Skaði is a Norse goddess associated with winter, mountains, and skiing. As a Divine Feminine energy, her facets, epithets, and lessons are taught through story and myth. Like much of the Divine Feminine, we find complexities, correlations, and conflations through space and time with echoes coming from the future and reflections in the mirror of the past.
Correspondences
Go Deeper
Historical references to Norse mythology, including figures like Skaði, primarily come from Old Norse literature such as the Poetic Edda and Prose Edda. These texts were written in the 13th century by Icelandic scholars, like Snorri Sturluson, who documented the oral traditions of the Norse people. The various analyses and discussions of the Norse tradition are passionately debated and also encouraging. The perspectives, perceptions, and the translations (like many of our ancient texts) are filtered through the lens of the observer and could be influenced by the political, social, or economic structures of the time in which they were written as well as when the translations were published. To go deeper and gather foundational knowledge through myth and story, here are a few suggestions:
- Prose Edda by Snorri Sturluson:
- Gylfaginning (Prose Edda): This section of Snorri Sturluson’s Prose Edda provides information on various Norse deities, including Skaði. It offers insights into her background and role in the pantheon.
- Poetic Edda (Author Unknown):
- Grimnismal: This poem from the Poetic Edda includes a stanza that describes Skaði and her dwelling in the mountains. It provides some details about her preferences and characteristics.
- Lokasenna (Poetic Edda): This poem features a taunting contest among the gods, and Skaði is mentioned, providing glimpses into her interactions with other deities.
- Thrymskvitha (Poetic Edda): This poem narrates the story of Thor’s hammer being stolen and Skaði’s involvement in its retrieval. It sheds light on her actions and motivations.
- Heimskringla by Snorri Sturluson:
- Ynglinga Saga: In this saga, Skaði’s marriage to Njord is mentioned.
Skaði is a complex figure as the embodiment of strength, resilience, endurance, and the wilderness required to navigate the landscape of Winter. She is the untamed terrain of mountains, rising sovereign upon the landscape, navigating the slopes, a huntress, and divine balance (even if through retribution). In mythology, she married the sea god Njord but preferred the mountains over his seaside home and she was able to stand sovereign upon her choice. Wielding skis and a bow, Skaði’s story is one of independence and self-sufficiency. There is also the balance from her divine retribution for her father’s death, wherein Loki feels the burn (creating earthquakes).
Jötunn of the MOUNTAIN: Incense and Candle Dressing for Skaði
By Rayne McLoughlin
Ingredients
- Burdock Root (Crushed)
- Mint (Dried)
- Basil (Dried)
- Acorn (Crushed)
- Moss Agate shards (This is only added to the Black Sacred Candle I also refer to as BSC)
- Snow Quartz shards (This is only added to the BSC)
- Solidite (This is only added to the BSC)
*You could add the shards to the incense as well, but please be careful and always understand that hot stones can be fire hazards.
Preparation
- Burdock: You can use any kind of Burdock you want to here, but I had tiny little pieces of it that I put in my molcajete and crushed until the pieces were small enough to be disbursed with all the other ingredients. Burdock is used for protection and healing. Given to Skaði for STRENGTH
- Mint: This mint is from my garden. You can use any plant from the mint family and dry it and crush it up for the mixture. Mint promotes happiness and clarity. Given to Skaði for MENTAL STABILITY
- Basil: This is also from my garden. I use the flowers in my mixture as well. Basil promotes love and kindness and also brings wealth and prosperity. Given to Skaði to send her my LOVE.
- Acorn: The acorns I used were given to me by the lovely Juliette, so mine were the Virginian variety…lol. I used about 4 or 5 and put them into my molcajete as well and crushed them up into little pieces to burn. I honored Skaði with these Acorns to bring her ABUNDANCE AND BOUNTY!
- Moss Agate: Abundance and growth
- Snow Quartz: Warmth in the Winter and Purity
- Solidite: Mental perception and fortitude
Uses:
I burn this pretty much every day with my Black Sacred Candle that I made with the same ingredients on it. I spend time in meditation with her and burn the incense as an offering.
Skaði brings me clarity to seek the solitude of self-reflection before stepping out into the winter’s cold and to contemplate and lean into what I will need to survive its harshness.
She shows me the way to my confidence as I step out into the unknown and walk in faith and trust finding all the resources I need along the way.
I honor her with the herb, stone and flame
As I call her name,
Hail the great Jötunn Skaði
May you guide my aims with your bow
All that no longer serves
I will let GO!
Blessed BE.
Finding Skaði
Often we can feel into the myths and stories where we find a connection or understanding. Another way we can do this is to look at epithets or titles given. Skaði is often referred to by various titles and epithets such as “Öndurguð,” which translates to “Ski Goddess” or like the breath of winter. This title reflects her connection to winter activities, particularly skiing, and her association with the colder months. Another is “Jotunbrud,” which reflects her status as a giantess.
Our Journey
Skaði, Jotun,
she who is the mountain,
she who leads us to our own,
she of the bow,
With the wolf and the oaths
I beckon to you, guide us with clarity, determination, and endurance.
We each learn to navigate the landscape of our lives in our own way. Working with Skaði shows us how and where we have been relentless in our determination and the endurance we have held through it all. She holds up the mirror for us during Winter, our space of inward hibernation, to show us just how fierce we truly are even in the harshest climates or landscapes. Not every reflection is joyous, however, because it can remind us of the places and spaces we have been wherein we did not advocate, stand up for ourselves, or even when we didn’t understand how to navigate the terrain.
In our connection to her, if we are open to it, we can discover our own adaptability, sovereignty, and places of untethered wilderness within the mountainous cavern of our inner knowing. May you find your connection on this journey, and may it be with the wholeness of who you are, not who you think you should be!
You can listen to the journey here!
Facets and Conflations
We often find throughout history that there are energetic signatures that are shared in various cultures and civilizations. Indeed, they often tell a story of the movement of civilizations and the changes occurring during different time periods. Here we can look to some of those signatures and a few other Goddesses that hold them:
- Artemis (Greek Mythology): Like Skaði, Artemis is a huntress and associated with the wilderness. She embodies independence, the untamed aspects of nature, and is often depicted with a bow and arrows.
- Diana (Roman Mythology): Similar to Artemis, Diana is the Roman counterpart associated with hunting, nature, and the moon. Both goddesses represent independence and the wild.
- Isis (Egyptian Mythology): Isis is a multifaceted goddess associated with magic, nature, and protection. Her resilience and resourcefulness parallel Skaði’s characteristics.
- Freya (Norse Mythology): Freya, another Norse goddess, shares some traits with Skaði, such as independence and a connection to magic. While Freya is associated with love and beauty, she also has a warrior aspect.
- Demeter (Greek Mythology): Demeter, the Greek goddess of agriculture, has a connection to the changing seasons. Like Skaði’s ties to winter, Demeter’s grief during her daughter Persephone’s time in the Underworld mirrors themes of transition.
As you go deeper, one might look into other energetic forms such as archetypes. Authors like Jean Shinoda Bolen (looking to Greek myth and the psychological phases women pass through in life in her book Goddesses in Every Woman) and Sharon Blackie (especially in her book Hagitude, discovering the archetype of the Hag among others) guide us into seeing more facets and mirrors creating deeper connection and understanding. Seeing through an archetypal lens often grants passage to this connection, however, it may be a part of a larger picture that is weaving before us all. May we all enjoy such a tapestry!
A Candle & A Key,
Kaycee
Resources
Snorri Sturluson. (1220). Prose Edda. (A. Faulkes, Trans.). Everyman. (Original work published 13th century)
Anonymous. (n.d.). Poetic Edda. (H. A. Bellows, Trans.). Available at Sacred Texts: https://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/poe/index.htm
Snorri Sturluson. (1220). Heimskringla. (A. Hollander, Trans.). University of Texas Press. (Original work published 13th century)
Unknown. (n.d.). Grimnismal. In The Poetic Edda. (H. A. Bellows, Trans.). Available at Sacred Texts: https://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/poe/poe10.htm
Feature Image Credit: Pixabay
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