Norse mythology Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Old Norse religion and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia, and into the Nordic folklore of the modern period ...

, Sjöfn (or Sjǫfn in Old Norse orthography) is a

goddess A goddess is a female deity. In many known cultures, goddesses are often linked with literal or metaphorical pregnancy or imagined feminine roles associated with how women and girls are perceived or expected to behave. This includes themes of s ...

associated with love. Sjöfn is attested in the '' Prose Edda'', written in the 13th century by

Snorri Sturluson Snorri Sturluson ( ; ; 1179 – 22 September 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was elected twice as lawspeaker of the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He is commonly thought to have authored or compiled portions of the ...

; and in three kennings employed in

skald A skald, or skáld (Old Norse: , later ; , meaning "poet"), is one of the often named poets who composed skaldic poetry, one of the two kinds of Old Norse poetry, the other being Eddic poetry, which is anonymous. Skaldic poems were traditionally ...

ic poetry. Scholars have proposed theories about the implications of the goddess.

Attestations

In chapter 35 of the ''Prose Edda'' book '' Gylfaginning'',

High High may refer to: Science and technology * Height * High (atmospheric), a high-pressure area * High (computability), a quality of a Turing degree, in computability theory * High (tectonics), in geology an area where relative tectonic uplift ...

provides brief descriptions of 16 ásynjur. High lists Sjöfn seventh, and says that Sjöfn is "concerned to direct people's minds to love, both women and men." In addition, High states that from Sjöfn's name comes the Old Norse word ''sjafni''.Faulkes (1995:30). In the

Nafnaþulur ''Nafnaþulur'' (Old Norse: ) is a subsection of the ''Prose Edda'', the last part of the ''Skáldskaparmál ''Skáldskaparmál'' (Old Norse: 'The Language of Poetry'; c. 50,000 words; ; ) is the second part of the ''Prose Edda''. The sectio ...

section appended to the ''Prose Edda'' book '' Skáldskaparmál'', chapter 75, Sjöfn is included in a list of 27 names of ásynjur.Faulkes (1995:157). Otherwise, the name ''Sjöfn'' is thrice employed as a base word in

ic kennings for "woman".Lindow (2001:268).

Theories

Regarding the information given about Sjöfn in ''Gylfaginning'', John Lindow says that the word ''sjafni'' does indeed appear listed in the þulur as a word for "love", yet that outside this description no information about the goddess is known. Lindow states that some scholars theorize that Sjöfn may be the goddess Frigg under another name. Rudolf Simek says that Snorri may have derived his etymology of ''Sjöfn'' from the Old Norse words ''sefi'' ("sense") or from ''sefi'' (possibly "relation"), but that the scant references to Sjöfn do not allow for much more of an elaborate explanation for the goddess. Simek says that, accordingly, Sjöfn is viewed as a goddess of "marriage and love, or else one of relationships" and that Sjöfn is among several goddesses mentioned in the ''Prose Edda'' "who are matron-like guardian-goddesses."Simek (2007:286).

References

Bibliography

* Faulkes, Anthony (Trans.) (1995). ''Edda''. Everyman. . * Lindow, John (2001).
Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs
'. Oxford University Press. . * Simek, Rudolf (2007) translated by Angela Hall. ''Dictionary of Northern Mythology''.

D.S. Brewer Boydell & Brewer is an academic press based in Woodbridge, Suffolk, England, that specializes in publishing historical and critical works. In addition to British and general history, the company publishes three series devoted to studies, edition ...

. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Sjofn Ásynjur Love and lust goddesses