EP: 9.Sedna, Goddess of the Sea (Inuit Mythology)

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Welcome, my Mythic friends, toMyth This, according to yours
truly.
I'm your host, Wendy Morrow.
On this podcast, we dive intomyths and folklore from all over
the world.
These stories have shapedcultures and stirred
imaginations and kept uscaptivated for centuries.
Together, we'll explore theorigins, meanings, and mysteries
behind these tales.

(00:20):
Today we're talking about inuitmythology or the Inuit people.
I think it's so cool because,This is not the kind of tale you
usually hear from Inuitfolklore.
It's more accurate, because ithas to do with the sea.
Usually, it's about, Inuit talesare usually on land, and it's

(00:43):
about animals.
about animals and creatures, butthis one is about a goddess of
the sea, which is so cool.
That's why I picked it becauseit's one of my favorites and
it's rare.
It's out there.
To preface, after beingbetrayed, Senna becomes the
ruler of marine life.
Pretty much, she becomes verycritical to the Inuit way of

(01:04):
life.
So let's dive into thisfolklore.
You know what I'm about to say?
Grab your favorite drink andgather around my campfire for a
tale you won't forget.
Let's begin.
Senna got us of the sea.
The arctic wind.
How over the frozen expansewhere the stark white tundra
meets the dark, mysteriousocean.

(01:26):
Waves crush the thunder againstthe ice.
Their rhythm echoing a tale ofbetrayal, transformation, and
power.
This is the story of Sedna,whose tragic fate and
indomitable spirit shapes theoceans of life within them.
Inuit people living in harmonywith one of the harshest

(01:48):
environments on earth.
Hold deep reverence for the sea.
The ocean is life.
It seals, whales, and fishprovide sustenance, but it's
also unpredictable and dangerousdemanding respect and care.
Senna, the goddess of the sea,embodies these dualities.
Before becoming a deity, Sednawas a mortal woman of rare

(02:10):
beauty and strength.
As always, they're alwaysbeautiful.
Her long jet black hair cascadeddown her back like midnight
waves, and her sharp almondshaped eyes sparkled with a
glint of sunlight and ice.
Her cheeks carried the flush oflight against the pale backdrops
of her skin, And her presenceexuded both grace and defiance.

(02:32):
This reminds me of Snow White,honestly.
What a beautiful woman.
She just sounds so fun and Iwould love to be her friend.
She sounds absolutely amazing.
And I would love to just hangout with her and figure out what
her story is because she soundslike she would not be a boring
person to be around.
Let's be honest.
Sedna lived in a small snowdraped village at the edge of

(02:55):
the arctic ocean.
She was the pride of her father,Ngwata, A stoic and respected
hunter.
Many suitors came to Sedna,drawn by her beauty and her
sharp wit.
She rejected them all.
I will marry for the sake oftradition, she said.
She told her father one eveningas they sat by their fire.

(03:15):
It's warmth chasing away thechill of the endless winter
night.
Her voice was firm.
I'll choose a life that suitsme, not one that pleases others.
Inguda sighs.
His weathered hands tightenedaround his hunter's spear.
Daughter, you cannot live aloneforever.

(03:37):
The world is harsh, even thestrongest need companion.
Sedna only smiled and looked outthe dark horizon.
She was content, or so shebelieved.
One day a stranger arrived intheir village.
He was cloaked in furs, his faceshadowed by the hood of his
parka.
His voice was low and smooth,like the whisper of the wind
over ice.

(03:57):
Sedna, he said, steppingforward.
I'm a hunter from a far offland.
My home is warm, my heart isfull, and my hands can provide
for you.
Marry me, and you will neverknow hunger or cold again.
Sedna hesitated, but the man'spromises of comfort and
abundance tempted her.

(04:17):
She agreed to go with him,despite her betrayal, and
despair.
CNA to his kayak and theypaddled across the vast ic.
As the days passed, CNA began tonotice his strange habits, his
sharp jerky movements, and theway his voice shifted into harsh
crows when he thought she wasn'tlistening.
When they reached home.

(04:38):
When they reached home, hersuspicions were confirmed.
It was not the warm welcomeplace he had promised, but a
barren rocky island, and he wasnot a man, but a bird spirit.
His feather's hidden beneath hiscloak.
He fed her scraps of raw fishand led her to sleep in the cold
you tricked me, sin us back.
Her voice trembling with fury asshe faced him.

(05:00):
You chose to come, the birdmanreplied with a cruel laugh.
This is your life now.
Desperate and filled withregret, Sedna sent her prayers
in the wind to her father.
Nguuta, upon hearing her cries,set out in his kayak to rescue
her.
The storm.
When N'guda arrived, Sednaleaped into his boat, clinging

(05:20):
to him like a child to herparent.
Thank you, father, shewhispered, her voice breaking.
We will return home, N'guda saidgruffly, paddling with all his
strength.
But as they fled, the birdmandiscovered their escape and
summoned a furious storm.
The sea roared and the wavestall as mountains crashed around
them, N'guta's kayak rocksdangerously, his face twisted in

(05:42):
fear.
The spirit will kill us both, heshouted.
In his panic, he made a terribledecision.
Grabbing Sedna, he pushed heroverboard, to appease the
birdman and save himself.
No, father, please, Sednascreamed.
Her hands clashing to the edgeof the kayak, and Guda's
expression darkened with guiltand desperation as he drew his

(06:02):
knife.
Forgive me, Sedna.
He slashed her fingers, one byone.
They slipped from the boat, andSedna sank into the frozen
depths, her cries swallowed bythe raging sea.
Beneath the waves, Sedna'ssevered fingers transformed into
seals, whales, and fish, filledthe ocean with life.

(06:24):
Her body, broken and betrayed,changed as well.
She became a goddess, her hairflowing like seaweed and her
eyes glowing with the fury ofwisdom of the deep.
Sedna took her place at thebottom of the ocean, ruling over
the marine life from then on theInuit, people believed that SNA
controlled the seas.
Shaman's would journey to hurtin spirit, combining her hair to

(06:49):
calm her anger, and pleading forher favor.
If treated with respect, Senawould release animals needed for
survival, but if dishonored, shewould withhold her gifts,
letting famine take hold.
Let's talk about the culturalsignificance of Sedna's story.

(07:11):
While she embodies therelationship between the Inuit
people and the ocean, itreflects the fragility of life
in the Arctic, where survivaldepends on balance, respect, and
humility.
Sedna's transformation frommortal woman to goddess
highlights resilience and thepower that can emerge from
suffering.
Her till serves as a reminder tohonor the natural world and

(07:33):
maintain harmony with itscycles.
The lesson of Sedna.
Sedna's story teaches us theimportance of respect for
nature, for others, and forourselves.
Betrayal and greed disrupt thebalance of life, while care and
reverence sustains it.
Her journey from betrayal toempowerment reminds us that even

(07:53):
in the depths of despair, we canrise to become stronger and
wiser.
Sedna, like the ocean shegoverns, is both a force to be
feared and a source of life tobe shared.
Alright guys, it's time to myththis lore.
today's scripture is, Genesis 1verses 20, this is the King

(08:13):
James Version, as usual, itquotes, And God said, Let the
waters bring forth abundance andthe moving creatures that hath
life, and fowls that may flyabove the earth in the open
firmament of earth.
This is like towards thebeginning, of the creation of
life.
I believe that Sedna, as theruler of the sea, controls all

(08:38):
marine life, right?
She symbolizes the power of theocean and its creatures.
This scripture, about God'screation of the life in the
waters, Parallel Sedna'sdominion over the sea and its
creatures.
It shows the profoundResponsibility that comes with
power reminding us that we arestewards of earth and its

(08:59):
resources oh my gosh like In mylast episode I talked about the
gift I'm giving To God, and itwas that I will one of them was
that I would embrace nature moreand find joy and happiness in
that.
And I, because I think in ourlife, we're like, Oh, My life is
so sad or miserable because thisand this but there's so many

(09:22):
blessings like small blessingsThere's so many mundane things
in life that we can enjoy andthat is nature itself I'm trying
to find joy in the naturalthings of life, and I know it's
that time of year guys It'sgetting darker outside.
It gets dark at 5 Like what?
What?

(09:43):
I want, it's just not, it's notright.
But that's nature.
So it's just, It puts moreemphasis on spending time
outside and in nature and lovingthe world, loving snow, even
loving the cold.
Who likes the cold?
My hand's raised, you don't seeit, but I actually like the
cold.
I like being bundled up in awarm jacket, and warm gloves,

(10:06):
and boots, and some warm fuzzysocks, and going outside, and
having the cold wind hit myface, and everything else is
warm.
Even my ears are covered, it'sjust my face.
It's cold.
And I'm like, yes, I love that.
That's also how I like to sleeplol.
Like the fan on my face, but I'mjust bundled up I like the room

(10:27):
cold.
I my face cold everything elseabout me is like blazing hot,
but That's how I like things andI love that I can go outside and
experience that today And I lovethe snow, I love that the trees
are like, barren right now, youcan see the bones of the trees.
And on that point, I wanted totalk about how, with Sedna, you

(10:52):
could see her character.
Even though, the reason why shesettled for the Birdman was
because she just wanted tofulfill her duties, her marital
duties.
And she thought, Oh, this wasthe best I can do.
So she thought she was doing theright thing, but it was a

(11:12):
disguise that she didn't knowthe man.
She didn't even get to see him.
In life.
Like that tree Sometimes wecan't really trust a person
just.
Because they look nice from theoutside, when their bones, their
roots, their trunk isn't solid.

(11:36):
I've realized that there's somuch more to people than just
what they look like.
I know I'm very young, but it'snot something, it's not a big
discovery to realize that peoplearen't what they always seem to
be.
What they present isn't alwaystrue.
There's always so much morehidden under the water than

(11:59):
there is visible.
And I think that's a lot ofpeople, show you in the
springtime that they'rebeautiful, they're green, like
they're all that, there's evensome birds nesting in there.
But when winter comes and it'sjust their roots, They don't
really produce much beauty, butsometimes they do.

(12:25):
Sometimes you see the roots ofsome of these trees and you're
like, wow, that's justbeautiful.
The picture they create isgorgeous.
And I love that.
I do love the green.
Don't get me wrong.
I love leaves and stuff.
I love the fall when everythingturns orange, red.
And yellow, but the winter wheneverything's gone and you can

(12:47):
just see the roots and the bark,you can see if it's strong or if
it's leaning, and sometimesthere are seasons in our life
when you can see some people forwho they are.
And if their bones are reallytrue, if their roots, their bark
is really pure.
And it's tragic to say thatSedna's father did not have the

(13:14):
strong bark.
He did not, the love he had forhis daughter was not strong
enough.
It wasn't pure.
Because who does that?
Who throws their daughter over akayak He went so far to cut off
her fingers.
Find friends that won't cut yourfingers off when hard times

(13:35):
come.
Because I've experienced friendsthat betrayed me during hard
times you thought they lovedyou, but then a hard thing
happens.
And they're like, oh This isyour fault your problem.
You get no sympathy for me.
In fact, you get trouble Likei'm just gonna tell you how bad
of a person you are and youdidn't cause this problem It

(13:57):
just happened life happenspeople and that's normal But get
people around you and That willinstead of push you over that
kayak They will continue to rowwith you, you know through that
storm Instead of pushing youover All right guys, it's time
to wrap this episode up.

(14:19):
My question for you guys is howdo we balance power with
compensation?
Can we protect those we lovewithout becoming hardened by our
experiences?
And this question will also beon my Instagram for this episode
specifically, but think aboutthat story and think about that.

(14:43):
Question.
I know it's unfair because thisis two questions in one.
The question is how do webalance power with compassion?
Can we protect those we lovewithout becoming hardened by our
experiences?
My answer is I truly believe wecan.
I believe that this is possible.

(15:05):
And I would hope you guys dotoo.
I would love to hear whatsomeone has done for you and how
it has changed your life, but Iwill talk to you guys again I'm,
so grateful that you were ableto join me for this episode.
I love you guys, and i'll seeyou next time.