Freya and the Lost Necklace
Discover Freya's quest for her lost necklace in a child-friendly retelling of Norse mythology about kindness and generosity.
- Region
- Norway (Viking Age Scandinavia)
- Category
- Gods & Heroes
- Ages
- 4–12, with three reading levels (ages 4–6, 7–9 and 10–12)
- Languages
- English, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish
About the legend
- Being
- Brísingamen (enchanted necklace)
- Cultural meaning
- The Brísingamen represents the allure of material beauty in Norse mythology. As Freya's most prized possession, it symbolises both her divine power and the Norse understanding that beauty carries a cost. The myth explores the tension between desire and wisdom — a theme central to many Norse stories.
- Fun fact
- The name Brísingamen probably means 'necklace of fire' or 'amber necklace' in Old Norse! Vikings loved amber so much they traded it across Europe — amber found in Scandinavia has turned up as far away as ancient Egypt.
About this retelling
Abridged literary adaptation A child-safe adaptation of the Norse myth of Freya and the necklace Brísingamen, drawn from the Prose Edda and Sörla þáttr.
Freya, the dwarf smiths, Loki's theft and Heimdall's rescue are traditional. In the medieval sources Freya wins the necklace on very adult terms — the acts-of-kindness quest was created for Nordic Tales.
Sources
Themes
- kindness
- generosity
- wisdom
- inner beauty
- Freya
- Brísingamen
- Norse mythology
- Asgard
- dwarves
- Loki
- Heimdall
- necklace
- kindness
- Prose Edda
- Sörla þáttr
- Viking
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