What in Norse mythology captivates the readers is not merely the magic and awesome characters. But it carries the tales that never go out of date even years pass by. Norse love stories, for example, are so epic when they break through the racial barriers.
Epic Norse Love Stories
If we read between the lines, we can see a meaningful message about love in many Norse characters. In the past, many might think love affair between the gods and the jotun (giant) was awkward because the two tribes were enemies since the beginning of the cosmos. But looking at a positive viewpoint, it was a beautiful message presenting the Norsemen’s belief in love knowing no limits.
Borr and Bestla
This was the first love affair between the god and the giant since the beginning of the cosmos. Borr was the son of the first Aesir god – Buri. Meanwhile, Bestla was the daughter of the frost-giant Bolthorn.
The pair got married and had three sons: Odin, Vili, and Ve. That is to say, the mixed blood ran in Odin’s vein and he was the son of the love affair between two sworn enemies.
Odin and Jord
Following his father’s footstep, Odin had a love affair with a giantess named Jord meaning Earth. Though the wife of Odin was Frigg, he sometimes had feelings for other giantesses and goddesses.
Jord and Odin had a son who was the famous Thor God of lightning and thunder storm.
Freyr and Gerd
While the Norse love stories of Odin and his parents seemed to have a happy ending, that of god Freyr didn’t seem so.
Mythology had it that Freyr god of fertility and summer once fell in love with a giantess. On the day that Odin was absent, Freyr sat on the High Throne of Odin and unintentionally saw a beautiful giantess in the Jotunheim land of the giant. From that moment on, Freyr became lovesick.
Her name was Gerd and she was among the coldest giantess ever in the Nine Worlds. She would accept no one to her heart until she met The One.
Knowing that Freyr was lovesick, one of his servant, Skirnir offered to go to Jotunheim to ask Gerd on behalf of God Freyr. In return, Freyr would have to grant Skirnir his powerful sword and horse if he won. We don’t really know how the story went but Skirnir managed to get his master a wife and he also won the sword.
Because of the loss of the sword, Freyr fell in his last battle in Ragnarok. But Freyr never regretted exchanging the sword for his beloved wife. He stepped over the social prejudice and the tribal rules about marriage to get what he really wanted in life.
The love story of Freyr and Gerd became famous in the Viking Age. It was so beautiful that the Vikings coined the amulet of a couple holding each other and used the amulet in every wedding presenting the marriage vows.
Love knows no limit
The epic message in the controversial Norse love stories is love knows no limits. It is completely different from the concept “Love is blind” which means that what the people in love can’t see the other people see.
The love concept in Norse mythology revolves around the love without any racial discrimination or prejudices. It sees no color, no religions, no age, no national hatred, etc. All the nonsense boundaries blur when love comes to us.
When life leaves us blind, love always keeps us kind. Because there will be no more social prejudice or any difference and strict standard that people around set up. What makes sense is love.