Who is Sif in Norse mythology?
Sif is a golden-haired Norse goddess associated with the earth and the wife of the thunder god Thor. She appears in the 13th-century Poetic Edda and Prose Edda, and in the poetry of skalds.
Questions about Sif
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What happened to Sif's golden hair in Norse mythology?
Loki cut off Sif's golden hair as a prank, according to the Prose Edda book Skáldskaparmál. Thor seized Loki and forced him to commission a golden replacement from the dwarven Sons of Ivaldi.
What treasures were created because of Sif's stolen hair?
The Sons of Ivaldi made Sif's golden headpiece alongside Odin's spear Gungnir and the ship Skíðblaðnir for Freyr. A separate dwarven wager produced the boar Gullinbursti for Freyr, the ring Draupnir for Odin, and Thor's hammer Mjöllnir.
What does Sif's name mean in Old Norse?
Sif's name derives from sifjar, an Old Norse word meaning kinship and connection by marriage. Scholar John Lindow translates it as 'in-law-relationship,' while Rudolf Simek gives 'relation by marriage.' The word is cognate with Gothic sibja and modern German Sippe.
Was Sif a fertility goddess in Norse mythology?
Scholars disagree on whether Sif was a fertility goddess. H. R. Ellis Davidson linked her golden hair to fields of wheat and described her marriage to Thor as a symbol of divine union between sky god and earth goddess. Rudolf Simek dismissed the hair-grain connection as 'over-zealous interpretation.'
Who was the father of Sif's son Ullr?
The father of Ullr, Sif's son from before her marriage to Thor, is unnamed in both the Poetic Edda and Prose Edda. N. A. Nielsen proposed she was previously married to Njord, but Rudolf Simek called that identification 'very precarious.'