Adela,  Scandinavia,  Western Europe

Sigyn

14721583_352884401720315_779481102494023106_nLittle is know about the Norse goddess Sigyn (pronounced SIG-in) what we do know is she had great love for her family and incredible endurance and compassion. Being the wife of the trickster God Loki had to be difficult. Her name means “victory woman”.

The only known tale of her involves Loki’s punishment for killing Baldur. In that tale, when the gods captured Loki, they turned one of their two sons, Vali, into a wolf. The wolf then ripped apart their other son Narfi/Nari. The boy’s entrails hardened into an iron chain, and the gods used them to bind Loki in a cave deep beneath the earth. The gods also placed a snake above Loki that would drip venom onto his head.

Sigyn being an honor bound wife decided to stay by her husband’s side, even in the face of unprecedented loss, grief, and misery. She would catch the drops of venom with a bowl so that they wouldn’t touch her husband’s head. Every so often, however, she would have to leave the cave to pour out the bowl. In her absence, a few drops of poison would fall onto Loki’s forehead. This caused him to writhe in agony, which in turn caused earthquakes on the earth’s surface. Loki is sometimes referred to as the “Burden of Sigyn’s Arms.”

Adela