Freyr

Freyr, also called Freyr Njordson and Yngvi, was the Vanir god of rain and fertility, the son of Njord and Nerthus, and the younger twin brother of Freya. He led the Vanir resistance against Odin and the Aesir from a camp in Vanaheim, where he eventually crossed paths with Kratos and Mimir.

Early life and Alfheim#

In his youth Freyr met a Jotunn named Gerd, who offered to teach him to travel between realms using Bifrost light. He became infatuated with her, and the two explored the World Tree from root to branch until one day she disappeared, leaving him heartbroken. Resolving to win her back with some grand feat, he set out to find the elusive sources of Bifrost light, but smoking a potent blend of Vanir herbs left him wandering until he fell directly into the Lake of Souls. When he rose from the lake, the elves who witnessed him began to worship him as the earliest visitor to Alfheim, and he became one of the few gods welcome there, with his own temple in the realm. Over time he educated the elves and earned the trust of both the Light and Dark Elves, brokering a truce between them that each side honored only because of him.

The betrayal of the Aesir#

As a leader of the Vanir, Freyr at first wanted his kin to cooperate with the Aesir. He traveled the realms teaching them to cultivate the land and harvest crops, and shared spells that could feed all of Asgard. Diplomacy held for a time, but the stubborn Aesir blamed Freyr when they could not use the magic he had taught them. A mob of lesser Aesir, set up by Thor, burned him alive using the very crops he had enchanted as kindling. He survived and escaped back to Vanaheim, but the betrayal replaced his easy nature with anger and paranoia, and it became cited as one of the catalysts for the Aesir-Vanir War.

The loss of Ingrid#

Freyr forged a sentient sword named Ingrid and swore he would relinquish it only when he died or when he met the love of his life. Odin exploited this oath by taking the form of the most beautiful person Freyr had ever seen, fooling the Vanir god into surrendering the blade with embarrassing speed. Without Ingrid, Freyr fought thereafter with a single antler, a simple but effective weapon.

When Freya married Odin to end the war, Freyr felt deeply hurt, believing her choice selfish, and spoke awful words to her at the wedding. After Odin banished Freya to Midgard, Freyr did not look for her, believing his sister dead, and he abandoned his beloved Alfheim in grief and a desire for revenge against the All-Father. For years he regretted that those cruel words had been his last to her.

The resistance in Vanaheim#

Freyr assembled allies and built a camp as the heart of a resistance against Odin and the Aesir, fighting to one day reclaim their homes. There he found Helka, a pup nearly dead in the jungles of Vanaheim, presumed to have escaped a Blod Hundr breeding farm. Though his allies thought the animal beyond saving, Freyr never gave up on her and nursed her back to health.

Years later, Kratos, Mimir, Brok, and Freya arrived at his camp. Freyr expressed deep hatred for Odin and, in a moment of paranoia, nearly attacked Kratos as a suspected spy before Freya stopped him. He also harbored a grudge against Mimir, wanting to behead the former ambassador under the false belief that Mimir had sold Freya to the Aesir. After Freya broke Odin's binding spell and returned, the siblings argued bitterly over her marriage and the years of silence, but eventually reconciled, with Freya promising to send help.

The war and the final stand#

When Vanaheim was assaulted by Einherjar led by Heimdall, Freyr was wounded and captured. Kratos and Freya rescued him, carrying him off the ship Skidbladnir, and Freya healed him at Sindri's house. After Kratos killed Heimdall and brought Gjallarhorn to the group, they planned their entry into Asgard. There Odin, disguised as Tyr, fatally stabbed Brok and held Atreus hostage; Freyr threw the Mask of Creation to distract Odin, letting Atreus break free.

Freyr joined the war on Asgard and at last reclaimed Ingrid. He primarily aided in distracting the fire giant Ragnarok, slowing it to give his allies time to save the Midgardian refugees and stop Odin. Once Odin died, Ragnarok drove its sword down to destroy Asgard. Freyr blocked the first blow to give Freya and the others time to escape, gave his sister a final farewell, and took a second blow, dying along with Asgard and the giant. As Angrboda observed, his sacrifice would never be forgotten.