Also called Sib, the golden-haired.
Their story
Snorri tells how Loki, out of mischief, cut off all of Sif's hair. Thor threatened to break every bone in his body, so Loki went to the dwarves, the sons of Ivaldi, who made her new hair of real gold that grew like her own. The same forging brought the gods the ship Skíðblaðnir and the spear Gungnir.
Their day
Thursday. In modern practice, many honour her on Thursday alongside her husband Thor.
Best times to give to them
- Thursdays
- Lammas or harvest time
- weddings and anniversaries
- Midsummer
What they like being given
- bread made from new grain
- a sheaf or plait of wheat
- ale or mead, or apple juice
- a lock of your own hair
- golden flowers
How to honour them
- Keep a small bundle of wheat or barley on your altar through the year.
- Bake bread at harvest and set the first slice aside for her.
- Honour your family ties by reaching out to relatives in her name.
- Tend to your hair with care as a small daily act of devotion.
How they can help you
- keeping family and in-laws together
- a faithful marriage
- a good harvest or garden
- self-worth and beauty
- blended families
Symbols
- golden hair
- ripe wheat or barley
- the rowan tree
- a wedding ring
The link between Sif's golden hair and ripe grain fields is a scholarly and modern interpretation rather than something the sources state.
Festivals
- Lughnasadh 1 August, or the nearest Sunday in many Irish folk customs
More Norse goddesses
- Frigg Queen of Asgard, keeper of the hearth
- Freyja The Lady, mistress of seiðr and love
- Iðunn Keeper of the apples of youth
- Hel Keeper of the realm of the dead
- Eir The best of physicians
- Sága Keeper of stories, who drinks with Odin
- Gefjon The giving one, ploughwoman of Zealand
- Fulla Frigg's confidante and keeper of her casket