Thor's wife, renowned for her golden hair. Mother of Ullr.
Sif (Old Norse Sif) is Thor's wife and an Asynja in Asgard. She is best known for her golden hair, which Loki cut off while she slept. Enraged, Thor threatened to break every bone in Loki's body unless he procured a replacement, and Loki traveled to the dwarven smiths the sons of Ivaldi, who forged new hair of gold so fine that it grew on her head like real hair (Skáldskaparmál 35). The same smithing expedition led to the creation of Gungnir, Skidbladnir, Mjölnir, and other treasures.
Sif's role in the surviving sources is limited, but her standing as Thor's wife places her among the foremost of the goddesses. In Hárbarðsljóð 48 Odin insinuates that Sif has a lover at home, an accusation that belongs to the Eddic flyting genre and whose historical substance is unknown. Her son Ullr is counted as Thor's stepson, indicating that Sif had a partner before Thor. Snorri lists her among the Asynjur in Gylfaginning 31.
Sources in the Eddas
- Skáldskaparmál 35
- The tale of Loki cutting Sif's hair and the dwarves forging the golden replacement hair.
- Hárbarðsljóð 48
- Odin insinuates in flyting with Thor that Sif has a lover at home.
- Gylfaginning 31
- Snorri counts Sif among the Asynjur and mentions her golden hair.
Interpretive traditions
A What we know
Sif is Thor's wife and is attested in Skáldskaparmál, Hárbarðsljóð, and Gylfaginning.
Her golden hair was cut by Loki and replaced by dwarf-forged gold (Skáldskaparmál 35).
Ullr is her son and Thor's stepson.
B What we think we know
Whether Sif's golden hair symbolizes grain fields and a connection to fertility cult is a common but contested interpretation.
The accusation of infidelity in Hárbarðsljóð may be a flyting topos without mythological substance.
C What we do not know
Sif's prehistory, whether she had an independent cult or myth cycle, is unknown.