Seiðr Loom

Æsir

Sif

Thor's wife, mother of Ullr and Þrúðr, famous for the golden hair the dwarfs made for her after Loki cut off her own.

Sif by Dollman
Sif by Dollman, John Charles Dollman (1909). Wikimedia Commons, public domain.

Sif is Thor's wife. The poems name her mostly through him: Thor is "Sif's mate" when he eats an ox at Þrymr's wedding feast Þrymskviða 24 and "Sif's husband" when he lifts Hymir's kettle Hymiskviða 35. Snorri's kennings fill in her family: "Wife of Thor, Mother of Ullr, Fair-Haired Goddess, Co-Wife of Járnsaxa, Mother of Thrúdr" Skáldskaparmál 20. Ullr is her son by an unnamed father, and Thor's stepson Gylfaginning 31; Þrúðr is her daughter by Thor.

The golden hair

Her one story is told in Skáldskaparmál. Loki, "for mischief's sake", cut off all her hair. Thor seized him and would have broken every bone in his body, until Loki swore to have the dark elves make Sif new hair of gold, which would grow like real hair Skáldskaparmál 35. The sons of Ívaldi made it, along with the ship Skíðblaðnir and Odin's spear Gungnir. Loki then wagered his head that no one could do better, which led to the forging of Thor's hammer Mjöllnir (see The treasures of the gods: Sif's hair and Brokkr's wager). Because of this story, poets could call gold "Sif's Hair" Skáldskaparmál 32.

In Ægir's hall

Sif attends the feast in Lokasenna while Thor is away in the east Lokasenna, prose 1. As Loki insults every god in turn, she tries to placate him, as Bragi and Iðunn have before her Lokasenna 12 Lokasenna 18: she pours him mead in a crystal cup and asks him to admit that she, at least, is blameless Lokasenna, prose 5 Lokasenna 53. Loki answers that he himself had her "from Hlorrithi's arms" Lokasenna 54. A few stanzas later Thor arrives and silences him.

The giant Hrungnir, drunk in Ásgard, boasted that he would kill all the gods except Freyja and Sif, whom he would take home Skáldskaparmál 17.

Snorri's Prologue turns her into Síbil, a prophetess whom the Trojan hero Trór married: "The lineage of Sif I cannot tell; she was fairest of all women, and her hair was like gold" Prose Edda, Prologue.

In the sources

Quoted from the hosted translations; each line is checked against the text when the site is built. Select a reference to read it in context.

Loki Laufeyarson, for mischief's sake, cut off all Sif's hair.
Skáldskaparmál 35 The prank that leads to the making of the gods' treasures.
the hair would grow to the flesh as soon as it came upon Sif's head
Skáldskaparmál 35 The dwarfs' replacement: hair of gold that grows like real hair.
By calling her Wife of Thor, Mother of Ullr, Fair-Haired Goddess, Co-Wife of Járnsaxa, Mother of Thrúdr.
Skáldskaparmál 20 Snorri's kennings for Sif sum up her family.
But one do I know full well, methinks, Who had thee from Hlorrithi's arms,— (Loki the crafty in lies.)
Lokasenna 54 Loki claims to have been Sif's lover.

Where the sources disagree or fall silent

  • Ullr's father is never named; Snorri says only that he is Sif's son and Thor's stepson (Gylfaginning 31).
  • Accusations of adultery: Loki claims to have slept with her (Lokasenna 54), and Hárbarðr tells Thor 'Sif has a lover at home' (Hárbarðsljóð 48). Both speakers are hostile and the claims are not supported elsewhere.
  • Scholars have often suggested that Sif's golden hair stands for ripe grain and that she was once a fertility goddess. The idea is attractive but rests on no medieval statement.

In modern culture

Not from the medieval sources.

Marvel's comics and films turn Sif into Lady Sif, a sword-fighting warrior and companion of Thor rather than his wife; the Eddas give her no martial role.

Myths with Sif

Loki's flyting at Ægir's feast Thrown out of the sea-giant Ægir's feast for killing a servant, Loki walks back in and insults every god and goddess in turn, until Thor comes home and threatens him with the hammer. The treasures of the gods: Sif's hair and Brokkr's wager Loki shaves Sif's head, and to save his own skin sets two families of dwarf-smiths competing. The result is six treasures — golden hair, a folding ship, a spear, a ring, a golden boar and Thor's hammer — and Loki's lips sewn shut. Thor and the dwarf Alvíss A dwarf named Alvíss, 'All-Wise', comes to claim Thor's daughter as his promised bride. Thor agrees, if the dwarf can tell him what everything is called in every world, and keeps him answering until the sun comes up. Thor's duel with Hrungnir A horse race with Odin brings the stone-headed giant Hrungnir drunk and boasting into Asgard. Thor challenges him to the first single combat of his life, kills him with Mjölnir, and carries a piece of the giant's whetstone in his skull for ever after. Thrym steals Thor's hammer Thor wakes to find Mjölnir gone. The giant Þrymr will return it only for Freyja as his bride, so Thor goes to the wedding himself, in a veil, with Loki as his bridesmaid.

Related

Thor Þórr The thunder god, strongest of the Æsir: son of Odin and Earth, husband of Sif, and with his hammer Mjöllnir the gods' defender against the giants, until he dies killing the World Serpent. Ullr Sif's son and Thor's stepson, a god of the bow and the snowshoe whose many place-names hint at an importance the surviving myths no longer show. Þrúðr Daughter of Thor and Sif, known only from kennings. Poets called the giant Hrungnir 'Þrúðr's thief', hinting at a lost story of her abduction. Loki The giant-born trickster counted among the Æsir: father of Fenrir, the Midgard Serpent and Hel, contriver of Baldr's death, bound until Ragnarök. Sons of Ivaldi Ívalda synir Dwarf smiths who made three treasures for the gods: Freyr's folding ship Skíðblaðnir, Odin's spear Gungnir and Sif's golden hair. Mjölnir Mjöllnir Thor's short-handled hammer, forged by the dwarf brothers Brokkr and Sindri: it never misses, always returns to his hand, kills giants, and hallows brides, pyres and the dead goats it brings back to life. Hrungnir The strongest of the giants, with a head, heart and shield of stone. He races Odin into Ásgard, gets drunk there, and dies when Thor's hammer shatters his whetstone and his skull.