Norse Mythological Women and Their Objects Quiz

Answer: Freyja

Freyja was connected with love, beauty, magic, war, and treasure. She rode in a chariot that was pulled not by horses, but by cats. She was kind but she was also quite fierce. When welcoming fallen warriors who died in battle into her hall, she would be seen wearing a beautiful necklace called the Brisingamen. She had gone through quite a bit for this necklace.

She originally found it in a cave where it was being crafted by dwarves. They refused her offer to buy it, but gave it to her if she would spend one night with each of them. Let's just say that she got her necklace. But it didn't end there. Loki stole it one night and she had to incite a war just to get it back. Freyja would run into a burning building to get it (she had done a lot worse) because it was not only a treasure but symbolized her very self.

Answer: Frigg

Frigg was the wife of Odin and was connected closely with family, marriage, motherhood, and wisdom. Stories say she could glimpse into the future but kept her insights to herself. She is associated with the distaff, which holds raw fiber, and the spindle, which is used to twist those fibers into yarn.

Spinning thread was an important task for women long ago, and Frigg did even more than that job. She was the "Cloud-Spinner". According to legend, she used her bejeweled distaff and spindle to spin the clouds in the sky. She was also known to help guide the threads of life and destiny (hence her ability to peek into the future). Frigg would rush into a burning building to grab these because they are not only important tools but her connection to fate.

Answer: Hel

Hel was the ruler of the Norse underworld (land of the dead) that was called Helheim. She was the daughter of the trickster Loki and it is said she looked half living and half dead. Those people who were unfortunate enough not to die in glorious battle ended up in her realm. She had some, how shall we say it, interesting utensils.

First she had a knife called Famine. This name was meant to show that the dead in her kingdom were perpetually denied satisfaction or abundance. She also had a plate called Hunger and several other gloomy items in her kingdom. These represented the bleakness, death, and hardship over which she reigned. Hel would run into a burning building for the knife (where she probably felt at home) because it was a symbol of her authority.

Answer: Skadi

Skadi was the daughter of a fallen giant and was connected with winter, mountains, snow, and hunting. She loved all cold places and was happy in the wilderness. She was known to be very independent. At one point, she was allowed to choose a husband based only on the appearance of his feet. Not surprisingly, the marraige did not work out.

Skis and her bow represented how she lived and survived. Her skis helped her travel across the snowy lands. She was so proficient on them that she is said to be able to out-ski even the god Ullr (the god of snow). Her bow was her hunting tool. She would race into a burning building to get these items because they were the keys to her very existence.

Answer: Idun

Idun was connected with youth and renewal. She had a very important job among the gods because she cared for very special golden apples that helped keep them all young. Without those apples, the gods would grow old and weak. (What I wouldn't give for one of those apples!) She kept them in a special casket (an ancient box) and guarded them carefully. These apples were some of the most important treasures in the gods' world because it kept them vital.

Idun would rush into a burning building to save these apples because it is not just about saving the fruit. It would be protecting the health and future of the gods. Losing them would put everyone in danger of growing old and losing power.

Answer: Brynhild

Bryhild was a famous Valkyrie (a powerful, supernatural female warrior). One of her roles was to choose brave warriors who died in battle and lead them to Valhalla. She was known to be proud, strong, and skilled. She was a shield-maiden; hence, she chose to fight, raid, and take up arms alongside men. Unfortunately, one time she angered Odin. As punishment, he placed her in a magical sleep and surrounded her with a ring of shields on fire.

Only a truly fearless hero could ride through this blockade and wake her. Luckily for her, Sigured did exactly that feat. The two fell into a deep (but doomed) love. Brynhild would rush into a burning building to get that symbolic wall because it represented her courage and the remembrance of a great hero overcoming odds to reach her.

Answer: Sif

Sif was a goddess connected with earth, harvests, and family. She was the wife of Thor (the god of thunder) and was described as beautiful and closely tied to fields of grain and the growth of crops. She was particularly known for her gorgeous and golden hair. However, one day Loki snuck in and cut off her locks. Thor, furious, threatened to break every bone in Loki's body. So Loki got some dwarves to make magical golden hair.

They attached to her head and immediately grew as if they were real hair and not gold. Her beauty was restored and the earth's fertility (which had waned during this ordeal) returned in full. If Sif rushed into a burning building to get these golden locks, it's not just vanity. Her hair symbolized the golden fields of grain waving in the breeze.

Answer: Ran

Ran was a sea goddess who ruled the ocean with her husband, the sea god Aegir. The sea was an important part of Nordic lives and tied to many activities. Sailors, therefore, saw Ran as mysterious, powerful, and also frightening. This is because the ocean, like her, could be beautiful one moment and deadly the next. Ran was famous for carrying her fishing net.

She used this net to catch people who were lost at sea. She would then bring them down into her underwater world. The net became a symbol of the sea's power to suddenly pull ships, and their crew, down deep beneath the waves. Ran would race into a burning building to save the net because it would be like saving the object that represented the people's connection to the sea.

Answer: Gefjon

Gefjon was connected with farming, land, and hard work. She was also linked with good fortune and prosperity. She is most famous about a story where she created land (Copenhagen will thank her). According to the myth, a Swedish king promised her as much land as she could plow in 24 hours. She turned her four giant sons into powerful oxen and had them pull a plow with enormous strength.

They plowed so hard a huge piece of land tore loose and was dragged into the sea. This became the island of Zealand (hence Copenhagen). The hole left behind became a big lake in Sweden. If Gefjon rushed into a burning building to save her plow, it would not be just about a farming implement. The plow represented her strength and determination and the ability to create something new.

Answer: Saga

Saga is a goddess connected with stories, history, and knowledge. Her name (as you guessed) is related to the word "saga" meaning a long tale or story. She was also connected with remembering important events and preserving wisdom. Saga lived in a place called Sokkvabekkr, which meant "sunken bank".

There she and Odin would sit together often and enjoy several glasses of mead out of golden cups and share stories and bits of knowledge. If Saga raced into a burning building to grab the collection of written tales, it would not just be trying to save the paper. It would represent knowledge, memories, and the stories that people would pass through generations to come.