Goddess of the Day, Skadi

Yes, it’s been quite some time since I posted one of these. They seem to be enjoyed, so I looked around to find something appropriate.

The goddess for whom Scandinavia was named dwelled high in the snow-covered mountains; her favorite occupations were skiing and snowshoeing through her domain.

The goddess for whom Scandinavia was named dwelled high in the snow-covered mountains; her favorite occupations were skiing and snowshoeing through her domain. But when the gods caused the death of her father Thjassi, Skadi armed herself and traveled to their home at Asgard, intent on vengeance. Even alone, she was more than a match for the gods, and they were forced to make peace with her.

Skadi demanded two things: that they make her laugh and that she be allowed to choose a mate from among them. The first condition was accomplished by the trickster Loki, who tied his testicles to the beard of a billy goat. It was a contest of screeching, until the rope snapped and Loki landed, screaming with pain, on Skadi’s knee. She laughed.

Next, all the gods lined up, and Skadi’s eyes were masked. She intended to select her mate simply by examining his legs from the knees down. When she’d found the strongest-thinking them the beautiful Balder’s legs-she flung off her mask and found she’d picked the sea god Njord. So she went off to live in the god’s ocean home.

She was miserable there. “I couldn’t sleep a wink,” Skadi said in a famous eddic poem, “on the bed of the sea, for the calling of gulls and mews.” The couple moved to Thrymheim, Skadi’s mountain palace, but the water god was as unhappy there as Skadi had been in the water. Thereupon they agreed on an equitable dissolution, and Skadi took a new mate, more suitable to her lifestyle: Ullr, the god of skis.

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A giantess, called the ’snow-shoe goddess’, and the embodiment of winter. She is the wife of the god Njord. When her father Thiazi was slain by the gods, Skadi wanted to take revenge. The gods thought it wiser to reconciliate and offered her a marriage with one of them. She was free to marry any god, but while she made her choice she was only allowed to see the feet of the potential candidates. She noticed a very elegant pair and, convinced that their owner was the fair god Balder, she choose them. Unfortunately for her, those feet belonged to the older god Njord.

The marriage between Njord and Skadi was not a happy one. She wanted to live where her father had lived, in Thrymheim in the mountains, and Njord wanted to live in Noatun, his palace by the sea. So they agreed to spend the first nine days in the mountains and the following nine days by the sea. This arrangement did not work out very well, and they separated. Eventually, Skadi left Njord for the god Ull.

http://www.hranajanto.com/goddessgallery/skadi.html

http://www.pantheon.org/articles/s/skadi.html

Aine

She chose a life of landlocked love. She killed a king who tried to rape her, then branched out into Irish Agriculture. She had her own Aine’s Hill in County Kerry, where Midsummer Revels were held when she took on a new identity as a Fairy Queen.

If the theory is correct that Áine is in fact a personification of ‘radiant light’, this allows one to draw parallels with such beings as Rosmerta and Aoibhell. Áine is also said to have a sister, Grian (literally, “sun”), though some believe Grian is another manifestation of Áine. The hill of Grian, Cnoc Gréine, is about seven miles from Áine’s hill, Cnoc Áine, both in County Limerick. Due to Áine’s connection with midsummer rites, some have postulated that Áine and Grian may share a dual-goddess, seasonal function (such as seen in the Gaelic myths of The Cailleach Bheur and Brighid) with Áine reperesenting the light half of the year and the bright summer sun, and Grian the dark half of the year and the pale winter sun.^[1]

In Irish mythology, Áine (pronounced “awnya” (Connacht Irish) or “enya” (Ulster Irish)) is a goddess of love, growth, and cattle, also associated with light and perhaps the sun. She is the daughter of Egobail, and sister of Aillen and/or Fennen. In some versions of the myth, she is the wife of Gearoid Iarla. In other versions, rather than having a consensual marriage, he raped her, and she exacted her revenge by either changing him into a goose, killing him, or both. In yet other versions of her myth, she is the wife or daughter of the sea god Manannan mac Lir. The feast of Midsummer Night was held in her honor. In County Limerick, she is remembered in more recent times as a “fairy queen”. She is sometimes mistakenly equated with Danu as her name bears a superficial resemblance to Anu.

http://www.godchecker.com/pantheon/celtic-mythology.php?deity=AINE

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%81ine

Tara, Goddess of Peace and Protection

Goddess Tara is probably the oldest goddess who is still worshipped extensively in modern times. Tara originated as a Hindu goddess, the Mother Creator, representing the eternal life force that fuels all life. There are many embodiments of Tara, but the best known are the White Tara and the Green Tara. The peaceful, compassionate White Tara gently protects and brings long life and peace. The more dynamic goddess, Green Tara is the “Mother Earth”, and a fierce goddess who overcomes obstacles, and saves us from physical and spiritual danger.In Sanskrit, the name Tara means Star, but she was also called She Who Brings Forth Life, The Great Compassionate Mother, and The Embodiment of Wisdom, and the Great Protectress. Adopted by Buddhism, she become the most widely revered deity in the Tibetan pantheon.   In Buddhist tradition, Tara is actually much greater than a goddess — she is a female Buddha, an enlightened one was has attained the highest wisdom, capability and compassion. . . one who can take human form and who remains in oneness with the every living thing.
The oldest reference to the goddess Tara, perhaps, is found in an ancient saga of Finland thought to be 5 million years old. The saga speaks of a group known as Tar, the Women of Wisdom.Goddess Tara is probably the oldest goddess who is still worshipped extensively in modern times. Tara originated as a Hindu goddess, the Mother Creator, representing the eternal life force that fuels all life. A version of the Goddess Tara exists in virtually every culture. Indeed, it is said that the Goddess Tara will assume as many forms on earth as there are needs for by the people.http://www.goddessgift.com/goddess-myths/goddess_tara_white.htm