Sif

The Sword Maiden, Goddess of Family and Marriage, Mistress of Valkyries, Wife to Thor, Patron of Women Warriors and Archers, Patron of Huldramose

• Divine Domains: Beer, Hunting, Speed
• Alignment: Good
• Favored Weapon: Bow

Sif is the gold-keeping, arrow-shooting, ale-brewing wife of Thor, the equal of any man and better than most. She is the good mother and friend of the faithful.

Worshippers

Married and unmarried women comprise most of Sif’s followers, though archers, farmers, and gold-seeking dwarves all maintain varying degrees of fondness for her as well. All female warriors give Sif her due as leader of the valkyries and shield maidens. She is also worshipped in Perunalia as a sister to their duchess.

Symbols and Books

Sif’s symbol is a brace of arrows. Her priests keep no books.

Priests and Shrines

Sif ’s greatest shrine is the wooden church of Jarlshallen, a small village on a mountaintop of Vidim . Her shield maidens gather there each year for blessings, and the valkyries bless the men and women who come to her each spring before the raiding season and each fall before the giants come down from the ice and mountains. Her priestesses include prophets and oracles.

Masks

Some believe Sif is a mask of Lada in the south, though others associate her more closely with Ceres or Ninkash. She is known as Grajava the Shield Maiden among the dwarves and Skadi among the giants.

Other Faiths

Sif is on excellent terms with followers of Thor, Lada, and Svarog. She is the unwavering enemy of Boreas, Chernobog, and Marena.

What Sif Demands

Be fierce and be faithful, and fight for what you believe in. Learn the bow and axe and spear as a warrior, or raise children to be strong and true, and do either or both with your whole heart. Stand strong in the summer and learn to bend in the winter storm. Strike down evil and practice your own excellence without ever insulting another’s skill.

Saint Adelind of Yarosbirg

A shield maiden of Sif named Adelind fought heroically and gave her life in defense of Krakova against the undead of Morgau at Yarosbirg, the castle devoted to Sif’s Order of the Spear. Stories say that Sif collected Adelind’s spirit from the battlefield where she fell, and that the saint answers the prayers of women and shield maidens who swear a righteous vengeance against the darakhul and their vampire masters. Her symbol is the snowdrop, a flower that blooms even in frost and snow.