Skaði
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In Norse mythology, Skaði (anglicised as Skadi, pronounced /ˈskɑːði/ SKAA-dhee) or sometimes referred to as Öndurgud or Öndurdis ("Snowshoe Goddess") is a giantess, daughter of Thjazi, wife of the god Ullr, former wife of Njörðr and stepmother of Freyr and Freyja.
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[edit] Poetic Edda
[edit] Grímnismál
In Grímnismál, during Odin's visions of the various dwelling places of the gods he mentions that of Skaði in stanza 11:
- "Thrymheim the sixth is called
- where Thjazi lived, the terrible giant,
- but now Skaði, shining bride of the gods,
- lives in her father's ancient courts"
[edit] Skírnismál
In Skírnismál, after Freyr becomes lovestruck upon seeing the giantess Gerd for the first time, Skaði wonders why he seems upset and urges Skírnir, his messenger and servant, to speak with him to see what is the matter.
[edit] Lokasenna
In Lokasenna, Skaði is present during the feasting at the hall of Ægir and takes part in the verbal slandering instigated by Loki. After he berates Heimdall, Skaði comes to his defense and taunts Loki about him being bound in the future in a cave with the guts of his son. Loki then makes the claim that he was the "first and foremost" killer of her father. Skaði replies that if that was true, then he would get only baneful words from her, but Loki reminds her that she was gentler in speech when she invited him into her bed. This love affair is not mentioned in other sources.
[edit] Hyndluljód
According to the interpolated group of stanzas known as the Short Völuspá in Hyndluljód, Skaði is again confirmed as the daughter of Thjazi.
[edit] Prose Edda
[edit] Skáldskaparmál
According to Skáldskaparmál, when the giant Thjazi was killed by the gods following his kidnapping of Iðunn, his daughter Skaði journeyed to Asgard with her armour and weapons in order to avenge his death. The gods instead offered her various forms of compensation to placate her, the first of which was to choose one of the gods for a husband, but she could only make her choice by looking at their feet and nothing else.
One particular pair she thought was exceptionally beautiful and chose that one, thinking it could only belong to Baldr, but it was really that of Njörðr, god of wind and sea, and it is for this reason that a kenning for Skaði is "god bride".
It was also in her terms of settlement that the gods were to perform the seemingly impossible task of making her laugh. Loki then tied one end of a cord around the beard of a goat and the other end around his testicles, and they began pulling each other back and forth, both squealing loudly. Then Loki fell into Skaði's lap and succeeded in making her laugh. The atonement with her was complete. As a further token of good will, Odin placed Thjazi's eyes in the night sky as stars.
Although Skaði is a giantess, she is traditionally counted among the Æsir, similar to Loki, not only because of her marriage to Njörðr, but also from kennings that describe her as a goddess and in various lists of Ásynjur throughout Skáldskaparmál that include her name.
[edit] Gylfaginning
In the end, things did not turn out very well for Njörðr and Skaði as a couple. According to Gylfaginning, Skaði had wanted to live in Thrymheim, a mountain realm in Jötunheim that belonged to her father when he was alive, but Njörðr wished to remain by the sea in his hall of Noatun, so they tried a compromise.
They agreed to spend nine nights in Thrymheim and three (or, according to one manuscript, nine) in Noatun, alternating between both, but when Njörðr returned to his hall he admitted his dislike of the mountains, preferring the song of the swans over the howling of wolves. Conversely, Skaði complained of not being able to sleep in Noatun because of the screaming of the seagulls.
The two ultimately separated, and Skaði returned to Thrymheim. Skaði then marries Ullr, god of skis. There she travels along the snow on skis and shoots game with her bow. For this reason she is also known as Öndurgud or Öndurdis ("Snowshoe Goddess").
Later, when Loki was bound in a cave as punishment for his murder of Baldr, it was Skaði who placed the venomous serpent above his head dripping poison on his face. This is repeated in the prose ending to Lokasenna.
[edit] Heimskringla
[edit] Ynglinga saga
In Ynglinga saga, Snorri speaks of Skaði in euhemeristic terms, stating that after leaving Njörðr she married Odin and bore him many sons, including Saeming, ancestor of a dynasty of jarls. While it may be tempting while reading the Eddas to assume that Skaði is the mother of Freyr and Freyja, Ynglinga saga states that they were the offspring of Njörðr and his sister, which was allowable by Vanir law before their alliance and integration with the Æsir.
[edit] Familiar forms
- Skade (mainland Scandinavian)
- Skadhi (transliteration of "Skaði")
- Skadi (transcription of "Skaði")
- Skathi (alternative transliteration of "Skaði")
[edit] Toponyms
Skadi Mons, a mons of the planet Venus, and Skathi, a moon of the planet Saturn, are named after Skaði.
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