David Leeming and Christopher Fee in their joint book The Goddess: Myths of the Great Mother[2] claim that Hnoss' name was drawn from the word for "gem," in which she is described as sparkling like a diamond.
In the Prose Edda, Snorri Sturluson states that beautiful things were called hnossir (Old Norse: 'treasures') after her name.
Despite various interpretations, The Concept of The Goddess,[4] states that Hnoss "bears her mother's eyelash-rain,"[4] which translates to "there is gold on the precious object.
"[4] In Gylfaginning (The Beguiling of Gylfi), Hnoss is portrayed as the beautiful daughter of Freyja and Óð: Freyia is highest in rank next to Frigg.
In Skáldskaparmál (The Language of Poetry), a þulur (18–22) mentions Hnoss as the daughter of Freyja ("How shall Freyia be referred to?