few darker purple ones remind us of her role as Mistress of Seidhr. For garden ornaments, amber glass balls recall her favorite stone. Cat figurines symbolize her sacred animal, as do pigs. It’s not hard – she’ll tell you what she likes.