Sif Basics

Sif is counted among the Æsir, and is attested to in the Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, and in Skaldic poetry. Her sphere of influence has some overlap with her mother-in-law, Frigg, however she stands on her own as one the Asyjnur, a major goddess of Ásgard. She is rather iconic, depicted as having sublimely beautiful, long golden hair.

Her name means “Related by Marriage” and she is the wife of Thor, and she is the mother of Trude – one of the Valkyries – by her husband.

She is a goddess of the harvest and Autumn, and her hair symbolizes farm fields abundant with golden wheat, and the brightly coloured leaves that fall in Autumn. As Autumn turns to Winter, she becomes the mother of Ullr, a god of Winter. Sif’s hair seems to represent vitality, and is counted as one of the great treasures of the gods, as important in its own way as her husband’s powerful hammer, Mjölnir.

The most famous tale about her features her hair. The trickster god Loki, with whom she may have had an affair previously, shaves her head and absconds with her hair. Throughout the stories, Loki is often a jealous god. Although he himself is described as comely and charismatic, he is envious of gods who are beautiful and well-liked. While asleep (and by some accounts having drugged Sif and Thor) he creeps into their bedchamber and shears off Sif’s crowning glory.

The act is a violation and an outrage, and Loki is almost killed for it. He scarcely evades this fate by gifting the goddess an unparalleled replacement for her shorn hair, through wheeling and dealing with two clans of dwarfs. To sweeten the deal and assure his forgiveness, Loki throws in five more magic wonders, establishing the six treasures of the gods: Sif’s golden wig, Mjölnir (Thor’s hammer), Skíðblaðnir (Freyr’s ship), Gungnir (Óðin’s spear), Gullinbursti (Freyr’s boar), and Draupnir (Óðin’s ring).

Sif’s wig is made by the dwarfs from strands of actual gold, which sparkle and shine more brilliantly than her own golden hair, and the strands are described as flowing like water. The hair piece makes her more beautiful than ever, and similar to Draupnir, the wig multiplies itself and grows strands of hair-like gold all on it’s own, just as if it was Sif’s natural hair.

In a later story, Lokesanna, Sif plays the role of peace-keeper. In the tale, Loki insults all of the gods during a great feast. Sif attempts to shift the conversation, quieting Loki and restoring a sense of civility to the gathering. This action has denoted her as a goddess of peace-keeping and social civility by modern Heathens.

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Signs and Symbols

Golden hair, wigs, weaves, hair pieces, combs. Cosmetics and beauty treatments. Harvests, wheat and grains, bread, fields and meadows. Autumn leaves and harvest seasonal motifs. Families: extended, split and in-laws. Rowan trees. The expression “breaking bread.” Gold. The rune Ár.

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Associated Names

Sibb, Ravdna