in Norse mythology, the wife of Odin and mother of Balder. She was a promoter of marriage and of fertility. In Icelandic stories, she tried to save her son's life but failed. Some myths depict her as the weeping and loving mother, while others stress her loose morals. Frigg was known also to other Germanic peoples, as Frija (in German) and Frea; her name survives in English in the word Friday.