Skaði
Norse goddess of skiing, winter, and bowhunting.
Skaði is a jötunn and goddess in Norse mythology, associated with bowhunting, skiing, winter, and mountains. She is attested in the Poetic Edda, the Prose Edda, and Heimskringla, and is the daughter of the jötunn Þjazi. Skaði married the god Njörðr as compensation for her father's killing and later, in a euhemerized account, remarried Odin.
Quick Facts
- Alternate names
- Öndurguð, Öndurdís
- Associated with
- bowhunting
- skiing
- winter
- mountains
- Father
- Þjazi
- Spouse
- Njörðr (later Odin in Heimskringla)
- Attested in
- Poetic Edda
- Prose Edda
- Heimskringla
Facts from the source article.
Etymology
The Old Norse name Skaði may be related to Gothic skadus and Old English sceadu, meaning 'shadow', and has been compared to the Irish Scáthach. Scholar John McKinnell suggests this etymology could indicate Skaði was once a personification of Scandinavia or associated with the underworld. Georges Dumézil argues against the idea that Scadin-avia means 'island of the goddess Skaði', instead proposing that the name Skaði derives from the geographical region. Alternatively, Skaði may be connected to the Old Norse noun skaði ('harm'), cognate with English 'scathe'.
Attestations
In the Poetic Edda poem Grímnismál, Odin mentions that the jötunn Þjazi once lived at Þrymheimr and that his daughter Skaði now dwells there, calling her 'the shining bride of the gods'. In the prose introduction to Skírnismál, Skaði tells Skírnir to ask Freyr why he is upset. In Lokasenna, Skaði interjects during Loki's flyting, warning him he will be bound to a rock with his son's entrails; Loki responds by accusing her of having been in his bed. After Loki is bound, Skaði places a venomous snake above his face, and the dripping venom causes earthquakes when Loki writhes. In Hyndluljóð, Hyndla notes that Þjazi loved to shoot and that Skaði was his daughter. In the Prose Edda, Skaði appears in Gylfaginning and Skáldskaparmál.
Theories
A male figure named Skaði appears in Völsunga saga, where he owns a thrall named Breði. He declares the snowdrift shall be called 'Breði's drift', and Sigi is outlawed. Scholar Jesse Byock suggests this episode may stem from a lost myth involving the goddess Skaði. John Lindow notes a possible special relationship between Loki and Skaði, seen in her placing the snake over his face. Due to shared associations with skiing and place names in Sweden, some scholars propose a connection between Skaði and Ullr, while others theorize Skaði may have originally been a male deity. Hilda Ellis Davidson suggests Skaði's cult may have thrived in Hålogaland, where Sami people's skiing and hunting practices align with her attributes.
Modern influence
Skaði has been depicted in works by Karl Ehrenberg (1883) and Emil Doepler (1901), and in Adam Oehlenschläger's poem Skades Giftermaal (1819). Art deco portrayals of Skaði and Ullr appeared on covers of the Swedish ski annual På Skidor in 1928 and 1929. A moon of Saturn, Skathi, is named after her, as is the heavyweight luchadora Skadi. In December 2025, Overwatch 2 released a cosmetic skin for Freya named 'Skadi', and the Disney XD series Dragon Striker features a character named Skadi Savarog with ice powers.
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