Skuld (necessity, or she who is becoming) was originally a sinister spirit of slaughter or dark demigoddess of death who hovered over battlefields and chose warriors to be admitted to Valhalla, the home of Odin’s army. She also held the Norn position, the goddess of fate, but nowadays she serves as a liaison to Teotihuacan.
Skuld in her long existence, has become a master at the game of seduction, where she orchestrates a game of emotional pendulum that swings between hope and frustration. The ability to delay satisfaction is the ultimate art of seduction: when the victim waits impatiently, he is held in thrall. The bait is the promise of reward (formerly, for the mortals it was the glory of Einherjar) – fundamentally, either pleasure or power – but the promise always remains elusive, which actually makes their targets chase Skuld even harder.
Most gods are inherently willful and corrupt. The easy prize has far less value than the difficult one; the only thing that truly excites is the forbidden fruit. Skuld’s greatest skill at the game is her ability to turn away and leave, spurring the other to pursue, for their satisfaction is delayed.
Less skilled gods and goddesses often give in and surrender too early, for they are afraid that the other person will lose interest at the earliest shift of capricious desire. They think if they give what the other wants, they, as the giver of pleasure gain the upper hand. But the opposite is the truth: once a desire has been satisfied, they have lost the initiative, and then it is possible the pursuer will lose interest at the slightest whim.
Mercilessly, Skuld inspires the fear in her pursuers that she isn’t really interested, which arouses their insecurities. Once she has made them uncertain of her favors and themselves, she switches back and rekindles their hopes.
Skuld seems totally secure, for she does not truly need the worshipful mortal warriors or the lecherous gods. Despite seeming to flaunt the fact that she does not need them, Skuld’s narcissism is wickedly magnetic. The gods wish to conquer her in some way, but she plays the game well enough to be in control, for she avoid from giving complete satisfaction.
By being in control Skuld has the upper hand, causing others to act, abandoning their plans and coming to her. While many gods think the most effective action is an aggressive one, in the hopes of scoring a quick victory, Skuld holds back calmly and wait for others to become frustrated, playing into her hands, her traps, all part of a long-term scheme. Winning the initiative means she has the others on their toes, reacting to her moves, constantly on the defensive. With the upper hand, Skuld controls her emotions easily, and pushes and bait the others easily too, due to their natural tendencies to react angrily. Because she forces others on her terms, oftentimes creating the illusion they are in control, she is far more deadly than the aggressive gods. They never notice the strings, nor how much she pulls them.
Instead of demands or forceful action that causes friction, Skuld coaxes others into moving in her direction. Whosoever became fascinated by Skuld has become her pawn. She tempts others by adjusting to their individual psychologies, and softens up their resistance by negotiating their emotions.
A great deal of gods are prisoners of their own bubble. They have taken their divinity for granted, which induces them to feel entitled for attention. Ignoring the feelings and opinions of others, they blunder and domineer with unmitigated arrogance. Blithely convinced of their own glamour many gods don’t even bother to try to beguile, attract or influence others.
In the Society of Immortals, all gods are motivated by self-interest. Those who fail at appealing the self-interest of others only make them hostile. Very few like Skuld circumvent this general indifference by learning the key to others’ psychology. When meeting someone for the first time, many gods, instead of being patient and learn what makes them unique, are too eager to brag about themselves and impose their personality. Typically, this show of boisterous swagger quickly creates enemies, because the other person’s individuality is being ignored, planting a seed of resentment.
Skuld is cognizant of individual psychology, or what separates an individual from the others, as well as their basic emotional responses, what they have in common with the others. With the perception of an artist, Skuld communicates her ideas efficiently, with metaphors and imagery, and is always in a position of power no matter the whims of fortune.
