Skaði – The Norse Goddess Of Hunting, Winter, And Mountains

Skaði (also alternatively known as Skadi, Skathe, or Skade in English) is a jötunn (i.e. a race of supernatural beings, relatively erroneously translated as giants in English given the fact that not all of them are humongous in physical regards) goddess in the Norse mythology who was married to the Norse god of the sea, Njörðr (Njordr). She is the daughter of jötunn Þjazi (i.e. Thiazi) who is well known for kidnapping Iðunn, the Norse goddess of eternal youth who is associated with apples. Her marriage to Njörðr, a Vanir god, was arranged by the Æsir gods so as to avoid her vengeance after her father Þjazi was defeated by them (punished by death by the Æsir gods because he kidnapped Idunn). She initially wanted to marry the fairest of the Norse gods, Baldur (who was also the kindest, known for his mercy and wisdom, yet in spite of his qualities he had unfortunately met his end through a deception of the trickster god Loki who was of jötunn descent) and, as the Æsir wanted to appease her, they let Skaði choose her future husband only by looking at his feet. Unfortunately for her, she chose Njörðr thinking he was Baldur…

Skaði’s nature was fierce and independent, best described by her love of the mountains and forests which represented her beloved home and strongly associated with hunting, skiing, and winter in general (her symbols being the snowshoes, skis, spears, and the large hunting bow). Her ancestral realm and domain is referred to as Þrymheimr (or Thrymheim in English, meaning either noisy-home or thunder home given the nature of the weather high up in the mountains). After she married Njörðr, she was filled with deep melancholy and homesickness as she longed for her former sylvan mountainous domain. Likewise, Njörðr himself was longing for the sea whenever he spent time with her wife in the woods. In this particular regard, there was a strong incompatibility over which neither of the gods could move forward.

Njörðr (the Norse god of the sea) longing for the moonlit sea while being with his wife, Skaði (the Norse god of hunting, winter, mountains, and forests), in her domain, as envisaged by English artist W. G. Collingwood. Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Njörðr and Skaði on their way to the home of the Norse sea god, Nóatún, as imagined by German artist Friedrich Wilhelm Heine. Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Just as the rest of the jötunn, she represents a raw force of nature, in stark contrast to the more orderly Æsir gods associated with discipline and culture. Therefore, the jötunn were longtime enemies of both the Æsir and Vanir gods. After her short-lived marriage to Njörðr had failed on the grounds of her homesickness and deep longing for her ancestral home, Skaði is thought to have married Odin, the one-eyed wise Norse god who was the leader of the Æsir. According to some tales, Skaði is said to have been the mother of at least several sons by Odin.

Skaði is mentioned in the following important medieval sources in Old Norse:

• The Poetic Edda (compiled in the 13th century in Iceland by Snorri Sturluson);
• The Prose Edda (written during the 13th century in Iceland by Snorri Sturluson);
• Heimskringla (also written during the 13th century in Iceland by Snorri Sturluson, an important literary work representing the history of the Norwegian kings).

In addition, Skaði is also recounted and honoured in skaldic poetry (i.e. in the poems of the skalds, the Norse bards or storytellers). References regarding her in the skaldic poems are represented by kennings, i.e. metaphors highlighting her hunting symbols). One such prominent poem is Háleygjatal.

Thank you very much for your time, attention, and readership! All the best!

P.S. May the beautiful and strong Norse goddess Skaði guide you well during this autumn and winter as well as whenever you might need her assistance. Last but not least, on a personal note, Skaði is one of my most favourite goddesses from the Norse pantheon.

Documentation sources and external links:

• Skadi – the giantess who married the sea god on www.historiska.se
• Skaði on www.wikipedia.org (in English)
• Þrymheimr on www.wikipedia.org (in English)
• Skaði: Norse Goddess of Winter, Mountains & Hunting, an article by Karl Andersson on www.nordicperspective.com
• Skadi, Norse mythology on www.britannica.com (the online version of Encyclopædia Britannica)
• Expressions for Skaði on www.skaldic.org (Kenning Lexicon)