Yes this could have to do with the fact that Freya the Norse Goddess of love, beauty and fertility drove a chariot pulled by cats.
So, if I ever get married, I fully expect a catmobile.
One of the other reasons why they gave cats to each other was for their valuable skills as mousers. Cats were able to control rodent populations around their properties.
Also, Norse myths are thought to have the earliest literary descriptions of the Norwegian Forest Cat. They were described as large, strong cats that drew Freya’s chariot and were so heavy that not even Thor, God of Thunder, could lift them from the floor. (Source)
They kinda live up to the legend, too. Your average Norwegian Forest Cat is twenty pounds of solid muscle, with claws large and strong enough to climb solid rock. They’ve been known to attack bears when defending their territory. And yet they’re one of the cuddliest breeds out there, particularly noted for being patient with small children.
I have a Norwegian mix, and can attest that she is the cuddliest cat but also insane enough to try and fight a bear.
Viking cats “FIGHT ME”
Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, still could not lift this cat.
That’s because kitten dug her needle claws into the carpet
Þrymskviða. Compressed down, it goes like this: A Jotun steal Thor’s hammer Mjolnir and says he’ll only give it back if he’s given Freyja to marry, as she is the most beautiful goddess in all of existence. The gods argue over what to do for a while before Heimdall suggests they stick a bridal veil on Thor, says he’s Freyja, and pretend they’re giving Freyja (Thor) to the Jotun to marry so Thor can get close enough to the Jotun to steal Mjolnir back.
Now typically when people talk about this story, it’s with an element of disbelieving comedy. “Oh my god, who would believe Thor was a woman, let alone Freyja, the most beautiful goddess in the world?”
But I propose a different way to look at the story.
See, different cultures have different beauty standards. Modern western beauty standards may be a delicate hourglass supermodel, but that’s not always been the case. Greece, for instance, depicted Aphrodite like this:
Yeah. A Greek sculptor was told “sculpt the goddess of beauty” and they thought “alright, fat rolls, that’s where beauty is at, let’s do this”. And everybody else apparently agreed with them, because up went the statue. Beauty is a malleable concept is what I’m getting at.
Now this is where it becomes relevant that Freyja is not just the goddess of love, sex, and beauty. She’s also the goddess of war. And the righteous dead. Goddess of war in the same Viking warrior culture that gave us shield maidens, women who wielded seven fucking kilogram (15 lbs) shields in combat.
Sooooo … when the Norse storytellers said, “This is Freyja, goddess of war and the righteous dead, who rode giant murder cats into battle, she is the most beautiful goddess in the world”, I’m guessing they weren’t thinking of her as some willowy waif. No, I’m guessing they probably thought more along the lines of:
190 cm (6′3″), broad shoulders, built like a brick shithouse, with a jawline like whoa, and fully capable of murdering everything in her path.
Put in that context, the story of Thor dressing up as Freyja sounds less like a punchline about “how could anyone ever mistake Thor in a veil for Freyja?” and becomes more a case of “ohhhhhhhhhhh, no wonder all the gods thought this plan would work”.
It did, by the way. The plan totally worked.
it wasn’t thor’s figure that almost gave him away, it was his bad manners. he was snarfing down all the food and drink, and the jotun was like “hey i thought freyja was a LADY” and they had to explain it like well she was so psyched about the wedding that she hasn’t eaten for days.
at no point did the jotun add “also she’s fucking ripped wtf?” because yeah. of course she was. she was a war goddess.
I want Freya to break into my house and use her
falcon cloak to strangle me, killing me instantly
The Lokasenna but every time someone is
kinkshamed it gets faster
Self-care is putting your hand inside a giant
wolf’s mouth
Wake Brynhildr up (Wake Brynhildr up inside)
“Girls are so hot. Guys are so hot. Why is
everybody so hot?” “It’s Ragnarok, and Surtur’s already fucking shit up”
Date a boy who thinks goats make wonderful pets
Are you a Frigg wlw or a Fulla wlw
“Are you a man or a woman?” “I’m Loki” “No, I
mean, what’s your gender?” “Mischief” “Ok, but what’s between your legs?” “Sigyn,
generally. Or Angrboda. Or Svadilfari. Or Odin, that one time…”
Brace
yourself: Fimbulvetr is coming
Njord: *takes a deep breath* I lo- Skadi: yes, you love the sea, I know, you love the sea so much, it’s the light of your life, you love it so much, you just love the sea, I KNOW, you love the sea you fucking love the sea ok I know, I get it, YOU LOVE the sea. I GET IT.
“don’t talk to me or my eight-legged foal ever
again”
Mani: *currently engaged in a flame war over mooncourse with Artemis*
Odin: *disguised as a harmless old wanderer* A buddy of mine saw Odin take his shirt off in the shower and he said that Odin has an eight pack, that Odin is shredded Frigg: Your friend’s a liar, Odin is a punk bitch
I love each and every one of these and I need more
Loki is the Philosopher King 