Sif

Then Sif went forward and poured out mead for Loki into a crystal cup and said:

Welcome now, Loki, and take the crystal cup
full of ancient mead,
you should admit, that of the children of the Æsir,
that I alone am blameless.

He took the horn and drank it down:

That indeed you would be, if you were so,
if you were shy and fierce towards men;
I alone know, as I think I do know,
your love beside Thor,
and that was the wicked Loki.

— The Lokasenna

About Sif

Sif may be one least “recognized” goddess’ of the Norse pantheon.  While much attention is paid to Freyja and Frigga, Sif seems to rarely be mentioned, even by those who are well versed in the Norse gods.

However the Eddas have brief mentions about Sif throughout.   We know that she was the wife of Thor.  and mother to the archer Ull.  Ull’s father is unknown, but we do know that is isn’t Thor, indicating that at some point in time, Sif had another Husband.

Sif is described as perhaps the most beautiful of the Norse Goddess’, with long blonde hair that are the “source” of her power of magic and enchantment..  She has the gift of prophecy, and is a swan maiden.  She was once married to Orvandil, making her one of the “elder” gods in the pantheon.  She signifies fertility and corn. 

Perhaps the most famous tale of Sif is the tale of Loki sneaking into her bedroom and cutting off her hair.  This so angered thor that he “convinced” Loki to have make a deal with dwarves to have the most beautiful hair of gold made to replace Sif’s hair.   Some have said that Loki’s removal of her hair may be representative of the burning of crops at some point in time.

Also worthy of note is the fact that both Loki and Odin (in the name of Harbard in Hárbarðsljóð) accused Sif of having a “lover at home” while Thor was away.     There is some speculation that Loki may have in fact been the lover Odin was speaking of, as its the only way that Loki could have gotten close enough to Sif while she was sleeping.  However, the evidence of this is speculative at best.

It’s interesting that Sif seems to embodied elements of both Freyja and Frigg.  She clearly has the beauty and sexuality of Freyja, but also has the fertility and concept of holder of the keys that emodies Frigg.