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Sif
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In Norse mythology, Sif (Old Norse "In-law-relationship") is a goddess with golden hair and is the wife of the god Thor. Sif is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson.
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In Norse mythology, Sif (Old Norse "In-law-relationship") is a goddess with golden hair and is the wife of the god Thor. Sif is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson. In both sources, Sif, is the wife of the god Thor and is known for her golden hair. In the Prose Edda, the euhemerized prologue details that Sif was the most beautiful of women, in Gylfaginning as the mother of the god Ullr (whose father's name is not given), and in Skáldskaparmál as once having had her hair shorn by Loki. Scholarly theories have proposed that Sif's hair represents fields of golden wheat, methods of farming, fertility, and or that she is connected to rowan. Sif Mons, a mons of the planet Venus, is named after Sif.
Etymology
The name Sif is the singular form of the plural Old Norse word sifjar. Sifjar only appears in singular form when referring to the goddess as a proper noun. Sifjar is cognate to the Old English sib (meaning "affinity, connection, by marriage") and in other Germanic languages: Gothic language sibbia, Old High German sibba, and German sippe. Sifjar appears not only in ancient poetry and records of law, but also in compounds (byggja sifjar means "to marry").
Attestations
Poetic Edda
In stanza 48 of the Poetic Edda poem Hárbarđsljóđ, Hárbarđr (Odin, father of Thor, in disguise) meets Thor at an inlet of a gulf. The two engage in flyting, and Hárbarđr refuses to ferry Thor across the bay. Among numerous other insults, Hárbarđr claims that Sif has a lover at home. In response, Thor says that Hárbarđr is speaking carelessly "of what seems worst to me" and also lying.
In stanzas 53 and 54 of the poem Lokasenna, after pouring Loki a crystal cup of mead during his series of insults towards the gods, Sif states that there is nothing Loki can say only in regard to her. In response, Loki claims that Sif has had an affair with him:
- Then Sif went forward and poured out mead for Loki into a crystal cup and said:
Welcome now, Loki, and take the crystal cup
full of ancient mead,
you should admit, that of the children of the Ćsir,
that I alone am blameless.
- He took the horn and drank it down:
That indeed you would be, if you were so,
if you were shy and fierce towards men;
I alone know, as I think I do know,
your love beside Thor,
and that was the wicked Loki.
Sif does not respond, and the exchange turns to Beyla. Sif is additionally mentioned in two kennings found in poems collected in the Poetic Edda; Hymiskviđa (where Thor is referred to as the "Husband of Sif" thrice), and Ţrymskviđa (where Thor is once referred to as "Husband of Sif").
Prose Edda
In the Prose Edda, Sif is mentioned once in the Prologue, in chapter 31 of Gylfaginning, and in Skáldskaparmál as a guest at Ćgir's feast, the subject of a jötunn's desire, as having her hair shorn by Loki, and in various kennings.
Prologue
Sif is introduced in chapter three of the Prologue section of the Prose Edda; Snorri's euhemerized account of the origins of Norse mythology. Snorri states that Thor married Sif, and that she is known as "a prophetess called Sibyl, though we know her as Sif". Sif is further described as "the most loveliest of women" and with hair of gold. Although he lists her own ancestors as unknown, Snorri writes that Thor and Sif produced a son by the name of Lóriđi, who "took after his father". Lóriđi is attributed an extended genealogical list of descendants, including figures such as Godwulf and Odin (though outside of this continuity Odin is described as the father of Thor).
Gylfaginning
In chapter 31 of Gylfaginning, Ullr is referred to as a son of Sif and a stepson of Thor (though his father is not mentioned):
Ull is the name of one. The son of Sif, he is the stepson of Thor. He is so skillful a bowman and skier that no one can compete with him. He is beautiful to look at, and is an accomplished warrior. He is also a good person to pray to when in single combat.
Skáldskaparmál
As described in Skáldskaparmál, Thor engages in a duel with Hrungnir, there described as the strongest of the jötnar. Prior to this, Hrungnir had been drunkenly boasting of his desire to, amongst other things, kill all of the gods except Freyja and Sif, whom he wanted to take home with him. However, at the duel, Hrungnir is quickly killed by the enraged Thor.
Further in Skáldskaparmál, Snorri relates a story where Loki cuts off Sif's hair as a prank. When Thor discovers this, he grabs hold of Loki, resulting in Loki swearing to have a headpiece made of gold to replace Sif's locks. Loki fulfills this promise by having a headpiece made by dwarves (referred to as the "sons of Ivaldi)". Along with the headpiece, the dwarves produced Odin's spear, Gungnir. Further, as the story progresses, this event leads to the creation of the ship Skíđblađnir and the boar Gullinbursti for Freyr, the multiplying ring Draupnir for Odin, and the mighty hammer Mjöllnir for Thor. Sif also appears in Skáldskaparmál listed as a heiti for "earth", appears in a kenning for a gold-keeping woman, and once for Hildr.
Theories
Fields, farming, and potential cognates
Jacob Grimm proposes a reconstruction of a Germanic deity cognate to Sif in other Germanic cultures, and proposes a similar nature to that of the goddesses Frigg and Freyja:
The Goth. sibja, OHG. sippia, sippa, AS. sib gen. sibbe, denote peace, friendship, kindred; from these I infer a divinity Sibja, Sippia, Sib, corresponding to ON. Sif gen. Sifjar, the wife of Thôrr, for the ON. too has a pl. sifjar meaning cognatio, sifi amicus (OHG. sippio, sippo), sift genus, cognatio. By this sense of the word, Sif would appear to be, like Frigg and Freyja, a goddess of loveliness and love; as attributes of Ođinn and Thôrr agree, their wives Frigg and Sif have also a common signification.
Grimm connects Eddic references to Sif's golden hair (gold is referred to as Sifjar haddr; Sif's hair) with the herb name haddr Sifjar (polytrichum aureum). Grimm says that "expositors see in this the golden fruits of the Earth burnt up by fire and growing again, they liken Sif to Ceres", and Grimm says that "with it agrees the fact that O. Slav. Siva is a gloss on 'Ceres dea frumenti'" but cites etymological problems between the potential cognate. Grimm says that Thor's mother was the earth, and not his wife, yet "we do find the simple Sif standing for earth." Grimm adds that he is inconclusive regarding Sif and that, "we ought to have fuller details about Sif, and these are wholly wanting in our mythology. Nowhere amongst us is the mystic relation of the seed-corn of Demeter, whose poignant grief for her daughter threatens to bring famine on mankind (Hymn to Cer. 305–306), nor anything like it, recorded."
English scholar H. R. Ellis Davidson states that Sif may have been an ancient fertility goddess, proposing a link between her lustrous hair and fields of golden wheat. John Lindow proposes that a potentially understated mythological importance of Sif's role in the story of her sheared hair exists; her headpiece is created along with the most important and powerful items in Norse mythology. Lindow further states that it may be easy to lose sight of the central role Sif plays in the creation of these objects.
Rowan
Sif has been linked with Ravdna, the consort of the Sami thunder-god Hora galles. Red berries of rowan were holy to Ravdna, and the name Ravdna resembles the North-Germanic words for the tree (for example, Old Norse reynir). According to Skáldskaparmál the rowan is called "the salvation of Thor" because Thor once saved himself by clinging to it. It has been theorized that Sif was once conceived in the form of a rowan to which Thor clung.
Lokasenna accusations
Regarding the accusations that Loki makes to Sif in Lokasenna, Carolyne Larrington says that Sif is not elsewhere attested as unfaithful, though notes that Odin makes a similar accusation in Hárbarđsljóđ, and theorizes a potential connection between the story of Loki cutting off Sif's hair with these references. Larrington says "how he got close enough to carry this out might be explained by this verse."
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