The importance of Freyr in SL Torvaldsland

So last time I wrote a little about myself...this time I thought I would share a little about my RP and life in SL.  I took a course in Rune Priests and was apprenticed to a very knowledgeable person for further training.  Following is an essay I wrote for that course.

    Much is written about the Gods Odin and Thor when it comes to religion and beliefs of the northern peoples.  Odin, of course, is the all father, chief of the gods.  Father, in fact, to many of the other gods and goddesses and is associated with things like royalty, knowledge, wisdom and healing.  Thor, one of Odin's sons, is often associated with strength, thunder and lightning, and battle.  Given the worldview of the typical Torvaldslander Jarl, one can see how these two gods might hold a preeminent place in their hearts.  After all, what Jarl doesn't want to be thought of as strong, great in battle, wise, and knowledgeable?

    However, what people tend to forget is that during the Viking age (which is where Torvald was drawn from to come to Gor) there was a third god, just as important as Odin and Thor.  This would be the God Freyr, twin brother to the Goddess Freya.  He was associated with prosperity, fertility, sunshine and fair weather.  In the Gylfaginning section of his Prose Edda, Snorri introduces Freyr as one of the major gods:

"Freyr is the most renowned of the Æsir; he rules over the rain and the shining of the sun, and therewithal the fruit of the earth; and it is good to call on him for fruitful seasons and peace. He governs also the prosperity of men."

    So from this we can take that when a Viking was praying for his fields to be blessed, he did so to Freyr.  When he asked for prosperity and peace, he did so to Freyr.  When his woman was looking to become pregnant, she asked the blessings of Freyr. In fact the association between Freyr and fertility is so strong that he was oft depicted with a large phallus...and sometimes ONLY as such.  For this fact alone, one would think the appeal to SL Torvaldslanders would be apparent.  Being wise, strong, knowledgeable and  victorious in battle is wonderful, and may well secure one's place in Valhalla, but without sons and daughters to ensure one's legacy and fertile fields to feed and support them, a Jarl is little more than a fighter who will be soon forgotten when he passes.  To think that Freyr would have been left behind when Torvald came to Gor would be about as foolish as thinking he forgot how to fight, how to make and drink mead or ale, or how to draw breath.

    In conclusion, what we need to remember is that while Second Life is simply a game, and Gor on SL is merely a way to bring some Role Play to our lives, the depth and quality of our Role Play is affected by a great many factors.  Being able to submerge ourselves to some extent into the worldview of the characters we play can give us motivations which lead to better role play.  Involving more of the religion of the north into our role play is a part of that, and that means involving more of the Gods than simply Odin and Thor.

Gylfaginning : http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/pre/pre04.htm