The Legend of Sedna, Inuit Sea Goddess & Mother of Marine Animals

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Learn the moral story of Sedna & its significance
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Are you fascinated by mythologies—the gods, goddesses, creation myths, and fantastical creatures that influenced ancient cultures? You’re not alone! One such mythological figure is Sedna, an Inuit goddess of the sea and all marine life. Myths associated with her transformation into a goddess vary greatly since they were mainly passed down through word of mouth—but all have similar themes and morals. In this article, we’ll take a deep dive into Sedna and the myths that define her, so keep reading to learn more.

An Overview of Sedna, Inuit Sea Goddess

Sedna is the Mother of the Sea and marine animals in the Inuit religion. In most versions of her story, she was a mortal betrayed and thrown into the sea by her father. Sinking to the bottom of the sea, she transformed into a goddess, and her fingers (which were cut off) gained the ability to create sea creatures.

Section 1 of 6:

Who is Sedna?

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  1. She’s sometimes called the Mother of the Sea or, alternatively, the Mistress of the Sea. In the Inuit religion, Sedna becomes a sea goddess and ruler of “Adlivun,” the underworld, after being thrown (or, rather, sacrificed) into the sea. She’s traditionally depicted with a human form from the waist up and the tail of a fish or sea creature—much like a mermaid.
    • Sedna’s rough equivalents in other ancient myths and religions include:
      • Amphitrite, the Greek goddess of the sea
      • Salacia, Rome’s goddess of saltwater
      • Tefnut, an Egyptian goddess who produces water
      • Nāmaka, a Hawaiian sea goddess
    • Does Sedna have a goddess symbol? Not explicitly in the myths about her—but many things have been associated with Sedna as symbols, including water, an eye, fish, winter, and hunting.
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Section 2 of 6:

Myths & Legends of Sedna

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  1. 1
    Sedna’s story usually begins with her as a mortal maiden. She was beautiful and clever, but often described as vain. She loved her parents and was well taken care of (or, in alternative tellings, she was a good hunter in her own right), and thus had no desire to get married. Her parents—especially her father—wanted her to marry, but Sedna kept rejecting proposals from the village hunters. [1]
    • Her father’s response changes depending on the story; some tellings claim he made her live on a remote island until she finally accepted a proposal from a mysterious hunter who discovered her there.
    • Others claim he slipped her a sleeping potion and gave her to the unknown hunter who wanted to marry Sedna.
    • And, in some versions of the story, Sedna’s father didn’t do anything nefarious; he just waited until she finally agreed to marry the unknown hunter who visited.
      • In that version, the hunter promised Sedna that he was a skilled hunter and could provide for her, giving her everything she wanted.
  2. 2
    In many versions of the story, Sedna married a bird-man in disguise. After she married the hunter and left her village (or island) with him, she discovered that he wasn’t truly human. In some versions, he was a shapeshifter who could take the form of a giant bird; in others, he was a bird-spirit or a bird disguised as a man. Regardless, Sedna was furious and unhappy with her new husband, who’d also lied about his ability to hunt. [2]
    • As a bird-spirit, Sedna’s husband was described as a raven, or as a fulmar or petrel (both types of sea birds).
    • As a shapeshifter, her husband supposedly resembled a giant eagle.
    • Because Sedna’s husband was actually a bird-man, he was a poor hunter and could only bring back fish (not meat or furs).
  3. 3
    Sedna’s father discovered her unhappiness and tried to rescue her. He visited her and saw the truth of her husband’s nature; in the story where her father gave her a sleeping potion, the bird-man took Sedna to a nest on a cliff. In the story where Sedna willingly married the disguised bird-man, they lived on a distant island or somewhere that could only be reached by boat. [3]
    • In most versions of the story, Sedna’s father tried to bring her home in his kayak—typically while her “husband” was distracted or away.
  4. 4
    Sedna’s husband discovered her escape and retaliated. In some versions, he attacked Sedna and her father on their kayak himself; in others, his friends (other sea birds) attacked the kayak. As a bird-spirit, the legend says Sedna’s husband caused a storm to erupt in his anger, making the sea rough and dangerous. He summoned giant waves to wreck the boat and kill Sedna (and her father, by extension). [4]
  5. 5
    Sedna’s father threw her overboard in a panic. Again, the specifics can vary. In some myths, Sedna’s father was so blinded by terror and desperation that he threw her into the ocean, hoping to survive if she died. In others, he threw her into the ocean to try and appease the bird-man, who wanted Sedna dead for her “betrayal.” [5]
  6. 6
    Sedna clung to the side of the kayak, so her father cut off her fingers. Once in the water, Sedna tried to survive by holding onto the kayak (or, alternatively, trying to climb back into it). To stop her, Sedna’s father cut off her fingers with an ax, and she fell to the bottom of the sea. However, Sedna didn’t die; instead, this became the start of her new life. [6]
    • In one version of the story, Sedna’s fingers freeze when she tries to cling to the kayak instead and break off that way.
    • Whatever the story, Sedna is always portrayed in her goddess form without fingers.
  7. 7
    Sedna then transformed into an ocean goddess. Some myths claim she transformed immediately, while others suggest she remained asleep (or unconscious) at the bottom of the ocean for a time before waking up as a water spirit and goddess. And, as the Mother of the Sea, different sea creatures were born from each of her finger joints (or her cut fingers). [7]
    • Some legends claim that different seal species were born from her fingers, but most claim it was a wide variety of sea creatures—whales, seals, walruses, and sometimes fish.
    • As a goddess, Sedna gained control over all sea creatures—and could send them to humans or stop the animals from going to human hunting sites if she wanted to.
  8. 8
    Other versions of the myth and Sedna’s origins exist. There are some common threads in every version of Sedna’s myth, but the exact details of how she comes to lose her fingers and fall into the ocean can change. Inuit people come from several different Arctic and subarctic regions, from Alaska and Canada to Greenland; thus, different regions have their own way of telling the story. Here are some popular variations: [8]
    • Sedna as a giant - One legend says that Sedna was a giant and the daughter of Anguta, a creator-god. Sedna’s hunger was so fierce that she attacked her parents, so Anguta brought her out to sea in his kayak and threw her overboard.
    • Sedna marrying a dog - In another myth, Sedna was so unhappy with the men who proposed to her that she married a dog (perhaps to prove a point). In anger, her father threw her into the ocean and cut off her fingers.
    • Sedna as an orphan - A myth from the Netsilik people (in northern Nunavut, Canada) depicts Sedna as an orphan named Nuliayuk who was mistreated by her people. They eventually tried to drown her by cutting off her fingertips. In this story, Nuliayuk marries a sculpin and lives in the ocean.
    • Sedna being kidnapped - One legend says Sedna was kidnapped by a bird creature and her father tried to rescue her in his kayak. When the creature discovered this and attacked, Sedna’s father threw her overboard to appease it.
    • Sedna with her family - Then, there’s a Baffin Island version of the story with no husband or bird-man at all. In it, Sedna and her family were in a kayak when a storm hit. Her parents, blaming her for it, threw her into the sea.
  9. 9
    Every version of the myth results in Sedna’s “death” and rebirth. While the details change, Sedna always ends up being thrown into the sea (usually by her father) and her fingers are chopped off (or, in one version, they freeze off). Sea creatures form from her lost fingers, and as she sinks to the bottom of the sea—her new home—she becomes a mother goddess to all marine life. [9]
  10. 10
    As a goddess, Sedna was believed to be angry and vengeful. In legends, Sedna was angry because she had no fingers to care for her beautiful hair, which became tangled and filled with lice. To appease her, an Inuit shaman (angakkuq) visits her, combing and washing her hair. This placated Sedna, causing her to release her sea creatures and allow a bountiful hunt for humans. [10]
    • In some versions of the myth, the shaman would turn into a fish and swim to Sedna.
    • Nonetheless, Inuit people who worshipped Sedna believed she had to be appeased and took famine or poor hunts as a sign of her anger. They’d make offerings to the sea in hopes of pleasing her.
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Section 3 of 6:

Does Sedna have other names?

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  1. As mentioned above, she’s also known as Nuliayuk—and, similarly, Nuliajuk or Nerrivik (in the Kivalliq region of Canada). In areas of Greenland, her name is Arnakuagsak or Arnaqquassaaq. The West Greenlandic language recognizes her as Sassuma Arnaa—the “Mother of the Deep.” [11]
    • In Inuktitut, her name is ᓴᓐᓇ . The Romanized version of this can also be written as “Sanna” or “Sidne.”
    • The Copper Inuit of the Coronation Gulf call her Arnapkapfaaluk (“Big Bad Woman”), and she’s known as Takánakapsâluk or Takannaaluk in Igloolik.
    • On the Island of Killiniq, Labrador, she was called “Old-woman-who-lived-in-the-sea.”
Section 4 of 6:

Why is Sedna important?

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  1. To the Inuit people, Sedna’s power was connected to survival. Appeasing her was a way of making sure that hunts and fishing trips were successful—and preventing famine. Because Sedna was believed to control all marine life, which was the Inuit people’s primary source of food and other essential resources, Sedna herself was considered a very important goddess! [12]
    • Without marine life, coastal settlements (like those built by the Inuit) struggled greatly; thus, Sedna’s happiness was seen as a vital part of survival.
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Section 5 of 6:

What is the moral of Sedna’s myth?

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  1. 1
    Ultimately, the moral of Sedna’s myth is subjective. There’s not necessarily a definitive “moral” included in the legend, especially since it changes so much! Still, there are plenty of lessons and themes to be found, depending on how you interpret Sedna’s myth. All in all, her creation myth contains themes of nature, balance, transformation, and feminine power. We’ll explore each of them below!
  2. 2
    The myth is a reminder to honor the natural world. In her story, Sedna is capable of providing food or withholding it, and it was believed that Sedna (as a personification of nature) had to be honored and treated with respect. This reflects the idea that nature itself must be honored and cared for—because when it is, humans are more likely to find the sustenance they need. When abused, nature can be unforgiving. [13]
    • Sedna’s myth also emphasizes the balance between nature and humanity. When humans disrupt the balance (by overhunting, for example), this provokes Sedna.
    • Even the lice in Sedna’s hair are symbolic; when humans have a parasitic influence on nature (taking and never giving), it can throw nature out of balance.
    • When Shamans appease Sedna, on the other hand, balance is restored—and Sedna releases her sea creatures back to human-controlled waters.
  3. 3
    Sedna can be the embodiment of nature’s dual forces. Nature gives life, but it can also take life away—and in Inuit homelands (especially the Arctic), survival could be a struggle at times. In Sedna’s myth, her bitterness and subsequent appeasement can represent how nature affects people—seemingly merciless one moment, then bountiful and peaceful the next. [14]
    • In this way, the story also advocates having gratitude toward nature (when it’s peaceful and bountiful) for providing what humans need to survive!
  4. 4
    Some feel the myth encourages compassion, strength, and transformation. Although she is betrayed and maimed, Sedna’s resilience keeps her going through everything, and through her trauma, she’s able to transform herself into a powerful goddess. Her story is also a reminder to treat yourself with compassion—because compassion in the face of trauma (like the shaman combing Sedna’s hair) can be incredibly healing.
    • Sedna’s fingers can represent her roots and sense of her former self; although she’s cut off from that life, she’s about to find the inner strength she needs to persist.
  5. 5
    Sedna’s myth can also be a story of female power. She’s treated more as an object than a person in many versions of the story, being kidnapped, married off, or even traded to a hunter for fish. She’s also mistreated by her husband and later horribly injured by her father. Yet, Sedna’s true greatness manifests when she’s finally free from them both—and all of society’s constraints. Instead of dying, she’s empowered.
    • Other divine myths contain themes of female empowerment, including those about the Triple Goddess (Maiden, Mother, and Crone).
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Section 6 of 6:

Sedna in Astronomy

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  1. Its technical name is 90377 Sedna (“Sedna” for short), and it orbits the Sun from beyond the orbit of Neptune—meaning it’s quite a remote dwarf planet. And yes, it’s named after the Inuit goddess. It may be tied with Ceres—a dwarf planet in the asteroid belt, between Mars and Jupiter—as the largest dwarf planet without a known moon! [15]

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      References

      1. ↑ https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/sedna-goddess-of-the-seas-53309
      2. ↑ https://www.storymuseum.org.uk/1001-stories/the-ten-fingers-of-sedna
      3. ↑ https://www.storymuseum.org.uk/1001-stories/the-ten-fingers-of-sedna
      4. ↑ https://www.storymuseum.org.uk/1001-stories/the-ten-fingers-of-sedna
      5. ↑ https://www.native-languages.org/sedna.htm
      6. ↑ https://www.native-languages.org/sedna.htm
      7. ↑ https://www.inuitartofcanada.com/english/legends/sedna.htm
      8. ↑ https://www.inuitartofcanada.com/english/legends/sedna.htm
      9. ↑ https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/sedna-goddess-of-the-seas-53309
      1. ↑ https://www.pama.peelregion.ca/exhibitions/sedna
      2. ↑ https://www.native-languages.org/sedna.htm
      3. ↑ https://www.pama.peelregion.ca/exhibitions/sedna
      4. ↑ https://www.pama.peelregion.ca/exhibitions/sedna
      5. ↑ https://www.pama.peelregion.ca/exhibitions/sedna
      6. ↑ https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/taissumani_history_march_15_2004_sedna_in_space/

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