Thor and Sif a Divine Couple
Sif “S-if”
Sif was the lady of golden fields. The goddess of the earth, Sif blessed farmers who plowed the ground, and the fields they harvested.
It is mentioned in the poems, that Sif’s union with Thor was a ‘divine marriage’. Hierogamy it is called. A sacred marriage that was destined to happen between a god and a goddess.
Unlike the other gods and many of the other goddesses, there is no record of Sif being able to fight, or having any magical tool or weapon at her disposal. She was delicate, and well taken care of by Thor. Her home that she shared with Thor, was called The Palace of Might, and was the largest palace in Asgard. Sif was one of the best kept beauties of Asgard. She had glowing golden hair, that was so long it brushed the ground behind her, acting as a veil. That is until Loki cut it off as a prank, and she had to hide her head in shame, until it grew back.
Very little is written about Sif, she was considered one of the minor-goddesses. Since such little is written about her. What we do know is that Thor loved her very much. As far as the historians can tell, he was only unfaithful once. Thor slept with the giantess Járnsaxa, who bore him a son, Magni. However, Thor was not the only unfaithful one in the relationship. It is mentioned in the Edda poem that Sif had a son named Ullr. It also clearly says that Thor was his stepfather, not his real father. Ullr’s real father is never mentioned. Never the less, Thor raised the boy as his own. Sif and Thor also conceived two children together. Modi and Thrud. All four of the children grew up under the care of Thor and Sif. The children were brave adventurers, always ready for a fight, just like their father.
Sif has no story of her own to write about. In the poems and sagas of the gods that historians have found. She was only ever a supporting character to her husband, children, and the other gods. If there is more to Sif, it is lost to history.
Thor “th-or”
Other ways of spelling name: Þórr
The Norse god Thor hardly needs an introduction. Even before the Marvel franchise brought the god of Thunder to stardom, Thor was the most popular Norse god amongst the Norse gods and goddesses. He was the mightiest fighter, the strongest leader, and the most head strong god they had. As the protector of Asgard, many people prayed and sacrificed to Thor, and not only when going into battle. Thor was the god of thunder and, if you can believe it, of agriculture. The god with a temper, also blessed farmers and their fields. He knew the importance of food. Thor’s appearance was marked with his tall and tough build, he was strong and very muscular. He had fiery red hair, not blonde like Marvel depicts him, and his temper matched his hair. He could cause a thunderstorm just with his outbursts and tantrums. The Norse people would comment whenever there was a thunderstorm, that Thor was angry at something.
As for Thor’s family tree, there are debates on his parentage. Most scholars claim he was half giant. It would explain his explosive temper and massive strength. They explained that Thor was born of Odin, and of a giantess named Jord. While a few other scholar’s claim Thor was born in wedlock of Odin and Frigg. No matter his family, he was well loved by all. Thor was married to the goddess Sif. Together they bore two children Modi and Thrud, not much is written about his children, except that they were also strong adventurers. Like all the gods, Thor was not completely faithful to his wife. He slept with a giantess and she bore him a child named Magni. Thor took his child in and raised Magni to be as wild as his siblings.
Thor’s prized pets were two regenerating goats, that pulled his chariot. If Thor was without food, he could kill and cook his goats. He just had to be careful to leave the bones unbroken. By morning, the goats would spring back to life, ready to continue pulling his chariot. Thor’s most popular weapon was his famous hammer Mjölnir. The hammer that created lightening, and could flatten out a giant with a single blow.
Thor was feared by all the Frost Giants. He had killed more of them than any other god. When bored, Thor would often travel into the giants territory, Jotunheim, and cause trouble for them, or for himself. He was not unreasonable, however. If a giant proved kind and compassionate or took him in when he needed shelter. He did not bother them, and instead gave them gifts.
There are many stories written about Thor. Out of all the gods, he has the most written stories and adventures. He was so popular he even overshadowed Odin the king of the gods.
Thor the Bride Although there are many stories showing off Thor’s brave, and adventurous side Have you heard the story of when he was a bride?
Thor awoke one morning to find his favourite weapon, the hammer Mjölnir, was missing. After waking all of Asgard in his wroth, and blaming the trickster Loki. It was discovered that the giant Thrym had slipped into Thor’s home and had stolen the hammer, hiding it so that Thor could not storm the Thrym’s home to retrieve it. Loki being a sneak, and often making deals with the giants, was sent to Thrym to investigate the matter. Thrym told Loki that the only way Thor would receive his precious hammer back, was if Freya was sent to him to be the giant’s bride. Freya, the goddess of love and war, was one of the most beautiful goddess of the Vanir. She was already married to Odr, but that did not matter to the giant. An assembly of the gods tried to solve this forced predicament. Thor asked Freya to go through with the marriage, while Freya begged not to be forced into it. Thor was noble, and would not insist Freya sacrifice so much, so abandoned the idea. After much deliberation, it was decided that Thor himself would go to Thrym’s home, not to start a fight, but to pretend to be Freya, to be the bride. With the Valkyries help, Thor was garbed in a woman’s dress. The goddesses made it as puffy and as concealing as possible to hide Thor’s bulk, and manly features. Freya gave over her veil to cover Thor’s angry eyes and great beard. With his disguise donned. Thor and Loki departed to Thrym’s home.
Word had been sent before them to Thrym that Freya was being sent to him. Thrym hastily invited all his neighbors to join the wedding feast. The wedding ceremony would take place the moment ‘Freya’ arrived. The giantesses that saw the fully garbed ‘goddess’, whispered to each other how weak goddesses were. The pretty goddess was covered from head to toe because of the cold, they thought. Loki had convinced Thrym not to lift the veil, saying that the bride was shy and wanted to remain hidden, until Thrym was alone with her. As would be expected, Loki had to be convincing behind fits of laughter. He thoroughly enjoyed the joke. While Thor had to keep his embarrassed temper down, speaking very little, and when he did, he had to speak in a high-pitched woman’s voice. Which also set Loki off, making it hard to keep their secret. After the wedding ceremony was completed, the feast began. While they ate, Loki demanded the hammer be handed over, so he could take it back to Thor. It was brought out of hiding and as the hammer was being offered to Loki, Thor threw off his guise, grabbing at the hammer himself. Now able to relieve his rage, Thor gave punishment to all in the hall, until only Loki and Thor were left. They returned to Asgard in success and were praised greatly. However, Thor was never able to live down the fact that he had been a bride, to a frost giant.
The End
Written by Billie
Sources used Books: Norse myths and Tales, Epic Tales. By Flame Tree Publishing Norse Mythology, by Neil Gaiman Websites: https://mythologysource.com/ https://thenorsegods.com/ Thor – Mythopedia Thor - Norse Mythology for Smart People (norse-mythology.org)