Editing Freyja (section)

==Later Scandinavian folklore==
[[File:Rye field.jpg|thumb|upright|Ripe rye in Northern Europe]]

Although the [[Christianization of Scandinavia]] sought to [[demonization|demonize]] the native gods, belief and reverence in the gods, including Freyja, persisted throughout the modern period and melded into [[Scandinavian folklore]]. {{Interlanguage link|Britt-Mari Näsström|sv}} comments that Freyja became a particular target under Christianization:
<blockquote>
Freyja's erotic qualities became an easy target for the new religion, in which an asexual virgin was the ideal woman [...] Freyja is called "a whore" and "a harlot" by the holy men and missionaries, whereas many of her functions in the everyday lives of men and women, such as protecting the vegetation and supplying assistance in childbirth were transferred to the Virgin Mary.{{sfnp|Näsström|1995|p=21}}
</blockquote>

However, Freyja did not disappear. In Iceland, Freyja was called upon for assistance by way of [[Icelandic magical staves]] as late as the 18th century; and as late as the 19th century, Freyja is recorded as retaining elements of her role as a fertility goddess among rural Swedes.<ref name="FREYJA-ICELAND-SWEDEN">For Freyja in Iceland, see {{harvp|Flowers|1989|pp=73,80}}. For Freyja in Sweden, see {{harvp|Schön|2004|pp=227–228}}.</ref>

The Old Norse poem ''Þrymskviða'' (or its source) continued into Scandinavian folk song tradition, where it was [[euhemerized]] and otherwise transformed over time. In Iceland, the poem became known as ''Þrylur'', whereas in Denmark the poem became ''Thor af Havsgaard'' and in Sweden it became ''Torvisan'' or ''Hammarhämtningen''.{{sfnp|Näsström|1995|p=21}} A section of the Swedish ''Torvisan'', in which ''Freyja'' has been transformed into "the fair" (''den väna'') ''Frojenborg'', reads as follows:
<blockquote>
{|
|
:<small>Swedish</small>
:Det var den väna Frojenborg
:hon tog så illa vid sig
:det sprack av vart finger blodet ut
:och rann i jorden ner.{{sfnp|Näsström|1995|p=21}}
|
:<small>Britt-Mari Näsström translation</small>
:It was the fair Frojenborg
:She was so upset [over [[Thor|Þórr's]] demand]
:her blood burst from each of her fingers
:and ran down into the ground.{{sfnp|Näsström|1995|p=21}}
|
|}
</blockquote>

In the province of [[Småland]], Sweden, an account is recorded connecting Freyja with sheet lightning in this respect. Writer Johan Alfred Göth recalled a Sunday in 1880 where men were walking in fields and looking at nearly ripened [[rye]], where Måns in Karryd said: "Now Freyja is out watching if the rye is ripe". Along with this, Göth recalls another mention of Freyja in the countryside:
<blockquote>
When as a boy I was visiting the old Proud-Katrina, I was afraid of lightning like all boys in those days. When the [[Lightning#Observational variations|sheet lightning]] flared at the night, Katrina said: "Don't be afraid little child, it is only Freyja who is out making fire with steel and flintstone to see if the rye is ripe. She is kind to people and she is only doing it to be of service, she is not like Thor, he slays both people and livestock, when he is in the mood" [...] I later heard several old folks talk of the same thing in the same way.{{sfnp|Schön|2004|pp=227–228}}
</blockquote>

In [[Värend]], Sweden, Freyja could also arrive at Christmas night and she used to shake the apple trees for the sake of a good harvest and consequently people left some apples in the trees for her sake. However, it was dangerous to leave the [[plough]] outdoors, because if Freyja sat on it, it would no longer be of any use.{{sfnp|Schön|2004|pp=227–228}}

Many [[Heathenry (new religious movement)|Asatru]] practitioners today mostly honor Freyja as a goddess of fertility, abundance and beauty. A common rite for modern Freya worshippers is to bake foods that have some connection to love in one way or another, such as [[chocolate]]. Freyja is also called upon for protection, usually when it comes to a domestic violence situation.<ref>Wigington, Patti. "Freyja – Goddess of Abundance, Fertility and War." Learn Religions</ref>