A Husband Chosen by His Feet

What happened when Skadi chose a husband by his feet?

After the gods killed the giant Thjazi, his daughter Skadi set out to avenge him. Wearing a helmet and armor and carrying her weapons, she went to the gods. To settle the quarrel, they offered her compensation.

One part of the settlement allowed her to choose a husband from among the gods. But she could look at only their feet. Skadi chose the most beautiful pair, thinking they belonged to Baldr. Instead, she had chosen Njord.

Skadi also demanded that the gods make her laugh. Loki tied a cord between a goat’s beard and his own private parts. They tugged against each other, both crying out. At last, Loki fell into Skadi’s lap, and she laughed. With that, they made peace.

In Skaldskaparmal, Odin makes further amends. He throws Thjazi’s eyes into the sky and turns them into 2 stars. In The Lay of Harbard, however, Thor says that he killed the giant and that he was the one who threw the eyes into the sky.

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