(also Skade, Skathi, Skadhi)
Literature:
(Compiled primarily from Arlea Anshutz's Skadhi Page and from Skadavé)
Skaldskaparmal
Skadi, daughter of giant Thiassi, took helmet and mail-coat and all weapons of war and went to Asgard to avenge her father. But the Aesir offered her atonement and compensation, the first item of which was to choose herself a husband out of the Aesir and choose by the feet and see nothing else of them. Then she saw one person's feet that were exceptionally beautiful and said:
'I choose that one; there can be little that is ugly about Baldr.' But it was Niord of Noatun.
It was also in the terms of her settlement that the Aesir were to do something that she thought they would not be able to do, that was to make her laugh. Then Loki did as follows: he tied a cord round the beard of a certain nanny-goat and the other end round his testicles, and they drew each other back and forth and both squealed loudly. Then Loki let himself drop into Skadi's lap, and she laughed. Then the atonement with her on the part of the Aesir was complete.
It is said that Odin, as compensation for her, did this: he took Thiassi's eyes and threw them up into the sky and out of them made two stars. (Faulkes trans)
Gylfaginning
Niord has a wife called Skadi, daughter of the giant Thiassi. Skadi wants to have the home her father had-- this is in some mountains, a place called Thrymheim --but Niord wants to be near the sea. They agreed on this, that they should stay nine nights in Thrymheim and then an alternate nine at Noatun. But when Niord came back to Noatun from the mountain he said this:
'I hate mountains--not long was I there, just nine nights: wolves' howling I thought ugly compared with the swans' song.'
Then Skadi said this:
'I could not sleep on the sea's beds for the birds' screaming; he wakes me who comes from the sea every morning, that gull.'
Then Skadi went up into the mountain and lived in Thrymheim and generally travels on skis and carries a bow and shoots game. She is called ski-deity or ski-lady. (Faulkes trans)
Grimnismal
v. 11
'Thrymheim the sixth is called, where Thiazi lives,
the terrible giant;
but now Skadi, the shining bride of the gods,
lives in her father's ancient courts. (Larrington trans)
Hyndluliod
v. 30
'Baldr's father was heir to Bur,
Freyr married Gerd, she was Gymir's daughter,
of the giant race, and Aurboda's;
though Thiazi was their kinsman,
the giant who loved to shoot; Skadhi was his daughter. (Larrington trans.)
Skirnismal
Freyr, the son of Njordhr, had seated himself on Hlidhskialf, and was gazing into all the worlds’ realms. He looked into Giant Realms and saw there a lovely girl, just as she was walking from her father's hall to her bower. From that sight he caught great sickness of heart. Skirnir was the name of Freyr's servant. Njordr asked him to go get Freyr to talk. Then Skadi said:
Now Skirnir, get up
and go and request
some speech from our boy
and ask him this:
against whom in that fertile brain
might father's heir be fuming? (Dronke trans)
Lokasenna
v. 49-52 and prose ending
Skadi said:
Light is your mood, Loki,
- you will not for long
toss so free a tail,
for on a sword
with your frost-cold son's
guts the gods will bind you.
Loki said:
You know, if - on a sword
with my frost-cold son's
guts - the gods will bind me,
the first and the last
was I at the dying,
when we thrust our fingers on Thiazi.
Skadi said:
You know, if the first and the last
you were at the dying,
when you thrust your fingers on Thiazi,
from my fanes
and fields shall come
cold counsel for you ever.
Loki said:
Lighter in your talk
You were with Laufey's son
when you had me beckoned to your bed
- such a matter must be mentioned by us
if we are completely
to count our blemishes.
Of Loki
After that Loki hid himself in Fránangr's Fall, in the shape of a salmon. The Aesir caught him there. He was tied with the entrails of his own son Nari. But his son Narfi became a wolf. Skadi took a poisonous serpent and fastened it up above Loki's face, and there the poison dripped out of it. Sigyn, Loki's wife, sat there and held a basin under the poison. But when the basin was full, she carried the poison out, and in the meanwhile the poison dripped on Loki. Then he jerked so violently at it, that all the earth shook because of it. That is now called earthquakes. (Dronke trans)
Heimskringla
Ynglings Saga Chapter 8
"Njorth married a woman who was called Skathi. She would not have intercourse with him, and later married Othin. They had many sons. One of them was called Saeming. About him, Eyvind Skaldaspillir composed these verses:
That scion
his sire gat, of
Aesir's kin
with etin maid,
the time that
this fair maiden,
Skathi hight,
the skalds' friend had.
...of sea-bones
and sons many
the ski-goddess
gat with Othin." (Hollander trans.)
Etymology and Toponomy
The name "Skadi" is usually interpreted as "shadow" or "damage (scathe)." Her name is a masculine one; together with the story of her choosing Njord as husband, it has prompted a number of scholars (such as de Vries, Nasstrom, and Schroder, among others) to speculate that at some point she was the husband of Nerthus, and that over time Skadi and Nerthus changed sex; however, few move beyond speculation into any sort of strong supporting argument.
Many modern heathens, relying on the "shadow" meaning, see Skadi and Ullr ("glory") as representing darkness and light during winter, with Ullr's majesty perhaps even reflected in the Aurora Borealis. While there is some poetry to this, there does not appear to be any evidence that anyone before the conversion believed this.
Skadi's words in Lokasenna suggest that she had a number of cult places, but because the "ska-" prefix is relatively common, it is difficult to determine just how many there may have been; indeed, in some instances, this difficulty has prompted scholars like Else Mundal and Eric Elgqvist to state that there is no toponomical evidence for worship of Skadi. Despite their objections, following the patterns of other gods' place names it seems likely that locations with names such as Skadevi and Skadalund were hers; according to de Vries, most of these areas are located in mid- and eastern Sweden, while a few are in southeastern Norway.
Scandanavia:
One of the more lively etymological controversies involving Skadi has to do with the origins of the name Scandanavia. Pliny the Elder in his Naturalia Historia describes the land in the north as consisting of many islands, the best-known of which is Scatinavia. One prominent theory whose acceptance has waxed and waned over time (currently, its popularity is rather low) is that Scandanavia comes from *Skadin-awjô, "Skaxi's island" or "the island in the shadow." Other scholars prefer an interpretation of "the dangerous island," referring to hazardous reefs around Scania.
Proponents of "Skadi's island" include F.R. Schroder and Gro Steinsland. Schroder in his Skadi und die Gotter Skandinaviens argues that the name is a dim survival of a very early importance of the cult of Skadi; though she once ruled the land, her worship was eventually supplanted by worship of the Aesir. Steinsland, on the other hand, claims that Skadi, a giant, represents the earth; the gods she marries represent mortal kings. Their union reflects the bond between land and lord (and incidentally creates a dynasty of Norse chieftains). The views of Schroder and Steinsland are very popular with those heathens who wish to create an identification between Skadi and Nerthus, thereby cleaning up the question of the parentage of Freyr and Freyja and giving Skadi a strong fertility aspect; it also enjoys some popularity with those neo-pagans who subscribe to the idea of a prehistoric matriarchal goddess-oriented utopia that was eventually destroyed by the rise of war gods and their worshippers.
Interestingly, according to Saami scholar J. Svennung, the oldest Saami songs refer to the known world as Skadesi-suolo, which he says the most likely interpretation is "Skadi's island." Svennung and other Saami scholars believe the name to be a borrowing through Germanic contact since the "sk-" sound is a non-native form in Saami language. Building on Svennung's conclusion about the meaning of Skadesi-suolo (but ignoring his belief about the name being borrowed), Steinsland and, later, Mundel speculate that Skadi was originally a Saami goddess who was incorporated into the religion of the Germanic people. According to their theories, the name of Skadi's father, Thiazi, derives from the Saami fishing god, Tjatseolmai, tjatse meaning "water" or from Čáhci, "the waterman," and the name of her son, Saeming, could be "Saami."
Other Theories and Modern Worship
Skadi and Other Prominent Wights:
Njord:
In modern texts of Norse mythology, Skadi is most often described as a goddess of winter, snow, hunting, and skiing. Her father is a frost giant, she is connected with wild nature and icy mountain, and common skaldic references for her include ondurdis ("ski/snowshoe lady") and ondurgod ("ski god"). In this context, her marriage to Njord and their alternating abodes is interpreted as a seasonal myth; she represents the frozen ice and death in winter, while he represents the open harbors, flowing rivers, and life of summer. This may be especially supported by alternate versions of the length they stay at each home. In some versions, they dwell at Noatun for only three months while staying in Thrymheim for nine, reflecting the comparatively short summer in the far north.
Freyr:
Simek flatly says that Skadi is Freyr's mother in the entry for Skadi in his Dictionary of Northern Mythology, but in his entry for Freyr, he has no such information, instead simply saying that Freyr is the son of Njord and Njord's sister. Freyr is called Skadi's son in Skirnirsmal; though the word used may have been intended to mean stepson, she does act in a motherly fashion towards him in the poem. This, combined with her devotion to her father, has led many modern heathens to view Skadi as one who even more than some of the other gods is concerned with kin-bonds, leading in turn to her not infrequently being hailed during Disablot-style ceremonies.
Loki:
It has been noted by multiple scholars that Skadi's relationship with Loki is a complicated one. Loki is largely responsible for her father's death, but Loki is the one who is able to fulfill her requirement that the Aesir make her laugh (and, possibly, he shared her bed, though this is an accusation he makes of many of the goddesses he speaks to in Lokasenna). Ultimately, it is Skadi who hangs the serpent over Loki when he has been bound.
Schroder suggests that Loki's getting Skadi to laugh hints at some sort of castration ritual (symbolic or actual) that was required to make the great goddess of the north switch from her winter aspect to her fruitful Mother Earth aspect. He further says that the goat was originally Skadi herself in the form of an animal; the Troth has taken his ideas to justify the goat as one of Skadi's animals, adding that the Julbok is further evidence that the goat is an animal associated with her. In a similar vein, Strom argues that Skaxi is one of the Mornir, perhaps the primary one, who receive sacrifice in Volsa Thattr, seeing both the tale of the farmfolk Olaf visits and Loki's antics as being presentations of the same poorly remembered basic ritual. Others, including Clunies-Ross, Lindow, and Gundarsson, toy with the idea, but stop well short of committing themselves as strongly as Schroder or Strom.
Through some conversations with an elderly Norwegian woman on Beliefnet several years ago, I was made aware of a sort of game that is played in Norway usually called "Passing the Volsi" or "The Horse Game." According to her, it's an old traditional game only played by women, and it's often played by a bride-to-be and her friends during a sort of bachelorette party. A suggestive object such as a carrot (or, more often in recent times, a sex toy) is passed around, and whoever holds the object must tell the others a ribald joke, poem, or story. The object of the game seems to be to shock the others or make them laugh. Assuming the game isn't just a relatively recent invention inspired by Volsa Thattr, its existence may lend some support to the theories of Schroder and Strom.
Ullr:
Though there is no pre-Christian myth concerning Ullr and Skadi, because of their similarities, scholars, modern heathens, and lay persons continually seek to bring the two together in some way. In Rydberg's Teutonic Mythology, Thiazi and Egil are brothers, making Skadi and Ullr cousins. Schroder, seeing in Skadi and Ullr a Germanic reflection of Mielikki and Tapio, a married pair of Finnish winter hunting gods, tries to make them either brother and sister or lovers (or, in Vana-fashion, both). "The Ice King and His Wonderful Grandchild", a folktale modified and retold by William Griffis in his 1918 compilation Dutch Fairy Tales for Young Folks presents Ullr and Skadi as husband and wife with six daughters. Online, the most common version of the marriage of Njord and Skadi appears to be a repeatedly cut-and-pasted story that has Skadi meet Ullr shortly after her divorce from Njord; she and Ullr, with their love of hunting and skiing, are soul mates and live happily ever after.
In addition to the similarites between the two, it is worth noting that Skadi in the mythology does more often have relationships with wights who are border-powers, individuals who defy typical definitions or who fit in irregularly with the Aesir. Njord's domain includes those areas where the land and rivers meet the sea; he is a Van living as hostage among the Aesir, and his status among them is perhaps not what it would be in Vanaheim. Loki and Odin are both wights who often act in defiance of what is considered proper behavior, shifting form, wandering the worlds and interacting with men and giants, and, in Loki's case, carving a niche for himself among the dwellers in Asgard despite his ambiguous status. Ullr is also one who, though a god, appears to stand apart from the other gods (as in the formula "Ullr and all the gods"); in this way, he would be an appropriate companion for Skadi, the giantess who receives worship and is listed among the Asynjur.
Artemis:
In his entry for Skadi, Simek compares her to the Greek goddess Artemis, and he is not alone in doing so. Particularly among those who want Ullr and Skadi to be related, the tendency to make them into a Nordic Apollo and Artemis is strong. Skadi, with her harsh and warlike ways, her wearing of clothing typically worn by men, her love of hunting, and her use of bow and arrow does have some similarities to the daughter of Zeus and Leto. Also, male priests of Artemis castrated themselves before serving the goddess; this would fit well with theories linking castration with worship of Skadi. Artemis was widely worshiped, but unlike Apollo, who was said by the ancient Greeks to leave Delphi in the care of Dionysius in the winter while he travelled to the far north, there do not appear to be any extant myths telling of her adventures in Hyperborea or anything similar.
Skadi in Modern Culture
Skadi appears in a few areas outside of modern heathenry. A moon of Saturn and a mountain on Venus are named after her. In works of fiction, video games, or comics, when she appears, it is usually as a wielder of ice magic of some kind.
Skadi is a modestly popular name in Scandanavian countries. Most online baby name dictionaries give the meaning of the name as "goddess of skiing."
Among modern heathens, Skadi is fairly popular. There is an online forum named after her (which, if she is of Saami origin, is rather ironic since the board tends to be a bit folkish). Heathens who hunt, hike, camp, or otherwise spend a lot of time outdoors frequently make offering to her, and though she has not become as popular with non-heathen winter sports enthusiasts as the son of Sif, she is still seen by many as a goddess of winter sports, too. As a strong, independent woman, she is revered by feminists of various types, single mothers, and women who have non-gender-traditional careers or who otherwise act in ways inconsistent with their culture's gender expectations. She is occasionally invoked as a goddess of revenge because of her seeking compensation for Thiazi's death and her punishing of Loki.
Though she does not appear to have originally been worshiped outside of Scandanavia, the Theodish have invented an Old English name (Sceadthu) to call her by in their own worship.
Neopagans who want to worship the old Germanic giants and their ilk, such as Rokkrtru and Lokeans, often use Skadi as justification for what they do. When they are not young people who seem to want some sort of Asatru Satanism to adhere to, their beliefs often include a sort of version of Schroder's theory of an ancient pre-Aesir cult; where Schroder's is one in which Skadi was of supreme importance, however, the giant-worshipers tend to postulate a system in which the giants were the primal forces of nature who were worshipped by noble savages who lived in harmony with their surroundings before the civilized Aesir worshippers came along and destroyed everything.
The Troth says that, in addition to traditional occasions to pray to her, Skadi may be asked for help when driving on snow or ice, when trying to become more physically fit, or when needing justice. Gundarsson observes that, though she herself seems interested in male partners, Skadi is particularly appreciated by women who prefer other women or who take on a "'masculine' social role." The Troth recommends offering her iced vodka in crystal cups, and gives her colors as black, dark brown, and white. According to them, her animals include goats, wolves, and dark colored eagles.
Wiccans and similar neo-pagans also often worship Skadi. She is usually portrayed as either the wintery aspect of the Earth Goddess or as a version of the Maiden Warrior.
Personal Worship and UPG:
My worship of Ullr has made me amenable to the idea that he and Apollo may be the same individual; as such, I’m willing to entertain the idea that Skadi may be related to Artemis in some fashion as well. I have no evidence or personal experience one way or the other, though, and sharing some superficial similarities by no means makes one person the same as another.
Though I rarely hail her at blot or sumbel, Skadi is an object of fascination for me. She is the exception to a great many rules, a wight whose very existence counters many people’s pet theories about pre-Christian Germanic religions. Skadi is perfect to bring up in discussion with racist and strongly folkish heathens (the red hair and freckle folk), sexist and “gender-traditional” heathens, people who think that only beings directly descended from the Aesir or the Vanir are worthy of worship, and those who believe that Jotun is a synonym for enemy of the gods.
Thiazi’s Maid (a tonka)
With weapons and mail
Giant’s daughter takes her place
In shining Asgard:
Hail, goddess of hunt and snow;
Hail, goddess of ski and bow.
References
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Anshutz, A. accessed April 2009. "Skadi"
Davidson, H.R.E.1964. Myths and Symbols of Pagan Europe
---. 1998. Roles of the Northern Goddess
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Dronke, U. (translator). 1997. The Poetic Edda: Volume II: Mythological Poems
Elgqvist, E. 1955. Ullvi och Ullinshov. Studier R örande Ullkultens Uppkomst och Utbredning.
Gundarsson, K. 2006. Our Troth: History and Lore
Larrington, C. (translator). 1996. The Poetic Edda
Lindow, J. 2001. Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs
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Nasstrom, B. 2003. Freyja, the Great Goddess of the North
"Skadavé." accessed April 2009.
"Skadi." accessed April 2009.
Simek, R. 1996. Dictionary of Northern Mythology
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Strom, A.V. and Biezais, H. 1975. Germanische und Baltische Religion
Sturluson, S. Edda, translated by Anthony Faulkes 1987
---. Heimskringla, tranaslated and edited by Monsen, E. and Smith, A.H. 1990
Svennung, J. 1963. Scandinavia und Scandia