Sedna, Inuit Mother of the Sea by Judith Shaw

During the depths of winter, the tension between sacrifice and the joy of rebirth peaks. From Pagan celebrations of the Winter Solstice to Christian festivities marking Christ’s birth, this darkest time of year in the Northern Hemisphere is recognized as a moment when darkness nurtures light, promising the arrival of spring. It’s the perfect time to explore the story of the Inuit Sea Goddess, Sedna, whose tale encompasses sacrifice, transformation, and metamorphosis.

Many versions of Sedna’s story exist. In most, she is portrayed as a beautiful woman who becomes a Sea Goddess. Her metamorphosis occurs when her father throws her from his kayak and chops off her fingers as she clings to the boat to avoid drowning. Her severed fingers transform into the first sea mammals, crucial for the people’s survival. The details leading up to this moment vary greatly among Inuit communities.

To understand the difficulties of this myth, we must first explore the Inuit people of the Arctic regions of Alaska, northern Canada, and Greenland—a harsh environment where extreme cold prevents vegetable growth, trees are scarce, and food sources primarily come from animals like caribou, seals, fish, walruses, whales, and seabirds. This barren world of ice, snow, and sea, with its extremes of light and darkness, poses significant survival challenges.

Keeping this context in mind is important as we explore Sedna’s tale. Her story reflects the harsh realities faced by her people and the strength required to endure them. Ethnographers describe relentless cold, hunger, and the constant search for food, noting that the Inuit will eat almost anything, from the fermented juices of a walrus stomach to seal eyes, and even practiced cannibalism. Before modern comforts reached the Arctic, some believed it was better to consume one’s young child than to starve together, as the child would die without parental protection.

Some stories depict Sedna as prideful, temperamental, and selfish. In one version, she meets her fate after trying to eat her father’s arm while he sleeps, suggesting her hunger was immense.

In most versions, her story begins with her refusal to marry any of the suitors her father offers, believing herself superior to them. In some accounts, her father is deceived by a suitor who misrepresents himself and fails to provide Sedna with a comfortable, secure home. In others, Sedna makes the choice and then becomes dissatisfied with what her husband offers, prompting her father to try to rescue her after learning of her unhappiness.

Often the tales depict Sedna as being tricked into marrying a creature disguised as a man, typically a bird, symbolizing the spirit realm, or a dog, symbolizing the Underworld; dogs are Underworld guardians in myths from around the world

In some stories her father arranges the marriage, while others suggest Sedna is deceived by the spirit bird-man or dog-man. Regardless, her marriage quickly becomes one she wishes to escape.

In the most popular version of Sedna’s story, she marries a fulmar—an Arctic sea bird—disguised as a man. Known far and wide for her beauty, Sedna loved to comb her long dark hair for hours on end.  

One day, a fulmar spotted Sedna as he flew overhead. He fell in love with her and swooped down, asking her to marry him. Sedna simply laughed and refused.

Determined to win her heart, the fulmar transformed into a man, donning a rich sealskin coat and unique glasses made from walrus tusks. When he appeared to Sedna in this disguise, he asked her to marry him again. Intrigued by his appearance, she accepted and left with him despite her parents’ objections.

At first, she was happy in their little rock hut by the sea. He brought her fresh meat and sang to her while they made love. But, one day, the bird-man’s glasses fell off, revealing his true eyes. Sedna suddenly saw him as ugly and grew unhappy, yearning to leave and return to her parents’ home.

Meanwhile, her parents, distraught by her disappearance, paddled frantically in search of her, calling out her name. Finally, they reached the little rock hut by the sea, and begged her to return with them. She agreed, stating that she could no longer abide her husband’s ugly eyes.

Her husband, the fulmar, returned home only to discover that Sedna was gone. Flying over the sea, he searched and searched. Putting on the spectacles that had helped win Sedna’s heart, he found their boat and began flapping his wings wildly, sending large waves crashing toward their fragile boat. Sedna’s parents were terrified, fearing they would all die due to Sedna’s prideful nature. 

They yelled at her to jump overboard, blaming her for the chaos. She refused, fearing death and blaming the storm on her husband. Overwhelmed by fear, her parents tossed her overboard. As she clung to the side, her father chopped off her fingers, yet she somehow held on. Then he cut off both of her hands, causing her to lose her grip and plunge beneath the waves. The storm subsided, and her parents paddled home safely without Sedna.

Sedna’s mortal life ended with the transformation of death. As she sank to the bottom of the sea, she became Sedna, Mother of the Sea, reigning over the oceans, storms and all sea creatures. Her sacrificed fingers birthed fish, whales, seals, and walruses, all finding their home in her luxurious long hair. This abundance provided the people with nourishing sea mammals essential for survival in the harsh cold. However, abundance and favorable sea conditions are deeply tied to her moods, which are influenced by human actions.

Without hands, she could no longer comb her hair as she once loved to do. Sitting at the sea’s bottom, she grew increasingly miserable as her hair became dirtier with each passing day.

The reciprocity needed between humans, nature, and spirit comes to light through Sedna’s inability to care for herself as she ruled her underworld domain, Adlivun. Adlivun translates to “those who live beneath us”— sea creatures, the spirits of the dead, and the ancestors.

To the Inuit, the goddesses and gods do not exist in a distant, transcendent realm; they are of Earth—approachable and part of life. Thus, Inuit shamans, known as angakkuit, entered trance states to journey to Sedna in Adlivun, where they offered prayers and made amends for humanity’s misdeeds, such as greed, disrespect, and lack of gratitude.

They also cared for Sedna, combing her hair, massaging her aching limbs, and cleansing her body with sand. Only then would Sedna send the angakkuit back to the surface with news that she would provide calm seas and animals for the people to hunt, ensuring they would not starve. The tale of Sedna underscores the importance of honor, accountability, reciprocity, and stewardship in maintaining a balanced world.

Sedna’s Symbolism

The symbolism in Sedna’s tale is rich and varied. In this and many other versions, we glimpse the nature of attraction and the perils of being seduced by beauty. The fulmar’s eyeglasses serve as a façade masking his true identity. Sedna is drawn to this false image, illustrating how superficial appearances can conceal deeper truths. However, her attraction disappears the moment the glasses fall off, revealing the reality of her choice. Unable to see her husband’s true self and its spiritual dimension, she grapples with the conflict between physical beauty and inner truth. Feeling betrayed by a love that was never genuine, she now faces the consequences of her actions.

Sedna represents the cycles of nature—life, death, and rebirth—and the interconnectedness of existence. Life nourishes itself through a delicate balance of taking and giving, as each being feeds upon another. Sedna reminds us of the importance of gratitude for the sacrifices necessary to sustain life.

She symbolizes our dependence on the natural world for survival and spiritual connection. While the sea and nature provide abundant resources, they can also act as destructive forces. Sedna personifies this duality, reminding us to live in harmony with the natural world. Like the angakkuit’s caring actions toward Sedna, we too must nurture the sea, land, and air—a vital message for our modern society, often disconnected from nature.

Sedna’s story also symbolizes resilience, illustrating the strength and adaptability needed to survive. Her journey from a self-absorbed young woman to a powerful Sea Goddess serves as a guide for all when facing hardship and challenges. Sedna reminds us that from difficulty growth emerges. She encourages us to embrace our struggles, finding strength in our connections to community and the natural world.

May you find courage from Sedna’s story to endure your own challenges and those faced by the world collectively

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