Fulla

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For the doll, see Fulla (doll)

Fulla or Fylla is, in Norse mythology, an ásynja. Her name is related to the adjective fullr, meaning "full." By Snorri Sturluson in Gylfaginning, she is described as follows:

Hon er enn mær ok ferr laushár ok gullband um höfuð. Hon berr eski Friggjar ok gætir skóklæða hennar ok veit launráð með henni. [1]

/She is/ a may, she wears her hair flowing and has a golden ribbon about her head; she carries Frigg's chest, takes care of her shoes and knows her secrets. —Anderson translation

From this description, she appears to be something of a handmaid to Frigg – which is also true for Gná and Hlín, two other ásynjur. Later in the same work – when Hermóðr unsuccessfully tries to retrieve the murdered god Baldr and his wife Nanna from Hel – it is related that "Nanna sent Frigg a kerchief and other gifts, and to Fulla she sent a golden finger-ring." (Nanna sendi Frigg rifti ok enn fleiri gjafar. Fullu fingrgull.)

Fulla also appear in some kennings. According to Skáldskaparmál, höfuðband Fullu (ribbon of Fulla) is a kenning for gold. A more garbled example is found in Gísla saga: "Fulla of rain of spear-shafts hall" (Fals hallar /skal/ Fulla fagrleit), which breaks down to simply meaning woman. [2]

The Old High German Merseburg Incantations mentions a Uolla or Volla, and calls her the sister of Friia or Frija (in German paganism, Freyja and Frigg were identical). That Fulla is the sister of Frigg does not appear in the Norse literature.

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