“Everything we do and think has consequences
and everything is connected by this web and has a meaning. When we touch the
web on one side of the world, it ripples through it to the other - and so on.”
Skadi (SKAHD-ee)
is such an interesting Norse Goddess, the Goddess of Winter. She has influence on mountains, revenge,
knowledge, wildernesses, independence, justice and damage. She was known to be passionate in and for all
these things. She rebelled against
authority, as so many of us have done.
She wanted to live without control.
She was, also, one of the giant goddesses.
Her father kidnapped the Goddess of
Youth/Immortality and she was recovered by Odin. . Her
father was killed by Odin's group, and she sought revenge. But, she gave choices in the consequences of
killing her father. They offered
gold. She did not accept it. See, money
does not cure everything for sure. Odin
offered her another husband that would give her status of Goddess. But, of course, Odin had his own choices for
her. She could only see their feet. (Ever played the game where the husbands are
behind a sheet, barefooted, and wives must identify their husband? Well, this is that game.) Happens she chose the ugliest one, god of the
sea. Of course, because he had nice big snowshoes.
She divorced within a few days because her new
husband could not stand winter and its isolation. And, Skadi could not stand the brightness and
noise of the coast. We are not sure who
she married after that, Odin, her enemy, or another god who was god of winter. It is said she gave this new husband many
sons.
Have we all not, at least once in our life, wished
for some sort of revenge, some form of justice?
Revenge and Justice can have widely different connotations. It all depends on conditions, motivations,
and execution, and... culture. I think
Revenge has to do with emotions, and Justice has to do with cultural contexts
of what is fair, just, and good. Revenge
is personal and Justice is Cultural, methinks.
I think Revenge is about hurting another for our hurt. Justice is what society decides if rationally
good and fair. Revenge never ends
whereas Justice ends and gives closure.
Revenge is about paying back.
Justice is restorative balance of fairness...or is supposed to be.
Then comes Karma, the equal balances of negative and
positive and how things are made fair within the Universe. Is the thought of Karma simply
avoidance? Are we truly satisfied when
something negative happens even to an enemy?
Perhaps intent of wishing karma on someone is negative. Perhaps karma happening in a positive way is
just? I, now, have a different ideology
about karma. I think I have only used
the term when I viewed a negative. Much
food for thought here. How did Skadi
change her emotional ideology and end up marrying Odin, her father's murderer,
and giving him many sons?
Nonetheless, Skadi represents justice in ways I have
not thought of before.
From your ancestry, what goddess would you
paint? Give it a go.
©Carol Desjarlais 12.3.19
http://www.crystalwind.ca/norse-mythology/skadi-norse-goddess-of-winter
No one can predict someone's actions. Who knows why another does what they do? Figuring out oneself is enough of a challenge, Emotions good or bad take much control. Karma seems to me a myth , all happens for reasons. As humans , we are always changing. revenge or the planning of it seems evil to me.
ReplyDeleteMany things have been changed in my way of thinking, without me realizing it. The karma thing is something I have said and thought. I will no longer say it, now that I have a truer understanding of karma as something I said in the negative. Perhaps it has been a way to comfort ourselves, that we say such. Maybe it is a sense of justice where there seems not to be any. Whatever the case, I am changing things to "it is what it is"..and leave it at that. Even the book, When Bad Things Happen to Good People, is a case of trying to understand things and giving it a guess. It is strange that one says and thinks things without giving it real thought as to what is meant. Another new lesson for me.
ReplyDeleteWe are sheep like, a saying if said enough becomes truth . but if we think about it we know better. SO many years of common , easy thinking {everyone else does it} thinking . such a waste of our being.
ReplyDeleteyes.. and, as a matter of fact, I have a blog on sheep coming up.. they were fun to do, I might add. I think we WANT everyone to be a sheep, in many ways.. we are way much easier to handle..lol
ReplyDeleteIf we all stood for what we thought and believed , yes there would be power
ReplyDelete