Sigyn

Sigyn (Old Norse: [ˈsiɣˌyn], "Friend of Victory") is a goddess in Norse mythology. She is mentioned in both the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and in the Prose Edda, written by Snorri Sturluson in the 13th century. In the Poetic Edda, there is limited information about Sigyn, apart from her role in supporting her husband, Loki, during his captivity. In the Prose Edda, her role in helping Loki is reiterated, and she is described in various passages, with her status as a goddess being mentioned twice. Sigyn can appear on the Gosforth Cross and is the subject of various theories and cultural references.

Testimonies

Sigyn is attested in the following works:

Poetic Edda
In stanza 35 of the Völuspá of the Poetic Edda, a Völva (prophetess) tells Odin that she sees Sigyn, very distressed, sitting with her bound husband Loki under a grove with hot springs.

Sigyn is mentioned a second (and final) time in the prose section of the Lokasenna. In the prose, Loki is bound by the entrails of his son Nari, and his son Váli is described as being transformed into a wolf. The goddess Skaði places a venomous snake above Loki’s face, from which venom drips. Sigyn holds a bowl beneath the dripping venom. When the bowl is full, she removes it, and the venom drips onto Loki, causing him to writhe so violently that earthquakes occur, shaking the whole Earth.

Prose Edda
Sigyn appears in the Gylfaginning and Skáldskaparmál books of the Prose Edda. In Gylfaginning, Sigyn is introduced in Chapter 31, where she is described as Loki’s wife, and they have a son named "Nari or Narfi." Sigyn is mentioned again in Chapter 50, where the events are described differently from those in Lokasenna. In this version, the gods have captured Loki and his two sons, referred to as Váli (the only son of Loki) and "Nari or Narfi" (previously described as Sigyn and Loki’s son). Váli is transformed into a wolf by the gods and tears apart his brother "Nari or Narfi." The entrails of "Nari or Narfi" are then used to bind Loki to three stones, and Skaði places a snake above him. Sigyn stands beside Loki, holding a bowl to catch the dripping venom. When the bowl is full, she leaves to pour out the venom. Loki is then described as shaking so violently that the planet quakes, and this process continues until he breaks free, setting in motion Ragnarök.

Sigyn is introduced as a goddess, an ásynja, in Skáldskaparmál, where the gods hold a grand feast for the visiting Ægir, and in references to Loki: "husband of Sigyn," "burden [Loki] of the invocation fetters [Sigyn’s] arms," and in a passage from the 9th century Haustlöng (quoted) "the burden of Sigyn’s arms." The last mention of Sigyn in Skáldskaparmál is in the list of ásynjur (goddesses) in the attached section Nafnaþulur, Chapter 75.

Archaeological Records

The Gosforth Cross from the mid-11th century in Cumbria, England, has been interpreted as depicting various figures from Norse mythology. The lower part of the west side of the cross shows a long-haired, kneeling woman holding an object over another bound figure lying on the ground. Above and to the left of them, a coiled snake is visible. This has been interpreted as Sigyn soothing the bound Loki.

Theories

Although the name Sigyn appears as a female personal name in Old Norse sources (with sigr meaning "victory" and vina meaning "friend"), and although she is largely limited to a single role in the surviving sources, she appears in the 9th-century pagan skaldic poem Haustlöng by the skald Þjóðólfr of Hvinir. Due to this early connection with Loki, Sigyn is seen as a deity linked to an older form of Germanic paganism.

Modern Influence

The scene of Sigyn and Loki has been depicted in various paintings, including Loke och Sigyn (1850) by Nils Blommér, Loke och Sigyn (1863) by Mårten Eskil Winge, Loki och Sigyn (1879) by Oscar Wergeland, and the illustration Loki and Sigyn; Hel with the dog Garm (1883) by K. Ehrenberg.

In modern times, several objects and places have been named after Sigyn, including the Norwegian winter wheat varieties Sigyn I and Sigyn II, a Marvel Comics character named Sigyn (1978), the Swedish ship MS Sigyn (which transports spent nuclear fuel, referencing Sigyn holding a bowl under the venom), and the Antarctic Sigyn Glacier.