So in rereading Krasskova’s Sigyn devotional for the first time in a few years, I have to say I’m pretty happy with how far my understanding of Sigyn has come since I first looked at it.
To the point where I can say, without much doubt, that Krasskova frankly just gets some shit wrong.
She praises Sigyn for not expecting praise for “doing what needs to be done without complaint, without boasting” and, while I think that’s true and fair to an extent (you don’t get cookies for being a decent person or doing decent things), I think if you take it too far you start to fall back into this sexist ideal of the “doormat mother/wife figure who bends over backwards for her family with a smile and without complaint and never expects anything in return”.
For a few years now I’ve been exploring the idea of Sigyn as someone who starts out as so utterly selfless/so without self-worth that she would literally lay down her life for her loved ones and brushes off praise and love as something she either a) doesn’t deserve or b) doesn’t want because she’s just “doing what she should be”.
And honestly, it’s just… it’s not a healthy way to be. Even for a goddess. Even for a goddess as implacable and strong as a mountain.
Which, I think, is where Loke comes into the picture.
He makes her feel safe enough to be selfish, to expect something for the things she does, to listen to her when she’s heartbroken or furious or bitter or joyous, he lets her be the child she never had a chance to be.
Just as Sigyn gave Loke inangard, the sacred enclosure of the home, Loke gave Sigyn a sacred enclosure in his arms to be everything we don’t want women and mothers and wives to be: unlikable, demanding, vocal in their complaints and wants, and recognition that the things they do matter.
Sigyn watched her family be torn apart and defied Odin to stay by Loke’s side through his torture. I think she’s earned a little right to be able to show her emotions and expect some kind of reward.
Don’t burn yourself alive just to keep someone else warm. Or if you’re gonna do it, make sure they damn well know about and appreciate it.
Sigyn on left, pictured in “Loki” by
Mårten Eskil Winge (1890)
Names, Titles & Their meanings:
Sigyn – “Victory Girlfriend” “Victory Wife”
Tribal
Affiliations:
Loki & his family, the Aesir, the Vanir (debated),
Plants: None traditionally. Butterfly bushes, flowers, dandelions, and
weeds, in other words, what a child would pick from the yard to make a bouquet for their mother(modern)
Animals: None traditionally. Butterflies, dragonflies, ladybugs, and caterpillars (modern)
Sacred Symbols: The Bowl, her arms, hands, shades of purple (modern)
Sacred places: None, though in modern times she is often worshipped
as a goddess of the house
What was she goddess of?: In modern worship she is the goddess of fidelity,
honor, duty, love, forgiveness, the duties of a wife and mother, grieving
mothers, orphans, the disabled, the forgotten, grieving families, the sick, the
hurt, and the comforter of broken hearts
Traditional Offerings: Milk, mead, meat, vegetables
Some Modern Offerings: Holding the Bowl for her so that she can rest,
donations to help families in need, helping others, kindness, activism for the
disabled, fighting for mothers and children in need, helping someone to grieve
I really associate Sigyn with the healing and calming power of water. It seems more her element. She’s patient, determined, and fierce, so the ocean, the lakes, the rivers, streams, ponds, and creeks all can be her domain. She weeps the tears of sorrow that renew the world and we are blessed by her presence. Sigyn of the Mourning Waters.
XV. Any mundane practices that are associated with this deity?
As far as physical actions go, the first one would be holding the bowl, which is simply holding an empty bowl in this world in order to take Her place in the Cave. Sigyn may request other actions from an individual, but most people tend to suggest holding the bowl to anyone wanting to interact with or do anything with Sigyn.
In a less literal fashion, a person can hold the bowl in more metaphorical ways – helping to support and aid caregivers, being a caregiver, becoming a hospice worker, volunteering to spend time with physically and/or mentally ill patients, volunteering to spend time with people in nursing homes, providing emotional support and resources to those who are mentally ill, volunteering with hotlines, etc.
I currently can’t find the post where I initially shared this site, but emotionalbaggagecheck.com lets you leave baggage or carry someone else’s.
XXVII. Worst misconception about this deity that you have encountered
I don’t know how prevalent it is, but I’ve found several posts on tumblr responding to the idea that Sigyn only stays with Loki in the Cave because She’s a battered / abused wife. I’m not even quite sure who started this idea, but I think certain fundamentalist / extreme Asatruar are the ones typically referenced. I think it’s the only way they can conceive of a Deity wanting to associate with Loki, and lessen His punishment in the Cave, but I can’t say this with 100% certainty.
Without knowing why someone has made this claim, I can only put forth potential responses.
If they have an issue with Sigyn primarily being a housewife and raising Narvi and Vali, as opposed to being a Warrior Deity like Freya (for example), I’m not sure how they’d react to motherhood in general. Frigga raised Her children and is associated with household duties, but I’ve never heard of anyone trying to say She’s a battered / abused wife.
If they have an issue with Sigyn being married to Loki, there’s only so much I can say to help them out on this. Sigyn and Loki love each Other and made the decision to get married. Loki speaks hard truths that No One will, and He’s associated with keeping events from stagnating (chaos or being a Trickster), but that does not mean He’s abusive. I’ve honestly never heard of anyone having UPG in which Loki’s abusive to Sigyn (or Anyone else He’s associated with), so I can only assume there’s some issue with Loki Himself at the center of this misconception.
Loki doesn’t threaten Sigyn into staying in the Cave, and She chooses to stay there and hold the bowl out of love for Him. I’m honestly not sure if a battered / abused wife would stay and do that, since Loki has been restrained to the point that He cannot leave the Cave and wouldn’t be able to force Anyone to stay with Him. It would be the ideal time to leave an abusive partner, but I can only speculate to a certain degree since I have no experience with domestic abuse. The idea still doesn’t seem to fit with anything that followers of Sigyn and/or Loki have shared regarding holding the bowl and how They feel for each other.
I would look out for things corresponding to Sigyn, making several appearances that are not related to you attempting to be in places where they would normally be found (aka, don’t be surprised to see a husky outside at the park! But, be surprised to hear it be mentioned on the radio, either as a brand name, or the dog type.)
Some correspondences of Sigyn’s are:
Colors: Green & Yellow (Associated with Faith) Apple Trees “The Star” or “Wand” cards in Tarot Tigers, Turtles, Nuthatches, Grasshoppers Look for people named “Iris” or “Heather”, or the flowers in large abundance or as gifts. Also look for symbolism in Unicorns, Bowls (Basins), and the mention of Faith, Compassion, and Wifehood.
A general rule of thumb is to look for 3 unrelated signs within a period of a week. The signs must be experienced in places where it would be abnormal/rare or even impossible. Once you are able to confirm these 3 signs, ask Sigyn to create a sign especially for you, to confirm that it is her… Make up something that you wouldn’t see in every day life. For instance, a Purple Elephant, the mentioning of a certain poem, or symbol. It has to be something that is extremely rare to see, but not absolutely impossible/ridiculous. And don’t brush it off when you do see this sign! Seeing a picture of an elephant through a purple drink counts.
I’m not aware of any historical offerings for Sigyn.
As far as physical actions go, the first one would be holding the bowl, which is simply holding an empty bowl in this world in order to take Her place in the Cave. Sigyn may request other actions from an individual, but most people tend to suggest holding the bowl to anyone wanting to interact with or do anything with Sigyn.
In a less literal fashion, a person can hold the bowl in more metaphorical ways – helping to support and aid caregivers, being a caregiver, becoming a hospice worker, volunteering to spend time with physically and/or mentally ill patients, volunteering to spend time with people in nursing homes, providing emotional support and resources to those who are mentally ill, volunteering with hotlines, carrying someone’s baggage on emotionalbaggagecheck.com, etc.
I often share my meals with Someone, and offer the energy to Them as an offering, which provides an extra incentive to remind myself to eat. It also works as a compromise for Them when They want food offerings, and I don’t want to throw out perfectly good food. I had a method for giving water offerings that didn’t require as much energy in the winter, which would involve using a certain ice cube tray and technically making ice cubes that I could let melt for Them. Now, I offer up the water in my water bottles, so I can drink it later.
When it specifically comes to Sigyn’s offerings, I tend to prioritize Her and certain devotional acts for Others (such as Narvi and Vali at Her request). I have basic daily devotional activities that I do for Everyone, which is mostly just a prayer that involves Them all, though I have a few separate ones for certain Deities. While I would feel guilty about doing one of the weekly prayers on a different day, I sometimes just had to meet the daily stuff, do Sigyn’s activities, and call it a day.
As far as causes go, Sigyn is typically associated with caregivers and those who assist the mentally ill through Her aspect of Bowl Holder. She can also be associated with single mothers or parents who have to raise children alone while their spouses are away, helping runaways or children who are homeless for whatever reason, providing food and shelter to the homeless, helping children in domestic abuse situations, raising children with disabilities, and children in the foster system. Though I use ‘children’, I don’t think She would turn away assistance to teens or young adults.
Depending on if one relates to Sigyn as being raised by Njord, there may be a certain amount of ocean or beach related causes, and if She’s related to as a Mother, there may be causes that are more associated with Her children. Groups that work to help find missing children and work that tries to reunite children taken away from their families (such as through war efforts in some countries) may work, or groups that assist and support mothers who have lost their children may work.
If one relates to Sigyn more as Bowl Holder or Loki’s Wife, there may be a greater focus on assisting those who are mentally ill and/or have gone through traumatic experiences. Rehabilitative work may be more focused on, or there may be a focus on those who are the ones helping the mentally ill (caretakers, partners, families, staff, etc.). There may be a focus on spouses or partners that hold the fort in their family such as a military member’s spouse or a partner to someone serving prison time. There may be a general approach to prison volunteering, and someone may opt to be a pen pal to an inmate.
Sigyn may also be associated with helping those who are poor such as helping families to meet their needs – back to school drives to help those with school age children, donating to food banks, and donating to applicable thrift stores. After school programs that assist parents who work late and don’t want their children alone, babysitting, or other community appropriate assistance / volunteering could be causes that Sigyn supports. It depends on how one relates to Sigyn, if they’re focusing on their immediate community, and what resources are available to the community / group one is wanting to help.
The above portions are all from previously written answers, but I still feel they apply here. It can really just depend upon how one relates to Sigyn and what the comet-shard of Sigyn one interacts with asks for, since my Sigyn as a Child may ask for butterfly and snail imagery while someone else’s Sigyn as a Child may focus on lady bugs and starfish. Quite a few of the above suggestions deal with helping someone else, but devotional activities (or sporadic actions) can also focus on other areas. Some versions of Sigyn as a Child or a (rebellious) Teen may focus on independence and survival more so than what others are doing.
This could include learning actual wilderness survival skills, learning first aid that can also be applied to oneself, knowing the resources one can use if one suddenly has no job / no access to food / needs medical assistance without insurance / etc., learning basic self-defense moves, knowing less than legal survival skills (such as picking a lock), etc. Self-dependent skills and acquiring them could also work – knowing what to do when a tire needs changed on a vehicle (whether that’s knowing who to call, or knowing how to change a tire), knowing how to cook / prepare basic meals, knowing basic repair skills until a qualified person arrives (unless one really knows a lot about what just went wrong), knowing how to drive / navigate public transportation, knowing how to manage one’s own finances, etc. Confidence boosting activities or skills can also apply – knowing how to dye one’s hair (or getting it done), getting a temporary (or permanent) tattoo, learning some form of the martial arts, learning how to handle a power tool (or other equipment, such as welding equipment), etc.
It depends on the person and what they know and don’t know. A man could cook really well yet not have the carpentry skills to repair something around the house, and a woman could be a badass at welding and carpentry yet not know what do in a first aid situation. It’s not necessarily about breaking the binary gender expectations, but having a certain amount of knowledge about how to live on one’s own can be extraordinarily helpful (and provide hope, depending on one’s situation).
I tried not to get too narrow in saying what offerings could work for Sigyn, and in the process, I wound up broadening it to an extremely large range of possibilities. I’m going to go ahead and specifically give examples from my own practice, which are quite likely to not apply to others and their practice.
Food offerings – Butterscotch candies (Child), whatever I’m eating. Drink offerings – water (current default), potentially another drink that I’m drinking, and once I can legally acquire alcohol I’ll probably have some sort of alcoholic beverage for Her.
Physical actions – holding the bowl once a week (plus the holy day of Loki’s capture), carrying baggage on emotionalbaggagecheck.com , and complying with m’Lady’s rules.
Not really physical actions – prayer; writing prayers, poems, and other pieces on / for m’Lady; having a tumblr tag for Sigyn, observing certain holy days, and having a tumblr sideblog for m’Lady.
XIII. What modern cultural issues are closest to this deity’s heart?
As far as causes go, Sigyn is typically associated with caregivers and those who assist the mentally ill through Her aspect of Bowl Holder. She can also be associated with single mothers or parents who have to raise children alone while their spouses are away, helping runaways or children who are homeless for whatever reason, providing food and shelter to the homeless, helping children in domestic abuse situations, raising children with disabilities, and children in the foster system. Though I use ‘children’, I don’t think She would turn away assistance to teens or young adults.
Depending on if one relates to Sigyn as being raised by Njord, there may be a certain amount of ocean or beach related causes, and if She’s related to as a Mother, there may be causes that are more associated with Her children. Groups that work to help find missing children and work that tries to reunite children taken away from their families (such as through war efforts in some countries) may work, or groups that assist and support mothers who have lost their children may work.
If one relates to Sigyn more as Bowl Holder or Loki’s Wife, there may be a greater focus on assisting those who are mentally ill and/or have gone through traumatic experiences. Rehabilitative work may be more focused on, or there may be a focus on those who are the ones helping the mentally ill (caretakers, partners, families, staff, etc.). There may be a focus on spouses or partners that hold the fort in their family such as a military member’s spouse or a partner to someone serving prison time. There may be a general approach to prison volunteering, and someone may opt to be a pen pal to an inmate.
Sigyn may also be associated with helping those who are poor such as helping families to meet their needs – back to school drives to help those with school age children, donating to food banks, and donating to applicable thrift stores. After school programs that assist parents who work late and don’t want their children alone, babysitting, or other community appropriate assistance / volunteering could be causes that Sigyn supports. It depends on how one relates to Sigyn, if they’re focusing on their immediate community, and what resources are available to the community / group one is wanting to help.
As far as I am aware, the only symbol that can be pulled from the Lore is the bowl. There’s some carving that’s supposed to be of Sigyn holding the bowl over Loki, but I’ve never been drawn to it. All other symbols and icons are of a modern, more personal association between a follower and Sigyn.
Sigyn as a Child may include (pastel pink and pastel blue) butterflies, snails, sea urchins, and things that can be found on the beach (shells, starfish, etc.). Sigyn as a rebellious Teen may include blue haired imagery, leather jackets, and lighters. Sigyn as a Bride could vary on where one perceives Sigyn being married (a white dress isn’t guaranteed across the board). Sigyn as Wife could vary, as well as Sigyn as Mother. Depending on how old Narvi and Vali are perceived as being, toys and symbols for Them may work their way into Sigyn’s symbology and iconography.
A small candle flame in the darkness, orange butterflies, and a bowl can be symbols and icons for Sigyn in the Cave / Bowl Holder. Mother of Mourning may include black clothing (long, flowy dresses might be included, layers), a black shawl, a vial for catching tears, and tears. Post-Cave Sigyn could vary as well.
Holding the Bowl 