In 1903, members of the student organization Freya at Hollins College, presented the first of their May Day productions. Calling themselves the Fairies of Freya and dressing in medieval costume, these students began a tradition of campus celebration which marked the turning of the seasons for over half a century. Each year on May 1st and October 31st, Freya presented original theatre, dance and music which loosely centered on myths surrounding the goddess from whom they took their name.

Each spring, the coronation of the May Queen, a Hollins girl chosen for beauty and honor, was the central focus of the celebration. The Queen was often referred to and incorporated into the productions as a personification of the goddess, and the Fairies and Fools performed for the entertainment of her court. The HalloweÕen performances were generally more formal, solo recitations of various poems which focused directly on Freya myths, as opposed to large cast revels.

Freya is the name of a Norse goddess, patron of youth, beauty and spring. She is most often likened to Persephone, daughter of Demeter the Greek goddess of the harvest. The myth of Persephone is that of the seasons. She is kidnapped by Hades, god of the underworld, and forced to stay in the realm of death for six months of every year. During this time her mother mourns and lets the earth wither and freeze, and when Persephone is returned the world again blooms. The myth of Persephone was enacted briefly almost every year until 1914 and was presented as the primary May Day production in 1923, 1935, and 1946.

Though Persephone was only a demi-goddess in Greek myth, in Hollins texts also champion Freya as being as strong and chaste as Artemis, daughter of Zeus and goddess of the hunt. Her importance is often elevated to that of Gaia, or other Great Mother figures worshipped by goddess sects. The parallels of European myths were often explored by the Freya students, and several seemingly Freya centered stories were enacted. Norse myths were the theme of the 1926 and 1933 productions, German myths in 1932, and Anglo-Saxon myths in 1936.

Celtic figures such as fairies, elves, leprechauns, sprites and nymphs were portrayed in almost every production and were the primary focus of the 1927, 1931 and 1936 plays. The timing of these celebrations also coincides with the dates at which the ancient Celts and Druids divided the year. Many of the revels echo the harvest and fertility celebrations of the pagan holidays of Samhain, on October 31st, and Beltane, on May 1st.

From 1903 until 1914, the productions were simply staged in the Forest of Arden with only a throne for the May Queen and white dresses and wings for costume. May pole dances were common and the focus was on social, rather than artistic success. In the late teens and twenties however, students began to model their productions after medieval drama. Most of the plays were Shakespearean in tone and meter, and costumes were attempts at period styles. Many were presented as court drama for the entertainment of the May Queen, an example being 1930Õs Robin Hood archery tournament. In 1928 and 1937, pageant plays were presented, complete with wagons, elaborate costume and four foot angel wings. Beginning in the thirties, modern dance pieces became an integral part of the productions. Almost every celebration included large sections of choreography, much of which was described in the scripts. Original music by choir or solo musicians often accompanied the student dancers. This integration of art forms was a way of involving many Hollins students who were not elected as members to the Freya organization. However, after 1950, there was a return to the early traditions of May Pole and social dances and scripts became less important to the celebrations. Freya participation and influence began to fade as the May Court increasingly became a beauty and popularity pageant. Their membership became anonymous and the focus of the organization changed.