Maritime Madams: Sedna

Sedna is known as the powerful Inuit sea goddess who rules over all marine animals. Hunters must honor and appease her to ensure a successful catch, as she controls the availability of seals, whales, and other sea creatures. She remains a central figure in Inuit spirituality, symbolizing the deep connection between humans, animals, and the sea.

For Further Reading: 

• The Legend of Sedna the Sea Goddess
• The Inuit Legend of Sedna
• Sedna - Inuit Mother of the Deep
• Themes in Inuit Art

This month, we’re talking about Maritime Madams. Whether through scientific study, aquatic exploration, or legendary prowess, they harnessed the power of the bodies of waters that cover our earth. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
Hello from Wonder Media Network. I'm Jenny Kaplan and this
is Womanica. This month we're talking about maritime madams. Whether
through scientific study, aquatic exploration, or legendary prowess, they harness
the power of the bodies of water that cover our earth. Today,
we're going north, far north, into the Arctic. The air

(00:27):
is sharp and cold, the ground is frozen, and everything
one's food. One's survival depends on the sea. But the
sea doesn't give freely. It must be respected, Its creatures
must be honored, and there's a powerful being who decides
whether these sea creatures show themselves to hunters or vanish,

(00:47):
leaving families and communities hungry. She's a goddess, but she
didn't always possess her immense power over ocean life. She
earned it through pain, betrayal, and transformation. Please meet Sedna.
Sedna's story comes from Inuit culture, but it varies greatly
across different regions and communities. I will tell you one version.

(01:12):
Her tale begins in a small Inuit village in the Arctic,
where she lived with her father. Much to his frustration,
Sedna refused to get married even though she was of age,
and many suitors showed interest in her beauty, she always
resisted their advances. Some claim that Sedna's disinterest came from
being lazy and haughty. Others say she reasoned that she

(01:33):
was a good enough hunter on her own and didn't
need a man to provide for her. Still, others reckon
she was simply satisfied with her own company. Regardless, The
cycle of refusing suitors continued for a long time, but
one day a new man came to visit her, promising
great wealth and comfort if she became his bride. Convinced

(01:54):
by his proposal, Sedna agreed to marry him. After the
knot was tied, her new husband and took her back
to his home on a remote island. Once the couple
was alone, miles and miles from her home, Sedna made
a disturbing discovery. Her so called husband was actually a
bird in disguise. He had deceived her. Because he was

(02:16):
a bird, he was not able to hunt and provide
her with all the meat and furs he had initially promised.
Sedna was aghast at this jarring revelation, but knew she
was trapped on the island with no way to leave.
She was forced to make the best of her unfortunate situation,
spending her days in loneliness and misery. After a long while,

(02:37):
Sedna's father came to visit her. He quickly saw how
unhappy his daughter was and grew angry at her spouse's trickery.
He would not allow her terrible situation to continue, so
he killed her deceitful bird husband. He then started paddling
back home in his kayak with Sedna in tow. Unfortunately,
friends of the feldbird quickly discovered that he been killed

(03:00):
and set out to avenge his death. They found Sedna
and her father bobbing on the ocean's surface and flapped
their wings so hard that they summoned a mighty storm.
The sea churned violently, and massive waves threatened to sink
their boat. Fearing for his life, Sedna's father made a desperate,
selfish decision. He threw his daughter overboard. Clinging to the

(03:23):
side of the kayak, she begged for help and mercy,
but her father, in his panic, cut off her fingers
to prevent her from capsizing the boat. As her severed
fingers fell into the sea, the top joints transformed into
the first fish, the middle joints into the first walruses,
and the end joints into the first whales. Eventually, Sedna

(03:43):
sank beneath the waves as well. In those murky depths,
she became an incredibly powerful spirit, the goddess of the sea.
Her home and kingdom became the ocean floor. Other adaptations
of the story paint Sedna's father as a more overt villain.
In these tellings, he's the one to abandon her on
the island, and the animal spirit that initially deceives her

(04:05):
is actually the one who keeps her alive. In this version,
the father still takes pity on his daughter and comes
back to retrieve her, but he also still throws her
off of his boat to save himself in the end.
Other versions say the bird husband himself is the one
who flapped his wings to create the storm that pulled
Sedna under the waves. There are also variations of her

(04:27):
tail that say Sedna's magical husband was a sled dog
instead of a bird. What's generally agreed upon according to
Inuit legend is that the goddess Sedna now governs all
marine life. She's often depicted with a fishtail instead of legs,
similar to popular depictions of mermaids from other cultures. She
lives in the depths of the oceans, and her emotions

(04:48):
directly affect the abundance of sea creatures. When she's content,
the waters are bountiful, but when angered, she may cause
great storms or withhold the animals, leading to scarcity and hunger.
It's necessary to perform rituals to appease the goddess and
remain in her favor. For example, if hunters are unable
to catch prey for a long period of time, they

(05:10):
believe it's because an angry Sedna has ensnared all the
underwater animals in her long, entangled hair. In response, a
shaman might transform into a fish and travel to Sedna's
underwater realm. There, they comb her tangled hair, the task
she cannot perform herself due to her missing fingers. Supposedly,

(05:31):
this act of care and reverence restores balance and bounty
to the sea, ensuring the community's survival. Sedna's story serves
as a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness between humans and nature.
Her transformation from betrayed daughter to formidable deity continues to
be a vital part of Inuit culture. It's a tale

(05:51):
that teaches respect for the natural world and the importance
of maintaining harmony with it in the face of climate
change and threatened marine ecosystems. The legend of Sedna calls
those who depend on the oceans for sustenance to care
for and protect it in return. All month, we're talking
about Maritime Madams. For more information, find us on Facebook

(06:12):
and Instagram at Wamanica podcast special thanks to Lise Kaplan,
my favorite sister and co creator. Talk to you tomorrow.