Skaði in Norse tradition
After the gods killed her father Þjazi, Skaði arrived in Asgard armed and demanded compensation for his death. She accepted a husband chosen by his feet, mistakenly selecting Njörðr rather than Balder, and their marriage failed because his sea hall and her mountain home suited them separately. Skaði is a giantess associated with skiing, hunting, winter, snow and the highlands.
The quick answers
Who is Skaði?
Skaði is a Norse deity associated with skiing and snow travel, hunting, mountains and the highlands, winter and snow.Source
Source
- Treasury of Norse Mythology
- Dictionary of northern mythology
- Legends of Norse Mythology
What is Skaði the god of?
skiing and snow travel, hunting, mountains and the highlands, winter and snowSource
Source
- Treasury of Norse Mythology
- Dictionary of northern mythology
Is Skaði in Njörðr and Skaði on the way to Nóatún?
Yes. It is linked here to Skaði Chooses Njörðr.What family links are recorded for Skaði?
Father: Þjazi, Spouse: Njord.What happens in Skaði Chooses Njörðr?
After the gods kill her father, Skaði arrives in Asgard armed and demands compensation, accepting a husband chosen by his feet.Source
Source
- the ancient sources
- Treasury of Norse Mythology
- Legends of Norse Mythology
Skaði’s family, at a glance
Parents above, children below, and the figure’s consorts named in between, the same family data as the fact box, laid out as a chart instead of a field list.
The names Skaði answers to
Öndurdís
ski goddess
SourceDictionary of northern mythology
Daughter of Þjazi
daughter of the giant Þjazi
SourceTreasury of Norse Mythology
Njörðr’s Wife
wife of the god Njörðr
SourceLegends of Norse Mythology
The myths of Skaði
2 myths, each traced to its primary text and corpus sources, with 2 reviewed modern reworks linked where the evidence supports it.
Skaði Chooses Njörðr
Skaði came to Asgard in armour and carrying weapons after the gods killed her father, the giant Thjazi. She demanded vengeance or compensation. The Aesir agreed to give her a husband in place of her dead father. She had hoped to choose Balder, whom the gods regarded as the most beautiful among them.
Odin set one condition. Skaði would choose her husband by his feet, while the rest of each god remained hidden. The gods stood behind a screen with only their feet visible. Skaði believed that Balder’s beauty must extend to his feet, so she chose the pair she thought most beautiful. When the covering was removed, the feet belonged to Njörðr, not Balder. Njörðr was one of the Vanir who had come to live among the Aesir after the war. He was associated with the sea. His feet were smooth and clean from walking barefoot through the waves. Skaði married him.
They soon found that they could not live comfortably in the same place. They first tried Skaði’s mountain home. After nine nights, Njörðr could no longer endure the thunderstorms and the wolves howling there. They moved to his hall beside the ocean. Skaði found the crashing waves and crying seabirds impossible to sleep through. After nine more nights, she returned to the mountains. They were better suited to living apart.
In the modern world
Njörðr and Skaði on the way to Nóatún
UncategorisedThe engraving depicts Skadi and Njordr travelling to his home Noatun just after her marriage-choice, visualising the mismatch between her mountain world and his sea domain.
Skadi und Niurd
UncategorisedSame subject as the companion entry -- this is the same 1882 Heine/Engelhard engraving catalogued under its German caption variant ('Niorder und Skadi auf dem Wege nach Noatun').
3 sources· checked 2026-08-19
- 1Treasury of Norse MythologyT1
- 2the ancient sourcesT1
Quote
“The gods offer Skaði a husband and let her choose by the feet alone, leading her to Njörðr, after which the pair find the mountains and seacoast impossible to share.”
the ancient sources
- 3Legends of Norse MythologyT1
Skaði Marries Odin
Skaði first married Njörðr after choosing him by his feet. She was the daughter of the giant Þjazi and wanted to live at Þrymheim, her father’s mountain home. Njörðr lived at Nóatún and ruled the wind, the sea and fire. He preferred the sea. They agreed to spend nine nights at Þrymheim and three at Nóatún. The arrangement failed because neither could live happily in the other’s home. Skaði left Njörðr.
She then married Odin. He had travelled north from the lands called Turkey with many followers, including men, women and young people, and with costly treasures. He was skilled in wisdom, divination and magic. His wife was named Frigida, whom people identified with Frigg. Wherever Odin and his people settled, the land had good harvests and peace. The inhabitants regarded them as more like gods than men.
Odin established his power in the northern lands. He took possession of the territory he wanted in Reidgotaland and appointed his son Skjold as king. He then travelled to Svithiod, where King Gylfe received him. Odin made Sigtuna his stronghold and appointed chiefs there. He placed his sons in positions of rule in other lands. Skaði bore Odin many sons. Their descendants became ancestors of ruling families.
In the modern world
No modern rework confirmed yet.
3 sources· checked 2026-08-19
- 1Treasury of Norse MythologyT1
- 2Legends of Norse MythologyT1
- 3the ancient sourcesT1
Quote
“Odin travels north with his followers and treasures, gains rule in northern lands, settles at Sigtuna, and has sons by Skaði whose descendants become ancestors of rulers.”
the ancient sources
Also appears in
The myths across MythSource where Skaði features, each on that figure’s page.
- The Kidnapping and Return of Iðunn · on Iðunn
- Skaði and Njörðr · on Jötnar
- Loki Makes Skaði Laugh · on Loki
3 works catalogued
This is the candidate catalogue for Skaði: candidate reworks first, then references, then names used as atmosphere. Nothing here has been checked against a source yet. Only reviewed myth-to-work links are promoted in Overview.
Showing 3 of 3 works.
Film1
- SkadiRework
Uncategorised2
- Njörðr and Skaði on the way to NóatúnSkaði Chooses NjörðrRework
- Skadi und NiurdSkaði Chooses NjörðrRework
These are catalogue candidates, not proof that every work retells this figure. Reviewed myth-to-work links appear in Overview.
What this page is built from
About this page
Written and maintained by MythSource. Last reviewed not yet recorded. How a page gets built.
3 sources are cited on this page, primary texts and corpus scholarship, listed below.
Cite this page
MythSource. (n.d.). Skaði. https://www.mythsource.com/figures/skai
"Skaði." MythSource, n.d., www.mythsource.com/figures/skai.
"Skaði." MythSource. n.d. https://www.mythsource.com/figures/skai.
The mythology summaries and identity fields on this page are grounded in the primary texts and scholarship above. The appearance table records candidates separately; only reviewed joins are presented as modern reworks in Overview.
The film
The Underdrawing video on Skaði embeds here once it publishes.