Skadi
the giant queen of the hunt
Skadi was a Jotunn huntress without equal, daughter of the shapeshifter Thiazi. When Odin could not have her as a wife, he tricked her into slaying her own father, and grief carried her to her death in the snow.
Skadi, called the Queen of the Hunt, was a Jotunn of the Norse realms and one of the greatest huntresses the world had known. Her story was recorded among the murals of the giants and told by Mimir to Atreus, a tale of skill turned against itself by the malice of Odin. (God of War (2018))
The greatest huntress#
Skadi was the daughter of Thiazi, a Jotunn who could take the shape of any wild creature, and from him she learned to hunt them all. She crafted second feet from the ribs of a pack beast, devices that let her glide across the snow so swiftly that no animal could evade her. By this skill she became a huntress beyond compare, surpassing even the gods. So renowned was she that even Laufey, the guardian of the giants, admired her. (God of War (2018))
Odin's malice#
Odin wanted Skadi for his wife, believing she would bear him strong sons. She refused him, and Odin, taking her rejection as an insult, vowed revenge. He spread word throughout the realms of a great eagle that plagued the Aesir, stealing the golden apples of youth, and claimed that not even the finest archers among the Aesir could bring it down. Odin understood that Skadi could not resist the temptation to prove herself superior to all others, and so she joined the hunt for the creature. (God of War (2018))
Her fate in the snow#
Skadi tracked the eagle as it flew across terrain that she alone could cross, gliding where no other hunter could follow, and loosed an arrow from her unerring bow. When she went to collect her kill, she found no eagle at all but her own father, Thiazi, slain by her own hand. The trick had been Odin's design from the first. Overcome with grief and shame, for nothing in nature was more reviled than a child who killed their own parent, Skadi gave herself up to her fate as winter's blanket fell over the mountains. She died holding her father, the mountain holding her in turn, in an embrace meant to last for all time. As Mimir told Atreus, there were few happy endings for the giants. (God of War (2018))
Frequently asked questions
- Who is Skadi in God of War?
- Skadi was a Jotunn of the Norse realms called the Queen of the Hunt, and one of the greatest huntresses the world had known. She was the daughter of Thiazi, a Jotunn shapeshifter who taught her to hunt every wild creature.
- How did Skadi become such a great huntress?
- Skadi learned to hunt from her father Thiazi, who could take the shape of any wild creature. She crafted second feet from the ribs of a pack beast that let her glide across the snow so swiftly no animal could escape her, making her a huntress beyond compare, surpassing even the gods.
- Why did Odin want revenge on Skadi?
- Odin wanted Skadi as his wife because he believed she would bear him strong sons, but she refused him. Taking her rejection as an insult, Odin vowed revenge.
- How did Odin trick Skadi into killing her father?
- Odin spread word of a great eagle that plagued the Aesir and stole the golden apples of youth, claiming no archer could bring it down, knowing Skadi could not resist proving herself superior. She tracked and shot the creature, but found she had slain not an eagle but her own father, Thiazi.
- What happened to Skadi?
- Overcome with grief and shame at having killed her own father, Skadi gave herself up to her fate as winter fell over the mountains. She died holding her father in an embrace meant to last for all time, the mountain holding her in turn.
Sources
- GameGod of War (2018), Santa Monica Studio, 2018
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Followed from this entry
Atreus (Loki): Kratos's Son and the Truth of His Name
Atreus was the son of Kratos and the Jotunn Faye, born in Midgard and given the hidden name Loki. Across two great journeys he grew from a sickly boy into the prophesied champion of the Giants, the god of mischief whose fate was bound to Ragnarok.
Mimir
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Odin
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Odin
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