Re: Whatcha thinking about now?
To sum up, Freyfaxi was a roan stallion whose owner found him to be some beautiful and valued that he named him as he did, meaning Frey's Mane, and dedicated him to the god. He also swore that he would kill anyone who rode the horse without his permission. It came to pass that on Midsummer one of his farmhands lost a flock of sheep and so saddled up Freyfaxi to round them up. He rode the horse hard for 30 days straight until by the time he returned the horse was exhausted.
True to his word, the farmer killed the hand then offered to pay the wergild cost to the family for the loss, which they refused. Instead, in retaliation, they ruined his reputation, took his lands, then bound and threw Freyfaxi off a cliff into the water below, joking that they were sacrificing him to the gods.
But with the horse already dedicated to Frey, the gods determined that the punishment was too extreme and so blessed the farmer and allowed him to get revenge upon the family, regaining his lands and forcing them into servitude beneath him.
So in honor of the sacrifice of Freyfaxi, the idea of "reaping what you sow" was added to the theme of the celebrations and it was named after that animal. Or at least, that's one of the various explanations I've come across.
Originally posted by Jembru
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True to his word, the farmer killed the hand then offered to pay the wergild cost to the family for the loss, which they refused. Instead, in retaliation, they ruined his reputation, took his lands, then bound and threw Freyfaxi off a cliff into the water below, joking that they were sacrificing him to the gods.
But with the horse already dedicated to Frey, the gods determined that the punishment was too extreme and so blessed the farmer and allowed him to get revenge upon the family, regaining his lands and forcing them into servitude beneath him.
So in honor of the sacrifice of Freyfaxi, the idea of "reaping what you sow" was added to the theme of the celebrations and it was named after that animal. Or at least, that's one of the various explanations I've come across.
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