Way up high, where the mountains touched the clouds and snow sparkled all year round, lived a very strong and brave giantess named Skadi. Skadi loved her home! She loved to ski down the steep slopes, faster than the wind, and listen to the wolves howl at the moon.

One day, Skadi was very sad and angry. Her father, Thjazi, had been in a big argument with the gods of Asgard, and he didn't come back. Skadi knew the gods were responsible. So, she put on her toughest boots, grabbed her bow and arrows, and marched all the way to Asgard, the shiny city of the gods.

When she arrived, the gods were a bit worried. Skadi looked very determined! "You must make things right!" she told Odin, the king of the gods.

Odin, being wise, wanted to avoid a big fight. "Alright, Skadi," he said. "First, we will try to make you laugh. If we can make you laugh, perhaps we can talk."
Skadi frowned. "Laugh? I don't feel like laughing."
But then, Loki, the mischievous god, did a very silly dance with a goat, tying a rope to its beard and then to himself, and they had a tug-of-war that made him fall in funny ways. Skadi couldn't help it; a little giggle escaped, then a bigger laugh!

"Okay," she said, wiping a tear from her eye. "You made me laugh."
Then, Odin took her father's eyes and threw them high into the dark night sky. They became two twinkling stars, shining down forever. Skadi looked up and felt a little bit better.

"And," Odin continued, "you may choose a husband from among us gods. But there's a tricky part: you can only choose by looking at our feet!"
Skadi thought this was a strange way to pick a husband, but she agreed. All the gods stood behind a big curtain, with only their feet showing. Skadi looked carefully. She wanted to marry Baldur, the most handsome and kind god. "He must have the cleanest, most perfect feet," she thought.
She saw one pair of feet that looked very clean and well-kept. "Those!" she declared. "I choose the owner of those feet!"

The curtain was pulled away, and standing there was… Njord! Njord was the god of the sea, the wind, and fishing. His feet were so clean because he was always near the water. Skadi was a little surprised it wasn't Baldur, but a deal was a deal. So, Skadi and Njord got married.

But soon, there was a problem. Skadi loved her cold, snowy mountains. She loved the quiet hush of the snow and the thrill of the hunt. Njord, on the other hand, loved his home by the sea, Noatun. He loved the sound of the waves crashing, the smell of salty air, and the cries of the seagulls.

"Your mountains are too cold and too quiet!" Njord would say. "I miss the sound of the sea."
"And your seashore is too noisy and too damp!" Skadi would reply. "I miss the crisp mountain air and the snow under my skis."

They tried to make it work. They decided to spend nine nights in Skadi's mountain home, Thrymheim, and then nine nights in Njord's seaside home, Noatun.
When they were in the mountains, Njord couldn't sleep. "The howling of the wolves keeps me awake!" he'd sigh.
When they were by the sea, Skadi couldn't rest. "The screeching of the seagulls is too loud!" she'd complain.

After trying for a while, Skadi and Njord realized they were just too different. They liked each other, but they couldn't be happy living in the other's home.
So, they decided it was best to live separately. Skadi went back to her beloved snowy mountains, where she skied and hunted to her heart's content. Njord returned to his bright home by the sea, where he enjoyed the sun and the waves.
And even though they didn't live together, they understood each other better and knew that sometimes, loving different things is perfectly okay. Skadi remained the powerful goddess of winter and skiing, and Njord happily ruled his ocean realm.

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