Vengeance Turned to Marriage
When the gods slew the giant Thjazi for stealing the goddess Idun, his daughter Skadi took up arms and marched on Asgard to avenge her father. She came in helm and mail, a fierce huntress of the winter mountains, and the gods chose to offer her peace rather than battle.
They granted her three things in recompense: a husband chosen from among them, a promise to make her laugh, and a place of honor. Skadi agreed, but with a catch. She could choose her husband only by looking at the gods' feet, seeing nothing else of them.
Hoping to win the fair Baldr, she picked the most beautiful feet she could see. But they belonged to Njord, the Vanir god of the sea. And so a giantess of the frozen heights found herself wed to a god of the warm coast, a match doomed by the very landscapes they loved.
Key Events of the Tale
Skadi's Vengeance
After the death of her father Thjazi, Skadi arms herself and comes to Asgard demanding satisfaction from the gods.
Choosing by the Feet
As part of her settlement, Skadi may pick a husband by his feet alone. She chooses the fairest pair, hoping for Baldr, but they belong to Njord.
The Laugh of Loki
The gods must also make the grieving Skadi laugh. Loki ties a rope between his body and a goat and plays a ridiculous tug of war until at last she cannot help but smile.
Sea and Mountain
The couple try to share their homes: nine nights in Skadi's cold heights of Thrymheim, then nine in Njord's sunny harbor of Noatun. Each hates the other's land.
A Parting of Ways
Njord cannot bear the howling wolves of the mountains, and Skadi cannot sleep for the crying gulls of the shore. In the end they part, and Skadi returns to her skis and her snows.
Sources and Related Tales
The story is told in Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda, in the Skáldskaparmál and Gylfaginning. Skadi's later role as a goddess of winter and the hunt echoes through many other Norse sources.
Quick Facts
Two Homes, Two Worlds
Thrymheim
Skadi's home in the frozen mountains, loud with wolves
Noatun
Njord's harbor by the sea, loud with gulls and waves
Skadi the Goddess
A goddess of winter, skiing, and the bow, at home in the snows.
Some tales later wed her to Odin, mother of many of his sons.
Themes & Symbolism
Nature Divides: Two beings of opposite worlds cannot make a home together.
Peace Through Bargain: A blood feud is settled with marriage, laughter, and honor.
Grief and Humor: The tale moves from mourning to comedy and back to quiet parting.