Introduction
Gerdr is a giantess, daughter of the giant Gymir, whose beauty was so radiant that when Freyr glimpsed her from Odin's high seat Hlidskjalf, her arms alone lit up the sky and sea, and he fell into a consuming, lovesick longing for her.
Family
- Husband: Freyr
Freyr's longing
Seeing Gerdr from a great distance and unable to approach her himself without revealing that he had sat on Odin's forbidden throne, Freyr fell into such deep, silent misery that his father Njord grew concerned and sent Freyr's servant Skirnir to learn the cause and, if possible, to win her on his master's behalf.
Skirnir's mission
Skirnir travelled to Gerdr's home in Jotunheim carrying gifts, eleven golden apples and Odin's own ring Draupnir, but Gerdr refused them. Skirnir then turned to threats and curses, invoking dire magical consequences, including eternal loneliness and monstrous suffering, if she continued to refuse. Gerdr, under this pressure, finally agreed to meet Freyr nine nights later in a grove called Barri.
Marriage
Freyr and Gerdr were married, though the cost to Freyr was severe: he had given Skirnir his own magical self-fighting sword to use as a bargaining tool during the courtship, and this sword's absence leaves Freyr weaponless and vulnerable at Ragnarok, where he is fated to be killed by the fire giant Surtr.