Honoring Sigyn

by Galina Krasskova

Loki and Sigyn by SandaraI can offer some suggestions as to what to put on Her altar, but this is based on my own experience of Sigyn, and should not in any way serve to limit one’s own altar construction. The following suggestions are not in any way based on lore (save for the symbolism of the bowl) but are drawn from my own and other people’s personal gnosis.

  • Symbols: old-fashioned keys, bowl or cup, heart, star
  • Sigyn as the child-bride: pink, lavender, or blue altar cloths, pretty dolls, stuffed animals, flowers, childlike things, lady bugs, beads.
  • Sigyn as the mourning wife and mother: grey or dark brown cloths, wooden or metal bowl, ashes. I have known several Sigyn’s women who associated the doe with Her.
  • Herbs: milk thistle, sweet flag iris, tulips, cherry blossoms
  • Rune: Nauthiz, some Sigyn’s women see Berkana with Her.
  • Stones I associate with Her: rose quartz, green garnet, pearls. (I personally do not buy pearls because the way they are harvested is often harmful to the ocean. This is a taboo placed on me as a result of my devotion to Ran, Aegir, and Their Nine Daughters. An exception to this would be the purchase of estate pearls [1]. Still, all this being said, I do strongly associate pearls with Sigyn perhaps because they are traditionally associated with mourning)
  • Food Offerings: sweets, cakes, cookies, chocolate for Her as child, bread, macaroni and cheese (at least one Sigyn’s woman swears She likes this), butter, sweet wines.
  • Other offerings: honor Narvi and Vali, put something to represent them on the altar (perhaps toys as They were Her children), mourn for Her children, hold the bowl, help children in need, donate to organizations that help mothers and/or children in need, feed the hungry/donate time or money to organizations that feed the hungry, donate to war relief organizations or organizations that help refugees, particularly women and children, commit to regular prayer practice honoring Her. Be loyal to whatever you love when you feel you do not have the strength to do so and offer that to Sigyn. When it’s no effort, it’s just you but when you feel you cannot do this any longer, that is the effort that can be given to Sigyn.
  • Things not to do: insult Loki, insult or demean Her children, ignore Her children.

footnotes

[1] Pearls from pre-1950 were not harvested using modern methods.