Norse mythology · 3 chapters

The Marriage of Skaði and Njörð

A giantess seeks justice and gets a husband she cannot keep

Skaði, daughter of the slain giant Þjazi, arrives at Asgard in full armor demanding compensation for her father's death. The gods offer her a husband, but she must choose by feet alone. She chooses the most beautiful feet, expecting Baldur. She gets Njörð, the sea god of Vanaheim. Their marriage is doomed by incompatibility: Njörð cannot sleep for the sound of wolves howling in Skaði's mountain home; Skaði cannot sleep for the screaming of seabirds at Njörð's seashore. They agree to part. Odin also makes amends by taking Þjazi's eyes and hurling them into the sky as stars. Loki cheers Skaði by tying his testicles to a goat's beard and engaging in a tug-of-war, making her laugh for the first time.