Etymology
The etymology of the name Gefjon has been a matter of dispute. In modern scholarship, the element Gef- in Gef-jon is generally theorized as related to the element Gef- in the name Gef-n. The name Gefn is one of the numerous names for the goddess Freyja, and likely means "she who gives (prosperity or happiness)." The connection between the two names has resulted in etymological results of Gefjun meaning "the giving one." The names Gefjun and Gefn are both related to the Matron groups the Alagabiae or Ollogabiae.
Albert Murey Sturtevant notes that "the only other feminine personal name which contains the suffix -un is Njǫr-un, recorded only in the þulur, and among the kvenna heiti ókend. Whatever the stem syllable Njǫr- represents (perhaps *ner- as in *Ner-þuz>Njǫrðr), the addition of the n- and un-suffixes seems to furnish an exact parallel to Gef-n : Gefj-un (cf. Njǫr-n : Njǫr-un)."
A Finnish word for "bride's outfit, trousseau" may derive from Gefjon's name.
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