Brisingamen- Norse ArtifactArtifact"The Necklace of Freyja"

The Price of Beauty

Brísingamen's origin is preserved in the Sörla þáttr. Freyja was wandering near a cave when she discovered four dwarves, among them Dvalinn and Berlingr, laboring at their forge. On their anvil lay a golden necklace of such beauty that she could not look away. She offered gold, then silver, then any treasure they might name. The dwarves had no need of gold. They named their price: one night with each of them. Four nights for four dwarves, and Brísingamen would be hers.

Freyja agreed. On the fifth morning, she clasped the necklace around her throat and departed.

Loki's Theft

Odin commanded Loki to steal the necklace from Freyja. She slept in her locked chamber with Brísingamen around her neck, the clasp hidden beneath her body. Loki transformed into a fly and searched the room for an entrance, finally discovering a hole no bigger than a needle. He squeezed through and entered the chamber.

The clasp was inaccessible. Loki became a flea and bit Freyja on the cheek. She turned in her sleep, exposing the fastening. He resumed his natural form, unclasped the necklace, and fled.

When Freyja discovered the theft, she went to Odin demanding its return. He set a condition: she must use her powers to stir eternal war between two human kings, whose armies would fight, die, and rise again. Freyja agreed. Brísingamen returned to her throat, and somewhere in Midgard, men began dying for her choice.

When Thor later disguised himself as Freyja to recover Mjölnir from the giant Þrymr, Brísingamen was part of the costume.