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Sif Mandifarisdóttir

Sif Mandifarisdóttir The Goddess of Wheat


Omega (God of War 2018)

This article contains lore based on real-life sources from Norse Mythology as introduced from the God of War Norse Era.


You said no more Aesir blood would be spilled. You said family comes first. You don’t think that this is retribution for him being here? He's put your granddaughter in danger. He's made your son miserable.

–Sif to Odin about Loki

Sif (Old Norse: Sifjar, Nordic: ᛊᛁᚠ), also known as Sif Mandifarisdóttir (Translation: Sif, Daughter of Mandifari) is the Norse Goddess of Wheat, Earth, Harvest and Family. She is the wife of Thor, the daughter-in-law of Odin, step-mother of Magni and mother of Thrúd and presumably Modi. Sif is introduced as a secondary character of God of War Ragnarök. Acting as Odin's diplomat and notably managing the relations with the refugees that are newly established in Asgard, Sif has long been dissatisfied with the All-Father's policy regarding family matters and their people. Her bitterness is further exacerbated as soon as Atreus settles in the room of her son, Modi, whom he killed three years ago. She unsuccessfully tries to use her influence upon her husband, Thor, by openly questioning his loyalty to Odin, whom she sees as a threat to the Aesir in general and to her family in particular. A loving mother and faithful wife, Sif survives Ragnarök and becomes the new leader of the Aesir following the death of both Odin and Thor, and ultimately settles in Vanaheim with her only living child, Thrúd.

Norse Mythology[]

The name Sif is the singular form of the plural Old Norse word sifjar. Sifjar only appears in singular form when referring to the goddess as a proper noun. Sifjar is cognate to the Old English sibb and modern English sib (meaning "affinity, connection, by marriage") and in other Germanic languages: Gothic 𐍃𐌹𐌱𐌾𐌰 (sibja), Old High German sippa, and modern German Sippe. Sifjar appears not only in ancient poetry and records of law, but also in compounds (byggja sifjar means "to marry").

In Norse mythology, Sif is a goddess associated with earth. In both the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda, Sif is the wife of the thunder god Thor and is known for her golden hair. In the Prose Edda, Sif is named as the mother of the goddess Þrúðr by Thor and of Ullr with a father whose name is not recorded. The Prose Edda also recounts that Sif once had her hair shorn by Loki, and that Thor forced Loki to have a golden headpiece made for Sif, resulting in not only Sif's golden tresses but also five other objects for other gods.

In the God of War Series[]

Backstory[]

Sif was born the daughter of Mandifari and Hreth, it is assumed that she grew up in Gladsheim, Asgard. Sif was a proud Aesir and much like the other Aesir, she believed in Odin's rule. At some point in her life, Sif met Thor, falling in love with him and later getting married. Sometime during their marriage, Thor in an act of infidelity, cheated on his wife Sif with the Jötunn, Járnsaxa. Through Járnsaxa, Sif became the stepmother to Thor's eldest son, Magni. Not long after Magni's birth, Modi was born. It is unclear if Sif is his biological mother, or if Thor cheated on her a second time as it's never talked about in the games. A few hundred years later they had their first and only daughter, Thrúd. . Not long after Magni's birth, Modi was born. It's never explicitly stated that Sif is Modi's biological mother but given the time frame of their births and Sindri's claims that they have "different mothers", it's likely that Modi is indeed Sif's biological son. While Sif and Thor loved their sons they were abusive and authoritarian towards them, the same way Thor was raised by Odin, and both grew up ruthless with Magni being favored over Modi who developed numerous mental health problems.

A few hundred years later Sif and Thor had their first and only daughter, Thrúd. However Sif and Thor, realizing their mistakes with Magni and Modi, didn't raise Thrúd using abusive methods but instead with more compassion so she wouldn't have the same issues as her brothers. Sif even abandoned her alcoholism in pursuit of this goal. As hoped Thrúd grew up more benevolent than her brothers but still developed a passion for battle and to serve Odin. After the deaths of her sons, Sif's relationship and trust with her father-in-law became sour. This made her try everything her her own power to prevent the same fate for her daughter. While Thor shared similar concerns for his daughter, he continued supporting Thrúd's decisions and even supervised her training, knowing he couldn't stop her but wanting to be sure she was ready. This caused a rift between Sif and Thor's relationship which was worsened by the latter's unwillingness to oppose his father, and his own struggle to overcome alcoholism.

God of War (2018)[]

Though Sif does not appear, when Kratos and Atreus reach Jötunheim, Brok mentions her name and claims she has soft and perfect "sloshers".

God of War: Ragnarök[]

Sif is first seen in The Great Lodge, on Loki' first visit to Asgard. Odin introduces her as his diplomat and asks about "New Midgard". Sif explains that everything is fine with the mortals, but there is a situation regarding the Dwarves. She is shown to have some resentment toward Atreus because of what he and Kratos did to her sons, Magni and Modi. She is then seen after Loki meets her daughter Thrúd and asks why she has gotten involved in Loki' quest. Thrúd says she is simply being friendly, and Sif asks if she knows what his father did before remarking on why Odin would want him there and to talk about it later.

After Kratos kills Heimdall in Vanaheim and Atreus returns to Asgard, Sif is heard arguing with Thrúd about Loki' involvement with Heimdall's death. She asks why he is not present to defend himself if he is not guilty, which Thrúd quickly rebuts by saying he is working with Odin.

After Loki finds the final piece of the Mask with Thor in Niflheim, Odin, Sif, Mist and Hrist appear before them. Sif tries to have Atreus punished after Forseti finds evidence of Kratos killing Heimdall. Odin orders her to stand down before Sif confronts the All-Father on his promise that no more Aesir blood would be spilled and that their family comes first. Odin explains that Loki had no involvement in Heimdall's death, that Thrúd is old enough to make her own decisions and that Thor decided to start drinking again on his own, before dismissing her. Sif then explains to Thor that Odin is no longer protecting them, and that him sending Magni and Modi with Baldur was just him throwing them at another one of his problems. She then goes on to say she is worried that Thrúd may be next, before Thor comforts her by kissing her hand. This seemingly convinces Thor that Loki is the real problem and attempts to kill him, but Atreus escapes with the help of Sindri's Yggdrasil seed.

During Ragnarök, after Thrúd confronts Atreus on his plan to kill Odin and destroy Asgard, Sif appears with Skjöldr and explains to Thrúd that Atreus was right about Odin all along. She says that Odin will sacrifice anything or anyone to solve a problem, including the Midgardians, their friends, and their family. She says that she hoped Thor would eventually stand up to him, but now it has to be Thrúd, because she believes in her abilities and her aspirations to become a Valkyrie. She then explains that the only way their family can be whole again, is without Odin. She hugs her daughter and gives her permission to go with Atreus to confront Thor, claiming that he will listen to Thrúd. She then asks Skjöldr if he is ready to find the rest of the Midgardians, before Thrúd says that she loves her mother, which Sif reciprocates.

After Ragnarok concludes, and Loki wakes from his coma, Sif is seen in Hoddmimi's Holt talking with Thrúd. Atreus offers his condolences to them for the death of Thor and apologizes that he couldn't do more. Sif replies that there is some comfort in knowing that Odin is dead, and that she is working with Hildisvíni to get the remaining Aesir and Asgardians to Vanaheim to help the Vanir rebuild the realm. She goes on to talk to her daughter about her weapons and if they were damaged in the battle, which Thrúd replies there may be some small damage. Sif says she can get them repaired and that a Shield Maiden needs all her tools to be as working as best they can. She also says that Sigrun would be upset if her weapons were dull on commencement of Thrud's Valkyrie training. A small while later, after Atreus finds Kratos, Sif is seen discussing with Hildisvíni, about the rebuild of Vanaheim and where the remaining Asgardians would reside, before thanking Kratos for his help during Ragnarök.

When Kratos and Freya travel to Vanaheim after Ragnarök, Sif is again seen discussing plans with Hildisvíni in Freyr's camp. They welcome Kratos, Mimir and Freya, before the latter remarks that it speaks volumes seeing Sif in Vanaheim in person and that she is the first of the Aesir to do so in peace. Sif replies by saying that the Vanir's forgiveness is what speaks volumes, and she that she is happy to help them rebuild. Freya comments that she never would have believed that the Aesir and Vanir could live in harmony, before Mimir remarks that the decision was somewhat easily made, given the Aesir no longer have a home. Sif then says she has not missed hearing Mimir's constant commentary for the past 100 years. Hildisvíni says he would rather be exiled than listen to Mimir for that long, before Sif says she has so many stories about Mimir, much to the latter's discomfort.

Personality[]

Sif is a loving wife and a caring mother, as she dearly loves her husband, Thor and her daughter, Thrúd and wants the best for both of them. She dearly loved her son, Modi and her stepson, Magni, despite not being his biological mother, and considered him as her own son. She reminisces the happy times that she and Thor told them stories by the fire as young boys until they fell asleep in their laps. Initially, like the rest of the Aesir, Sif was incredibly loyal and reverent of her father-in-law, the All-Father, striving to impress him and encouraging her sons to do the same. But after her sons' deaths, she deeply mourned for them, and her feelings began to change into distrust for Odin for his selfishness, as he was the one responsible for sending Magni and Modi to their deaths, She described their deaths as using "brittle knives against a mountain face", and this made her have outright contempt for Odin for inviting Atreus to Asgard and treating him significantly better than his own grandchildren. Sif feared that Thrúd would be the next to die and as a result desperately tried to convince Thor to acknowledge Odin's true nature, in order to protect their family.

Before Atreus came to Asgard, Sif was much like her husband, Thor, as she would often get drunk and partake in many debauched activities. She also continued Odin's cycle of toxic parenting in berating, mocking, and even beating their children as a form of harsh discipline in order to make what was considered strong, competent men that would impress & serve the All-Father well. However, after Magni & Modi died while on a mission from Odin who was indifferent to their deaths, going so far as to deem them worthless and Asgard better off without them, she began to question both the parenting of Odin as well as Odin himself. She gave up drinking & took on a new, gentler parenting style with her daughter Thrúd that focused more on her as a person than her value to Odin. She even went so far as to ban her from fighting and becoming a Valkyrie only because she did not want her to serve under Odin, no longer trusting him to value his family and their safety as much as he claimed. She also attempted to convince Thor to do the same, to focus more on protecting their own family & to stand up to his father. And while Thor improved in some areas, going so far as to give up drinking, she had little success in convincing him to focus more on their own family rather than pleasing his father, this of course was due to the severity of Odin's manipulation over him. She was also willing to save the lives of mortals, as seen with Skjöldr. Initially, Sif held strong open contempt for Atreus, due to his involvement with the deaths of her sons and the risk he posed to the Aesir gods, but she came to accept him as an ally after realizing the true depravity of Odin's actions.

Appearance[]

As a Goddess known best for her beautiful golden hair, it comes as no surprise that Sif's long locks are the most prominent quality of her appearance, a width of which extends to her knees even while in elegant varied braids. This interlaced hairstyle hangs over Sif's left shoulder at all times, held together and carefully adorned by golden cuffs and jewelry. Most notable of these accessories is an ornate golden hair-piece that dangles at the end of her hair, as well as an intricate golden headband seen reaching up to her hairline on both sides of her head. A long, much-thinner braid hangs over the right side of Sif's body, reaching down to her thighs while being woven secure with gold and blue hemp-fabric. Sif has blue eyes, as seen with most Aesir, fair skin and a sparse amount of beauty marks dotted along her face. Elaborate swirl-style tattoos can be found inked in a soft blue along her right arm, above her right collarbone and on the front end of her neck.

Unlike the typical wear of most Nordic women, Sif can be found sporting a vibrant blue Viking serk without any sort of overdress, uniquely strapless to allow arm and collarbone visibility. The upper hem of this serk has golden knot-stitching sewn along the top, fixed shut in the back by two small button clips. A center-piece of blue fabric hangs between the open sides of this dress-like outfit, where more elaborate gold and brown designs are present along the bottom surrounding it and the rest of Sif's serk. The inner edges of this serk also maintain this gold design, reaching upwards and ending at her brown-leather waist belt. This belt acts as a sort of corset around the Goddesses form, held together in the back by two gold-embellished buckle-straps. Sif's pants are a greyish-black unwrinkled fabric with minimal design, the only notable element present being the golden leg-band worn underneath her left knee. Aside from this, Sif's boots reach just below the knees and consist of dark brown and black leathers, both incorporating the use of straps around the ankles.

Powers and Abilities[]

Powers[]

As the Aesir Goddess of Earth and Family, Sif has many supernatural powers.

  • Immortality: As an Aesir Goddess, Sif is immortal. Only a sufficiently powerful weapon or an extremely powerful being can kill her.
  • Chlorokinesis: As the Goddess of the Harvest, Sif can control nature and any type of plant matter.

Abilities[]

  • Superhuman Strength
  • Speed/Agility
  • Stamina
  • Durability

Gallery[]

Portraits[]

Concept Art[]

Trivia[]

  • Sif's Greek equivalents (in terms of being the wife of Thor, the god of thunder) are Hera and (in terms of being the goddess of the harvest and fertility) Demeter.
  • Sif used Heimdall's death to actively oppose Odin's protection of Atreus since Odin himself said no more Aesir blood would be spilled. She presumably jumped at the opportunity to get rid of Atreus, while she does seem to be genuinely upset that Odin doesn't care about his own people Sif doesn't hesitate to use Heimdall's death to further make it clear to Thor that Odin doesn't care about them. It is possible that while she was not particularly upset that it was Heimdall who died, she still saw Odin's lack of care as further proof of how little Odin valued his family and people.
  • According to Thrúd, milk curd is Sif's favorite.
  • In the Artbook of God of War Ragnarok, Chapter 2 page 94, Sif's page only mentions Thrúd as her child. Beyond Sindri's tale of how both sons came from different mothers, there are no details of Modi being her son by blood. Given how little mention there is of Modi in the Eddas, it could be presumed the case for the God of War mythos that she had him before Thrud.
  • In Norse mythology, Sif possibly has another daughter with Thor besides Thrúd, named Lorride. But this character is only mentioned once in passing in the sources, and it may be an alternative name for Thor himself as there is no actual, legitimate evidence in the Poetic Edda, Prose Edda and so on, that she is their child, or a child at all.
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