Niord has a wife called Skadi, daughter of the giant Thiassi. Skadi wants to have the home her father had had-- this is in some mountains, a place called Thrymheim --but Niord wants to be near the sea. They agreed on this, that they should stay nine nights in Thrymheim and then alternate nines at Noatun. But when Niord came back to Noatun from the mountain he said this:
"I hate mountains--not long was I there, just nine nights: wolves' howling I thought ugly compared with the swans' song."
Then Skadhi said this:
"I could not sleep on the sea's beds for the birds' screaming; he wakes me who comes from the sea every morning, that gull."
Then Skadhi went up into the mountain and lived in Thrymheim and generally travels on skis and carries a bow and shoots game. She is called ski-deity or ski-lady. As it says:
"It is called Thrymheim where Thiassi dwelt, that most mighty giant, but now Skadhi, bright bride of gods, inhabits her fathers old abode.
- Gylfaginning (page 23 - 24 of Anthony Faulkes translation)
But Skadi, daughter of giant Thiassi, took helmet and mail-coat all all weapons of war and went to Asgard to avenge her father. But the Ęsir offered her atonement and compensation, the first item of which was to choose herself a husband out of the Ęsir and choose by the feet and see nothing else of them. Then they saw one person's feet that were exceptionally beautiful and said: 'I choose that one; there can be little that is ugly about Baldr.' But it was Niord of Noatun. It was also in the terms of her settlement that the Ęsir were to do something that she thought they would not be able to do, that was to make her laugh. Then Loki did as follows: he tied a cord round the beard of a certain nanny-goat and the other end round his testicles, and they drew each other back and forth and both squealed loudly. The Loki let himself drop into Skadi's lap, and she laughed. Then the atonement with her on the part of the AEsir was complete. It is said that Odin, as compensation for her, did this: he took Thiassi's eyes and threw them up into the sky and out of them made two stars.
- Skaldskaparmal (page 61 of Anthony Faulkes translation)
[The gods capture and bind Loki]...Then Skadi got a poisonous snake and fixed it up over him so that the poison would drip from the snake into his face. But his wife Sigyn stands next to him holding a basin under the drops of poison. And when the basin is full, she goes and pours away the poison, but in the mean-time the poison drips into his face. Then he jerks away so hard that the whole earth shakes. That is what you call an earthquake. There will he lie in bonds until Ragnarok.
- Gylfaginning (page 52 of Anthony Faulkes translation)
Freyr, the son of Njordhr, had seated himself on Hlidhskialf, and was gazing into all the world's realms. He looked into Giant Realms and saw there a lovely girl, just as she was walking from her father's hall to her bower. From that sight he caught great sickness of heart.
Skirnir was the name of Freyr's servant. Njordhr asked him to go get Freyr to talk. Then Skadhi said:
Now Skirnir, get up
and go and request
some speech from our boy
and ask him this:
against whom in that fertile brain
might father's heir be fuming?
- Skirnismal (Ursula Dronke translation)
Skahdi said:
Light is your mood, Loki,
- you will not for long
toass so free a tail,
for on a sword
with your frost-cold son's
guts the gods will bind you.
Loki said:
You know, if - on a sword
with my frost-cold son's
guts - the gods will bind me,
the first and the last
was I at the dying,
when we thrust our fingers on Thiazi.
Skadhi said:
You know, if the first and the last
you were at the dying,
when you thrust your fingers on Thiazi,
from my fanes
and fields shall come
cold counsel for you ever.
Loki said:
Lighter in your talk
You were with Laufey's son
when you had me beckoned to yuor bed
- such a matter must be mentioned by us
if we are completely
to count our blemishes.
- Lokasenna (Ursula Dronke translation)
9. OF NJORD'S MARRIAGE.
Njord took a wife called Skade; but she would not live with him and married afterwards Odin, and had many sons by him, of whom one was called Saeming; and about him Eyvind Skaldaspiller sings thus: --
"To Asa's son Queen Skade bore
Saeming, who dyed his shield in gore, --
The giant-queen of rock and snow,
Who loves to dwell on earth below,
The iron pine-tree's daughter, she
Sprung from the rocks that rib the sea,
To Odin bore full many a son,
Heroes of many a battle won."
- Yngling Saga, Chapter 8 (Samuel Laing Translation)