Winifred Hodge Rose
Sif’s name itself means ‘related, relative’, connected to the plural Old Norse word sifjar meaning ‘one’s relations, family, kindred’. The German word Sippe means the same: kinship, consanguinity, family, relatives, kith and kin; it is also the word for a genus (one step higher than a species) in biological terminology. In German branches of our troth, Sif’s name is Sippe or Sibbe. In Old English, sibb meant ‘kinship, relationship, love, friendship, peace, happiness’—basically, the same meanings as the rune Wunjo. Proto-Germanic *sibja meant ‘one’s own’, a blood relation. Sib-related words indicating ‘relationship’ occur in all the old and modern Germanic languages.
There is a lovely adjective used of Queen Wealhtheow in the Beowulf poem: she is called frithu-sibb folca, the frith-sib of the folk (l. 2017). Heathen frith is the outgrowth of strong relationships; it is woven from the mutual trust and support that healthy interrelationships foster among us. I like to think of Sif as the frith-sib of all Heathen folk, related and relating to us all as a kinswoman and a leader in the kindly arts of weaving frith-relationships among us. Sif is related to other important Gods in our faith: she is the mother of Ullr and Thruðr, the wife of Thor, the stepmother of Magni and Modi. Consider this, too: Sif is surrounded by those of hasty temper—Thor and his sons, and one might include her son Ullr too, patron of duelling and single combat, among other things. Even so, I believe, she is expert at keeping peace and frith within their Hall!
I believe that there are others in her hall, that Sif also took young Roskva under her wing, into her service. Roskva is the sister of Thjalfi; both of them were peasant youths whose family hosted Thor one fateful evening when Thor was out adventuring. Thor slaughtered his goats for a feast with the family, and all was well until Thjalfi broke one of the leg-bones to suck out the marrow. When Thor waved his Hammer over the goats the following morning, the goats returned to life but one of them was limping. Enraged, Thor threatened the family with his Hammer, but when he saw their terror his heart softened and he agreed to accept compensation. The family offered Thjalfi and Roskva as wergild, and Thor accepted them into his service. To us today, offering one’s children as ‘compensation’ might not seem very kindly, but for the society of the time, having one’s children take service with a great Deity meant a huge increase in fortune and fame for the whole family. Thjalfi went on to become a trusty companion of Thor on his many adventures, gaining fame in a way that he never could have done as a laboring peasant. We don’t hear more of Roskva, but I believe that Thor brought her to Sif, where Roskva entered into service in the great hall Bilskirnir, helping Sif with her many responsibilities. (Gylfaginning in the prose Edda, Sturluson p. 38.)
Consider this: Sif is the Lady of Thor’s hall Bilskirnir and of his entire realm, Thruðheim or Thruðvangar (meaning ‘strength-world’ and ‘fields of strength.’) The hall Bilskirnir is equipped with 540 daises; Odin, as Thor’s proud father, boasts that it is the greatest of all halls (Grimnismal vs. 24). ‘Daises’ are slightly raised platforms where the tables and high seats of nobles are placed, while the common folk fill many more tables on the floor level. If Thor’s hall has 540 such daises, that implies that there are a great many more tables for the common folk, the farmers, craftsfolk, and workers of all kinds whose patron he is.
This is indeed an enormous hall! And no wonder: Thor is the patron of a huge number of folk, far more than Odin is with his einherjar. And who has charge of hospitality and care for all these folk—for their souls in the afterlife? It is Sif, of course, no doubt helped by her daughter Thruðr. Thruðr is listed as one of the Valkyries who bear drinking horns to the einherjar in Odin’s hall (Grimnismal vs. 36), but in my perception she does not often do so there. She is more frequently found in the hall of her own family, Bilskirnir, helping with hospitality there along with many other activities she is involved with. Sif has charge of the care and hospitality offered to countless souls whose patron she and / or Thor, Thruðr, Magni, or Moði were during their time in Midgard. (I believe that the giantess Jarnsaxa, mother of Magni and Moði, prefers to remain in her own hall in Jotunheim and follow the Jotun ways there.)
Note that the word ‘lady’ comes from Anglo-Saxon hlæfdige, which means ‘loaf-kneader.’ The Lady is the one who provides food to all, or ensures that it is provided. I call Sif ‘lady’ with this sense in mind, as well as an honorific. My sense of Sif’s great Hall is one of comfort, companionship, and plenty, where all souls are welcome. Their strengths, talents, and skills are encouraged in the afterlife. These folk, in ancient times, were fighters at need, but focused more on the skills of daily life that all depend upon.
I believe that the spiritual gifts and goodwill emanating from all these skilled and hardy souls in Bilskirnir, along with the Holy Ones there, offer strength and support, courage and inspiration, for those of us still working our way through the many challenges of daily life in Midgard. These gifts, and our respect and appreciation for them, weave us all together in the kinship of the spirit. It may be, as well, that there are many of our own blood-kin in that great Hall: souls from ancient times whose stout-hearted lives of everyday hard work and care for their families are honored by Thor, Sif, and their kin.
I find that the family of Sif and Thor is a close-knit one, and see them both as patrons of parenting, step-parenting, grandparenting, and family life. Sif goes even farther, helping us to weave and maintain frith and good relationships with our extended kin and our heart-kin (those closest to us, whether they are related or not), as well as with our neighbors and those we work with. Her gifts of hospitality, nurturing, kinship, and frith are of great value, and we should not hesitate to call upon her to help us with these important matters in our lives.
Book-Hoard
Chickering, Howell D. Jr., transl. Beowulf. Doubleday, New York, 1977. (Dual language edition)
Larrington, Carolyne, transl. The Poetic Edda, revised edition. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2014.
Sturluson, Snorri, transl. Anthony Faulkes. Edda. Rutland, Vermont: Charles E. Tuttle Co., 1995.