Skaði

Skaði (sometimes written Skadi) is a Norse goddess — and a jötunn — deeply tied to winter, the high mountains, skiing, and the hunt. She is the daughter of the giant (jötunn) Þjazi, a being of storms and ice.  When her father was killed by the Æsir (the Norse gods), Skaði came down to Asgard (the gods’ realm) not just to mourn, but to demand justice. She asked the gods for two things: a bride-price for her father, and a husband. Both terms were met. She married the sea spirit Njord. It did not last long though, because their natures were too different from one another, so they amicably separated.  Skaði isn’t just a warrior — she is a huntress. She’s typically associated with a bow and arrows, and tools of winter travell like skis or snowshoes. In old folk stories, she taught humans how to hunt in the frozen wilderness, how to track in snow, and how to survive the harshest winter conditions. Legends also state that men were sacrificed to her annually and that this sacrifice lasted in r