Skadi: Goddess Of Destruction, Giantess And Patron Of Winter Hunters And Skiers In Norse Mythology

A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - In Norse mythology, Skadi (Skade) was the daughter of Thiazzi of the Hrimthurssar, the frost giant who inhabited Jotunheim. Skadi (also Skade) was the wife of Njord, the Vanir god of the seas, sailors, and fishermen. They all were enemies of the gods.

Skadi Hunting in the Mountains (1901) by H. L. M. Credit: Public Domain

In ancient Norse beliefs, the 'Hrimthurssar' giants had names: ice 'thiazzi,' frost 'thrym,' 'destruction skate, glacier' jokull, cold 'frosti,' and many others. They represented the changing seasons, the harshness of long winters of northern climates, and the coming of the eternal night and cold.

The Hrimthurssar were descendants of Ymir, the first great giant, formed from the ice and fire that existed at the beginning of time. Ymir represented, in part, the numbing cold of the Arctic region.

After Thiazzi, Skadi's father, died, she had to decide about her life. She went to Asgard, the home of the gods, to choose a husband. She and god Njord could not live happily together. Skadi did not like Noatun ('shipyard'), where god Njord lived. On the other hand, Njord did not like the severe cold of Thrymheim, which was Skadi's home. So they decided to separate.

In one story, 'Loki's Punishment,' the giantess Skadi placed a venomous serpent over the head of the trickster god, Loki. One myth says that this goddess symbolizes so extreme cold that she can be touched only briefly by the warm summer sun (Njord) and the trickster Loki's hearth fire.

Skadi chose her husband by pointing to the feet that she liked best. Image credit: Anthony Mercatante

Why Did Skadi's Father Die?

Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda explains that the gods killed Skadi's father after stealing the golden apples of Idun. When his daughter learned about his death, she was furious; equipped with her shining armor and weapon, and marched across Bifrost (the rainbow-like bridge leading from Midgard to Asgard) to face the gods responsible for her father's death.

It was forbidden to steal Idun's magic apples, which kept all the Asgard's gods young. After she arrived, they asked Skadi – according to the Norse custom - if she would take gold in payment for her father's death.

She explained that she owned all the gold she ever needed. When her grandfather Olvaldi died, he left much gold to his sons; one of them was her own father, Thiazzi; now she had this gold. Instead, Skaldi wanted to have a husband from among the gods.

Skadi married Niord. (W.Wägner (1882)

The gods agreed to the giantess' demand, but there was one condition: she had to choose her husband by pointing to the feet that she liked best, and so she did.

However, she also had one condition. The gods must make her laugh because she was still outraged. Laughing could make her frozen heart warmer.

The unusual deal was struck. The gods placed themselves behind a curtain, and only their feet were visible. Immediately, one pair of feet interested Skadi – the feet of the god Njord. So he took Skadi to his warm seashore home, but she did not like it. Njord, then, moved with her to Thrymheim, her cold, sunless world with constantly blowing wind, howling of the wolves, and severe cold.

To save their marriage, these two decided to spend nine days in Njord's world and nine in Skadi's. Skadi spent much more time in her cold world using her arrows to kill bears and wolves.

In "Ynglingasaga" of Snorre Sturlassons "Heimskringla," dated to 1230, it is said that the giantess Skadi could not live with Njord, so later, she married Odin, with whom she had many sons. One of them, Sæmingr, was the ancestor of the kings of Norway.

Snorri writes about Skadi, a jötunn and a "fair maiden":

"…The giant-queen of rock and snow,

Who loves to dwell on earth below,

The iron pine-tree's daughter, she

Sprung from the rocks that rib the sea,

To Odin bore full many a son,

Heroes of many a battle won…."

Written by – A. Sutherland AncientPages.com Staff Writer

Updated on January 2, 2023

Copyright © AncientPages.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or part without the express written permission of AncientPages.com