Sigyn is the loyal wife of Loki in Norse mythology, a goddess of the Aesir whose devotion is measured not in deeds of power but in an act of unbreakable faithfulness. When her husband is bound beneath the earth to suffer until the end of the world, it is Sigyn who stays beside him — bowl in hand, catching the venom that would otherwise fall upon his face.
Who is Sigyn?
Sigyn is named among the goddesses in Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda and appears in the poem Lokasenna, where she is present as Loki's wife. Unlike the trickster she married, Sigyn plays no part in schemes or quarrels; the sources give her one role above all, and it is one of endurance and love. She is the mother of Loki's sons Narfi and Váli — sons who become the instruments of his doom.
Sigyn and the binding of Loki
After Loki engineers the death of Baldr and mocks the gods to their faces, their patience runs out. They hunt him down and bind him within a cave, using the entrails of his own son Narfi — after his brother Váli, changed by the gods into a wolf, tears Narfi apart. The giantess Skaði then fastens a venomous serpent above Loki's head so that its poison drips endlessly onto his face. Here Sigyn takes up her long vigil: she holds a basin over him to catch the venom. But whenever the basin fills and she must turn aside to empty it, the venom strikes Loki, and he convulses so terribly that the whole earth quakes — the Norse account of why the ground shakes. Sigyn never leaves. She keeps her watch until Ragnarök, when Loki at last breaks free.
Symbols and legacy
Sigyn is the very image of steadfast loyalty in the face of suffering — a devotion that asks nothing and does not falter even when all is lost. Her patient endurance under hardship answers to the rune Nauthiz, the sign of need, constraint, and the strength found in enduring it. Though she speaks and acts little in the myths, Sigyn's silent vigil beside the bound Loki makes her one of the most quietly powerful figures in the whole Norse tradition.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Sigyn in Norse mythology?
Sigyn is a goddess of the Aesir and the faithful wife of Loki. She is best remembered for staying at her husband's side through his terrible punishment, catching the venom that drips onto him.
What does Sigyn do for Loki?
After the gods bind Loki beneath a venom-dripping serpent, Sigyn holds a bowl over his face to catch the poison. When she turns away to empty it, the venom falls on him and he writhes in agony.
Why does the earth shake because of Sigyn?
Each time Sigyn's bowl fills and she must empty it, venom strikes Loki's face and he thrashes so violently that the whole earth trembles. The Norse explained earthquakes by these convulsions.
Who are Sigyn's children?
Sigyn is the mother of Loki's sons Narfi and Váli. In the gods' cruel punishment, Váli is turned into a wolf who slays Narfi, whose entrails then become the bonds that hold Loki.