Njordr, Freyr and Freyja as Odin's Priests and Priestess
In his Ynglinga Saga, Snorri reports that after Njordr, Freyr and Kvasir became hostages of the Aesir and Freyja joined them Odin placed Njordr and Freyr as priests of the sacrifices. Odin also placed Freyja as the priestess of the sacrifices. What Snorri reports begs many questions five of which are-
1. What sacrifices?
2. Where were the sacrifices offered?
3. By whom were the sacrifices offered?
4. To whom were the sacrifices offered?
5. What was Odin doing when he placed Njordr, Freyr and Freyja as priest/ess of sacrifices?
A review of the Völuspá answers the question “What sacrifices?” These were the sacrifices that Odin refused to share with the Vanir as one way of making recompense after brutally spearing and burning Freyja in his hall. He wanted the sacrifices of humans all to himself. Instead of sharing the sacrifices with the Vanir Odin preferred war.
Snorri himself answers the second and third questions in the Ynglinga Saga: Where were the sacrifices offered and by whom? They were offered in Odin’s temple by his priests who were also lords over (diar, drotner akin to drighten and dominus) and judges of Odin’s people. In other words, the sacrifices were offered by human priests.
To answer the fourth question we can reasonably conclude that sacrifices offered in Odin’s temple by Odin’s priests were offered to Odin himself.
So to summarize what we have so far: Rather than doing the right thing in recompense for spearing and burning Freyja and sharing sacrifices with the Vanir, Odin chose war. After the Vanir breeched the walls of Asgard and nearly defeated the Aesir, the peace-loving Vanir agreed to a truce with the Aesir. The truce involved an exchange of hostages. The Vanir sent Njordr, Freyr and Kvasir to the Aesir as hostages. At some point Freyja, by her own choice, joined Njordr, Freyr and Kvasir. Odin then placed three of his hostages, Njordr, Freyr and Freyja, in his temple to serve as priests and priestess of the sacrifices offered to him.
This brings us to the fifth question: What was Odin doing? I think that it is reasonable to conclude that Odin was insulting and humiliating his hostages. Placing Njordr, Freyr and Freyja as priests and priestess of sacrifices offered to him was just one of the many ways that Odin abused his Vanir hostages.