What Women Can Learn from Skaði
Whenever the icy winds roar across the prairies and the temperatures drop I find myself thinking about Skaði. I imagine her standing out in some field among the snow drifts with snowflakes caught in her hair, laughing as the wind shrieks around her.
Nordic goddesses are all pretty tough, but Skaði is next level. Perhaps it is her Jötunn blood, or perhaps it is how she loves to be out on the land. I spend a lot of my time hiking in all seasons. My body quickly adapts to the temperatures, I know well when the weather will change and I am prepared for it. Many people I know complain when they have to go outside this time of year, but there is a certain satisfaction in victory over the elements, in surviving all of winter’s harshness, not just enjoying its sweetness through the window. The frigid temperatures remind us that it is a gift to be alive every day and that we should make the most of it.
Skaði more than beats the elements, she thrives in them. And this is also metaphorically, because any challenge she faces she faces with the same fierce will she uses when facing the frozen mountains. The Æsir see her determination after the death of her father and go out of their way to appease her. It would be normal to pay a weregild to the kin of someone killed, to prevent a feud, but the Æsir offer Skaði more than just gold. They offer her a husband, and by extension welcome her among them. What do they see in Skaði that elevates her to the status of goddess? Even after she and Njörðr part ways she is counted among the Ásynjur.
I find it interesting how the Jötunn are not usually considered worshipful, but how some are able to become worshipful. This in particular seems to happen with Jötunn women who marry into the Æsir and Vanir tribes. It would have been a common sentiment in the times of the elder heathens that when a woman married into a family she became a part of that family. It would be the woman expected to leave her childhood home and make a new home with her husband. This makes sense with Skaði and also Gerðr, but this tendency goes beyond them. For example, as far as I can tell Jörð was never married to Odin and yet she becomes worshipful and considered among the Ásynjur. Rindr also is considered among the Ásynjur, although that is a rabbit-hole needing a post unto itself.
It seems in the Lore sometimes the lines of the tribes blur even further. Freyja could be considered both Vanir and Æsir. Is Bragi a god at all or a man? Is Freyr Æsir or Vanir or perhaps Alfar?
But perhaps none of that really matters. The Lore is old stories passed down by many mouths then rewritten by many hands. Some of the meanings shifted with time or the understanding of what was being told was lost. More important is what the stories can tell us, and that is about the natures of the gods.
Skaði is associated with winter, hunting, skiing, and the wild lands of the mountains. She is fiercely independent and it seems to be her sheer force of will that lands her among the Ásynjur. What she can teach us as women, is that sometimes it is okay to be a tempest. Sometimes what we need to do most is speak our mind and make sure we are heard. Our words matter and our words carry weight. Skaði teaches us to empower ourselves. She teaches us that we can overcome our obstacles if we put our minds to it. And sometimes, when the wind is howling around you, chilling you to the bone, you just need to laugh too. Just throw back your head and laugh at the absurdity of it all. Then press on.
Further Reading:
Goddess of the North: A Comprehensive Exploration of the Norse Goddesses, from Antiquity to the Modern Age by Lynda C. Welch
“Grímnismál” https://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/poe/poe06.htm
“Gylfaginning” https://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/pre/pre04.htm
“Lokasenna” https://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/poe/poe10.htm
"The Maiden with the Mead : A Goddess of Initiation in Norse Mythology?" by Maria Christine Kvilhaug https://www.duo.uio.no/handle/10852/23958
“Skadi” https://norse-mythology.org/gods-and-creatures/giants/skadi/
“Skáldskaparmál” https://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/pre/pre05.htm
“Norse Gods & Goddesses: Skadi” https://www.gods-and-goddesses.com/norse/skadi/
Image Source:
“Skadi Hunting in the Mountains” (1901) by H. L. M.
