Study › Runes & Norse › Skadi's Marriage
The giantess Skadi chose a husband among the gods by seeing only their feet. She chose Njord, the sea god, and neither could bear the other's home.
Choosing by the feet
When Skadi came to Asgard in helmet and mail to avenge her father Thjazi, the gods offered her peace: she could choose a husband from among them, but she must choose by seeing only their feet. She picked the most beautiful pair, sure they belonged to Baldr. They belonged to Njord, the god of the sea.
Loki makes Skadi laugh
She also demanded that the gods make her laugh, which she believed no one could. Loki tied one end of a rope to the beard of a goat and the other to himself, and the two pulled back and forth, screaming, until Loki fell into Skadi's lap and she laughed.
Mountains and sea
The marriage did not last. They agreed to spend nine nights in her mountains at Thrymheim and three at his harbour at Noatun. Njord said he hated the howling of the wolves in the mountains; Skadi said she could not sleep for the crying of the gulls. So they parted, and Skadi went back to her skis and her bow among the snows.
Read Skadi, Njord and the theft of Idunn's apples.
Questions
Why did Skadi choose Njord?
She chose the most beautiful feet, thinking they were Baldr's.
Why did Skadi and Njord part?
She hated the gulls of his shore, and he hated the wolves of her mountains.