This brisingid sea star, Freyella elegans, was imaged during the second dive of the Deep Connections 2019 expedition. Like many brisingid sea stars, it gets its scientific name from a Nordic deity – in this case the Norse goddess Freya, wife of Odin and goddess of blessings, love, and fertility.

In this image, the sea star’s arms are raised in a feeding posture, ready to catch prey swimming by using structures called “pedicellariae,” which you can learn more about in this mission log, “The Mysteries of Pedicellariae: Unknowns and Deadly Velcro.”