Sif is the Norse Goddess of the grain, who is a prophetess,
and the beautiful golden-haired wife of Thor. Thor is the thunder
God and frequent companion of Loki,
as He makes the perfect patsy, being not too bright. Sif is
of the elder race of Gods or Aesir. She is a swan-maiden, like
the Valkyries, and can take that form.
By Her first marriage to the Giant Orvandil, Sif had a son
named Ullr ("the Magnificent"), who is a god of winter
and skiing. By Her second husband Thor, She had a daughter,
Thrudr ("Might"), a Goddess of storm and clouds and
one of the Valkyries, and two sons, Magni ("Might")
and Modi ("Anger" or "The Brave"), who are
destined to survive Ragnarok and inherit Mjollnir from Thor
(though some say the Giantess Jarnsaxa "Iron Sword"
is their mother).
Sif is famous for Her very long, very golden hair. One night,
Loki, who just couldn't resist a little chaos and mischief,
snuck into Her chamber and chopped it all off. A sobbing and
horrified Sif went straight to Her husband, who in His rage
started breaking Loki's bones, one by one, until finally He
swore to make the situation right.
So Loki went to the dwarves and persuaded them to make not
only a new head of magic hair for Sif from pure gold, but also
a magical ship and a spear. But Loki could not resist pushing
His luck, and made a wager with two other dwarves, Brokk and
Sindi, daring them to make better treasures. Loki was so sure
of the outcome that He had let His own head be the prize. Underestimating
the dwarves' skills (or the depth of their hatred for Him),
He suddenly realized with a shock that Brokk and Sindi were
winning! In desperation He changed Himself into a horsefly,
biting and pestering the dwarves while they worked. In spite
of this they managed to produce several treasures, the most
famous of which was Mjollnir, Thor's Hammer.
The Gods were then called to arbitrate and declared Brokk
and Sindi the winners. Loki promptly disappeared. When He was
tracked down He was again given to the dwarf brothers, but this
time Loki agreed, yes, they had a right to His head, but the
wager had said nothing about His neck. Frustrated with this
"logic", the dwarves had to content themselves with
sewing His lips shut.
The new head of golden hair was given to Sif, where it magically
grew from Her head just as if it were natural. Her golden hair
is said to represent the wheat of summer that is shorn at harvest-time.
This card in a reading indicates that the situation will have
its ups and downs, but that ultimately things will turn out
for the better. (Be prepared for the consequences if you push
your luck, though.) Great beauty and healing will come at the
end of this cycle.
