Sedna
The Inuit Goddess of the Sea.
It is Sedna who
rewards the people of the land with food from the sea.
Without Her blessing, hunts fail and the people starve.
There are many
different versions to the story of Sedna but they all tell of a
beautiful girl, who lived alone with her father. Many men came
to rue her, but one quite different from the rest, promised her
comfort and much food. She choose to go with him to find he
was really a seabird, he offered his home that was a stinky nest,
and lots of raw fish to eat. Sedna sang for her father to take
her away.
A year went by when before her father came and she pleaded with him
to take her away. He paddled her in his boat away, with the
birds after them raising the waves threatening their death.
Sedna's father was afraid so tossed his daughter over board.
Sedna clung to the side of the boat with her fingers. Her
father chopped off her hands Sedna soon sank below the waves and was
gone. When Sedna's fingers fell into the water, the fingers became
whales, seals and polar bears, her nails became whalebone. As the
young woman sank into the sea she was transformed into the mystical
being known as Sedna, Mother of Oceans and ruler over all life in
the Sea
.
The blessings of Sedna are still sought by the people of the North
who know it is She who sustains them.
Soap carving as the Inuits: Instead of using soap stone use soap.
The Image to the right is of Pana; An Inuit deity who cares for the souls of the deceased before they are reincarnated. We love this women's art Celestial Goddess from Lisa Hunt
The sculpture of Sedna is from Joan Relke
This page last updated: 03/01/2018