9/22/08

Goddess of the Week: Sedna

Sedna is the Inuit goddess of the sea.  Once upon a time she was as human as you or me. Here's the story: a good-looking guy arrives at Sedna's house and, like any louse, he promises her everything -- foods, warm pelts, a nice home, a flatscreen TV.  She agrees to marry  him, and he takes her to his isolated island where the truth came out.  He's not even human!  He's a crummy bird who can only provide her with fish.  Well, even knowing the benefits of Omega threes, no one can be expected to eat fish all the time.  

Fast foward: Sedna's father comes to visit.  He sees how unhappy his daughter is and kills the birdman.  Dad and Sedna get in a canoe and head home.  But the birdman's friends get mad and cause a huge storm in the hopes of sinking the boat and avenging their friend.  Dad gets panicked (as men do) and throws Sedna in the sea in the hopes of placating the birdman's friends.  Sedna refuses to play the sacrificial lamb and holds tight to the boar, so Dad gets out his knife and cuts off her fingers one at a time.  Each finger turns into an Arctic sea creature (seal, whale, etc).  As for Sedna, she sinks to the bottom of the sea where she still refuses to die.  She becomes a goddess!  She has the head and torso of a human and the tail of a fish.

She is the source of Arctic life and Inuit shamans rely on her to keep the seas full of food and to help heal their sick patients.  In trances, the Shamans swim to the bottom on the ocean and comb and braid her hair in order to win her favor.  Hey, she may sound easy, but remember, she has no fingers to do her own hair and just think what happens to your hair when you've been swimming at the beach.  

Personal attributes of Sedna: Not the best man smarts, but one tough cookie nonetheless.

Channel this goddess when:  The men in your life are bringing you down.  She will remind you that you don't need their shit and that you can very well -- even better -- on your own.  

 

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I was just learning about this goddess in class! It's interesting to think of channeling the mother of the sea, but perhaps I'll do this one day. This is a great blog, and I'll be reading more of your posts!