In fall Freya left us
traveling southward.
Now she returns again,
bringing soft words.
Out of her golden hair
spring flowers fall
tumbling like melodies,
sounding the call.
Chaste through the winter
women now pine,
wanting their lovers home
sharing the wine.
~Scandinavian Song To The Goddess Of Spring
In northern lands, the spring Goddess was embodied by the sun. During the winter, she retreated southward, so that by midwinter she rose only briefly each day, setting hastily and leaving the lands in cold and dark. But as spring approaches, she stays longer and longer each day, shedding warmth on her people. As the equinox nears, bringing balance between light and dark, the sun brings back growth and seasonal change.
The ancient Scandinavians recognized that the human reaction to increasing daylight was return of interest in connecting with others – through lust as well as through love. They acknowledged, as did many other people, the way the sap rises in our bodies as well as in the trees and plants around us. Celebrating the fruitfulness of our womanly bodies is a way to celebrate the Goddess. And at no time is her energy stronger than in early spring.
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By Patricia Monaghan
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