![]() ![]() One classic story began with an act of wanton mischief and ended with the gods receiving a bountiful haul of treasures. Loki’s great mischief always stood front and center in the trickster god’s rich mythological tradition. Such evidence suggested that Loki was a deity unique to the Northern European, or Scandinavian, people. In non-Norse sources of pre-Christian Germanic religion, Loki was once again either absent or presented in a very different manner. In the oldest poetic works, such as the Grímnismál (which had fragments going back to the eighth century), Loki was conspicuously absent. Though Loki’s entrance into Norse mythology came later than most, his origins remained difficult to discern. Some time later, Loki birthed Sleipnir, the eight-legged horse, who was to become Odin’s favorite mount. During an escapade in which he had taken the form of a mare, Loki was impregnated by a stallion called Svadilfari. Loki gave birth to another of his children on his own. Loki also reproduced with his mistress, Angrboda, a jötunn (possibly a troll) who gave birth to three children: Hel, who ruled the eponymous underworld called Hel, Jörmungandr, the sea serpent of Midgard and arch-nemesis of Thor, and Fenrir, the massive wolf fated to slay Odin during Ragnarök. Loki married the goddess Sigyn, about whom little is known, except that by Loki she had a son named Nari, or Narfi. Loki’s brothers were Helblindi and Býleistr, also jötnar. Loki was the son of Fárbauti, an unspecified jötunn whose name meant “cruel striker.” His mother was usually called Laufey, though she was also referred to as Nál. He also took the form of human beings, such as an old woman named Thökk who fatefully refused to weep for the fallen Baldur. On various occasions, he took the form of a salmon, a flea, a fly, and a mare. Loki was the preeminent shapeshifter amongst the gods. In spite of his lack of personal accoutrements, Loki had an unusually prominent role in procuring them for other gods. On one occasion, he borrowed Freya’s magical falcon cloak, though he returned it shortly afterward. One source, the Skáldskaparmál, mentioned that Loki possessed a pair of magical shoes-“Loki had with him those shoes with which he ran through air and over water”-but no other sources made such a claim. He also lacked any well-attested charms, garments, or vehicles. He seldom engaged in physical combat, and as such carried no weapons. Loki’s chief attributes were his wit and wile. Loki was also likely referred to as a “knot” for his tendency to go against the other gods. Spiders were referred to as loki from time to time, as their webs caught unsuspecting victims in a similar manner. A newer and more likely etymology traced the name “Loki” to the Germanic words for “knot, loop, or tangle.” Such words have a literal connection to the deity-Loki was often depicted as a maker of fish -but also a deeper, metaphorical connection: Loki’s schemes were like webs that ensnared the unwary. The name “Loki” has long been likened to the Old Norse logi, meaning “fire.” While Loki, like fire, was destructive and unpredictable, the similarity between the two words was probably incidental. His chaotic inconsistency reminded believers that the boundaries between good and evil were far more tenuous than they suspected. Like the trickster figures of other mythologies, he was neither good nor evil, choosing instead to be a partisan of disorder itself, a figure who tested boundaries and challenged conventions. In truth, Loki was neither for or against the gods. For example, it was predicted that during Ragnarök Loki would fight on the side of the jötnar against the gods. Where Thor, Freya, and even Odin (a trickster himself) strove to impose a righteous order amongst the gods, Loki’s erratic behavior called the very nature of his allegiances into question. Though his mythology consistently overlapped with those of his divine counterparts, Loki differed from them in important ways. While Loki’s antics frequently embroiled the gods in sticky situations, his tricks often rescued them from troubled times as well.Ī member of the Aesir tribe of deities, Loki-along with Odin, Thor, and Freya-constituted one of the four ruling deities of Norse thought. ![]() With Loki, appearances were never quite what they seemed. A shapeshifter, Loki’s forms were as varied as the motives for his mischief, which included wealth, women, wisdom, and the sheer pleasure of his knavery. The great trickster god of the Norse pantheon, Loki was a devious deity known for his many schemes and deceptions. The Betrayal of Baldur and the Binding of Loki. ![]()
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