Локи на английском как пишется

This article is about the character. For the Disney+ series, see Loki (TV series).

Loki Laufeyson,^[1] known by adoption as Loki Odinson and by his title as the God of Mischief,^[2][3] is a fictional character portrayed by Tom Hiddleston in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name and the Norse mythological god of the same name. Loki was introduced in Thor (2011), and has since become an important recurring figure of the MCU; following the original Loki’s death in Avengers: Infinity War (2018), a variant of him from an alternate timeline is introduced in Avengers: Endgame (2019), diverging from the events of The Avengers (2012), headlining the television series Loki (2021) alongside Sylvie, a female variant of him who he works with in the series.

Loki
Marvel Cinematic Universe character
Tom Hiddleston appearing in character as Loki at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con
First appearance	Thor (2011)
Based on	Loki by Stan Lee Larry Lieber Jack Kirby
Adapted by	Kenneth Branagh Ashley Miller Zack Stentz Don Payne J. Michael Straczynski Mark Protosevich
Portrayed by	Tom Hiddleston Ted Allpress (young; Thor)
In-universe information
Full name	Loki Laufeyson[1] Loki Odinson (adoptive)
Aliases	God of Mischief[2][3] D. B. Cooper Variant L1130 (2012 variant)
Species	Frost Giant
Gender	Fluid
Position	Prince of Asgard King of Asgard (disguised as Odin)
Affiliation	Chitauri Revengers Time Variance Authority (2012 variant)
Weapon	Daggers and throwing knives Scepter (Mind Stone) Tesseract (Space Stone) Gungnir[4]
Family	Laufey (biological father) Odin (adoptive father) Frigga (adoptive mother) Hela (adoptive sister) Thor (adoptive brother)
Origin	Jotunheim
Nationality	Asgardian

As of 2023, the character has appeared in eight films, takes the lead role in the live-action series Loki (2021), with a number of alternate timeline variants appearing in Loki, the animated series What If…? (2021),^[5] and in The Good, the Bart, and the Loki (2021), an animated short film that serves as a crossover with The Simpsons franchise,^[6] including Classic Loki, Kid Loki, Boastful Loki, Alligator Loki, President Loki and more.

Loki’s character has borrowed a number of characteristics and storylines from across the history of the character in Marvel Comics. As in the comics, Loki has generally been a villain in the MCU, variously attempting to conquer Asgard or Earth, and having allied himself with more powerful villains to achieve his aims. He has particular antagonism for his adoptive brother Thor, and is known to variously ally with and then betray Thor and others, and to regularly return from apparent death. In his development through the series, he becomes less of a supervillain and more of an antihero.

Concept and creationEdit

The mythical figure Loki preceded Thor in making his first Marvel Comics appearance, depicted in the science fiction/fantasy anthology title Timely Comics’ publication Venus No. 6 (August 1949) as a member of the Olympian gods exiled to the Underworld. However, the current version of Loki made his first official Marvel appearance was in Journey into Mystery No. 85 (October 1962), where Loki was reintroduced as Thor’s sworn enemy. The modern age Loki was introduced by brothers and co-writers Stan Lee and Larry Lieber and he was redesigned by Jack Kirby. As one of Thor’s arch-nemeses, Loki frequently made appearances in Thor-related titles like Journey into Mystery and Thor, as well as other Marvel Universe titles such as The Avengers and X-Men,^[7] as well as brief appearances in the Spider-Man and Defenders comic series.

Live-action film adaptations of characters in the Thor comic books were proposed at various times, but did not come to fruition. In the mid-2000s, Kevin Feige realized that Marvel still owned the rights to the core members of the Avengers, which included Thor. Feige, a self-professed «fanboy», envisioned creating a shared universe just as creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby had done with their comic books in the early 1960s.^[8] In 2006, the film was announced as a Marvel Studios production.^[9] In December 2007, Protosevich described his plans for it «to be like a superhero origin story, but not one about a human gaining super powers, but of a god realizing his true potential. It’s the story of an Old Testament god who becomes a New Testament god».^[10] In 2008, Guillermo del Toro entered talks to direct the film. Del Toro was a fan of Jack Kirby’s work on the comics, and said that he loved the character of Loki, but wished to incorporate more of the original Norse mythology into the film,^[11] including a «really dingy Valhalla, [with] Vikings and mud».^[12] However, del Toro ultimately turned down Thor to direct The Hobbit. Kenneth Branagh entered into negotiations to direct,^[13] and by December 2008, Branagh confirmed that he had been hired. He described it as «a human story right in the center of a big epic scenario.»^[14]

Several actors were reportedly considered for the part, including Josh Hartnett,^[15] and Jim Carrey.^[16] In May 2009, Marvel announced that Tom Hiddleston, who had worked with Branagh before and had initially been considered to portray the lead role, had been cast as Loki.^[17] In June 2009, Feige confirmed that both Chris Hemsworth and Hiddleston had signed on.^[18]

CharacterizationEdit

Tom Hiddleston stated that «Loki’s like a comic book version of Edmund in King Lear, but nastier».^[19] Hiddleston stated that he had to keep a strict diet before the start of filming because director Kenneth Branagh «wants Loki to have a lean and hungry look, like Cassius in Julius Caesar. Physically, he can’t be posing as Thor».^[20] Hiddleston also looked at Peter O’Toole as inspiration for Loki, explaining, «Interestingly enough, [Kenneth Branagh] said to look at Peter O’Toole in two specific films, The Lion in Winter and Lawrence of Arabia. What’s interesting about … his performance [as King Henry] is you see how damaged he is. There’s a rawness [to his performance]; it’s almost as if he’s living with a layer of skin peeled away. He’s grandiose and teary and, in a moment, by turns hilarious and then terrifying. What we wanted was that emotional volatility. It’s a different acting style, it’s not quite the same thing, but it’s fascinating to go back and watch an actor as great as O’Toole head for those great high hills».^[21] Ted Allpress portrays a young Loki.

About his character’s evolution from Thor to The Avengers, Hiddleston said, «I think the Loki we see in The Avengers is further advanced. You have to ask yourself the question: How pleasant an experience is it disappearing into a wormhole that has been created by some kind of super nuclear explosion of his own making? So I think by the time Loki shows up in The Avengers, he’s seen a few things.»^[22] About Loki’s motivations, Hiddleston said, «At the beginning of The Avengers, he comes to Earth to subjugate it and his idea is to rule the human race as their king. And like all the delusional autocrats of human history, he thinks this is a great idea because if everyone is busy worshipping him, there will be no wars so he will create some kind of world peace by ruling them as a tyrant. But he is also kind of deluded in the fact that he thinks unlimited power will give him self-respect, so I haven’t let go of the fact that he is still motivated by this terrible jealousy and kind of spiritual desolation.»^[23] Hiddleston also filmed scenes for Avengers: Age of Ultron, but his scenes were omitted from the theatrical cut because director Joss Whedon didn’t want the movie to feel «overstuffed».^[24]

In Thor: The Dark World, Loki forms an uneasy alliance with Thor against the Dark Elves.^[25][26][27] On where he wished to take the character in the film, Hiddleston said, «I’d like to take [Loki] to his absolute rock bottom. I’d like to see him yield, essentially, to his darkest instincts. Then, having hit rock bottom, maybe come back up. I think the fascination for me about playing Loki is that, in the history of the mythology and the comic books and the Scandinavian myths, is he’s constantly dancing on this fault line of the dark side and redemption.»^[28] Hiddleston recalled, «When I met Alan [Taylor], he asked me how I thought I could do Loki again without repeating myself and I remembered talking with Kevin Feige when we were on the Avengers promotional tour. I said, ‘OK, you’ve seen Thor and Loki be antagonistic for two films now. It would be amazing to see them fight side by side. I’ve been the bad guy now twice, so I can’t be again, or otherwise I shouldn’t be in the film. So we have to find a new role for me to play.»^[29]

Hiddleston was interested in how Loki’s attitude has changed by the events of Thor: Ragnarok, saying, «he is always a trickster. It is trying to find new ways for him to be mischievous».^[30] As the ruler of Asgard since the end of Thor: The Dark World (2013), Hiddleston notes that «Loki has devoted most of his efforts to narcissistic self-glorification. Not so much on good governance.»^[31] He also added that «the idea that Thor might be indifferent to Loki is troubling for him… it’s an interesting development».^[32]

With respect to Loki’s death at the beginning of Infinity War, Hiddleston expressed the opinion that «it’s very powerful he calls himself an Odinson, and that closes the whole journey of Loki and what he can do», also noting that Loki’s death demonstrates how powerful Thanos is, setting the stage for the fight against him.^[33]

In Loki (2021), Loki’s sex in the series is denoted by the Time Variance Authority as «fluid», in a nod to the character’s genderfluidity in Marvel Comics and Norse mythology. Hiddleston said that the «breadth and range of identity contained in the character has been emphasized and is something I was always aware of when I was first cast 10 years ago…I know it was important to Kate Herron and Michael Waldron and to the whole team. And we were very aware, this is something we felt responsible for.»^[34]

Appearance and special effectsEdit

Hiddleston has noted that his transformation into Loki has required dyeing his naturally blond hair and making his naturally ruddy skin appear very pale, stating:

In making him with this raven black hair and blanching my face of all color, it changes my features. Suddenly my blue eyes look a lot bluer, which lends a severity to my face. And even my own smile has a distorted menace to it. Whatever comes through me naturally is distorted.^[35]

Loki’s costume in Thor, designed by Marvel’s head of visual development Charlie Wen, adapted elements from the comics while adding elements to give it a futuristic feel, reflecting the treatment of magic in the Thor films as merely highly advanced technology. Like other representations of Asgard, particularly including the costumes of Thor and Odin, it also referenced Norse symbols. Wen stated that he «designed Loki’s armor to be more overtly ceremonial than practical», in keeping with the character being more focused on scheming for power than engaging in battle.^[36]

Hiddleston described the horns worn as part of his Loki costume as weighing about 30 pounds, resulting in one instance during the filming of The Avengers where he asked co-star Chris Hemsworth to really punch him in the face, because the weight of the horns made it difficult to fake being hit.^[37]

During the Loki TV series, numerous Loki variants were shown or introduced with varying appearances. With respect to the most prominently featured variant, Sylvie, Loki costume designer Christine Wada and director Kate Herron planned Sylvie to be «mysterious and somewhat androgynous» in the beginning, avoiding her identity reveal to become «a total play on gender», rather, letting the character evolve on her own «as a strong female lead» without over-sexualization. Sylvie’s look represents a character that is «a fighter», can stand on her own, and is prepared to engage in battles and runs. Instead of tailor-made armors usually given to female comic book characters to enhance silhouettes, the costume designer intended to not make distinctions between the male and female clothing in the series. Sylvie’s costume include a harem drop-crotch pant, which allowed her to emphasize movement equally to a tight pant or a spandex suit. Wada decided to bring that grounded aspect to Sylvie’s look into a storyline with magic elements, stating that «I believe it more that somebody can go fight when they’re in a rugged boot more than a pair of high heels… function is such a clear and important thing to reference in all good design.»^[38] In her first appearance, Sylvie wore a broken Loki crown, which she later left behind in the Ark. A version of the character, Lady Loki, wore a similar crown in the comics.^[39] Another variant, Classic Loki, wore a costume inspired by the character’s 1960s comic design by Jack Kirby.^[40]

Fictional character biographyEdit

Early lifeEdit

Loki was born a Frost Giant and abandoned as an infant by his father Laufey, only to be found by Odin during an invasion of the realm of the Frost Giants in Jotunheim. Odin used magic to make Loki appear Asgardian and raised him as a son alongside Odin’s biological son, Thor. During his upbringing, Odin’s wife Frigga taught Loki how to use his magic.

He used these powers throughout his life, constantly tricking his adoptive brother Thor, as well as pulling a heist on Earth under the alias D. B. Cooper. He was embittered throughout his upbringing, perceiving that he was neglected by Odin in favor of Thor, and thus grew closer to his adoptive mother Frigga instead.

Betrayal of AsgardEdit

Hundreds of years later, in 2011, Loki watches as Thor prepares to ascend to the throne of Asgard. This is interrupted by Frost Giants, allowed in to Asgard by Loki, attempting to retrieve an artifact called the Casket, which was captured by Odin in a war centuries before. Loki then manipulates Thor into traveling to Jotunheim against Odin’s order to confront Laufey, the Frost Giant leader. A battle ensues until Odin intervenes to save the Asgardians, destroying the fragile truce between the two races. Loki discovers that he is Laufey’s biological son, adopted by Odin after the war ended. After Odin exiles Thor to Earth, Loki confronts Odin about his parentage, and a weary Odin falls into the deep «Odinsleep» to recover his strength. Loki takes the throne in Odin’s stead and offers Laufey the chance to kill Odin and retrieve the Casket. Sif and the Warriors Three, unhappy with Loki, attempt to return Thor from exile, convincing Heimdall, gatekeeper of the Bifröst—the means of traveling between worlds—to allow them passage to Earth. Aware of their plan, Loki sends the Destroyer, a seemingly indestructible automaton, to pursue them and kill Thor. The Destroyer leaves Thor on the verge of death but his sacrifice sees him become worthy of returning from exile and he regains his powers and defeats the Destroyer. Afterward, Thor leaves with his fellow Asgardians to confront Loki. In Asgard, Loki betrays and kills Laufey, revealing his true plan to use Laufey’s attempt on Odin’s life as an excuse to destroy Jotunheim with the Bifröst, thus proving himself worthy to Odin. Thor arrives and fights Loki before destroying the Bifröst to stop Loki’s plan, stranding himself in Asgard. Odin awakens and prevents the brothers from falling into the abyss created in the wake of the bridge’s destruction, but after Odin rejects Loki’s pleas for approval, Loki allows himself to fall into the abyss.

In space, Loki encounters the Other, the leader of an extraterrestrial race known as the Chitauri. In exchange for retrieving the Tesseract,^[a] a powerful energy source of unknown potential, the Other promises Loki an army with which he can subjugate Earth. Later, Erik Selvig is taken to a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility, where Nick Fury opens a briefcase and asks him to study a mysterious cube. Loki, invisible, prompts Selvig to agree, and he does.

Invasion of New YorkEdit

In 2012, Loki attacks a remote S.H.I.E.L.D. research facility, using a scepter that controls people’s minds and which, unknown to him, amplifies his hatred for Thor and the inhabitants of Earth.^[43] He uses the scepter to brainwash Clint Barton and Dr. Erik Selvig, and steals the Tesseract. In Stuttgart, Barton steals iridium needed to stabilize the Tesseract’s power while Loki causes a distraction, leading to a brief confrontation with Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, and Natasha Romanoff that ends with Loki allowing himself to get captured. While Loki is being escorted to S.H.I.E.L.D. on the Quinjet, Thor arrives and takes him away, hoping to convince him to abandon his plan. However, Thor eventually takes Loki to S.H.I.E.L.D.’s flying aircraft carrier, the Helicarrier. Upon arrival, Loki is imprisoned while Bruce Banner and Stark attempt to locate the Tesseract. Agents possessed by Loki attack the Helicarrier, disabling one of its engines in flight and causing Banner to transform into the Hulk. Thor attempts to stop the Hulk’s rampage, and Loki kills the agent Phil Coulson and ejects Thor from the Helicarrier as he escapes. Loki uses the Tesseract, in conjunction with a device Selvig built, to open a wormhole above Stark Tower in New York City to the Chitauri fleet in space, launching his invasion. The Avengers arrive and rally in defense of the city. As the Chitauri are ultimately defeated, the Hulk attacks Loki and beats him into submission in the Tower, before Loki is arrested and taken to Asgard.

Loki is captured by the Avengers and brought back to Asgard by Thor to be imprisoned for his crimes on Midgard (Earth) using the Tesseract.

Battle with the Dark ElvesEdit

In 2013, Dark Elves led by Malekith attack Asgard, searching for Jane Foster, whose body has been invaded by an unearthly force known as the Aether. Malekith and his monstrous lieutenant Kurse kill Loki’s adoptive mother Frigga, who had taught Loki magic. Thor reluctantly frees Loki, who agrees to take Thor to a secret portal to Svartalfheim, home of the dark elves, in return for Thor’s promise to take vengeance for their mother. In Svartalfheim, Loki appears to betray Thor, in fact tricking Malekith into drawing the Aether out of Jane, but Thor’s attempt to destroy the exposed substance fails. Malekith merges with the Aether and leaves in his ship as Loki appears to be fatally wounded saving Thor from Kurse, whom Loki was able to kill through trickery. Thor ultimately defeats Malekith in a battle in Greenwich, and returns to Asgard to decline Odin’s offer to take the throne, and tells Odin of Loki’s sacrifice. After Thor leaves, it is shown that Loki has actually survived and taken Odin’s place on the throne, disguised as Odin.

Destruction of AsgardEdit

From 2013 to 2017, Loki rules Asgard disguised as Odin, having kept the real Odin under a spell on Earth. During this time, the disguised Loki sends Sif to Earth on a mission and later banishes her from Asgard.

In 2017, Thor returns to Asgard and discovers Loki’s ruse, making Loki reveal himself to the shocked Asgardians. After Loki tells Thor where Odin is, he is taken by Thor back to Earth to New York City. Loki is trapped through a portal by Stephen Strange as a threat to Earth, before him and Thor are sent into another portal in to Norway, where they find a dying Odin, who explains that his passing will allow his firstborn child, Hela, to escape from a prison she was sealed in long ago. Hela appears, destroying Mjölnir to Loki’s shock, and forces Thor and Loki from the Bifröst out into space. Loki lands on the planet Sakaar, and quickly ingratiates himself to the ruler of that world, the Grandmaster. Thor later crash-lands on Sakaar and is captured by the slave trader Valkyrie, a former member of the ancient order of Valkyries defeated by Hela. After convincing Valkyrie and Loki to help, they steal a ship with which to escape through a wormhole to Asgard – but not before Loki again attempts to betray Thor, causing Thor to leave Loki behind on Sakaar. However, Loki is found by Korg, Miek, and others who join him aboard a large vessel stolen from the Grandmaster called the Statesman. He leads them to return to Asgard and help the Asgardians escape the battle between Thor and Hela’s forces, proclaiming himself their savior in the process. During the battle, on Thor’s order, Loki goes to Odin’s treasure room and places the crown of Surtur in the eternal flame kept there, thus causing an enormous form of Surtur to appear and destroy Hela and Asgard. In the process of doing so however, he steals the Tesseract from Odin’s treasure vault. Thor, crowned king, decides to take the Asgardians to Earth despite Loki’s concerns about how he will be received there.

DeathEdit

While en-route to Earth, in 2018, Loki and Thor are intercepted by a large spacecraft carrying Thanos and his children, alerted to their location by the presence of the Tesseract secretly being held by Loki. After wiping out half of the Asgardians onboard while the rest flee via escape pods, Thanos, wielding the Power Stone, overpowers Thor and Hulk, kills Heimdall, and claims the Space Stone from the Tesseract that Loki hands over to him in order to spare Thor’s life. In a last act of self-sacrifice, Loki pretends to swear allegiance to Thanos, only to attempt to stab his throat. Thanos intercepts the attack with one of his infinity stones, and kills Loki by snapping his neck, leaving his body to be cradled in his brother’s arms.

2012 variantEdit

Capture and learning his original fateEdit

Hiddleston promoting Loki at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con.

A variant of Loki, dubbed Variant L1130, retrieves the Tesseract in an alternate 2012 during the Avengers’ «Time Heist» and escapes following the Battle of New York, forming a new timeline. Loki escapes into Mongolia and is taken into custody by the Time Variance Authority (TVA), while the new timeline is reset and destroyed.^[44]

TVA judge Ravonna Renslayer labels him a rogue variant to be «reset». However, TVA agent Mobius M. Mobius intervenes and takes Loki to a Time Theatre where he reviews Loki’s past misdeeds and questions his real motive for hurting people. After realizing that the Infinity Stones cannot help him, as well as viewing his would-be future on the «Sacred Timeline», including his own death at the hand of Thanos, Loki agrees to help Mobius stop a rogue variant of himself.

Edit

Loki joins a TVA mission following an ambush by the fugitive Loki Variant in 1985 Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Loki stalls for time, but Mobius understands his plan. After some research, Loki proposes that the Variant is hiding near apocalyptic events like Asgard’s Ragnarök, where the impending destruction means their actions cannot change the timeline, thus concealing them from the TVA. Loki and Mobius confirm this possibility by visiting Pompeii in 79 AD. Travelling to 2050 Alabama, they encounter The Variant, who rejects Loki’s offer to work together to overthrow the Time-Keepers, before revealing herself as a female variant of Loki. The Variant then uses TVA Reset Charges to «bomb» the timeline, creating new timeline branches to keep the organization’s minutemen busy, before escaping through a portal to the TVA to assassinate the Time-Keepers, with Loki in pursuit.

Allying with SylvieEdit

After a confrontation at the TVA, Loki teleports the Variant to Lamentis-1, a planet set to be destroyed by a meteor shower, using their TemPad. Both are unable to escape due to the TemPad having run out of power. Agreeing to ally with one another, the Variant introduces herself to Loki by the alias «Sylvie» and proposes a truce in order to escape the planet. The pair sneak aboard a train bound for the Ark, a spaceship intended to evacuate Lamentis-1, in order to siphon its power and recharge the TemPad. On the train, Loki gets drunk and starts a ruckus, causing him and Sylvie to be discovered and forced out by the guards. While walking to the Ark in order to instead hijack it and leave the planet, to prevent it from being destroyed as according to the Sacred Timeline, Loki enquires about Sylvie’s enchantment ability, learning that the agents of the TVA are variants themselves; Loki reveals to Sylvie that the TVA agents, including Mobius, are not aware that they are variants. With the TemPad broken, the pair fight their way through the guards and through a meteor shower to the Ark, only to witness it being destroyed by a meteor just as they get to it, leaving them stranded.

On Lamentis-1, Sylvie tells Loki she escaped the TVA when she was about to be arrested as a child. Loki and Sylvie form a romantic bond, creating a branched timeline never seen by the TVA. Mobius rescues the two from Lamentis and has them both arrested, punishing Loki by leaving him in a time loop from his past. After Mobius derides Loki for having fallen in love with Sylvie, Loki tells him that everyone working for the TVA are variants, which Mobius investigates. Now aware of his background upon finding proof, Mobius frees Loki from the loop, but is soon confronted by Renslayer and pruned. Loki and Sylvie are taken to the Time-Keepers, accompanied by Renslayer and her minutemen. Hunter B-15 intervenes, freeing Loki and Sylvie of their time twisting collars, and in the ensuing fight, the minutemen are killed whilst Renslayer is knocked unconscious by Sylvie. Sylvie then beheads one of the Time-Keepers, who turn out to all be androids. Loki prepares to tell Sylvie about his feelings, but Renslayer regains consciousness and prunes him. He awakens in a post-apocalyptic world, dubbed «the Void», with multiple other Loki variants, who invite him to join them.

Surviving in the VoidEdit

Loki learns from his other variants that a cloud-like creature named Alioth guards the Void and prevents anyone from escaping. Boastful Loki attempts to betray the other Lokis for another Loki variant (who was elected president in his timeline), causing a fight to ensue, forcing Loki and his variant allies to escape. After reuniting with Loki, Sylvie proposes a plan to approach Alioth and enchant it, in hopes that it will lead them to the real mastermind behind the TVA’s creation, whilst Mobius teleports back to the TVA. Kid Loki and Reptile Loki escape while Classic Loki creates a large illusion of Asgard to distract Alioth and sacrifices himself in the process. This allows Loki and Sylvie to successfully enchant the creature and move past the Void. Noticing a citadel in the foreground, the pair walk towards it.

Meeting He Who RemainsEdit

In the Citadel at the End of Time, Loki and Sylvie meet Miss Minutes and reject an offer from her creator, «He Who Remains», to return them to the timeline with everything they desire. He Who Remains reveals to Loki and Sylvie that he created the TVA after ending a multiversal war caused by his variants. As the timeline begins to branch, he offers them a choice: kill him and end the singular timeline, causing another multiversal war, or become his successors in overseeing the TVA. Sylvie decides to kill him, while Loki pleads with her to stop. They kiss, but Sylvie sends Loki back to TVA headquarters. At TVA headquarters, Loki warns B-15 and Mobius about variants of He Who Remains, but they do not recognize him. Loki sees that a statue in the likeness of He Who Remains has replaced those of the Time-Keepers.

Tracking Variants of He Who RemainsEdit

Terrified about the variants of He Who Remains created in the infinite time that passed while he was on the Citadel, Loki convinces Mobius to seek out to find where other variants may be, travelling with him to an alternate 1901, where they attended Victor Timely’s campaign, an oblivious Mobius enjoying his speech as Loki identifies Timely as one of the variants.

Other variantsEdit

2013 variantEdit

An alternate version of Loki from the events of Thor: The Dark World briefly appears in Avengers: Endgame. In an alternate 2013, Thor and Rocket travel to Asgard to take the Reality Stone, passing unnoticed by a bored Loki in his holding cell at the dungeons.

LokiEdit

Multiple «variants» of Loki in addition to the 2012 variant appear in Loki.

SylvieEdit

Sylvie (portrayed by Sophia Di Martino as an adult and by Cailey Fleming as a child) is a female variant of Loki who seeks to «free» the Sacred Timeline from the TVA, developing a method of body possession to achieve her ends.^[45] She later falls in love with the 2012 variant of Loki. Sylvie was first taken into custody by the TVA as a little girl, but escaped, and thereafter spent her life evading them.

Other variantsEdit

L to R: The Boastful, Alligator, Kid and Classic Loki variants as seen in «The Nexus Event». Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige said that seeing different versions of Loki was «part of the fun of the multiverse and playing with time».^[46]

• A variant of Loki dubbed «Boastful Loki» (portrayed by DeObia Oparei) wields a hammer and makes wild exaggerations about his accomplishments (including claiming to have defeated Captain America and Iron Man, and obtained the Infinity Stones). Boastful Loki attempts to betray the Classic, Kid, and Alligator variants by allying with President Loki to rule the Void, but fails.
• A reptilian variant of Loki dubbed «Alligator Loki» lives in the Void with fellow Loki variants. Loki head writer Michael Waldron included him «because he’s green», describing it as an «irreverent» addition. Director Kate Herron used a «cartoony» stuffed alligator during filming, allowing actors to interact with it, with the onscreen version rendered using CGI.^[47]
• A younger variant of Loki dubbed «Kid Loki» (portrayed by Jack Veal) created a Nexus event by killing Thor. He considers himself the king of the Void although it seems only Classic Loki and Alligator Loki respect this title.^[48][49] He is based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name.
• An elderly variant of Loki dubbed «Classic Loki» (portrayed by Richard E. Grant) grew old on an isolated planet after tricking Thanos and faking his death. Classic Loki has the ability to conjure larger, more elaborate illusions than Loki.^[40] This version sacrifices himself when creating an illusion of Asgard to allow Sylvie and Loki to enchant Alioth. His costume was inspired by his 1960s comic design by Jack Kirby.^[40]
• A variant of Loki dubbed «President Loki» (portrayed by Tom Hiddleston) created a Nexus event by becoming a president in his timeline. He attempts to rule the Void with an army of other variants, and is at odds with Kid Loki.^[49] Hiddleston called President Loki «the worst of the bad bunch», describing him as «the least vulnerable, the most autocratic and terrifyingly ambitious character who seems to have no empathy or care for anyone else».^[50] His costume design and characterisation was inspired by the comic miniseries Vote Loki by Christopher Hastings.^[51][52]
• A series of holographs of Loki variants are shown in a scene in the TVA, including one with the blue skin of a Frost Giant, another wearing the yellow jersey of the Tour de France leader and holding the race trophy, a third with a Hulk-like heavily muscled form, a fourth long-bearded variant with hooves, and a fifth appearing more like a traditional viking.^[53]
• Multiple Loki variants are shown to be part of President Loki’s crew, including «Glamshades Loki» (the aforementioned long-bearded variant with hooves), «Poky Loki«, «In Prison Loki«, and «Bicycle Loki«. These variants were named by costume designer Christine Wada.^[54]

What If…?Edit

Several alternate versions of Loki appear in the animated series What If…?, with Hiddleston reprising his role.

Conquering the EarthEdit

In an alternate 2011, following the death of Thor during his exile to Earth, Loki arrives with the Asgardian army to avenge him. Confronted by Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D., he defeats them using the Casket of Ancient Winters before threatening to turn the entire world into ice. After negotiating with Fury, he agrees to give him until the next sunrise to find his brother’s killer, whom Fury deduces to be Hank Pym. The two confront him in San Francisco and defeat him, but Loki decides to remain on Earth and quickly becomes its ruler while ending all conflict on Earth.^[55]

Sometime later, Fury assembles a resistance movement to overthrow Loki and a battle ensues between S.H.I.E.L.D. and Loki’s Asgardian forces. Just as Loki is about to claim victory, the Watcher brings in a Natasha Romanoff from another reality where Ultron possessed Vision’s body and killed the Avengers. She proceeds to subdue Loki with his Scepter.

Frost Giant princeEdit

In an alternate 965 A.D., Odin returns an infant Loki to Laufey rather than adopting him, resulting in Loki growing up to be the Frost Giant prince of Jotunheim. Loki and Thor later meet under unknown circumstances and become best friends. In 2011, Loki attends Thor’s intergalactic party on Earth alongside his fellow Frost Giants, who vandalize Mount Rushmore. Loki accidentally prevents Jane Foster from contacting Thor when, due to his large Frost Giant fingers, he drops and breaks Thor’s cell phone. He and his Frost Giants later send the London Eye spinning off into one direction. When Thor intimidates the party guests into cleaning up while also mentioning that Frigga is coming, Loki’s fellow Frost Giants put the London Eye back on its stand.

ReceptionEdit

The character of Loki «has been a fan favorite ever since his central role in 2012’s The Avengers«,^[56] becoming «one of the MCU’s most beloved characters».^[57] Hiddleston has received a number of nominations and awards for his performance of the character.

AccoladesEdit

Year	Film	Award	Category	Result	Ref(s)
2011	Thor	Scream Awards	Scream Award for Breakout Performance – Male	Nominated	[58]
2012	Empire Awards	Best Male Newcomer	Won	[59]
Saturn Awards	Best Supporting Actor	Nominated	[60]
The Avengers	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Movie: Villain	Nominated	[61]
2013	Kids’ Choice Awards	Favorite Villain	Nominated	[62]
MTV Movie Awards	Best Villain	Won	[63]
2014	Thor: The Dark World	Empire Awards	Empire Award for Best Supporting Actor	Nominated	[64]
Saturn Awards	Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor	Nominated	[65]
2018	Thor: Ragnarok	Teen Choice Awards	Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Scene Stealer	Nominated	[66]
2021	Loki	People’s Choice Awards	Male TV Star of 2021	Won	[67]
2022	Critics’ Choice Super Awards	Best Actor in a Superhero Series	Won	[68]
Kids’ Choice Awards	Favorite Male TV Star (Family)	Won	[69]
MTV Movie & TV Awards	Best Team[b]	Won	[70]
Saturn Awards	Saturn Award for Best Actor in a Streaming Television Series	Nominated	[71]

See alsoEdit

• Characters of the Marvel Cinematic Universe
• Norse mythology in popular culture

NotesEdit

ReferencesEdit

External linksEdit

• Loki on the Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki
• Loki (2012 variant) on the Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki
• Loki on Marvel Database, a Marvel Comics wiki
• Loki on Marvel.com

Loki is a god in Norse mythology. According to some sources, Loki is the son of Fárbauti (a jötunn) and Laufey (mentioned as a goddess), and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. Loki is married to Sigyn and they have two sons, Narfi or Nari and Váli. By the jötunn Angrboða, Loki is the father of Hel, the wolf Fenrir, and the world serpent Jörmungandr. In the form of a mare, Loki was impregnated by the stallion Svaðilfari and gave birth to the eight-legged horse Sleipnir.

Loki’s relation with the gods varies by source; he sometimes assists the gods and sometimes behaves maliciously towards them. Loki is a shape shifter and in separate incidents appears in the form of a salmon, a mare, a fly, and possibly an elderly woman named Þökk (Old Norse ‘thanks’). Loki’s positive relations with the gods end with his role in engineering the death of the god Baldr, and eventually, Odin’s specially engendered son Váli binds Loki with the entrails of one of his sons; in the Prose Edda, this son, Nari or Narfi, is killed by another son of Loki who is also called Váli. In both the Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda, the goddess Skaði is responsible for placing a serpent above him while he is bound. The serpent drips venom from above him that Sigyn collects into a bowl; however, she must empty the bowl when it is full, and the venom that drips in the meantime causes Loki to writhe in pain, thereby causing earthquakes. With the onset of Ragnarök, Loki is foretold to slip free from his bonds and to fight against the gods among the forces of the jötnar, at which time he will encounter the god Heimdallr, and the two will slay each other.

Loki is referred to in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources; the Prose Edda and Heimskringla, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson; the Norwegian Rune Poems, in the poetry of skalds, and in Scandinavian folklore. Loki may be depicted on the Snaptun Stone, the Kirkby Stephen Stone, and the Gosforth Cross. Scholars have debated Loki’s origins and role in Norse mythology, which some have described as that of a trickster god. Loki has been depicted in or referenced in a variety of media in modern popular culture.

Etymology and alternate names

The etymology of the name Loki has been extensively debated. The name has at times been associated with the Old Norse word logi (‘flame’), but there seems not to be a sound linguistic basis for this. Rather, the later Scandinavian variants of the name (such as Faroese Lokki, Danish Lokkemand, Norwegian Loke and Lokke, Swedish Luki and Luku) point to an origin in the Germanic root *luk-, which denoted things to do with loops (like knots, hooks, closed-off rooms, and locks). This corresponds with usages such as the Swedish lockanät and Faroese lokkanet (‘cobweb’, literally ‘Lokke’s web’) and Faroese lokki~grindalokki~grindalokkur, ‘daddy-long-legs’ referring both to crane flies and harvestmen, modern Swedish lockespindlar («Locke-spiders»). Some Eastern Swedish traditions referring to the same figure use forms in n— like Nokk(e), but this corresponds to the *luk— etymology insofar as those dialects consistently used a different root, Germanic *hnuk-, in contexts where western varieties used *luk-: «nokke corresponds to nøkkel» (‘key’ in Eastern Scandinavian) «as loki~lokke to lykil» (‘key’ in Western Scandinavian).^[1]

While it has been suggested that this association with closing could point to Loki’s apocalyptic role at Ragnarök,^[2] «there is quite a bit of evidence that Loki in premodern society was thought to be the causer of knots/tangles/loops, or himself a knot/tangle/loop. Hence, it is natural that Loki is the inventor of the fishnet, which consists of loops and knots, and that the word loki (lokke, lokki, loke, luki) is a term for makers of cobwebs: spiders and the like.»^[3] Though not prominent in the oldest sources, this identity as a «tangler» may be the etymological meaning of Loki’s name.

In various poems from the Poetic Edda (stanza 2 of Lokasenna, stanza 41 of Hyndluljóð, and stanza 26 of Fjölsvinnsmál), and sections of the Prose Edda (chapter 32 of Gylfaginning, stanza 8 of Haustlöng, and stanza 1 of Þórsdrápa) Loki is alternatively referred to as Loptr, which is generally considered derived from Old Norse lopt meaning «air», and therefore points to an association with the air.^[4]

The name Hveðrungr (Old Norse ‘?roarer’) is also used in reference to Loki, occurring in names for Hel (such as in Ynglingatal, where she is called hveðrungs mær) and in reference to Fenrir (as in Völuspa).^[5]

Attestations

Poetic Edda

In the Poetic Edda, Loki appears (or is referenced) in the poems Völuspá, Lokasenna, Þrymskviða, Reginsmál, Baldrs draumar, and Hyndluljóð.

Völuspá

In stanza 35 of the Poetic Edda poem Völuspá, a völva tells Odin that, among many other things, she sees Sigyn sitting very unhappily with her bound husband, Loki, under a «grove of hot springs».^[6] In stanza 51, during the events of Ragnarök, Loki appears free from his bonds and is referred to as the «brother of Býleistr» (here transcribed as Byleist):

A ship journeys from the east, Muspell’s people are coming,
over the waves, and Loki steers
There are the monstrous brood with all the raveners,
The brother of Byleist is in company with them.^[7]

In stanza 54, after consuming Odin and being killed by Odin’s son Víðarr, Fenrir is described as «Loki’s kinsman».^[8]

Lokasenna

The poem Lokasenna (Old Norse «Loki’s Flyting») centers around Loki flyting with other gods; Loki puts forth two stanzas of insults while the receiving figure responds with a single stanza, and then another figure chimes in. The poem begins with a prose introduction detailing that Ægir, a figure associated with the sea, is hosting a feast in his hall for a number of the gods and elves. There, the gods praise Ægir’s servers Fimafeng and Eldir. Loki «could not bear to hear that», and kills the servant Fimafeng. In response, the gods grab their shields, shrieking at Loki, and chase him out of the hall and to the woods. The gods then return to the hall, and continue drinking.^[9]

Entrance and rejection

Loki comes out of the woods and meets Eldir outside of the hall. Loki greets Eldir (and the poem itself begins) with a demand that Eldir tell him what the gods are discussing over their ale inside the hall. Eldir responds that they discuss their «weapons and their prowess in war» and yet no one there has anything friendly to say about Loki. Loki says that he will go into the feast, and that, before the end of the feast, he will induce quarrelling among the gods, and «mix their mead with malice». Eldir responds that «if shouting and fighting you pour out on» to the gods, «they’ll wipe it off on you». Loki then enters the hall, and everyone there falls silent upon noticing him.^[10]

Re-entrance and insults

Breaking the silence, Loki says that, thirsty, he had come to these halls from a long way away to ask the gods for a drink of «the famous mead». Calling the gods arrogant, Loki asks why they are unable to speak, and demands that they assign him a seat and a place for him at the feast, or tell him to leave. The skaldic god Bragi is the first to respond to Loki by telling him that Loki will not have a seat and place assigned to him by the gods at the feast, for the gods know what men they should invite.^[11] Loki does not respond to Bragi directly, but instead directs his attention to Odin, and states:

Do you remember, Odin, when in bygone days
we mixed our blood together?
You said you would never drink ale
unless it were brought to both of us.^[11]

Odin then asks his silent son Víðarr to sit up, so that Loki (here referred to as the «wolf’s father») may sit at the feast, and so that he may not speak words of blame to the gods in Ægir’s hall. Víðarr stands and pours a drink for Loki. Prior to drinking, Loki declaims a toast to the gods, with a specific exception for Bragi. Bragi responds that he will give a horse, sword, and ring from his possessions so that he does not repay the gods «with hatred». Loki responds that Bragi will always be short of all of these things, accusing him of being «wary of war» and «shy of shooting». Bragi responds that, were they outside of Ægir’s hall, Bragi would be holding Loki’s head as a reward for his lies. Loki replies that Bragi is brave when seated, calling him a «bench-ornament», and that Bragi would run away when troubled by an angry, spirited man.^[12]

The goddess Iðunn interrupts, asking Bragi, as a service to his relatives and adopted relatives, not to say words of blame to Loki in Ægir’s hall. Loki tells Iðunn to be silent, calling her the most «man-crazed» of all women, and saying that she placed her washed, bright arms around her brother’s slayer. Iðunn says that she will not say words of blame in Ægir’s hall, and affirms that she quietened Bragi, who was made talkative by beer, and that she doesn’t want the two of them to fight. The goddess Gefjun asks why the two gods must fight, saying that Loki knows that he is joking, and that «all living things love him». Loki responds to Gefjun by stating that Gefjun’s heart was once seduced by a «white boy» who gave her a jewel, and who Gefjun laid her thigh over.^[13]

Odin says that Loki must be insane to make Gefjun his enemy, as her wisdom about the fates of men may equal Odin’s own. Loki says that Odin does a poor job in handing out honor in war to men, and that he’s often given victory to the faint-hearted. Odin responds that even if this is true, Loki (in a story otherwise unattested) once spent eight winters beneath the earth as a woman milking cows, and during this time bore children. Odin declares this perverse. Loki counters that Odin once practiced seiðr (a type of sorcery) on the island of Samsey (now Samsø, Denmark), and, appearing as a wizard, traveled among mankind, which Loki condemns as perverse.^[14]

Frigg, a major deity who is married to Odin, says that what Loki and Odin did in the ancient past should not be spoken of in front of others, and that ancient matters should always remain hidden. Loki brings up that Frigg is the daughter of Fjörgyn, a personification of the earth, and that she had once taken Odin’s brothers Vili and Vé into her embrace. Frigg responds that if there was a boy like her now-deceased son Baldr in the hall, Loki would not be able to escape from the wrath of the gods. Loki reminds Frigg that he is responsible for the death of her son Baldr.^[15]

The goddess Freyja declares that Loki must be mad, stating that Frigg knows all fate, yet she does not speak it. Loki claims each of the gods and elves that are present have been Freyja’s lover. Freyja replies that Loki is lying, that he just wants to «yelp about wicked things» that gods and goddesses are furious with him, and that he will go home thwarted. In response, Loki calls Freyja a malicious witch, and claims that Freyja was once astride her brother Freyr, when all of the other laughing gods surprised her and Freyja then farted. This scenario is otherwise unattested. Njörðr (Freyja and Freyr’s father) says that it is harmless for a woman to have a lover or «someone else» beside her husband, and that what is surprising is a «pervert god coming here who has borne children».^[16]

Loki tells Njörðr to be silent, recalling Njörðr’s status as once having been a hostage from the Vanir to the Æsir during the Æsir-Vanir War, that the «daughters of Hymir» once used Njörðr «as a pisspot», urinating in his mouth (an otherwise unattested comment). Njörðr responds that this was his reward when he was sent as a hostage to the Æsir, and that he fathered his son (Freyr), whom no one hates, and is considered a prince of the Æsir. Loki tells Njörðr to maintain his moderation, and that he will not keep it secret any longer that Njörðr fathered this son with his sister (unnamed), although one would expect him to be worse than he turned out.^[17]

The god Tyr defends Freyr, to which Loki replies that Tyr should be silent, for Tyr cannot «deal straight with people», and points out that it was Loki’s son, the wolf Fenrir, who tore Tyr’s hand off. (According to the prose introduction to the poem Tyr is now one-handed from having his arm bitten off by Loki’s son Fenrir while Fenrir was bound.) Tyr responds that while he may have lost a hand, Loki has lost the wolf, and trouble has come to them both. Further, that Fenrir must now wait in shackles until the onset of Ragnarök. Loki tells Tyr to be silent a second time, and states that Tyr’s wife (otherwise unattested) had a son by Loki, and that Tyr never received any compensation for this «injury», further calling him a «wretch».^[18]

Freyr himself interrupts at this point, and says that he sees a wolf lying before a river mouth, and that, unless Loki is immediately silent, like the wolf, Loki shall also be bound until Ragnarök. Loki retorts that Freyr purchased his consort Gerðr with gold, having given away his sword, which he will lack at Ragnarök. Byggvir (referred to in the prose introduction to the poem as a servant of Freyr) says that if he had as noble a lineage and as an honorable a seat as Freyr, he would grind down Loki, and make all of his limbs lame. Loki refers to Byggvir in terms of a dog, and says that Byggvir is always found at Freyr’s ears, or twittering beneath a grindstone. Byggvir says that he is proud to be here by all the gods and men, and that he is said to be speedy. Loki tells him to be silent, that Byggvir does not know how to apportion food among men, and that he hides among the straw and dais when men go to battle.^[19]

The god Heimdallr says that Loki is drunk and witless, and asks Loki why he won’t stop speaking. Loki tells Heimdallr to be silent, that he was fated a «hateful life», that Heimdallr must always have a muddy back, and serve as watchman of the gods. The goddess Skaði says that while Loki now appears light-hearted and «playing» with his «tail-wagging», he will soon be bound with his ice-cold son’s guts on a sharp rock by the gods. Loki says that, even if this is his fate, that he was «first and foremost» with the other gods at the killing of Skaði’s father, Þjazi. Skaði says that, with these events in mind, «baneful advice» will always come from her «sanctuaries and plains» to Loki. Loki says that Skaði was once gentler in speech to him (referring to himself as the «son of Laufey») when Skaði once invited him to her bed (an event that is unattested elsewhere), and that such events must be mentioned if they are to recall «shameful deeds».^[20]

Sif goes forth and pours Loki a glass of mead into a crystal cup in a prose narrative. Continuing the poem, Sif welcomes Loki and invites him to take a crystal cup filled with ancient mead, and says that among the children of the Æsir, she is singularly blameless. Loki «takes the horn», drinks it, and says that she would be, if it were so, and states that Sif and Loki had been lovers, despite her marriage to Thor (an affair that is otherwise unattested). Beyla (referred to in the prose introduction to the poem as a servant of Freyr) says that all of the mountains are shaking, that she thinks Thor must be on his way home, and when Thor arrives he will bring peace to those that quarrel there. Loki tells Beyla to be silent, that she is «much imbued with malice», that no worse woman has ever been among the «Æsir’s children», and calling her a bad «serving-wench».^[21]

The arrival of Thor and the bondage of Loki

Thor arrives, and tells Loki to be silent, referring to him as an «evil creature», stating that with his hammer Mjöllnir he will silence Loki by hammering his head from his shoulders. Acknowledging that Thor has arrived, Loki asks Thor why he is raging, and says that Thor will not be so bold to fight against the wolf when he swallows Odin at Ragnarök. Thor again tells Loki to be silent, and threatens him with Mjöllnir, adding that he will throw Loki «up on the roads to the east», and thereafter no one will be able to see Loki. Loki states that Thor should never brag of his journeys to the east, claiming that there Thor crouched cowering in the thumb of a glove, mockingly referring to him as a «hero», and adding that such behaviour was unlike Thor. Thor responds by telling Loki to be silent, threatening him with Mjöllnir, and adding that every one of Loki’s bones will be broken with it. Loki says he intends to live for a long while yet despite Thor’s threats, and taunts Thor about an encounter Thor once had with the Skrýmir (Útgarða-Loki in disguise). Thor again commands Loki to be silent, threatens Loki with Mjöllnir, and says he will send Loki to Hel, below the gates of Nágrind.^[22]

In response to Thor, Loki says that he «spoke before the Æsir», and «before the sons of the Æsir» what his «spirit urged» him to say, yet before Thor alone he will leave, as he knows that Thor does strike. Loki ends the poetic verses of Lokasenna with a final stanza:

Ale you brewed, Ægir, and you will never again hold a feast;
all your possessions which are here inside—
may flame play over them,
and may your back be burnt!^[23]

Following this final stanza a prose section details that after Loki left the hall, he disguised himself as a salmon and hid in the waterfall of Franangrsfors, where the Æsir caught him. The narrative continues that Loki was bound with the entrails of his son Nari, and his son Narfi changed into a wolf. Skaði fastened a venomous snake over Loki’s face, and from it poison dripped. Sigyn, his spouse, sat with him holding a basin beneath the dripping venom, yet when the basin became full, she carried the poison away; and during this time the poison dripped on to Loki, causing him to writhe with such violence that all of the earth shook from the force, resulting in what are now known as earthquakes.^[24]

Þrymskviða

In the poem Þrymskviða, Thor wakes and finds that his powerful hammer, Mjöllnir, is missing. Thor turns to Loki first, and tells him that nobody knows that the hammer has been stolen. The two then go to the court of the goddess Freyja, and Thor asks her if he may borrow her feather cloak so that he may attempt to find Mjöllnir. Freyja agrees, saying she would lend it even if it were made of silver and gold, and Loki flies off, the feather cloak whistling.^[25]

In Jötunheimr, the jötunn Þrymr sits on a burial mound, plaiting golden collars for his female dogs, and trimming the manes of his horses. Þrymr sees Loki, and asks what could be amiss among the Æsir and the Elves; why is Loki alone in the Jötunheimr? Loki responds that he has bad news for both the elves and the Æsir: that Thor’s hammer, Mjöllnir, is gone. Þrymr says that he has hidden Mjöllnir eight leagues beneath the earth, from which it will be retrieved if Freyja is brought to marry him. Loki flies off, the feather cloak whistling, away from Jötunheimr and back to the court of the gods.^[26]

Thor asks Loki if his efforts were successful, and that Loki should tell him while he is still in the air as «tales often escape a sitting man, and the man lying down often barks out lies». Loki states that it was indeed an effort, and also a success, for he has discovered that Þrymr has the hammer, but that it cannot be retrieved unless Freyja is brought to marry Þrymr. The two return to Freyja, and tell her to dress herself in a bridal head dress, as they will drive her to Jötunheimr. Freyja, indignant and angry, goes into a rage, causing all of the halls of the Æsir to tremble in her anger, and her necklace, the famed Brísingamen, falls from her. Freyja pointedly refuses.^[27]

As a result, the gods and goddesses meet and hold a thing to discuss and debate the matter. At the thing, the god Heimdallr puts forth the suggestion that, in place of Freyja, Thor should be dressed as the bride, complete with jewels, women’s clothing down to his knees, a bridal head-dress, and the necklace Brísingamen. Thor rejects the idea, and Loki (here described as «son of Laufey») interjects that this will be the only way to get back Mjöllnir, and points out that without Mjöllnir, the jötnar will be able to invade and settle in Asgard. The gods dress Thor as a bride, and Loki states that he will go with Thor as his maid, and that the two shall drive to Jötunheimr together.^[28]

After riding together in Thor’s goat-driven chariot, the two, disguised, arrive in Jötunheimr. Þrymr commands the jötnar in his hall to spread straw on the benches, for Freyja has arrived to marry him. Þrymr recounts his treasured animals and objects, stating that Freyja was all that he was missing in his wealth.^[29]

Early in the evening, the disguised Loki and Thor meet with Þrymr and the assembled jötnar. Thor eats and drinks ferociously, consuming entire animals and three casks of mead. Þrymr finds the behaviour at odds with his impression of Freyja, and Loki, sitting before Þrymr and appearing as a «very shrewd maid», makes the excuse that «Freyja’s» behaviour is due to her having not consumed anything for eight entire days before arriving due to her eagerness to arrive. Þrymr then lifts «Freyja’s» veil and wants to kiss «her» until catching the terrifying eyes staring back at him, seemingly burning with fire. Loki states that this is because «Freyja» had not slept for eight nights in her eagerness.^[29]

The «wretched sister» of the jötnar appears, asks for a bridal gift from «Freyja», and the jötnar bring out Mjöllnir to «sanctify the bride», to lay it on her lap, and marry the two by «the hand» of the goddess Vár. Thor laughs internally when he sees the hammer, takes hold of it, strikes Þrymr, beats all of the jötnar, and kills the «older sister» of the jötnar.^[30]

Reginsmál

Loki appears in both prose and the first six stanzas of the poem Reginsmál. The prose introduction to Reginsmál details that, while the hero Sigurd was being fostered by Regin, son of Hreidmar, Regin tells him that once the gods Odin, Hœnir, and Loki went to Andvara-falls, which contained many fish. Regin, a dwarf, had two brothers; Andvari, who gained food by spending time in the Andvara-falls in the form of a pike, and Ótr, who would often go to the Andvara-falls in the form of an otter.^[31]

While the three gods are at the falls, Ótr (in the form of an otter) catches a salmon and eats it on a river bank, his eyes shut, when Loki hits and kills him with a stone. The gods think that this is great, and flay the skin from the otter to make a bag. That night, the three gods stay with Hreidmar (the father of Regin, Andvari, and the now-dead Ótr) and show him their catches, including the skin of the otter. Upon seeing the skin, Regin and Hreidmar «seized them and made them ransom their lives» in exchange for filling the otterskin bag the gods had made with gold and covering the exterior of the bag with red gold.^[31]

Loki is sent to retrieve the gold, and Loki goes to the goddess Rán, borrows her net, and then goes back to the Andvara-falls. At the falls, Loki spreads his net before Andvari (who is in the form of a pike), which Andvari jumps into. The stanzas of the poem then begin: Loki mocks Andvari, and tells him that he can save his head by telling Loki where his gold is. Andvari gives some background information about himself, including that he was cursed by a «norn of misfortune» in his «early days». Loki responds by asking Andvari «what requital» does mankind get if «they wound each other with words». Andvari responds that lying men receive a «terrible requital»: having to wade in the river Vadgelmir, and that their suffering will be long.^[32]

Loki looks over the gold that Andvari possesses, and after Andvari hands over all of his gold, Andvari holds on to but a single ring; the ring Andvarinaut, which Loki also takes. Andvari, now in the form of a dwarf, goes into a rock, and tells Loki that the gold will result in the death of two brothers, will cause strife between eight princes, and will be useless to everyone.^[33]

Loki returns, and the three gods give Hreidmar the money from the gold hoard and flatten out the otter skin, stretch out its legs, and heap gold atop it, covering it. Hreidmar looks it over, and notices a single hair that has not been covered. Hreidmar demands that it be covered as well. Odin puts forth the ring Andvarinaut, covering the single hair.^[33]

Loki states that they have now handed over the gold, and that gold is cursed as Andvari is, and that it will be the death of Hreidmar and Regin both. Hreidmar responds that if he had known this before, he would have taken their lives, yet that he believes those are not yet born whom the curse is intended for, and that he does not believe him. Further, with the hoard, he will have red gold for the rest of his life. Hreidmar tells them to leave, and the poem continues without further mention of Loki.^[34]

Baldrs draumar

In Baldr draumar, Odin has awoken a deceased völva in Hel, and questions her repeatedly about his son Baldr’s bad dreams. Loki is mentioned in stanza 14, the final stanza of the poem, where the völva tells Odin to ride home, to be proud of himself, and that no one else will come visit until «Loki is loose, escaped from his bonds» and the onset of Ragnarök.^[35]

Hyndluljóð

Loki is referenced in two stanzas in Völuspá hin skamma, found within the poem Hyndluljóð. The first stanza notes that Loki produced «the wolf» with the jötunn Angrboða, that Loki himself gave birth to the horse Sleipnir by the stallion Svaðilfari, and that Loki (referred to as the «brother of Býleistr») thirdly gave birth to «the worst of all marvels». This stanza is followed by:

Loki ate some of the heart, the thought-stone of a woman,
roasted on a linden-wood fire, he found it half-cooked;
Lopt was impregnated by a wicked woman,
from whom every ogress on earth is descended.^[36]

In the second of the two stanzas, Loki is referred to as Lopt. Loki’s consumption of a woman’s heart is otherwise unattested.^[37]

Fjölsvinnsmál

In the poem Fjölsvinnsmál, a stanza mentions Loki (as Lopt) in association with runes. In the poem, Fjölsviðr describes to the hero Svipdagr that Sinmara keeps the weapon Lævateinn within a chest, locked with nine strong locks (due to significant translation differences, two translations of the stanza are provided here):

Fjolsvith spake: «Lævatein is there, that Lopt with runes Once made by the doors of death; In Lægjarn’s chest by Sinmora lies it, And nine locks fasten it firm.»[38]

Fiolsvith. Hævatein the twig is named, and Lopt plucked it, down by the gate of Death. In an iron chest it lies with Sinmœra, and is with nine strong locks secured.[39]

Prose Edda

Gylfaginning

The Prose Edda book Gylfaginning tells various myths featuring Loki, including Loki’s role in the birth of the horse Sleipnir and Loki’s contest with Logi, fire personified.

High’s introduction

Loki first appears in the Prose Edda in chapter 20 of the book Gylfaginning, where he is referred to as the «ás called Loki» while the enthroned figure of Third explains to «Gangleri» (King Gylfi in disguise) the goddess Frigg’s prophetic abilities while citing a stanza of Lokasenna.^[40]

Loki is more formally introduced by High in chapter 34, where he is «reckoned among the Æsir», and High states that Loki is called by some «the Æsir’s calumniator», «originator of deceits», and «the disgrace of all gods and men». High says that Loki’s alternative name is Lopt, that he is the son of the male jötunn Fárbauti, his mother is «Laufey or Nál», and his brothers are Helblindi and Býleistr. High describes Loki as «pleasing and handsome» in appearance, malicious in character, «very capricious in behaviour», and as possessing «to a greater degree than others» learned cunning, and «tricks for every purpose», often getting the Æsir into trouble, and then getting them out of it with his trickery. Sigyn is introduced as being married to Loki, and they have a son named «Nari or Narfi». Otherwise, Loki had three children with the female jötunn Angrboða from Jötunheimr; the wolf Fenrir, the serpent Jörmungandr, and the female being Hel. The gods realized that these three children were being raised in Jötunheimr, and expected trouble from them partially due to the nature of Angrboða, but worse yet Loki.^[41] In chapter 35, Gangleri comments that Loki produced a «pretty terrible»—yet important—family.^[42]

Loki, Svaðilfari, and Sleipnir

In chapter 42, High tells a story set «right at the beginning of the gods’ settlement, when the gods at established Midgard and built Val-Hall». The story is about an unnamed builder who has offered to build a fortification for the gods that will keep out invaders in exchange for the goddess Freyja, the sun, and the moon. After some debate, the gods agree to these conditions, but place a number of restrictions on the builder, including that he must complete the work within three seasons without the help of any man. The builder makes a single request; that he may have help from his stallion Svaðilfari, and due to Loki’s influence, this is allowed. The stallion Svaðilfari performs twice the deeds of strength as the builder, and hauls enormous rocks—to the surprise of the gods. The builder, with Svaðilfari, makes fast progress on the wall, and three days before the deadline of summer, the builder is nearly at the entrance to the fortification. The gods convene, and figure out who is responsible, resulting in a unanimous agreement that, along with most trouble, Loki is to blame (here referred to as Loki Laufeyjarson—his surname derived from his mother’s name, Laufey).^[43]

The gods declare that Loki deserves a horrible death if he cannot find a scheme that will cause the builder to forfeit his payment, and threaten to attack him. Loki, afraid, swears oaths that he will devise a scheme to cause the builder to forfeit the payment, whatever it may cost himself. That night, the builder drives out to fetch stone with his stallion Svaðilfari, and out from a wood runs a mare. The mare neighs at Svaðilfari, and «realizing what kind of horse it was», Svaðilfari becomes frantic, neighs, tears apart his tackle, and runs towards the mare. The mare runs to the wood, Svaðilfari follows, and the builder chases after. The two horses run around all night, causing the building to be halted and the builder is then unable to regain the previous momentum of his work.^[44]

The builder goes into a rage, and when the Æsir realize that the builder is a hrimthurs, they disregard their previous oaths with the builder, and call for Thor. Thor arrives, and subsequently kills the builder by smashing the builder’s skull into shards with the hammer Mjöllnir. However, Loki «had such dealings» with Svaðilfari that «somewhat later» Loki gives birth to a gray foal with eight legs; the horse Sleipnir—»the best horse among gods and men.»^[44]

Loki, Útgarða-Loki, and Logi

In chapter 44, Third reluctantly relates a tale where Thor and Loki are riding in Thor’s chariot, which is pulled by his two goats. Loki and Thor stop at the house of a peasant farmer, and there they are given lodging for a night. Thor slaughters his goats, prepares them, puts them in a pot, and Loki and Thor sit down for their evening meal. Thor invites the peasant family who own the farm to share with him the meal he has prepared, but warns them not to break the bones. Afterward, at the suggestion of Loki, the peasant child Þjálfi sucks the bone marrow from one of the goat bones, and when Thor goes to resurrect the goats, he finds one of the goats to be lame. In their terror, the family atones to Thor by giving Thor their son Þjálfi and their daughter Röskva.^[45]

Minus the goats, Thor, Loki, and the two children continue east until they arrive at a vast forest in Jötunheimr. They continue through the woods until dark. The four seek shelter for the night. They encounter an immense building. Finding shelter in a side room, they experience earthquakes through the night. The earthquakes cause all four but Thor, who grips his hammer in preparation of defense, to be fearful. The building turns out to be the huge glove of Skrymir, who has been snoring throughout the night, causing what seemed to be earthquakes. All four sleep beneath an oak tree near Skrymir in fear.^[46]

Thor wakes up in the middle of the night, and a series of events occur where Thor twice attempts to kill the sleeping Skrýmir with his hammer. Skrýmir awakes after each attempt, only to say that he detected an acorn falling on his head or that he wonders if bits of tree from the branches above have fallen on top of him. The second attempt awakes Skrýmir. Skrýmir gives them advice; if they are going to be cocky at the keep of Útgarðr it would be better for them to turn back now, for Útgarða-Loki’s men there won’t put up with it. Skrýmir throws his knapsack onto his back and abruptly goes into the forest. High comments that «there is no report that the Æsir expressed hope for a happy reunion».^[47]

The four travelers continue their journey until midday. They find themselves facing a massive castle in an open area. The castle is so tall that they must bend their heads back to their spines to see above it. At the entrance to the castle is a shut gate, and Thor finds that he cannot open it. Struggling, all four squeeze through the bars of the gate, and continue to a large hall. Inside the great hall are two benches, where many generally large people sit on two benches. The four see Útgarða-Loki, the king of the castle, sitting.^[48]

Útgarða-Loki says that no visitors are allowed to stay unless they can perform a feat. Loki, standing in the rear of the party, is the first to speak, claiming that he can eat faster than anyone. Útgarða-Loki comments that this would be a feat indeed, and calls for a being by the name of Logi to come from the benches. A trencher is fetched, placed on the floor of the hall, and filled with meat. Loki and Logi sit down on opposing sides. The two eat as quickly as they can and meet at the midpoint of the trencher. Loki consumed all of the meat off of the bones on his side, yet Logi had not only consumed his meat, but also the bones and the trencher itself. It was evident to all that Loki had lost. In turn, Þjálfi races against a figure by the name of Hugi three times and thrice loses.^[49]

Thor agrees to compete in a drinking contest but after three immense gulps fails. Thor agrees to lift a large, gray cat in the hall but finds that it arches his back no matter what he does, and that he can raise only a single paw. Thor demands to fight someone in the hall, but the inhabitants say doing so would be demeaning, considering Thor’s weakness. Útgarða-Loki then calls for his nurse Elli, an old woman. The two wrestle but the harder Thor struggles the more difficult the battle becomes. Thor is finally brought down to a single knee. Útgarða-Loki says to Thor that fighting anyone else would be pointless. Now late at night, Útgarða-Loki shows the group to their rooms and they are treated with hospitality.^[50]

The next morning the group gets dressed and prepares to leave the keep. Útgarða-Loki appears, has his servants prepare a table, and they all merrily eat and drink. As they leave, Útgarða-Loki asks Thor how he thought he fared in the contests. Thor says that he is unable to say he did well, noting that he is particularly annoyed that Útgarða-Loki will now speak negatively about him. Útgarða-Loki points out that the group has left his keep and says that he hopes that they never return to it, for if he had an inkling of what he was dealing with he would never have allowed the group to enter in the first place. Útgarða-Loki reveals that all was not what it seemed to the group. Útgarða-Loki was in fact the immense Skrýmir, and that if the three blows Thor attempted to land had hit their mark, the first would have killed Skrýmir. In reality, Thor’s blows were so powerful that they had resulted in three square valleys.^[51]

The contests, too, were an illusion. Útgarða-Loki reveals that Loki had actually competed against wildfire itself (Logi, Old Norse «flame»), Þjálfi had raced against thought (Hugi, Old Norse «thought»), Thor’s drinking horn had actually reached to the ocean and with his drinks he lowered the ocean level (resulting in tides). The cat that Thor attempted to lift was in actuality the world serpent, Jörmungandr, and everyone was terrified when Thor was able to lift the paw of this «cat», for Thor had actually held the great serpent up to the sky. The old woman Thor wrestled was in fact old age (Elli, Old Norse «old age»), and there is no one that old age cannot bring down. Útgarða-Loki tells Thor that it would be better for «both sides» if they did not meet again. Upon hearing this, Thor takes hold of his hammer and swings it at Útgarða-Loki but he is gone and so is his castle. Only a wide landscape remains.^[52]

Norwegian rune poem

Loki is mentioned in stanza 13 of the Norwegian rune poem in connection with the Younger Futhark Bjarkan rune:

Old Norse: Bjarkan er laufgrønster líma; Loki bar flærða tíma.[53]

Modern English: Birch has the greenest leaves of any shrub; Loki was fortunate in his deceit.[54]

According to Bruce Dickins, the reference to «Loki’s deceit» in the poem «is doubtless to Loki’s responsibility for Balder’s death».^[54]

Archaeological record

Snaptun Stone

In 1950, a semi-circular flat stone featuring a depiction of a mustachioed face was discovered on a beach near Snaptun, Denmark. Made of soapstone that originated in Norway or Sweden, the depiction was carved around the year 1000 CE and features a face with scarred lips. The figure is identified as Loki due to his lips, considered a reference to a tale recorded in Skáldskaparmál where sons of Ivaldi stitch up Loki’s lips.^[55]

The stone is identified as a hearth stone; the nozzle of the bellows would be inserted into the hole in the front of the stone, and the air produced by the bellows pushed flame through the top hole, all the while the bellows were protected from the heat and flame. The stone may point to a connection between Loki and smithing and flames. According to Hans Jørgen Madsen, the Snaptun Stone is «the most beautifully made hearth-stone that is known.» The stone is housed and on display at the Moesgård Museum near Aarhus, Denmark.^[55]

Kirkby Stephen Stone and Gosforth Cross

A fragmentary late 10th-century cross located in St Stephen’s Church, Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria, England, features a bound figure with horns and a beard. This figure is sometimes theorized as depicting the bound Loki.^[56] Discovered in 1870, the stone consists of yellowish-white sandstone, and now sits at the front of the Kirkby Stephen church. A depiction of a similarly horned and round-shouldered figure was discovered in Gainford, County Durham and is now housed in the Durham Cathedral Library.^[57]

The mid-11th century Gosforth Cross has been interpreted as featuring various figures from Norse mythology and, like the Kirkby Stephen Stone, is also located in Cumbria. The bottom portion of the west side of the cross features a depiction of a long-haired female, kneeling figure holding an object above another prostrate, bound figure. Above and to their left is a knotted serpent. This has been interpreted as Sigyn soothing the bound Loki.^[58]

Scandinavian folklore

The notion of Loki survived into the modern period in the folklore of Scandinavia. In Denmark, Loki appeared as Lokke. In Jutland, the phrases «Lokke slår sin havre» («Lokke is reaping his oats») and «Lokkemand driver sine geder» («Lokkemand drives his goats») are thereby recorded in the beginning of the 20th century, the latter with the variation of simply «Lokke». In Zealand the name «Lokke lejemand» («Lokke the Playing Man») was used. In his study of Loki’s appearance in Scandinavian folklore in the modern period, Danish folklorist Axel Olrik cites numerous examples of natural phenomena explained by way of Lokke in popular folk tradition, including rising heat. An example from 1841 reads as follows:

The expressions: «Lokke (Lokki) sår havre i dag» (Lokke (Lokki) sows oats today), or: «Lokke driver i dag med sine geder» (Lokke herds his goats today), are used in several regions of Jutland, for example in Medelsom shire, the diocese of Viborg etc. … and stand for the sight in the springtime, when the sunshine generates vapour from the ground, which can be seen as fluttering or shimmering air in the horizon of the flat landscape, similar to the hot steam over a kettle or a burning fire

And in Thy, from the same source: «… when you look at the horizon in clear weather and sunshine, and the air seems to move in shimmering waves, or like a sheet of water which seems to rise and sink in waves.» Olrik further cites several different types of plants named after Loki. Olrik detects three major themes in folklore attestations; Lokke appeared as an «air phenomenon», connected with the «home fire», and as a «teasing creature of the night».^[59]

Loka Táttur or Lokka Táttur (Faroese «tale—or þáttr—of Loki») is a Faroese ballad dating to the late Middle Ages that features the gods Loki, Odin, and Hœnir helping a farmer and a boy escape the wrath of a bet-winning jötunn. The tale notably features Loki as a benevolent god in this story, although his slyness is in evidence as usual.^[60]

Origin and identification with other figures

Regarding scholarship on Loki, scholar Gabriel Turville-Petre comments (1964) that «more ink has been spilled on Loki than on any other figure in Norse myth. This, in itself, is enough to show how little scholars agree, and how far we are from understanding him.»^[61]

Origin

Loki’s origins and role in Norse mythology have been much debated by scholars. In 1835, Jacob Grimm was first to produce a major theory about Loki, in which he advanced the notion of Loki as a «god of fire». In 1889, Sophus Bugge theorized Loki to be variant of Lucifer of Christianity, an element of Bugge’s larger effort to find a basis of Christianity in Norse mythology. After World War II, four scholarly theories dominated. The first of the four theories is that of Folke Ström, who in 1956 concluded that Loki is a hypostasis of the god Odin. In 1959, Jan de Vries theorized that Loki is a typical example of a trickster figure. In 1961, by way of excluding all non-Scandinavian mythological parallels in her analysis, Anna Birgitta Rooth concluded that Loki was originally a spider. Anne Holtsmark, writing in 1962, concluded that no conclusion could be made about Loki.^[62]

Identification with Lóðurr

A popular theory proposed by a variety of scholars is that Lóðurr is «a third name of Loki/Loptr». The main argument for this is that the gods Odin, Hœnir and Loki occur as a trio in Haustlöng, in the prose prologue to Reginsmál and also in the Loka Táttur a Faroese ballad, an example of Norse deities appearing in later folklore. The Odin-kenning «Lóðurr’s friend» furthermore appears to parallel the kenning «Loptr’s friend» and Loki is similarly referred to as «Hœnir’s friend» in Haustlöng, strengthening the trio connection. While many scholars agree with this identification, it is not universally accepted. One argument against it is that Loki appears as a malevolent being later in Völuspá, seemingly conflicting with the image of Lóðurr as a «mighty and loving» figure. Many scholars, including Jan de Vries and Georges Dumézil, have also identified Lóðurr as being the same deity as Loki. Scholar Haukur Þorgeirsson suggests that Loki and Lóðurr were different names for the same deity based on that Loki is referred to as Lóður in the rímur Lokrur. Þorgeirsson argues that the writer must have had information about the identification from either a tradition or that the author drew the conclusion based on the Prose Edda, as Snorri does not mention Lóðurr. Since the contents of the Poetic Edda are assumed to have been forgotten around 1400 when the rímur was written, Haukur argues for a traditional identification. Þorgeirsson also points to Þrymlur where the same identification is made with Loki and Lóðurr. Haukur says that unless the possible but unlikely idea that the 14th- and 15th-century poets possessed written sources unknown to us is true, the idea must have come from either an unlikely amount of sources from where the poets could have drawn a similar conclusion that Loki and Lóðurr are identical (like some recent scholars) or that remnants of an oral tradition remained. Haukur concludes that if Lóðurr was historically considered an independent deity from Loki, then a discussion of when and why he became identified with Loki is appropriate.^[63]

Binding

The scholar John Lindow highlights the recurring pattern of the bound monster in Norse mythology as being particularly associated to Loki. Loki and his three children by Angrboda were all bound in some way, and were all destined to break free at Ragnarok to wreak havoc on the world. He suggests a borrowed element from the traditions of the Caucasus region, and identifies a mythological parallel with the «Christian legend of the bound Antichrist awaiting the Last Judgment».^[64]

Modern popular culture

In the 19th century, Loki was depicted in a variety of ways, some strongly at odds with others. According to Stefan Arvidssen, «the conception of Loki varied during the nineteenth century. Sometimes he was presented as a dark-haired Semitic fifth columnist among the Nordic Aesir, but sometimes he was described as a Nordic Prometheus, a heroic bearer of culture».^[65]

Loki appears in Richard Wagner’s opera cycle Ring of the Nibelung as Loge (a play on Old Norse loge, «fire»), depicted as an ally of the gods (specifically as Wotan’s assistant rather than Donner’s), although he generally dislikes them and thinks of them as greedy, as they refuse to return the Rhine Gold to its rightful owners. In the conclusion of the first opera Das Rheingold, he reveals his hope to turn into fire and destroy Valhalla, and in the final opera Götterdämmerung Valhalla is set alight, destroying the Gods.^[66]

In 2008, five black smokers were discovered between Greenland and Norway, the most northerly group so far discovered, and given the name Loki’s Castle, as their shape reminded discoverers of a fantasy castle, and (a University of Bergen press release says) «Loki» was «an appropriate name for a field that was so difficult to locate».^[67]

Loki appears in Marvel Comics and in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, played by Tom Hiddleston, as a villain (or antihero) who consistently comes into conflict with the superhero Thor, his adopted brother and archenemy.^[68] Loki is a central character in Neil Gaiman’s novel American Gods^[69] and an important character in a few arcs of Gaiman’s comic The Sandman.^[70]

See also

• Dystheism

References

Cited sources

External links

• MyNDIR (My Norse Digital Image Repository) Illustrations of Loki from manuscripts and early print books. Clicking on the thumbnail will give you the full image and information concerning it.

Loki is a god in Norse mythology. According to some sources, Loki is the son of Fárbauti (a jötunn) and Laufey (mentioned as a goddess), and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. Loki is married to Sigyn and they have two sons, Narfi or Nari and Váli. By the jötunn Angrboða, Loki is the father of Hel, the wolf Fenrir, and the world serpent Jörmungandr. In the form of a mare, Loki was impregnated by the stallion Svaðilfari and gave birth to the eight-legged horse Sleipnir.

Loki’s relation with the gods varies by source; he sometimes assists the gods and sometimes behaves maliciously towards them. Loki is a shape shifter and in separate incidents appears in the form of a salmon, a mare, a fly, and possibly an elderly woman named Þökk (Old Norse ‘thanks’). Loki’s positive relations with the gods end with his role in engineering the death of the god Baldr, and eventually, Odin’s specially engendered son Váli binds Loki with the entrails of one of his sons; in the Prose Edda, this son, Nari or Narfi, is killed by another son of Loki who is also called Váli. In both the Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda, the goddess Skaði is responsible for placing a serpent above him while he is bound. The serpent drips venom from above him that Sigyn collects into a bowl; however, she must empty the bowl when it is full, and the venom that drips in the meantime causes Loki to writhe in pain, thereby causing earthquakes. With the onset of Ragnarök, Loki is foretold to slip free from his bonds and to fight against the gods among the forces of the jötnar, at which time he will encounter the god Heimdallr, and the two will slay each other.

Loki is referred to in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources; the Prose Edda and Heimskringla, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson; the Norwegian Rune Poems, in the poetry of skalds, and in Scandinavian folklore. Loki may be depicted on the Snaptun Stone, the Kirkby Stephen Stone, and the Gosforth Cross. Scholars have debated Loki’s origins and role in Norse mythology, which some have described as that of a trickster god. Loki has been depicted in or referenced in a variety of media in modern popular culture.

Etymology and alternate names

The etymology of the name Loki has been extensively debated. The name has at times been associated with the Old Norse word logi (‘flame’), but there seems not to be a sound linguistic basis for this. Rather, the later Scandinavian variants of the name (such as Faroese Lokki, Danish Lokkemand, Norwegian Loke and Lokke, Swedish Luki and Luku) point to an origin in the Germanic root *luk-, which denoted things to do with loops (like knots, hooks, closed-off rooms, and locks). This corresponds with usages such as the Swedish lockanät and Faroese lokkanet (‘cobweb’, literally ‘Lokke’s web’) and Faroese lokki~grindalokki~grindalokkur, ‘daddy-long-legs’ referring both to crane flies and harvestmen, modern Swedish lockespindlar («Locke-spiders»). Some Eastern Swedish traditions referring to the same figure use forms in n— like Nokk(e), but this corresponds to the *luk— etymology insofar as those dialects consistently used a different root, Germanic *hnuk-, in contexts where western varieties used *luk-: «nokke corresponds to nøkkel» (‘key’ in Eastern Scandinavian) «as loki~lokke to lykil» (‘key’ in Western Scandinavian).^[1]

While it has been suggested that this association with closing could point to Loki’s apocalyptic role at Ragnarök,^[2] «there is quite a bit of evidence that Loki in premodern society was thought to be the causer of knots/tangles/loops, or himself a knot/tangle/loop. Hence, it is natural that Loki is the inventor of the fishnet, which consists of loops and knots, and that the word loki (lokke, lokki, loke, luki) is a term for makers of cobwebs: spiders and the like.»^[3] Though not prominent in the oldest sources, this identity as a «tangler» may be the etymological meaning of Loki’s name.

In various poems from the Poetic Edda (stanza 2 of Lokasenna, stanza 41 of Hyndluljóð, and stanza 26 of Fjölsvinnsmál), and sections of the Prose Edda (chapter 32 of Gylfaginning, stanza 8 of Haustlöng, and stanza 1 of Þórsdrápa) Loki is alternatively referred to as Loptr, which is generally considered derived from Old Norse lopt meaning «air», and therefore points to an association with the air.^[4]

The name Hveðrungr (Old Norse ‘?roarer’) is also used in reference to Loki, occurring in names for Hel (such as in Ynglingatal, where she is called hveðrungs mær) and in reference to Fenrir (as in Völuspa).^[5]

Attestations

Poetic Edda

In the Poetic Edda, Loki appears (or is referenced) in the poems Völuspá, Lokasenna, Þrymskviða, Reginsmál, Baldrs draumar, and Hyndluljóð.

Völuspá

In stanza 35 of the Poetic Edda poem Völuspá, a völva tells Odin that, among many other things, she sees Sigyn sitting very unhappily with her bound husband, Loki, under a «grove of hot springs».^[6] In stanza 51, during the events of Ragnarök, Loki appears free from his bonds and is referred to as the «brother of Býleistr» (here transcribed as Byleist):

A ship journeys from the east, Muspell’s people are coming,
over the waves, and Loki steers
There are the monstrous brood with all the raveners,
The brother of Byleist is in company with them.^[7]

In stanza 54, after consuming Odin and being killed by Odin’s son Víðarr, Fenrir is described as «Loki’s kinsman».^[8]

Lokasenna

The poem Lokasenna (Old Norse «Loki’s Flyting») centers around Loki flyting with other gods; Loki puts forth two stanzas of insults while the receiving figure responds with a single stanza, and then another figure chimes in. The poem begins with a prose introduction detailing that Ægir, a figure associated with the sea, is hosting a feast in his hall for a number of the gods and elves. There, the gods praise Ægir’s servers Fimafeng and Eldir. Loki «could not bear to hear that», and kills the servant Fimafeng. In response, the gods grab their shields, shrieking at Loki, and chase him out of the hall and to the woods. The gods then return to the hall, and continue drinking.^[9]

Entrance and rejection

Loki comes out of the woods and meets Eldir outside of the hall. Loki greets Eldir (and the poem itself begins) with a demand that Eldir tell him what the gods are discussing over their ale inside the hall. Eldir responds that they discuss their «weapons and their prowess in war» and yet no one there has anything friendly to say about Loki. Loki says that he will go into the feast, and that, before the end of the feast, he will induce quarrelling among the gods, and «mix their mead with malice». Eldir responds that «if shouting and fighting you pour out on» to the gods, «they’ll wipe it off on you». Loki then enters the hall, and everyone there falls silent upon noticing him.^[10]

Re-entrance and insults

Breaking the silence, Loki says that, thirsty, he had come to these halls from a long way away to ask the gods for a drink of «the famous mead». Calling the gods arrogant, Loki asks why they are unable to speak, and demands that they assign him a seat and a place for him at the feast, or tell him to leave. The skaldic god Bragi is the first to respond to Loki by telling him that Loki will not have a seat and place assigned to him by the gods at the feast, for the gods know what men they should invite.^[11] Loki does not respond to Bragi directly, but instead directs his attention to Odin, and states:

Do you remember, Odin, when in bygone days
we mixed our blood together?
You said you would never drink ale
unless it were brought to both of us.^[11]

Odin then asks his silent son Víðarr to sit up, so that Loki (here referred to as the «wolf’s father») may sit at the feast, and so that he may not speak words of blame to the gods in Ægir’s hall. Víðarr stands and pours a drink for Loki. Prior to drinking, Loki declaims a toast to the gods, with a specific exception for Bragi. Bragi responds that he will give a horse, sword, and ring from his possessions so that he does not repay the gods «with hatred». Loki responds that Bragi will always be short of all of these things, accusing him of being «wary of war» and «shy of shooting». Bragi responds that, were they outside of Ægir’s hall, Bragi would be holding Loki’s head as a reward for his lies. Loki replies that Bragi is brave when seated, calling him a «bench-ornament», and that Bragi would run away when troubled by an angry, spirited man.^[12]

The goddess Iðunn interrupts, asking Bragi, as a service to his relatives and adopted relatives, not to say words of blame to Loki in Ægir’s hall. Loki tells Iðunn to be silent, calling her the most «man-crazed» of all women, and saying that she placed her washed, bright arms around her brother’s slayer. Iðunn says that she will not say words of blame in Ægir’s hall, and affirms that she quietened Bragi, who was made talkative by beer, and that she doesn’t want the two of them to fight. The goddess Gefjun asks why the two gods must fight, saying that Loki knows that he is joking, and that «all living things love him». Loki responds to Gefjun by stating that Gefjun’s heart was once seduced by a «white boy» who gave her a jewel, and who Gefjun laid her thigh over.^[13]

Odin says that Loki must be insane to make Gefjun his enemy, as her wisdom about the fates of men may equal Odin’s own. Loki says that Odin does a poor job in handing out honor in war to men, and that he’s often given victory to the faint-hearted. Odin responds that even if this is true, Loki (in a story otherwise unattested) once spent eight winters beneath the earth as a woman milking cows, and during this time bore children. Odin declares this perverse. Loki counters that Odin once practiced seiðr (a type of sorcery) on the island of Samsey (now Samsø, Denmark), and, appearing as a wizard, traveled among mankind, which Loki condemns as perverse.^[14]

Frigg, a major deity who is married to Odin, says that what Loki and Odin did in the ancient past should not be spoken of in front of others, and that ancient matters should always remain hidden. Loki brings up that Frigg is the daughter of Fjörgyn, a personification of the earth, and that she had once taken Odin’s brothers Vili and Vé into her embrace. Frigg responds that if there was a boy like her now-deceased son Baldr in the hall, Loki would not be able to escape from the wrath of the gods. Loki reminds Frigg that he is responsible for the death of her son Baldr.^[15]

The goddess Freyja declares that Loki must be mad, stating that Frigg knows all fate, yet she does not speak it. Loki claims each of the gods and elves that are present have been Freyja’s lover. Freyja replies that Loki is lying, that he just wants to «yelp about wicked things» that gods and goddesses are furious with him, and that he will go home thwarted. In response, Loki calls Freyja a malicious witch, and claims that Freyja was once astride her brother Freyr, when all of the other laughing gods surprised her and Freyja then farted. This scenario is otherwise unattested. Njörðr (Freyja and Freyr’s father) says that it is harmless for a woman to have a lover or «someone else» beside her husband, and that what is surprising is a «pervert god coming here who has borne children».^[16]

Loki tells Njörðr to be silent, recalling Njörðr’s status as once having been a hostage from the Vanir to the Æsir during the Æsir-Vanir War, that the «daughters of Hymir» once used Njörðr «as a pisspot», urinating in his mouth (an otherwise unattested comment). Njörðr responds that this was his reward when he was sent as a hostage to the Æsir, and that he fathered his son (Freyr), whom no one hates, and is considered a prince of the Æsir. Loki tells Njörðr to maintain his moderation, and that he will not keep it secret any longer that Njörðr fathered this son with his sister (unnamed), although one would expect him to be worse than he turned out.^[17]

The god Tyr defends Freyr, to which Loki replies that Tyr should be silent, for Tyr cannot «deal straight with people», and points out that it was Loki’s son, the wolf Fenrir, who tore Tyr’s hand off. (According to the prose introduction to the poem Tyr is now one-handed from having his arm bitten off by Loki’s son Fenrir while Fenrir was bound.) Tyr responds that while he may have lost a hand, Loki has lost the wolf, and trouble has come to them both. Further, that Fenrir must now wait in shackles until the onset of Ragnarök. Loki tells Tyr to be silent a second time, and states that Tyr’s wife (otherwise unattested) had a son by Loki, and that Tyr never received any compensation for this «injury», further calling him a «wretch».^[18]

Freyr himself interrupts at this point, and says that he sees a wolf lying before a river mouth, and that, unless Loki is immediately silent, like the wolf, Loki shall also be bound until Ragnarök. Loki retorts that Freyr purchased his consort Gerðr with gold, having given away his sword, which he will lack at Ragnarök. Byggvir (referred to in the prose introduction to the poem as a servant of Freyr) says that if he had as noble a lineage and as an honorable a seat as Freyr, he would grind down Loki, and make all of his limbs lame. Loki refers to Byggvir in terms of a dog, and says that Byggvir is always found at Freyr’s ears, or twittering beneath a grindstone. Byggvir says that he is proud to be here by all the gods and men, and that he is said to be speedy. Loki tells him to be silent, that Byggvir does not know how to apportion food among men, and that he hides among the straw and dais when men go to battle.^[19]

The god Heimdallr says that Loki is drunk and witless, and asks Loki why he won’t stop speaking. Loki tells Heimdallr to be silent, that he was fated a «hateful life», that Heimdallr must always have a muddy back, and serve as watchman of the gods. The goddess Skaði says that while Loki now appears light-hearted and «playing» with his «tail-wagging», he will soon be bound with his ice-cold son’s guts on a sharp rock by the gods. Loki says that, even if this is his fate, that he was «first and foremost» with the other gods at the killing of Skaði’s father, Þjazi. Skaði says that, with these events in mind, «baneful advice» will always come from her «sanctuaries and plains» to Loki. Loki says that Skaði was once gentler in speech to him (referring to himself as the «son of Laufey») when Skaði once invited him to her bed (an event that is unattested elsewhere), and that such events must be mentioned if they are to recall «shameful deeds».^[20]

Sif goes forth and pours Loki a glass of mead into a crystal cup in a prose narrative. Continuing the poem, Sif welcomes Loki and invites him to take a crystal cup filled with ancient mead, and says that among the children of the Æsir, she is singularly blameless. Loki «takes the horn», drinks it, and says that she would be, if it were so, and states that Sif and Loki had been lovers, despite her marriage to Thor (an affair that is otherwise unattested). Beyla (referred to in the prose introduction to the poem as a servant of Freyr) says that all of the mountains are shaking, that she thinks Thor must be on his way home, and when Thor arrives he will bring peace to those that quarrel there. Loki tells Beyla to be silent, that she is «much imbued with malice», that no worse woman has ever been among the «Æsir’s children», and calling her a bad «serving-wench».^[21]

The arrival of Thor and the bondage of Loki

Thor arrives, and tells Loki to be silent, referring to him as an «evil creature», stating that with his hammer Mjöllnir he will silence Loki by hammering his head from his shoulders. Acknowledging that Thor has arrived, Loki asks Thor why he is raging, and says that Thor will not be so bold to fight against the wolf when he swallows Odin at Ragnarök. Thor again tells Loki to be silent, and threatens him with Mjöllnir, adding that he will throw Loki «up on the roads to the east», and thereafter no one will be able to see Loki. Loki states that Thor should never brag of his journeys to the east, claiming that there Thor crouched cowering in the thumb of a glove, mockingly referring to him as a «hero», and adding that such behaviour was unlike Thor. Thor responds by telling Loki to be silent, threatening him with Mjöllnir, and adding that every one of Loki’s bones will be broken with it. Loki says he intends to live for a long while yet despite Thor’s threats, and taunts Thor about an encounter Thor once had with the Skrýmir (Útgarða-Loki in disguise). Thor again commands Loki to be silent, threatens Loki with Mjöllnir, and says he will send Loki to Hel, below the gates of Nágrind.^[22]

In response to Thor, Loki says that he «spoke before the Æsir», and «before the sons of the Æsir» what his «spirit urged» him to say, yet before Thor alone he will leave, as he knows that Thor does strike. Loki ends the poetic verses of Lokasenna with a final stanza:

Ale you brewed, Ægir, and you will never again hold a feast;
all your possessions which are here inside—
may flame play over them,
and may your back be burnt!^[23]

Following this final stanza a prose section details that after Loki left the hall, he disguised himself as a salmon and hid in the waterfall of Franangrsfors, where the Æsir caught him. The narrative continues that Loki was bound with the entrails of his son Nari, and his son Narfi changed into a wolf. Skaði fastened a venomous snake over Loki’s face, and from it poison dripped. Sigyn, his spouse, sat with him holding a basin beneath the dripping venom, yet when the basin became full, she carried the poison away; and during this time the poison dripped on to Loki, causing him to writhe with such violence that all of the earth shook from the force, resulting in what are now known as earthquakes.^[24]

Þrymskviða

In the poem Þrymskviða, Thor wakes and finds that his powerful hammer, Mjöllnir, is missing. Thor turns to Loki first, and tells him that nobody knows that the hammer has been stolen. The two then go to the court of the goddess Freyja, and Thor asks her if he may borrow her feather cloak so that he may attempt to find Mjöllnir. Freyja agrees, saying she would lend it even if it were made of silver and gold, and Loki flies off, the feather cloak whistling.^[25]

In Jötunheimr, the jötunn Þrymr sits on a burial mound, plaiting golden collars for his female dogs, and trimming the manes of his horses. Þrymr sees Loki, and asks what could be amiss among the Æsir and the Elves; why is Loki alone in the Jötunheimr? Loki responds that he has bad news for both the elves and the Æsir: that Thor’s hammer, Mjöllnir, is gone. Þrymr says that he has hidden Mjöllnir eight leagues beneath the earth, from which it will be retrieved if Freyja is brought to marry him. Loki flies off, the feather cloak whistling, away from Jötunheimr and back to the court of the gods.^[26]

Thor asks Loki if his efforts were successful, and that Loki should tell him while he is still in the air as «tales often escape a sitting man, and the man lying down often barks out lies». Loki states that it was indeed an effort, and also a success, for he has discovered that Þrymr has the hammer, but that it cannot be retrieved unless Freyja is brought to marry Þrymr. The two return to Freyja, and tell her to dress herself in a bridal head dress, as they will drive her to Jötunheimr. Freyja, indignant and angry, goes into a rage, causing all of the halls of the Æsir to tremble in her anger, and her necklace, the famed Brísingamen, falls from her. Freyja pointedly refuses.^[27]

As a result, the gods and goddesses meet and hold a thing to discuss and debate the matter. At the thing, the god Heimdallr puts forth the suggestion that, in place of Freyja, Thor should be dressed as the bride, complete with jewels, women’s clothing down to his knees, a bridal head-dress, and the necklace Brísingamen. Thor rejects the idea, and Loki (here described as «son of Laufey») interjects that this will be the only way to get back Mjöllnir, and points out that without Mjöllnir, the jötnar will be able to invade and settle in Asgard. The gods dress Thor as a bride, and Loki states that he will go with Thor as his maid, and that the two shall drive to Jötunheimr together.^[28]

After riding together in Thor’s goat-driven chariot, the two, disguised, arrive in Jötunheimr. Þrymr commands the jötnar in his hall to spread straw on the benches, for Freyja has arrived to marry him. Þrymr recounts his treasured animals and objects, stating that Freyja was all that he was missing in his wealth.^[29]

Early in the evening, the disguised Loki and Thor meet with Þrymr and the assembled jötnar. Thor eats and drinks ferociously, consuming entire animals and three casks of mead. Þrymr finds the behaviour at odds with his impression of Freyja, and Loki, sitting before Þrymr and appearing as a «very shrewd maid», makes the excuse that «Freyja’s» behaviour is due to her having not consumed anything for eight entire days before arriving due to her eagerness to arrive. Þrymr then lifts «Freyja’s» veil and wants to kiss «her» until catching the terrifying eyes staring back at him, seemingly burning with fire. Loki states that this is because «Freyja» had not slept for eight nights in her eagerness.^[29]

The «wretched sister» of the jötnar appears, asks for a bridal gift from «Freyja», and the jötnar bring out Mjöllnir to «sanctify the bride», to lay it on her lap, and marry the two by «the hand» of the goddess Vár. Thor laughs internally when he sees the hammer, takes hold of it, strikes Þrymr, beats all of the jötnar, and kills the «older sister» of the jötnar.^[30]

Reginsmál

Loki appears in both prose and the first six stanzas of the poem Reginsmál. The prose introduction to Reginsmál details that, while the hero Sigurd was being fostered by Regin, son of Hreidmar, Regin tells him that once the gods Odin, Hœnir, and Loki went to Andvara-falls, which contained many fish. Regin, a dwarf, had two brothers; Andvari, who gained food by spending time in the Andvara-falls in the form of a pike, and Ótr, who would often go to the Andvara-falls in the form of an otter.^[31]

While the three gods are at the falls, Ótr (in the form of an otter) catches a salmon and eats it on a river bank, his eyes shut, when Loki hits and kills him with a stone. The gods think that this is great, and flay the skin from the otter to make a bag. That night, the three gods stay with Hreidmar (the father of Regin, Andvari, and the now-dead Ótr) and show him their catches, including the skin of the otter. Upon seeing the skin, Regin and Hreidmar «seized them and made them ransom their lives» in exchange for filling the otterskin bag the gods had made with gold and covering the exterior of the bag with red gold.^[31]

Loki is sent to retrieve the gold, and Loki goes to the goddess Rán, borrows her net, and then goes back to the Andvara-falls. At the falls, Loki spreads his net before Andvari (who is in the form of a pike), which Andvari jumps into. The stanzas of the poem then begin: Loki mocks Andvari, and tells him that he can save his head by telling Loki where his gold is. Andvari gives some background information about himself, including that he was cursed by a «norn of misfortune» in his «early days». Loki responds by asking Andvari «what requital» does mankind get if «they wound each other with words». Andvari responds that lying men receive a «terrible requital»: having to wade in the river Vadgelmir, and that their suffering will be long.^[32]

Loki looks over the gold that Andvari possesses, and after Andvari hands over all of his gold, Andvari holds on to but a single ring; the ring Andvarinaut, which Loki also takes. Andvari, now in the form of a dwarf, goes into a rock, and tells Loki that the gold will result in the death of two brothers, will cause strife between eight princes, and will be useless to everyone.^[33]

Loki returns, and the three gods give Hreidmar the money from the gold hoard and flatten out the otter skin, stretch out its legs, and heap gold atop it, covering it. Hreidmar looks it over, and notices a single hair that has not been covered. Hreidmar demands that it be covered as well. Odin puts forth the ring Andvarinaut, covering the single hair.^[33]

Loki states that they have now handed over the gold, and that gold is cursed as Andvari is, and that it will be the death of Hreidmar and Regin both. Hreidmar responds that if he had known this before, he would have taken their lives, yet that he believes those are not yet born whom the curse is intended for, and that he does not believe him. Further, with the hoard, he will have red gold for the rest of his life. Hreidmar tells them to leave, and the poem continues without further mention of Loki.^[34]

Baldrs draumar

In Baldr draumar, Odin has awoken a deceased völva in Hel, and questions her repeatedly about his son Baldr’s bad dreams. Loki is mentioned in stanza 14, the final stanza of the poem, where the völva tells Odin to ride home, to be proud of himself, and that no one else will come visit until «Loki is loose, escaped from his bonds» and the onset of Ragnarök.^[35]

Hyndluljóð

Loki is referenced in two stanzas in Völuspá hin skamma, found within the poem Hyndluljóð. The first stanza notes that Loki produced «the wolf» with the jötunn Angrboða, that Loki himself gave birth to the horse Sleipnir by the stallion Svaðilfari, and that Loki (referred to as the «brother of Býleistr») thirdly gave birth to «the worst of all marvels». This stanza is followed by:

Loki ate some of the heart, the thought-stone of a woman,
roasted on a linden-wood fire, he found it half-cooked;
Lopt was impregnated by a wicked woman,
from whom every ogress on earth is descended.^[36]

In the second of the two stanzas, Loki is referred to as Lopt. Loki’s consumption of a woman’s heart is otherwise unattested.^[37]

Fjölsvinnsmál

In the poem Fjölsvinnsmál, a stanza mentions Loki (as Lopt) in association with runes. In the poem, Fjölsviðr describes to the hero Svipdagr that Sinmara keeps the weapon Lævateinn within a chest, locked with nine strong locks (due to significant translation differences, two translations of the stanza are provided here):

Fjolsvith spake: «Lævatein is there, that Lopt with runes Once made by the doors of death; In Lægjarn’s chest by Sinmora lies it, And nine locks fasten it firm.»[38]

Fiolsvith. Hævatein the twig is named, and Lopt plucked it, down by the gate of Death. In an iron chest it lies with Sinmœra, and is with nine strong locks secured.[39]

Prose Edda

Gylfaginning

The Prose Edda book Gylfaginning tells various myths featuring Loki, including Loki’s role in the birth of the horse Sleipnir and Loki’s contest with Logi, fire personified.

High’s introduction

Loki first appears in the Prose Edda in chapter 20 of the book Gylfaginning, where he is referred to as the «ás called Loki» while the enthroned figure of Third explains to «Gangleri» (King Gylfi in disguise) the goddess Frigg’s prophetic abilities while citing a stanza of Lokasenna.^[40]

Loki is more formally introduced by High in chapter 34, where he is «reckoned among the Æsir», and High states that Loki is called by some «the Æsir’s calumniator», «originator of deceits», and «the disgrace of all gods and men». High says that Loki’s alternative name is Lopt, that he is the son of the male jötunn Fárbauti, his mother is «Laufey or Nál», and his brothers are Helblindi and Býleistr. High describes Loki as «pleasing and handsome» in appearance, malicious in character, «very capricious in behaviour», and as possessing «to a greater degree than others» learned cunning, and «tricks for every purpose», often getting the Æsir into trouble, and then getting them out of it with his trickery. Sigyn is introduced as being married to Loki, and they have a son named «Nari or Narfi». Otherwise, Loki had three children with the female jötunn Angrboða from Jötunheimr; the wolf Fenrir, the serpent Jörmungandr, and the female being Hel. The gods realized that these three children were being raised in Jötunheimr, and expected trouble from them partially due to the nature of Angrboða, but worse yet Loki.^[41] In chapter 35, Gangleri comments that Loki produced a «pretty terrible»—yet important—family.^[42]

Loki, Svaðilfari, and Sleipnir

In chapter 42, High tells a story set «right at the beginning of the gods’ settlement, when the gods at established Midgard and built Val-Hall». The story is about an unnamed builder who has offered to build a fortification for the gods that will keep out invaders in exchange for the goddess Freyja, the sun, and the moon. After some debate, the gods agree to these conditions, but place a number of restrictions on the builder, including that he must complete the work within three seasons without the help of any man. The builder makes a single request; that he may have help from his stallion Svaðilfari, and due to Loki’s influence, this is allowed. The stallion Svaðilfari performs twice the deeds of strength as the builder, and hauls enormous rocks—to the surprise of the gods. The builder, with Svaðilfari, makes fast progress on the wall, and three days before the deadline of summer, the builder is nearly at the entrance to the fortification. The gods convene, and figure out who is responsible, resulting in a unanimous agreement that, along with most trouble, Loki is to blame (here referred to as Loki Laufeyjarson—his surname derived from his mother’s name, Laufey).^[43]

The gods declare that Loki deserves a horrible death if he cannot find a scheme that will cause the builder to forfeit his payment, and threaten to attack him. Loki, afraid, swears oaths that he will devise a scheme to cause the builder to forfeit the payment, whatever it may cost himself. That night, the builder drives out to fetch stone with his stallion Svaðilfari, and out from a wood runs a mare. The mare neighs at Svaðilfari, and «realizing what kind of horse it was», Svaðilfari becomes frantic, neighs, tears apart his tackle, and runs towards the mare. The mare runs to the wood, Svaðilfari follows, and the builder chases after. The two horses run around all night, causing the building to be halted and the builder is then unable to regain the previous momentum of his work.^[44]

The builder goes into a rage, and when the Æsir realize that the builder is a hrimthurs, they disregard their previous oaths with the builder, and call for Thor. Thor arrives, and subsequently kills the builder by smashing the builder’s skull into shards with the hammer Mjöllnir. However, Loki «had such dealings» with Svaðilfari that «somewhat later» Loki gives birth to a gray foal with eight legs; the horse Sleipnir—»the best horse among gods and men.»^[44]

Loki, Útgarða-Loki, and Logi

In chapter 44, Third reluctantly relates a tale where Thor and Loki are riding in Thor’s chariot, which is pulled by his two goats. Loki and Thor stop at the house of a peasant farmer, and there they are given lodging for a night. Thor slaughters his goats, prepares them, puts them in a pot, and Loki and Thor sit down for their evening meal. Thor invites the peasant family who own the farm to share with him the meal he has prepared, but warns them not to break the bones. Afterward, at the suggestion of Loki, the peasant child Þjálfi sucks the bone marrow from one of the goat bones, and when Thor goes to resurrect the goats, he finds one of the goats to be lame. In their terror, the family atones to Thor by giving Thor their son Þjálfi and their daughter Röskva.^[45]

Minus the goats, Thor, Loki, and the two children continue east until they arrive at a vast forest in Jötunheimr. They continue through the woods until dark. The four seek shelter for the night. They encounter an immense building. Finding shelter in a side room, they experience earthquakes through the night. The earthquakes cause all four but Thor, who grips his hammer in preparation of defense, to be fearful. The building turns out to be the huge glove of Skrymir, who has been snoring throughout the night, causing what seemed to be earthquakes. All four sleep beneath an oak tree near Skrymir in fear.^[46]

Thor wakes up in the middle of the night, and a series of events occur where Thor twice attempts to kill the sleeping Skrýmir with his hammer. Skrýmir awakes after each attempt, only to say that he detected an acorn falling on his head or that he wonders if bits of tree from the branches above have fallen on top of him. The second attempt awakes Skrýmir. Skrýmir gives them advice; if they are going to be cocky at the keep of Útgarðr it would be better for them to turn back now, for Útgarða-Loki’s men there won’t put up with it. Skrýmir throws his knapsack onto his back and abruptly goes into the forest. High comments that «there is no report that the Æsir expressed hope for a happy reunion».^[47]

The four travelers continue their journey until midday. They find themselves facing a massive castle in an open area. The castle is so tall that they must bend their heads back to their spines to see above it. At the entrance to the castle is a shut gate, and Thor finds that he cannot open it. Struggling, all four squeeze through the bars of the gate, and continue to a large hall. Inside the great hall are two benches, where many generally large people sit on two benches. The four see Útgarða-Loki, the king of the castle, sitting.^[48]

Útgarða-Loki says that no visitors are allowed to stay unless they can perform a feat. Loki, standing in the rear of the party, is the first to speak, claiming that he can eat faster than anyone. Útgarða-Loki comments that this would be a feat indeed, and calls for a being by the name of Logi to come from the benches. A trencher is fetched, placed on the floor of the hall, and filled with meat. Loki and Logi sit down on opposing sides. The two eat as quickly as they can and meet at the midpoint of the trencher. Loki consumed all of the meat off of the bones on his side, yet Logi had not only consumed his meat, but also the bones and the trencher itself. It was evident to all that Loki had lost. In turn, Þjálfi races against a figure by the name of Hugi three times and thrice loses.^[49]

Thor agrees to compete in a drinking contest but after three immense gulps fails. Thor agrees to lift a large, gray cat in the hall but finds that it arches his back no matter what he does, and that he can raise only a single paw. Thor demands to fight someone in the hall, but the inhabitants say doing so would be demeaning, considering Thor’s weakness. Útgarða-Loki then calls for his nurse Elli, an old woman. The two wrestle but the harder Thor struggles the more difficult the battle becomes. Thor is finally brought down to a single knee. Útgarða-Loki says to Thor that fighting anyone else would be pointless. Now late at night, Útgarða-Loki shows the group to their rooms and they are treated with hospitality.^[50]

The next morning the group gets dressed and prepares to leave the keep. Útgarða-Loki appears, has his servants prepare a table, and they all merrily eat and drink. As they leave, Útgarða-Loki asks Thor how he thought he fared in the contests. Thor says that he is unable to say he did well, noting that he is particularly annoyed that Útgarða-Loki will now speak negatively about him. Útgarða-Loki points out that the group has left his keep and says that he hopes that they never return to it, for if he had an inkling of what he was dealing with he would never have allowed the group to enter in the first place. Útgarða-Loki reveals that all was not what it seemed to the group. Útgarða-Loki was in fact the immense Skrýmir, and that if the three blows Thor attempted to land had hit their mark, the first would have killed Skrýmir. In reality, Thor’s blows were so powerful that they had resulted in three square valleys.^[51]

The contests, too, were an illusion. Útgarða-Loki reveals that Loki had actually competed against wildfire itself (Logi, Old Norse «flame»), Þjálfi had raced against thought (Hugi, Old Norse «thought»), Thor’s drinking horn had actually reached to the ocean and with his drinks he lowered the ocean level (resulting in tides). The cat that Thor attempted to lift was in actuality the world serpent, Jörmungandr, and everyone was terrified when Thor was able to lift the paw of this «cat», for Thor had actually held the great serpent up to the sky. The old woman Thor wrestled was in fact old age (Elli, Old Norse «old age»), and there is no one that old age cannot bring down. Útgarða-Loki tells Thor that it would be better for «both sides» if they did not meet again. Upon hearing this, Thor takes hold of his hammer and swings it at Útgarða-Loki but he is gone and so is his castle. Only a wide landscape remains.^[52]

Norwegian rune poem

Loki is mentioned in stanza 13 of the Norwegian rune poem in connection with the Younger Futhark Bjarkan rune:

Old Norse: Bjarkan er laufgrønster líma; Loki bar flærða tíma.[53]

Modern English: Birch has the greenest leaves of any shrub; Loki was fortunate in his deceit.[54]

According to Bruce Dickins, the reference to «Loki’s deceit» in the poem «is doubtless to Loki’s responsibility for Balder’s death».^[54]

Archaeological record

Snaptun Stone

In 1950, a semi-circular flat stone featuring a depiction of a mustachioed face was discovered on a beach near Snaptun, Denmark. Made of soapstone that originated in Norway or Sweden, the depiction was carved around the year 1000 CE and features a face with scarred lips. The figure is identified as Loki due to his lips, considered a reference to a tale recorded in Skáldskaparmál where sons of Ivaldi stitch up Loki’s lips.^[55]

The stone is identified as a hearth stone; the nozzle of the bellows would be inserted into the hole in the front of the stone, and the air produced by the bellows pushed flame through the top hole, all the while the bellows were protected from the heat and flame. The stone may point to a connection between Loki and smithing and flames. According to Hans Jørgen Madsen, the Snaptun Stone is «the most beautifully made hearth-stone that is known.» The stone is housed and on display at the Moesgård Museum near Aarhus, Denmark.^[55]

Kirkby Stephen Stone and Gosforth Cross

A fragmentary late 10th-century cross located in St Stephen’s Church, Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria, England, features a bound figure with horns and a beard. This figure is sometimes theorized as depicting the bound Loki.^[56] Discovered in 1870, the stone consists of yellowish-white sandstone, and now sits at the front of the Kirkby Stephen church. A depiction of a similarly horned and round-shouldered figure was discovered in Gainford, County Durham and is now housed in the Durham Cathedral Library.^[57]

The mid-11th century Gosforth Cross has been interpreted as featuring various figures from Norse mythology and, like the Kirkby Stephen Stone, is also located in Cumbria. The bottom portion of the west side of the cross features a depiction of a long-haired female, kneeling figure holding an object above another prostrate, bound figure. Above and to their left is a knotted serpent. This has been interpreted as Sigyn soothing the bound Loki.^[58]

Scandinavian folklore

The notion of Loki survived into the modern period in the folklore of Scandinavia. In Denmark, Loki appeared as Lokke. In Jutland, the phrases «Lokke slår sin havre» («Lokke is reaping his oats») and «Lokkemand driver sine geder» («Lokkemand drives his goats») are thereby recorded in the beginning of the 20th century, the latter with the variation of simply «Lokke». In Zealand the name «Lokke lejemand» («Lokke the Playing Man») was used. In his study of Loki’s appearance in Scandinavian folklore in the modern period, Danish folklorist Axel Olrik cites numerous examples of natural phenomena explained by way of Lokke in popular folk tradition, including rising heat. An example from 1841 reads as follows:

The expressions: «Lokke (Lokki) sår havre i dag» (Lokke (Lokki) sows oats today), or: «Lokke driver i dag med sine geder» (Lokke herds his goats today), are used in several regions of Jutland, for example in Medelsom shire, the diocese of Viborg etc. … and stand for the sight in the springtime, when the sunshine generates vapour from the ground, which can be seen as fluttering or shimmering air in the horizon of the flat landscape, similar to the hot steam over a kettle or a burning fire

And in Thy, from the same source: «… when you look at the horizon in clear weather and sunshine, and the air seems to move in shimmering waves, or like a sheet of water which seems to rise and sink in waves.» Olrik further cites several different types of plants named after Loki. Olrik detects three major themes in folklore attestations; Lokke appeared as an «air phenomenon», connected with the «home fire», and as a «teasing creature of the night».^[59]

Loka Táttur or Lokka Táttur (Faroese «tale—or þáttr—of Loki») is a Faroese ballad dating to the late Middle Ages that features the gods Loki, Odin, and Hœnir helping a farmer and a boy escape the wrath of a bet-winning jötunn. The tale notably features Loki as a benevolent god in this story, although his slyness is in evidence as usual.^[60]

Origin and identification with other figures

Regarding scholarship on Loki, scholar Gabriel Turville-Petre comments (1964) that «more ink has been spilled on Loki than on any other figure in Norse myth. This, in itself, is enough to show how little scholars agree, and how far we are from understanding him.»^[61]

Origin

Loki’s origins and role in Norse mythology have been much debated by scholars. In 1835, Jacob Grimm was first to produce a major theory about Loki, in which he advanced the notion of Loki as a «god of fire». In 1889, Sophus Bugge theorized Loki to be variant of Lucifer of Christianity, an element of Bugge’s larger effort to find a basis of Christianity in Norse mythology. After World War II, four scholarly theories dominated. The first of the four theories is that of Folke Ström, who in 1956 concluded that Loki is a hypostasis of the god Odin. In 1959, Jan de Vries theorized that Loki is a typical example of a trickster figure. In 1961, by way of excluding all non-Scandinavian mythological parallels in her analysis, Anna Birgitta Rooth concluded that Loki was originally a spider. Anne Holtsmark, writing in 1962, concluded that no conclusion could be made about Loki.^[62]

Identification with Lóðurr

A popular theory proposed by a variety of scholars is that Lóðurr is «a third name of Loki/Loptr». The main argument for this is that the gods Odin, Hœnir and Loki occur as a trio in Haustlöng, in the prose prologue to Reginsmál and also in the Loka Táttur a Faroese ballad, an example of Norse deities appearing in later folklore. The Odin-kenning «Lóðurr’s friend» furthermore appears to parallel the kenning «Loptr’s friend» and Loki is similarly referred to as «Hœnir’s friend» in Haustlöng, strengthening the trio connection. While many scholars agree with this identification, it is not universally accepted. One argument against it is that Loki appears as a malevolent being later in Völuspá, seemingly conflicting with the image of Lóðurr as a «mighty and loving» figure. Many scholars, including Jan de Vries and Georges Dumézil, have also identified Lóðurr as being the same deity as Loki. Scholar Haukur Þorgeirsson suggests that Loki and Lóðurr were different names for the same deity based on that Loki is referred to as Lóður in the rímur Lokrur. Þorgeirsson argues that the writer must have had information about the identification from either a tradition or that the author drew the conclusion based on the Prose Edda, as Snorri does not mention Lóðurr. Since the contents of the Poetic Edda are assumed to have been forgotten around 1400 when the rímur was written, Haukur argues for a traditional identification. Þorgeirsson also points to Þrymlur where the same identification is made with Loki and Lóðurr. Haukur says that unless the possible but unlikely idea that the 14th- and 15th-century poets possessed written sources unknown to us is true, the idea must have come from either an unlikely amount of sources from where the poets could have drawn a similar conclusion that Loki and Lóðurr are identical (like some recent scholars) or that remnants of an oral tradition remained. Haukur concludes that if Lóðurr was historically considered an independent deity from Loki, then a discussion of when and why he became identified with Loki is appropriate.^[63]

Binding

The scholar John Lindow highlights the recurring pattern of the bound monster in Norse mythology as being particularly associated to Loki. Loki and his three children by Angrboda were all bound in some way, and were all destined to break free at Ragnarok to wreak havoc on the world. He suggests a borrowed element from the traditions of the Caucasus region, and identifies a mythological parallel with the «Christian legend of the bound Antichrist awaiting the Last Judgment».^[64]

Modern popular culture

In the 19th century, Loki was depicted in a variety of ways, some strongly at odds with others. According to Stefan Arvidssen, «the conception of Loki varied during the nineteenth century. Sometimes he was presented as a dark-haired Semitic fifth columnist among the Nordic Aesir, but sometimes he was described as a Nordic Prometheus, a heroic bearer of culture».^[65]

Loki appears in Richard Wagner’s opera cycle Ring of the Nibelung as Loge (a play on Old Norse loge, «fire»), depicted as an ally of the gods (specifically as Wotan’s assistant rather than Donner’s), although he generally dislikes them and thinks of them as greedy, as they refuse to return the Rhine Gold to its rightful owners. In the conclusion of the first opera Das Rheingold, he reveals his hope to turn into fire and destroy Valhalla, and in the final opera Götterdämmerung Valhalla is set alight, destroying the Gods.^[66]

In 2008, five black smokers were discovered between Greenland and Norway, the most northerly group so far discovered, and given the name Loki’s Castle, as their shape reminded discoverers of a fantasy castle, and (a University of Bergen press release says) «Loki» was «an appropriate name for a field that was so difficult to locate».^[67]

Loki appears in Marvel Comics and in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, played by Tom Hiddleston, as a villain (or antihero) who consistently comes into conflict with the superhero Thor, his adopted brother and archenemy.^[68] Loki is a central character in Neil Gaiman’s novel American Gods^[69] and an important character in a few arcs of Gaiman’s comic The Sandman.^[70]

See also

• Dystheism

References

Cited sources

External links

• MyNDIR (My Norse Digital Image Repository) Illustrations of Loki from manuscripts and early print books. Clicking on the thumbnail will give you the full image and information concerning it.

Loki is a god in Norse mythology. According to some sources, Loki is the son of Fárbauti (a jötunn) and Laufey (mentioned as a goddess), and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. Loki is married to Sigyn and they have two sons, Narfi or Nari and Váli. By the jötunn Angrboða, Loki is the father of Hel, the wolf Fenrir, and the world serpent Jörmungandr. In the form of a mare, Loki was impregnated by the stallion Svaðilfari and gave birth to the eight-legged horse Sleipnir.

Loki’s relation with the gods varies by source; he sometimes assists the gods and sometimes behaves maliciously towards them. Loki is a shape shifter and in separate incidents appears in the form of a salmon, a mare, a fly, and possibly an elderly woman named Þökk (Old Norse ‘thanks’). Loki’s positive relations with the gods end with his role in engineering the death of the god Baldr, and eventually, Odin’s specially engendered son Váli binds Loki with the entrails of one of his sons; in the Prose Edda, this son, Nari or Narfi, is killed by another son of Loki who is also called Váli. In both the Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda, the goddess Skaði is responsible for placing a serpent above him while he is bound. The serpent drips venom from above him that Sigyn collects into a bowl; however, she must empty the bowl when it is full, and the venom that drips in the meantime causes Loki to writhe in pain, thereby causing earthquakes. With the onset of Ragnarök, Loki is foretold to slip free from his bonds and to fight against the gods among the forces of the jötnar, at which time he will encounter the god Heimdallr, and the two will slay each other.

Loki is referred to in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources; the Prose Edda and Heimskringla, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson; the Norwegian Rune Poems, in the poetry of skalds, and in Scandinavian folklore. Loki may be depicted on the Snaptun Stone, the Kirkby Stephen Stone, and the Gosforth Cross. Scholars have debated Loki’s origins and role in Norse mythology, which some have described as that of a trickster god. Loki has been depicted in or referenced in a variety of media in modern popular culture.

Etymology and alternate names

The etymology of the name Loki has been extensively debated. The name has at times been associated with the Old Norse word logi (‘flame’), but there seems not to be a sound linguistic basis for this. Rather, the later Scandinavian variants of the name (such as Faroese Lokki, Danish Lokkemand, Norwegian Loke and Lokke, Swedish Luki and Luku) point to an origin in the Germanic root *luk-, which denoted things to do with loops (like knots, hooks, closed-off rooms, and locks). This corresponds with usages such as the Swedish lockanät and Faroese lokkanet (‘cobweb’, literally ‘Lokke’s web’) and Faroese lokki~grindalokki~grindalokkur, ‘daddy-long-legs’ referring both to crane flies and harvestmen, modern Swedish lockespindlar («Locke-spiders»). Some Eastern Swedish traditions referring to the same figure use forms in n— like Nokk(e), but this corresponds to the *luk— etymology insofar as those dialects consistently used a different root, Germanic *hnuk-, in contexts where western varieties used *luk-: «nokke corresponds to nøkkel» (‘key’ in Eastern Scandinavian) «as loki~lokke to lykil» (‘key’ in Western Scandinavian).^[1]

While it has been suggested that this association with closing could point to Loki’s apocalyptic role at Ragnarök,^[2] «there is quite a bit of evidence that Loki in premodern society was thought to be the causer of knots/tangles/loops, or himself a knot/tangle/loop. Hence, it is natural that Loki is the inventor of the fishnet, which consists of loops and knots, and that the word loki (lokke, lokki, loke, luki) is a term for makers of cobwebs: spiders and the like.»^[3] Though not prominent in the oldest sources, this identity as a «tangler» may be the etymological meaning of Loki’s name.

In various poems from the Poetic Edda (stanza 2 of Lokasenna, stanza 41 of Hyndluljóð, and stanza 26 of Fjölsvinnsmál), and sections of the Prose Edda (chapter 32 of Gylfaginning, stanza 8 of Haustlöng, and stanza 1 of Þórsdrápa) Loki is alternatively referred to as Loptr, which is generally considered derived from Old Norse lopt meaning «air», and therefore points to an association with the air.^[4]

The name Hveðrungr (Old Norse ‘?roarer’) is also used in reference to Loki, occurring in names for Hel (such as in Ynglingatal, where she is called hveðrungs mær) and in reference to Fenrir (as in Völuspa).^[5]

Attestations

Poetic Edda

In the Poetic Edda, Loki appears (or is referenced) in the poems Völuspá, Lokasenna, Þrymskviða, Reginsmál, Baldrs draumar, and Hyndluljóð.

Völuspá

In stanza 35 of the Poetic Edda poem Völuspá, a völva tells Odin that, among many other things, she sees Sigyn sitting very unhappily with her bound husband, Loki, under a «grove of hot springs».^[6] In stanza 51, during the events of Ragnarök, Loki appears free from his bonds and is referred to as the «brother of Býleistr» (here transcribed as Byleist):

A ship journeys from the east, Muspell’s people are coming,
over the waves, and Loki steers
There are the monstrous brood with all the raveners,
The brother of Byleist is in company with them.^[7]

In stanza 54, after consuming Odin and being killed by Odin’s son Víðarr, Fenrir is described as «Loki’s kinsman».^[8]

Lokasenna

The poem Lokasenna (Old Norse «Loki’s Flyting») centers around Loki flyting with other gods; Loki puts forth two stanzas of insults while the receiving figure responds with a single stanza, and then another figure chimes in. The poem begins with a prose introduction detailing that Ægir, a figure associated with the sea, is hosting a feast in his hall for a number of the gods and elves. There, the gods praise Ægir’s servers Fimafeng and Eldir. Loki «could not bear to hear that», and kills the servant Fimafeng. In response, the gods grab their shields, shrieking at Loki, and chase him out of the hall and to the woods. The gods then return to the hall, and continue drinking.^[9]

Entrance and rejection

Loki comes out of the woods and meets Eldir outside of the hall. Loki greets Eldir (and the poem itself begins) with a demand that Eldir tell him what the gods are discussing over their ale inside the hall. Eldir responds that they discuss their «weapons and their prowess in war» and yet no one there has anything friendly to say about Loki. Loki says that he will go into the feast, and that, before the end of the feast, he will induce quarrelling among the gods, and «mix their mead with malice». Eldir responds that «if shouting and fighting you pour out on» to the gods, «they’ll wipe it off on you». Loki then enters the hall, and everyone there falls silent upon noticing him.^[10]

Re-entrance and insults

Breaking the silence, Loki says that, thirsty, he had come to these halls from a long way away to ask the gods for a drink of «the famous mead». Calling the gods arrogant, Loki asks why they are unable to speak, and demands that they assign him a seat and a place for him at the feast, or tell him to leave. The skaldic god Bragi is the first to respond to Loki by telling him that Loki will not have a seat and place assigned to him by the gods at the feast, for the gods know what men they should invite.^[11] Loki does not respond to Bragi directly, but instead directs his attention to Odin, and states:

Do you remember, Odin, when in bygone days
we mixed our blood together?
You said you would never drink ale
unless it were brought to both of us.^[11]

Odin then asks his silent son Víðarr to sit up, so that Loki (here referred to as the «wolf’s father») may sit at the feast, and so that he may not speak words of blame to the gods in Ægir’s hall. Víðarr stands and pours a drink for Loki. Prior to drinking, Loki declaims a toast to the gods, with a specific exception for Bragi. Bragi responds that he will give a horse, sword, and ring from his possessions so that he does not repay the gods «with hatred». Loki responds that Bragi will always be short of all of these things, accusing him of being «wary of war» and «shy of shooting». Bragi responds that, were they outside of Ægir’s hall, Bragi would be holding Loki’s head as a reward for his lies. Loki replies that Bragi is brave when seated, calling him a «bench-ornament», and that Bragi would run away when troubled by an angry, spirited man.^[12]

The goddess Iðunn interrupts, asking Bragi, as a service to his relatives and adopted relatives, not to say words of blame to Loki in Ægir’s hall. Loki tells Iðunn to be silent, calling her the most «man-crazed» of all women, and saying that she placed her washed, bright arms around her brother’s slayer. Iðunn says that she will not say words of blame in Ægir’s hall, and affirms that she quietened Bragi, who was made talkative by beer, and that she doesn’t want the two of them to fight. The goddess Gefjun asks why the two gods must fight, saying that Loki knows that he is joking, and that «all living things love him». Loki responds to Gefjun by stating that Gefjun’s heart was once seduced by a «white boy» who gave her a jewel, and who Gefjun laid her thigh over.^[13]

Odin says that Loki must be insane to make Gefjun his enemy, as her wisdom about the fates of men may equal Odin’s own. Loki says that Odin does a poor job in handing out honor in war to men, and that he’s often given victory to the faint-hearted. Odin responds that even if this is true, Loki (in a story otherwise unattested) once spent eight winters beneath the earth as a woman milking cows, and during this time bore children. Odin declares this perverse. Loki counters that Odin once practiced seiðr (a type of sorcery) on the island of Samsey (now Samsø, Denmark), and, appearing as a wizard, traveled among mankind, which Loki condemns as perverse.^[14]

Frigg, a major deity who is married to Odin, says that what Loki and Odin did in the ancient past should not be spoken of in front of others, and that ancient matters should always remain hidden. Loki brings up that Frigg is the daughter of Fjörgyn, a personification of the earth, and that she had once taken Odin’s brothers Vili and Vé into her embrace. Frigg responds that if there was a boy like her now-deceased son Baldr in the hall, Loki would not be able to escape from the wrath of the gods. Loki reminds Frigg that he is responsible for the death of her son Baldr.^[15]

The goddess Freyja declares that Loki must be mad, stating that Frigg knows all fate, yet she does not speak it. Loki claims each of the gods and elves that are present have been Freyja’s lover. Freyja replies that Loki is lying, that he just wants to «yelp about wicked things» that gods and goddesses are furious with him, and that he will go home thwarted. In response, Loki calls Freyja a malicious witch, and claims that Freyja was once astride her brother Freyr, when all of the other laughing gods surprised her and Freyja then farted. This scenario is otherwise unattested. Njörðr (Freyja and Freyr’s father) says that it is harmless for a woman to have a lover or «someone else» beside her husband, and that what is surprising is a «pervert god coming here who has borne children».^[16]

Loki tells Njörðr to be silent, recalling Njörðr’s status as once having been a hostage from the Vanir to the Æsir during the Æsir-Vanir War, that the «daughters of Hymir» once used Njörðr «as a pisspot», urinating in his mouth (an otherwise unattested comment). Njörðr responds that this was his reward when he was sent as a hostage to the Æsir, and that he fathered his son (Freyr), whom no one hates, and is considered a prince of the Æsir. Loki tells Njörðr to maintain his moderation, and that he will not keep it secret any longer that Njörðr fathered this son with his sister (unnamed), although one would expect him to be worse than he turned out.^[17]

The god Tyr defends Freyr, to which Loki replies that Tyr should be silent, for Tyr cannot «deal straight with people», and points out that it was Loki’s son, the wolf Fenrir, who tore Tyr’s hand off. (According to the prose introduction to the poem Tyr is now one-handed from having his arm bitten off by Loki’s son Fenrir while Fenrir was bound.) Tyr responds that while he may have lost a hand, Loki has lost the wolf, and trouble has come to them both. Further, that Fenrir must now wait in shackles until the onset of Ragnarök. Loki tells Tyr to be silent a second time, and states that Tyr’s wife (otherwise unattested) had a son by Loki, and that Tyr never received any compensation for this «injury», further calling him a «wretch».^[18]

Freyr himself interrupts at this point, and says that he sees a wolf lying before a river mouth, and that, unless Loki is immediately silent, like the wolf, Loki shall also be bound until Ragnarök. Loki retorts that Freyr purchased his consort Gerðr with gold, having given away his sword, which he will lack at Ragnarök. Byggvir (referred to in the prose introduction to the poem as a servant of Freyr) says that if he had as noble a lineage and as an honorable a seat as Freyr, he would grind down Loki, and make all of his limbs lame. Loki refers to Byggvir in terms of a dog, and says that Byggvir is always found at Freyr’s ears, or twittering beneath a grindstone. Byggvir says that he is proud to be here by all the gods and men, and that he is said to be speedy. Loki tells him to be silent, that Byggvir does not know how to apportion food among men, and that he hides among the straw and dais when men go to battle.^[19]

The god Heimdallr says that Loki is drunk and witless, and asks Loki why he won’t stop speaking. Loki tells Heimdallr to be silent, that he was fated a «hateful life», that Heimdallr must always have a muddy back, and serve as watchman of the gods. The goddess Skaði says that while Loki now appears light-hearted and «playing» with his «tail-wagging», he will soon be bound with his ice-cold son’s guts on a sharp rock by the gods. Loki says that, even if this is his fate, that he was «first and foremost» with the other gods at the killing of Skaði’s father, Þjazi. Skaði says that, with these events in mind, «baneful advice» will always come from her «sanctuaries and plains» to Loki. Loki says that Skaði was once gentler in speech to him (referring to himself as the «son of Laufey») when Skaði once invited him to her bed (an event that is unattested elsewhere), and that such events must be mentioned if they are to recall «shameful deeds».^[20]

Sif goes forth and pours Loki a glass of mead into a crystal cup in a prose narrative. Continuing the poem, Sif welcomes Loki and invites him to take a crystal cup filled with ancient mead, and says that among the children of the Æsir, she is singularly blameless. Loki «takes the horn», drinks it, and says that she would be, if it were so, and states that Sif and Loki had been lovers, despite her marriage to Thor (an affair that is otherwise unattested). Beyla (referred to in the prose introduction to the poem as a servant of Freyr) says that all of the mountains are shaking, that she thinks Thor must be on his way home, and when Thor arrives he will bring peace to those that quarrel there. Loki tells Beyla to be silent, that she is «much imbued with malice», that no worse woman has ever been among the «Æsir’s children», and calling her a bad «serving-wench».^[21]

The arrival of Thor and the bondage of Loki

Thor arrives, and tells Loki to be silent, referring to him as an «evil creature», stating that with his hammer Mjöllnir he will silence Loki by hammering his head from his shoulders. Acknowledging that Thor has arrived, Loki asks Thor why he is raging, and says that Thor will not be so bold to fight against the wolf when he swallows Odin at Ragnarök. Thor again tells Loki to be silent, and threatens him with Mjöllnir, adding that he will throw Loki «up on the roads to the east», and thereafter no one will be able to see Loki. Loki states that Thor should never brag of his journeys to the east, claiming that there Thor crouched cowering in the thumb of a glove, mockingly referring to him as a «hero», and adding that such behaviour was unlike Thor. Thor responds by telling Loki to be silent, threatening him with Mjöllnir, and adding that every one of Loki’s bones will be broken with it. Loki says he intends to live for a long while yet despite Thor’s threats, and taunts Thor about an encounter Thor once had with the Skrýmir (Útgarða-Loki in disguise). Thor again commands Loki to be silent, threatens Loki with Mjöllnir, and says he will send Loki to Hel, below the gates of Nágrind.^[22]

In response to Thor, Loki says that he «spoke before the Æsir», and «before the sons of the Æsir» what his «spirit urged» him to say, yet before Thor alone he will leave, as he knows that Thor does strike. Loki ends the poetic verses of Lokasenna with a final stanza:

Ale you brewed, Ægir, and you will never again hold a feast;
all your possessions which are here inside—
may flame play over them,
and may your back be burnt!^[23]

Following this final stanza a prose section details that after Loki left the hall, he disguised himself as a salmon and hid in the waterfall of Franangrsfors, where the Æsir caught him. The narrative continues that Loki was bound with the entrails of his son Nari, and his son Narfi changed into a wolf. Skaði fastened a venomous snake over Loki’s face, and from it poison dripped. Sigyn, his spouse, sat with him holding a basin beneath the dripping venom, yet when the basin became full, she carried the poison away; and during this time the poison dripped on to Loki, causing him to writhe with such violence that all of the earth shook from the force, resulting in what are now known as earthquakes.^[24]

Þrymskviða

In the poem Þrymskviða, Thor wakes and finds that his powerful hammer, Mjöllnir, is missing. Thor turns to Loki first, and tells him that nobody knows that the hammer has been stolen. The two then go to the court of the goddess Freyja, and Thor asks her if he may borrow her feather cloak so that he may attempt to find Mjöllnir. Freyja agrees, saying she would lend it even if it were made of silver and gold, and Loki flies off, the feather cloak whistling.^[25]

In Jötunheimr, the jötunn Þrymr sits on a burial mound, plaiting golden collars for his female dogs, and trimming the manes of his horses. Þrymr sees Loki, and asks what could be amiss among the Æsir and the Elves; why is Loki alone in the Jötunheimr? Loki responds that he has bad news for both the elves and the Æsir: that Thor’s hammer, Mjöllnir, is gone. Þrymr says that he has hidden Mjöllnir eight leagues beneath the earth, from which it will be retrieved if Freyja is brought to marry him. Loki flies off, the feather cloak whistling, away from Jötunheimr and back to the court of the gods.^[26]

Thor asks Loki if his efforts were successful, and that Loki should tell him while he is still in the air as «tales often escape a sitting man, and the man lying down often barks out lies». Loki states that it was indeed an effort, and also a success, for he has discovered that Þrymr has the hammer, but that it cannot be retrieved unless Freyja is brought to marry Þrymr. The two return to Freyja, and tell her to dress herself in a bridal head dress, as they will drive her to Jötunheimr. Freyja, indignant and angry, goes into a rage, causing all of the halls of the Æsir to tremble in her anger, and her necklace, the famed Brísingamen, falls from her. Freyja pointedly refuses.^[27]

As a result, the gods and goddesses meet and hold a thing to discuss and debate the matter. At the thing, the god Heimdallr puts forth the suggestion that, in place of Freyja, Thor should be dressed as the bride, complete with jewels, women’s clothing down to his knees, a bridal head-dress, and the necklace Brísingamen. Thor rejects the idea, and Loki (here described as «son of Laufey») interjects that this will be the only way to get back Mjöllnir, and points out that without Mjöllnir, the jötnar will be able to invade and settle in Asgard. The gods dress Thor as a bride, and Loki states that he will go with Thor as his maid, and that the two shall drive to Jötunheimr together.^[28]

After riding together in Thor’s goat-driven chariot, the two, disguised, arrive in Jötunheimr. Þrymr commands the jötnar in his hall to spread straw on the benches, for Freyja has arrived to marry him. Þrymr recounts his treasured animals and objects, stating that Freyja was all that he was missing in his wealth.^[29]

Early in the evening, the disguised Loki and Thor meet with Þrymr and the assembled jötnar. Thor eats and drinks ferociously, consuming entire animals and three casks of mead. Þrymr finds the behaviour at odds with his impression of Freyja, and Loki, sitting before Þrymr and appearing as a «very shrewd maid», makes the excuse that «Freyja’s» behaviour is due to her having not consumed anything for eight entire days before arriving due to her eagerness to arrive. Þrymr then lifts «Freyja’s» veil and wants to kiss «her» until catching the terrifying eyes staring back at him, seemingly burning with fire. Loki states that this is because «Freyja» had not slept for eight nights in her eagerness.^[29]

The «wretched sister» of the jötnar appears, asks for a bridal gift from «Freyja», and the jötnar bring out Mjöllnir to «sanctify the bride», to lay it on her lap, and marry the two by «the hand» of the goddess Vár. Thor laughs internally when he sees the hammer, takes hold of it, strikes Þrymr, beats all of the jötnar, and kills the «older sister» of the jötnar.^[30]

Reginsmál

Loki appears in both prose and the first six stanzas of the poem Reginsmál. The prose introduction to Reginsmál details that, while the hero Sigurd was being fostered by Regin, son of Hreidmar, Regin tells him that once the gods Odin, Hœnir, and Loki went to Andvara-falls, which contained many fish. Regin, a dwarf, had two brothers; Andvari, who gained food by spending time in the Andvara-falls in the form of a pike, and Ótr, who would often go to the Andvara-falls in the form of an otter.^[31]

While the three gods are at the falls, Ótr (in the form of an otter) catches a salmon and eats it on a river bank, his eyes shut, when Loki hits and kills him with a stone. The gods think that this is great, and flay the skin from the otter to make a bag. That night, the three gods stay with Hreidmar (the father of Regin, Andvari, and the now-dead Ótr) and show him their catches, including the skin of the otter. Upon seeing the skin, Regin and Hreidmar «seized them and made them ransom their lives» in exchange for filling the otterskin bag the gods had made with gold and covering the exterior of the bag with red gold.^[31]

Loki is sent to retrieve the gold, and Loki goes to the goddess Rán, borrows her net, and then goes back to the Andvara-falls. At the falls, Loki spreads his net before Andvari (who is in the form of a pike), which Andvari jumps into. The stanzas of the poem then begin: Loki mocks Andvari, and tells him that he can save his head by telling Loki where his gold is. Andvari gives some background information about himself, including that he was cursed by a «norn of misfortune» in his «early days». Loki responds by asking Andvari «what requital» does mankind get if «they wound each other with words». Andvari responds that lying men receive a «terrible requital»: having to wade in the river Vadgelmir, and that their suffering will be long.^[32]

Loki looks over the gold that Andvari possesses, and after Andvari hands over all of his gold, Andvari holds on to but a single ring; the ring Andvarinaut, which Loki also takes. Andvari, now in the form of a dwarf, goes into a rock, and tells Loki that the gold will result in the death of two brothers, will cause strife between eight princes, and will be useless to everyone.^[33]

Loki returns, and the three gods give Hreidmar the money from the gold hoard and flatten out the otter skin, stretch out its legs, and heap gold atop it, covering it. Hreidmar looks it over, and notices a single hair that has not been covered. Hreidmar demands that it be covered as well. Odin puts forth the ring Andvarinaut, covering the single hair.^[33]

Loki states that they have now handed over the gold, and that gold is cursed as Andvari is, and that it will be the death of Hreidmar and Regin both. Hreidmar responds that if he had known this before, he would have taken their lives, yet that he believes those are not yet born whom the curse is intended for, and that he does not believe him. Further, with the hoard, he will have red gold for the rest of his life. Hreidmar tells them to leave, and the poem continues without further mention of Loki.^[34]

Baldrs draumar

In Baldr draumar, Odin has awoken a deceased völva in Hel, and questions her repeatedly about his son Baldr’s bad dreams. Loki is mentioned in stanza 14, the final stanza of the poem, where the völva tells Odin to ride home, to be proud of himself, and that no one else will come visit until «Loki is loose, escaped from his bonds» and the onset of Ragnarök.^[35]

Hyndluljóð

Loki is referenced in two stanzas in Völuspá hin skamma, found within the poem Hyndluljóð. The first stanza notes that Loki produced «the wolf» with the jötunn Angrboða, that Loki himself gave birth to the horse Sleipnir by the stallion Svaðilfari, and that Loki (referred to as the «brother of Býleistr») thirdly gave birth to «the worst of all marvels». This stanza is followed by:

Loki ate some of the heart, the thought-stone of a woman,
roasted on a linden-wood fire, he found it half-cooked;
Lopt was impregnated by a wicked woman,
from whom every ogress on earth is descended.^[36]

In the second of the two stanzas, Loki is referred to as Lopt. Loki’s consumption of a woman’s heart is otherwise unattested.^[37]

Fjölsvinnsmál

In the poem Fjölsvinnsmál, a stanza mentions Loki (as Lopt) in association with runes. In the poem, Fjölsviðr describes to the hero Svipdagr that Sinmara keeps the weapon Lævateinn within a chest, locked with nine strong locks (due to significant translation differences, two translations of the stanza are provided here):

Fjolsvith spake: «Lævatein is there, that Lopt with runes Once made by the doors of death; In Lægjarn’s chest by Sinmora lies it, And nine locks fasten it firm.»[38]

Fiolsvith. Hævatein the twig is named, and Lopt plucked it, down by the gate of Death. In an iron chest it lies with Sinmœra, and is with nine strong locks secured.[39]

Prose Edda

Gylfaginning

The Prose Edda book Gylfaginning tells various myths featuring Loki, including Loki’s role in the birth of the horse Sleipnir and Loki’s contest with Logi, fire personified.

High’s introduction

Loki first appears in the Prose Edda in chapter 20 of the book Gylfaginning, where he is referred to as the «ás called Loki» while the enthroned figure of Third explains to «Gangleri» (King Gylfi in disguise) the goddess Frigg’s prophetic abilities while citing a stanza of Lokasenna.^[40]

Loki is more formally introduced by High in chapter 34, where he is «reckoned among the Æsir», and High states that Loki is called by some «the Æsir’s calumniator», «originator of deceits», and «the disgrace of all gods and men». High says that Loki’s alternative name is Lopt, that he is the son of the male jötunn Fárbauti, his mother is «Laufey or Nál», and his brothers are Helblindi and Býleistr. High describes Loki as «pleasing and handsome» in appearance, malicious in character, «very capricious in behaviour», and as possessing «to a greater degree than others» learned cunning, and «tricks for every purpose», often getting the Æsir into trouble, and then getting them out of it with his trickery. Sigyn is introduced as being married to Loki, and they have a son named «Nari or Narfi». Otherwise, Loki had three children with the female jötunn Angrboða from Jötunheimr; the wolf Fenrir, the serpent Jörmungandr, and the female being Hel. The gods realized that these three children were being raised in Jötunheimr, and expected trouble from them partially due to the nature of Angrboða, but worse yet Loki.^[41] In chapter 35, Gangleri comments that Loki produced a «pretty terrible»—yet important—family.^[42]

Loki, Svaðilfari, and Sleipnir

In chapter 42, High tells a story set «right at the beginning of the gods’ settlement, when the gods at established Midgard and built Val-Hall». The story is about an unnamed builder who has offered to build a fortification for the gods that will keep out invaders in exchange for the goddess Freyja, the sun, and the moon. After some debate, the gods agree to these conditions, but place a number of restrictions on the builder, including that he must complete the work within three seasons without the help of any man. The builder makes a single request; that he may have help from his stallion Svaðilfari, and due to Loki’s influence, this is allowed. The stallion Svaðilfari performs twice the deeds of strength as the builder, and hauls enormous rocks—to the surprise of the gods. The builder, with Svaðilfari, makes fast progress on the wall, and three days before the deadline of summer, the builder is nearly at the entrance to the fortification. The gods convene, and figure out who is responsible, resulting in a unanimous agreement that, along with most trouble, Loki is to blame (here referred to as Loki Laufeyjarson—his surname derived from his mother’s name, Laufey).^[43]

The gods declare that Loki deserves a horrible death if he cannot find a scheme that will cause the builder to forfeit his payment, and threaten to attack him. Loki, afraid, swears oaths that he will devise a scheme to cause the builder to forfeit the payment, whatever it may cost himself. That night, the builder drives out to fetch stone with his stallion Svaðilfari, and out from a wood runs a mare. The mare neighs at Svaðilfari, and «realizing what kind of horse it was», Svaðilfari becomes frantic, neighs, tears apart his tackle, and runs towards the mare. The mare runs to the wood, Svaðilfari follows, and the builder chases after. The two horses run around all night, causing the building to be halted and the builder is then unable to regain the previous momentum of his work.^[44]

The builder goes into a rage, and when the Æsir realize that the builder is a hrimthurs, they disregard their previous oaths with the builder, and call for Thor. Thor arrives, and subsequently kills the builder by smashing the builder’s skull into shards with the hammer Mjöllnir. However, Loki «had such dealings» with Svaðilfari that «somewhat later» Loki gives birth to a gray foal with eight legs; the horse Sleipnir—»the best horse among gods and men.»^[44]

Loki, Útgarða-Loki, and Logi

In chapter 44, Third reluctantly relates a tale where Thor and Loki are riding in Thor’s chariot, which is pulled by his two goats. Loki and Thor stop at the house of a peasant farmer, and there they are given lodging for a night. Thor slaughters his goats, prepares them, puts them in a pot, and Loki and Thor sit down for their evening meal. Thor invites the peasant family who own the farm to share with him the meal he has prepared, but warns them not to break the bones. Afterward, at the suggestion of Loki, the peasant child Þjálfi sucks the bone marrow from one of the goat bones, and when Thor goes to resurrect the goats, he finds one of the goats to be lame. In their terror, the family atones to Thor by giving Thor their son Þjálfi and their daughter Röskva.^[45]

Minus the goats, Thor, Loki, and the two children continue east until they arrive at a vast forest in Jötunheimr. They continue through the woods until dark. The four seek shelter for the night. They encounter an immense building. Finding shelter in a side room, they experience earthquakes through the night. The earthquakes cause all four but Thor, who grips his hammer in preparation of defense, to be fearful. The building turns out to be the huge glove of Skrymir, who has been snoring throughout the night, causing what seemed to be earthquakes. All four sleep beneath an oak tree near Skrymir in fear.^[46]

Thor wakes up in the middle of the night, and a series of events occur where Thor twice attempts to kill the sleeping Skrýmir with his hammer. Skrýmir awakes after each attempt, only to say that he detected an acorn falling on his head or that he wonders if bits of tree from the branches above have fallen on top of him. The second attempt awakes Skrýmir. Skrýmir gives them advice; if they are going to be cocky at the keep of Útgarðr it would be better for them to turn back now, for Útgarða-Loki’s men there won’t put up with it. Skrýmir throws his knapsack onto his back and abruptly goes into the forest. High comments that «there is no report that the Æsir expressed hope for a happy reunion».^[47]

The four travelers continue their journey until midday. They find themselves facing a massive castle in an open area. The castle is so tall that they must bend their heads back to their spines to see above it. At the entrance to the castle is a shut gate, and Thor finds that he cannot open it. Struggling, all four squeeze through the bars of the gate, and continue to a large hall. Inside the great hall are two benches, where many generally large people sit on two benches. The four see Útgarða-Loki, the king of the castle, sitting.^[48]

Útgarða-Loki says that no visitors are allowed to stay unless they can perform a feat. Loki, standing in the rear of the party, is the first to speak, claiming that he can eat faster than anyone. Útgarða-Loki comments that this would be a feat indeed, and calls for a being by the name of Logi to come from the benches. A trencher is fetched, placed on the floor of the hall, and filled with meat. Loki and Logi sit down on opposing sides. The two eat as quickly as they can and meet at the midpoint of the trencher. Loki consumed all of the meat off of the bones on his side, yet Logi had not only consumed his meat, but also the bones and the trencher itself. It was evident to all that Loki had lost. In turn, Þjálfi races against a figure by the name of Hugi three times and thrice loses.^[49]

Thor agrees to compete in a drinking contest but after three immense gulps fails. Thor agrees to lift a large, gray cat in the hall but finds that it arches his back no matter what he does, and that he can raise only a single paw. Thor demands to fight someone in the hall, but the inhabitants say doing so would be demeaning, considering Thor’s weakness. Útgarða-Loki then calls for his nurse Elli, an old woman. The two wrestle but the harder Thor struggles the more difficult the battle becomes. Thor is finally brought down to a single knee. Útgarða-Loki says to Thor that fighting anyone else would be pointless. Now late at night, Útgarða-Loki shows the group to their rooms and they are treated with hospitality.^[50]

The next morning the group gets dressed and prepares to leave the keep. Útgarða-Loki appears, has his servants prepare a table, and they all merrily eat and drink. As they leave, Útgarða-Loki asks Thor how he thought he fared in the contests. Thor says that he is unable to say he did well, noting that he is particularly annoyed that Útgarða-Loki will now speak negatively about him. Útgarða-Loki points out that the group has left his keep and says that he hopes that they never return to it, for if he had an inkling of what he was dealing with he would never have allowed the group to enter in the first place. Útgarða-Loki reveals that all was not what it seemed to the group. Útgarða-Loki was in fact the immense Skrýmir, and that if the three blows Thor attempted to land had hit their mark, the first would have killed Skrýmir. In reality, Thor’s blows were so powerful that they had resulted in three square valleys.^[51]

The contests, too, were an illusion. Útgarða-Loki reveals that Loki had actually competed against wildfire itself (Logi, Old Norse «flame»), Þjálfi had raced against thought (Hugi, Old Norse «thought»), Thor’s drinking horn had actually reached to the ocean and with his drinks he lowered the ocean level (resulting in tides). The cat that Thor attempted to lift was in actuality the world serpent, Jörmungandr, and everyone was terrified when Thor was able to lift the paw of this «cat», for Thor had actually held the great serpent up to the sky. The old woman Thor wrestled was in fact old age (Elli, Old Norse «old age»), and there is no one that old age cannot bring down. Útgarða-Loki tells Thor that it would be better for «both sides» if they did not meet again. Upon hearing this, Thor takes hold of his hammer and swings it at Útgarða-Loki but he is gone and so is his castle. Only a wide landscape remains.^[52]

Norwegian rune poem

Loki is mentioned in stanza 13 of the Norwegian rune poem in connection with the Younger Futhark Bjarkan rune:

Old Norse: Bjarkan er laufgrønster líma; Loki bar flærða tíma.[53]

Modern English: Birch has the greenest leaves of any shrub; Loki was fortunate in his deceit.[54]

According to Bruce Dickins, the reference to «Loki’s deceit» in the poem «is doubtless to Loki’s responsibility for Balder’s death».^[54]

Archaeological record

Snaptun Stone

In 1950, a semi-circular flat stone featuring a depiction of a mustachioed face was discovered on a beach near Snaptun, Denmark. Made of soapstone that originated in Norway or Sweden, the depiction was carved around the year 1000 CE and features a face with scarred lips. The figure is identified as Loki due to his lips, considered a reference to a tale recorded in Skáldskaparmál where sons of Ivaldi stitch up Loki’s lips.^[55]

The stone is identified as a hearth stone; the nozzle of the bellows would be inserted into the hole in the front of the stone, and the air produced by the bellows pushed flame through the top hole, all the while the bellows were protected from the heat and flame. The stone may point to a connection between Loki and smithing and flames. According to Hans Jørgen Madsen, the Snaptun Stone is «the most beautifully made hearth-stone that is known.» The stone is housed and on display at the Moesgård Museum near Aarhus, Denmark.^[55]

Kirkby Stephen Stone and Gosforth Cross

A fragmentary late 10th-century cross located in St Stephen’s Church, Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria, England, features a bound figure with horns and a beard. This figure is sometimes theorized as depicting the bound Loki.^[56] Discovered in 1870, the stone consists of yellowish-white sandstone, and now sits at the front of the Kirkby Stephen church. A depiction of a similarly horned and round-shouldered figure was discovered in Gainford, County Durham and is now housed in the Durham Cathedral Library.^[57]

The mid-11th century Gosforth Cross has been interpreted as featuring various figures from Norse mythology and, like the Kirkby Stephen Stone, is also located in Cumbria. The bottom portion of the west side of the cross features a depiction of a long-haired female, kneeling figure holding an object above another prostrate, bound figure. Above and to their left is a knotted serpent. This has been interpreted as Sigyn soothing the bound Loki.^[58]

Scandinavian folklore

The notion of Loki survived into the modern period in the folklore of Scandinavia. In Denmark, Loki appeared as Lokke. In Jutland, the phrases «Lokke slår sin havre» («Lokke is reaping his oats») and «Lokkemand driver sine geder» («Lokkemand drives his goats») are thereby recorded in the beginning of the 20th century, the latter with the variation of simply «Lokke». In Zealand the name «Lokke lejemand» («Lokke the Playing Man») was used. In his study of Loki’s appearance in Scandinavian folklore in the modern period, Danish folklorist Axel Olrik cites numerous examples of natural phenomena explained by way of Lokke in popular folk tradition, including rising heat. An example from 1841 reads as follows:

The expressions: «Lokke (Lokki) sår havre i dag» (Lokke (Lokki) sows oats today), or: «Lokke driver i dag med sine geder» (Lokke herds his goats today), are used in several regions of Jutland, for example in Medelsom shire, the diocese of Viborg etc. … and stand for the sight in the springtime, when the sunshine generates vapour from the ground, which can be seen as fluttering or shimmering air in the horizon of the flat landscape, similar to the hot steam over a kettle or a burning fire

And in Thy, from the same source: «… when you look at the horizon in clear weather and sunshine, and the air seems to move in shimmering waves, or like a sheet of water which seems to rise and sink in waves.» Olrik further cites several different types of plants named after Loki. Olrik detects three major themes in folklore attestations; Lokke appeared as an «air phenomenon», connected with the «home fire», and as a «teasing creature of the night».^[59]

Loka Táttur or Lokka Táttur (Faroese «tale—or þáttr—of Loki») is a Faroese ballad dating to the late Middle Ages that features the gods Loki, Odin, and Hœnir helping a farmer and a boy escape the wrath of a bet-winning jötunn. The tale notably features Loki as a benevolent god in this story, although his slyness is in evidence as usual.^[60]

Origin and identification with other figures

Regarding scholarship on Loki, scholar Gabriel Turville-Petre comments (1964) that «more ink has been spilled on Loki than on any other figure in Norse myth. This, in itself, is enough to show how little scholars agree, and how far we are from understanding him.»^[61]

Origin

Loki’s origins and role in Norse mythology have been much debated by scholars. In 1835, Jacob Grimm was first to produce a major theory about Loki, in which he advanced the notion of Loki as a «god of fire». In 1889, Sophus Bugge theorized Loki to be variant of Lucifer of Christianity, an element of Bugge’s larger effort to find a basis of Christianity in Norse mythology. After World War II, four scholarly theories dominated. The first of the four theories is that of Folke Ström, who in 1956 concluded that Loki is a hypostasis of the god Odin. In 1959, Jan de Vries theorized that Loki is a typical example of a trickster figure. In 1961, by way of excluding all non-Scandinavian mythological parallels in her analysis, Anna Birgitta Rooth concluded that Loki was originally a spider. Anne Holtsmark, writing in 1962, concluded that no conclusion could be made about Loki.^[62]

Identification with Lóðurr

A popular theory proposed by a variety of scholars is that Lóðurr is «a third name of Loki/Loptr». The main argument for this is that the gods Odin, Hœnir and Loki occur as a trio in Haustlöng, in the prose prologue to Reginsmál and also in the Loka Táttur a Faroese ballad, an example of Norse deities appearing in later folklore. The Odin-kenning «Lóðurr’s friend» furthermore appears to parallel the kenning «Loptr’s friend» and Loki is similarly referred to as «Hœnir’s friend» in Haustlöng, strengthening the trio connection. While many scholars agree with this identification, it is not universally accepted. One argument against it is that Loki appears as a malevolent being later in Völuspá, seemingly conflicting with the image of Lóðurr as a «mighty and loving» figure. Many scholars, including Jan de Vries and Georges Dumézil, have also identified Lóðurr as being the same deity as Loki. Scholar Haukur Þorgeirsson suggests that Loki and Lóðurr were different names for the same deity based on that Loki is referred to as Lóður in the rímur Lokrur. Þorgeirsson argues that the writer must have had information about the identification from either a tradition or that the author drew the conclusion based on the Prose Edda, as Snorri does not mention Lóðurr. Since the contents of the Poetic Edda are assumed to have been forgotten around 1400 when the rímur was written, Haukur argues for a traditional identification. Þorgeirsson also points to Þrymlur where the same identification is made with Loki and Lóðurr. Haukur says that unless the possible but unlikely idea that the 14th- and 15th-century poets possessed written sources unknown to us is true, the idea must have come from either an unlikely amount of sources from where the poets could have drawn a similar conclusion that Loki and Lóðurr are identical (like some recent scholars) or that remnants of an oral tradition remained. Haukur concludes that if Lóðurr was historically considered an independent deity from Loki, then a discussion of when and why he became identified with Loki is appropriate.^[63]

Binding

The scholar John Lindow highlights the recurring pattern of the bound monster in Norse mythology as being particularly associated to Loki. Loki and his three children by Angrboda were all bound in some way, and were all destined to break free at Ragnarok to wreak havoc on the world. He suggests a borrowed element from the traditions of the Caucasus region, and identifies a mythological parallel with the «Christian legend of the bound Antichrist awaiting the Last Judgment».^[64]

Modern popular culture

In the 19th century, Loki was depicted in a variety of ways, some strongly at odds with others. According to Stefan Arvidssen, «the conception of Loki varied during the nineteenth century. Sometimes he was presented as a dark-haired Semitic fifth columnist among the Nordic Aesir, but sometimes he was described as a Nordic Prometheus, a heroic bearer of culture».^[65]

Loki appears in Richard Wagner’s opera cycle Ring of the Nibelung as Loge (a play on Old Norse loge, «fire»), depicted as an ally of the gods (specifically as Wotan’s assistant rather than Donner’s), although he generally dislikes them and thinks of them as greedy, as they refuse to return the Rhine Gold to its rightful owners. In the conclusion of the first opera Das Rheingold, he reveals his hope to turn into fire and destroy Valhalla, and in the final opera Götterdämmerung Valhalla is set alight, destroying the Gods.^[66]

In 2008, five black smokers were discovered between Greenland and Norway, the most northerly group so far discovered, and given the name Loki’s Castle, as their shape reminded discoverers of a fantasy castle, and (a University of Bergen press release says) «Loki» was «an appropriate name for a field that was so difficult to locate».^[67]

Loki appears in Marvel Comics and in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, played by Tom Hiddleston, as a villain (or antihero) who consistently comes into conflict with the superhero Thor, his adopted brother and archenemy.^[68] Loki is a central character in Neil Gaiman’s novel American Gods^[69] and an important character in a few arcs of Gaiman’s comic The Sandman.^[70]

See also

• Dystheism

References

Cited sources

External links

• MyNDIR (My Norse Digital Image Repository) Illustrations of Loki from manuscripts and early print books. Clicking on the thumbnail will give you the full image and information concerning it.

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локи

Новый большой англо-русский словарь под общим руководством акад. Ю.Д. Апресяна

LOKI контекстный перевод и примеры

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