Sedna: Inuit Goddess of the Deep Sea

The Inuit goddess Sedna‘s story begins with a common mythological theme, a beautiful young woman who is not impressed by any of her multiple suitors. Sedna’s father, a widower, was constantly trying to marry her off, but she would have none of it.

False Lover

​One fateful day, a sea bird (a fulmar) promised to take her away to his “comfortable, luxurious” home. The impulsive young girl eloped with the fulmar.

​The “veritable palace” he had described turned out to be a filthy, smelly nest. And, to make matters worse, her new husband treated her like a slave. Sedna begged her father to come and take her back home, and he agreed.

​But as they were heading across the waters, a flock of fulmars surrounded the boat. The incessant flapping of their wings caused a tremendous storm to arise, and their small vessel was being tossed from side to side.

Cruel Father

​Fearing for his own safety, Sedna’s father threw her into the ocean to appease the angry birds. When Sedna tried to climb back into the boat, he cut off her fingers. As she struggled to use her mutilated hands to try again, he cut off her hands. Finally he threw her and her appendages into the water.

​As she sank to the bottom of the ocean, her dismembered limbs started growing. They grew into fish, seals, whales, and all of the other sea mammals.

The Queen of Adlivum

Nuvualiak Alariak, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

​She descended to Adlivum (the Inuit Land of the Dead), where she now rules. As Queen of the Adlivum, Sedna is responsible for sending food to the hunters. To ensure that she continues to feed the people, shamans must descend through many horrifying places to reach Sedna and soothe her.

Appeasing Sedna

​The route is dangerous and terrifying. The shamans have to pass through countless dead souls, an abyss where an icy wheel turns slowly and perpetually. Then past a cauldron full of boiling seals, and finally past the horrible dog that guards her home.

​When shamans visit her, they massage Sedna’s aching limbs and comb her hair. Only when she is properly comforted will Sedna permit the shaman to return to the people. Then they can inform them that she will send the animals to be hunted so that they will not face starvation.

​Sedna is the Mistress of Life and Death to the Inuit people because it is she who provides for them. If she is not respected, she begins to feel her hands sear with pain and, in her misery, sends sickness, storms, and starvation to punish the humans.

​Only when someone is willing to brave the voyage to her home and help her pain will she let the animals return to be hunted. But when people treat her with respect and concern, they receive her blessings.

Celestial Honors

Sedna also lives in the sky. In 2003, astronomers discovered a heretofore unknown planet in the farthest reaches of our solar system. In a deviation from the custom of naming celestial bodies after characters from Greek and Roman mythology, the name chosen for this newcomer was Sedna, after the Inuit goddess of the Sea.

Legacy

​It would be nice to think that, while scientists are venturing farther into the mysterious outer regions of our solar system, equal emphasis is being given to diving into the depths of the human psyche.

​The goddess Sedna teaches us that we must delve into the dark, cold places that we fear most. Only then we can find the riches that rest there.

​Sedna reminds us that, in spite of all our foolish mistakes, we are still worthy of love and respect. And that we have every right to expect, and even demand, that others treat us well.

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Sedna Symbols

Among many gods and goddesses, Sedna is certainly among those with the most tragic origin stories. Betrayed by her own father and left to die in the cold sea, Sedna ascended and became a powerful goddess most often associated with the deep sea.

Her symbols are also associated with the deep sea and the creatures that inhabit it. 

General

The sea, cold, deep, and mysterious, became a symbol of Sedna the moment she was brutally murdered by her father. After that tragic event, Sedna became a symbol of everything that’s hidden deep inside. 

Other symbols of Sedna are hunting, cold, and winter.

Animals

Fulmar (sea bird) persuaded Sedna to run away from her home and promised her riches and comfort. Sedna realized it was all a lie, but it was too late… Other Sedna symbols are fish, seals, and sea mammals, as these animals originated from Sedna’s severed limbs.

Plants

Not many plants can thrive or even survive in the deep sea, but algae, phytoplanktons, and seaweeds adapted to such harsh conditions. These plants symbolize Sedna and her struggle to ascend from the deep sea.

Perfumes/Scents

The deep sea has a unique scent, described as sulphuric, due to numerous bacteria that are feeding on dead phytoplanktons. So, if you want to find a scent that would perfectly symbolize Sedna, that would be sulfur.

However, sulfur isn’t quite pleasant, so if you want to honor Sedna while still choosing a perfume that would perfectly represent her, find perfumes that contain scent notes such as iris, ambergris, patchouli, salt accord, sea salt, and sage.

Gems and Metals

Corals, calcite, pearls, and aragonite are the best gemstones to symbolize Sedna.

Goddess Jewelry

There are many reasons why you might want to keep a healing crystal or stone close to you. Getting closer to your goddess by wearing her color or crystal is a great one. That they also look great as jewelry only makes it so much better!

Here is a guide to crystal jewelry you hopefully will find helpful. In it is a list of 30+ crystals and links to some really great looking jewelry with that crystal or stone. Enjoy!

Colors

White, black, blue, and green are colors often associated with a deep sea. With this in mind, it is easy to see why these colors suit Sedna so well.

Other Goddesses

If you enjoyed this post we are sure you will enjoy getting to know some of the other goddesses we also write about. You can find the complete list of goddesses sorted across regions and religions here.

Featured Image Credit: Sailko, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Liz Turnbull

Sharon and Elizabeth Turnbull, mother and daughter team and the website's midwives, had over 45 years of combined work and continuous study in psychology when they decided to create the Goddess Quiz and goddessgift.com. In 2001, we launched our mission to provide visitors with tools for personal insight, self-knowledge, inspiration, and refinement. Sharon, the bestselling author of Goddess Gift (a book about finding the goddess in yourself) worked as a senior partner in a consulting firm, a speaker at seminars and conferences, and as a professor and administrator at four universities during an academic career that spanned over three decades. Liz is also a published author who works as a healthcare provider, an instructor in communication skills for healthcare providers, and leads workshops on multiple subjects including health/healing, communication, and personal growth. It is our greatest hope that our gift may help the Sacred Feminine within and all around us thrive and bless us all with Her Gifts.