"Loke och Sigyn" (1863) by Mårten Eskil Winge. Mårten Eskil Winge (1825-1896 was a Swedish artist especially known for his Norse mythology paintings

Loki or Loke is a god or giant in Norse mythology. A jötunn, sometimes anglicized as jotun (pronounced yotun is a giant in Norse mythology, a member of a race of nature spirits with superhuman strength Norse mythology comprises the indigenous pre-Christian religion, beliefs and Legends of the Scandinavian peoples including those who settled on Iceland The 13th century Icelandic Poetic Edda and Prose Edda, two of the very few sources of information regarding the figure, inconsistently place him among the Æsir, as his blood-brotherhood makes him a member of Odin's family. The Poetic Edda is a collection of Old Norse poems primarily preserved in the Icelandic mediaeval Manuscript Codex Regius. The Prose Edda, also known as the Younger Edda, Snorri's Edda ( Snorra Edda) or simply Edda, is an In Old Norse, áss (or ǫ́ss ás, plural æsir, feminine ásynja, feminine plural ásynjur) is the term denoting one of the principal Odin (ˈoʊdɪn from Old Norse Óðinn) is considered the chief god in Norse paganism. Although frequently mentioned in 13th century Icelandic sources, it is generally believed by scholars that it is unlikely that Loki was ever worshipped. ^[1]

In the Eddas, Loki is described as a son of Fárbauti and in the Prose Edda as also a son of Laufey. For the moon of Saturn named after Fárbauti see Farbauti (moon. In Norse mythology, Laufey or Nál was with Fárbauti, the mother of Loki, Helbindi and Byleist. ^[2] Loki also had two brothers (Helbindi & Byleist) of whom nothing is known. In Norse Mythology Helblindi (" Hel -blinder" or "All-blind" was a Jotun ( giant) brother of Loki and Byleist Býleistr ('bee-lightning' sometimes anglicized Byleist) is the brother of Loki in Norse Mythology. Loki is introduced in the Prose Edda as the "contriver of all fraud". Tales regarding Loki in these sources often feature Loki mixing freely with the gods for a long time, even becoming Odin's blood brother before arranging the accidental murder of Baldr by Höðr in the Prose Edda book Gylfaginning. Odin (ˈoʊdɪn from Old Norse Óðinn) is considered the chief god in Norse paganism. Blood brother can refer to one of two things two males related by birth or two or more men not related by Birth, who swear loyalty to one another Höðr (often anglicized as Hod) is the brother of Baldr in Norse mythology. Gylfaginning, or the Tricking of Gylfi (c 20000 words is the first part of Snorri Sturluson 's Prose Edda after After Baldr's death, the Æsir restrain Loki with the entrails of his son Narfi. In Old Norse, áss (or ǫ́ss ás, plural æsir, feminine ásynja, feminine plural ásynjur) is the term denoting one of the principal Narfi in Norse mythology may refer to the son of Loki or the father of Nótt, the personified Night. He is eventually freed and fights alongside the Jotun against the forces of the Æsir at Ragnarök. A jötunn, sometimes anglicized as jotun (pronounced yotun is a giant in Norse mythology, a member of a race of nature spirits with superhuman strength In Norse mythology, Ragnarök (rɑgnɑrɔk Old Norse "Final destiny of the gods" refers to a series of major events including a great battle foretold

Loki is not to be confused with the similarly named Útgarða-Loki, a king of the giants in Jötunheimr. In Norse mythology, Útgarða-Loki (Anglicized as Utgarda-Loki and in other ways was the ruler of the castle Útgarðr in Jötunheimr. Jötunheimr (often anglicized Jotunheim) is the world ( Heim 'home homeland' of the Jötunn (two types rock (or hill giants and frost (or

Eddic depictions

A depiction of Loki on an 18th century Icelandic manuscript. The 18th century lasted from 1701 to 1800 in the Gregorian calendar, in accordance with the Anno Domini / Common Era numbering system Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland ( ( Ísland or Lýðveldið Ísland ( A manuscript is any Document that is Written by hand as opposed to being printed or reproduced in some other way

Most information regarding Loki that we have today has been extracted from two Icelandic sources dating from after their Christianization: the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson and the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13 century from earlier sources. The historical phenomenon of Christianization (or Christianisation &mdash see spelling differences) the conversion of individuals to Christianity The Prose Edda, also known as the Younger Edda, Snorri's Edda ( Snorra Edda) or simply Edda, is an Snorri Sturluson (1178 – September 23, 1241) was an Icelandic historian poet and politician The Poetic Edda is a collection of Old Norse poems primarily preserved in the Icelandic mediaeval Manuscript Codex Regius.

Names

Like other deities in the Eddas, Loki is described with many names: Lie-Smith, Sly-God, Shape-Changer, Sly-One, Foxy-One, Lopt, Sky Traveler, Sky Walker and Wizard Of Lies among others.

Nature

"Loki and Idun" (1911) by John Bauer. Iðunn (possibly meaning "ever young" or "rejuvenator" is a goddess in Norse mythology. John Bauer ( June 4, 1882 – November 20, 1918) was a Swedish painter and illustrator

A depiction of Loki guiding Höðr from the 1st or 2nd edition of Nordisk familjebok (1904–1926)

Loki is an adept shape-shifter, with the ability to change both form (examples include transmogrification to a salmon, horse etc. Nordisk familjebok (en Nordic familybook is a Swedish Encyclopedia, published between 1876 and 1957 Shapeshifting is a common theme in Mythology and Folklore, as well as in Science fiction and Fantasy. Salmon is the common name for several species of Fish of the family Salmonidae. The horse ( Equus caballus) is a hoofed ( Ungulate) Mammal, one of eight living species of the family Equidae. ) and sex (he turned into a woman to trick Frigg to learn Baldr's weakness). Gender comprises a range of differences between men and women extending from the biological to the social Frigg (or Frigga) is a major goddess in Norse paganism, a subset of Germanic paganism. But he had to borrow Freyja's cloak whenever he wanted to change into bird form. Freyja (sometimes anglicized as Freya) is a major goddess in Norse Paganism, a subset of Germanic Paganism.

In the Eddic depictions Loki mainly plays the role of a villain: a coward (when he was captured by a giant, he begged for his life and promised to give him the goddess Idun), liar (in Lokasenna, all gods called him a liar), cheater (he tricked Idun into being captured by the giant and only went to save her when threatened by the gods), thief (he stole Sif's hair and stole various things from the giants; he also stole Freyja's necklace and got beaten by Heimdall who was sent by Freyja to get the necklace back^[3]), and as a murderer (he killed the god Baldur by tricking his blind brother Höðr into using a projectile made of mistletoe). Iðunn (possibly meaning "ever young" or "rejuvenator" is a goddess in Norse mythology. Lokasenna ( Loki's flyting, Loki's wrangling, Loki's quarrel) is one of the mythological poems of the Poetic Edda. Sif ("In-law-relationship" is a goddess in Norse mythology. Freyja (sometimes anglicized as Freya) is a major goddess in Norse Paganism, a subset of Germanic Paganism.

In Lokasenna, Odin relates what seems to be a lost story about how Loki spent eight years milking a cow like a maid. Lokasenna ( Loki's flyting, Loki's wrangling, Loki's quarrel) is one of the mythological poems of the Poetic Edda.

Loki:

"Be silent, Odin! Not justly thou settest

The fate of the fight among men;

Oft gavst thou to him who deserved not the gift,

To the baser, the battle's prize. "

Odin:

"Though I gave to him who deserved not the gift,

To the baser, the battle's prize;

Winters eight wast thou under the earth,

Milking the cows as a maid,

Ay, and babes didst thou bear;

Unmanly thy soul must seem. "

Children

Loki was the father (and, in more than one instance, the mother) of many beasts, humans and monsters. A monster is any of a large number of Legendary creatures which usually appear in Mythology, Legend, or Horror fiction.

Relationships with giantesses is nothing unusual for gods in Norse mythology; Odin, Thor, Njörðr, Freyr are good examples; and since Loki was actually a giant himself, there is nothing unusual about this activity. Thor ( Old Norse: Þórr) is the red-haired and bearded God of Thunder in Germanic paganism and its subset Norse paganism Njörðr is a Vanir god in Norse mythology. In surviving sources Njörðr is the father of the major deities Freyr and Freyja by his unnamed "Frey" redirects here For other uses of Frey and Freyr, see Frey (disambiguation. Together with Angrboda, he had three children:

• Fenrir the giant wolf preordained to slay Odin at the time of Ragnarök;
• Jörmungandr, the great sea serpent;
• Hel, ruler of the realm of the dead. Angrboda ( Old Norse Angrboða 'Harm-foreboding' appears in Norse mythology as a giantess Fenris redirects here See Fenrir (disambiguation for other uses The grey wolf or gray wolf ( Canis lupus) also known as the timber wolf or simply wolf, is a Mammal of the order Carnivora In Norse mythology, Ragnarök (rɑgnɑrɔk Old Norse "Final destiny of the gods" refers to a series of major events including a great battle foretold Jörmungandr, alternately referred to as the Midgardsormr or World Serpent, is a Sea serpent of the Norse mythology, the middle child of the This article is about sea serpents in mythology and cryptozoology See also Death in Norse paganism In Norse mythology, Hel (sometimes Anglicized or Latinized as Hela) is the ruler of Hel, the Norse

Loki also married a goddess named Sigyn who bore him two sons: Narfi and Vali. Sigyn ( Old Norse "victorious girl-friend" is a goddess and wife of Loki in Norse mythology. Narfi in Norse mythology may refer to the son of Loki or the father of Nótt, the personified Night. In Norse mythology, Váli was a son of Loki. He is mentioned in the Gylfaginning section of Snorri Sturluson 's Prose Edda. (This Vali is not to be confused with Odin's son with the giantess Rind and sometimes his name is Nari). To punish Loki for his part in Baldr's death, Odin turned Vali into a rabid wolf who proceeded to tear Narfi's throat out. Narfi's entrails were used to chain Loki to a large rock until Ragnarok.

While he was in the form of a mare Loki mated with the stallion Svadilfari and gave birth to Sleipnir, the eight-legged steed of Odin. In Norse mythology, Svadilfari ( Old Norse "unlucky traveler" is a stallion, owned by an unnamed Hrimthurs ( Rime giant In Norse mythology, Sleipnir is Odin 's eight-legged steed and the greatest of all Horses His name means smooth or gliding, and is Odin (ˈoʊdɪn from Old Norse Óðinn) is considered the chief god in Norse paganism. One story in Hyndluljóð states that Loki ate the heart of a woman and proceeded to give birth to a monster whose name is not given. Hyndluljóð or Lay of Hyndla is an Old Norse poem often considered a part of the Poetic Edda.

Cooperation with the gods

Loki occasionally works with the other gods and goddesses. For example, he tricked the unnamed giant who built the walls around Asgard out of being paid for his work by distracting his horse while disguised as a mare—thereby he became the mother of Odin's eight-legged horse Sleipnir (although Loki is the one who gave ill advice to the gods in the first place). A jötunn, sometimes anglicized as jotun (pronounced yotun is a giant in Norse mythology, a member of a race of nature spirits with superhuman strength This article is about the realm of Norse Mythology For other uses of the names Asgard, Asgaard and Asgård, see Asgard (disambiguation In Norse mythology, Sleipnir is Odin 's eight-legged steed and the greatest of all Horses His name means smooth or gliding, and is

In another myth, after Thor threatened to crush all his bones for cutting off Sif's hair, Loki pits the dwarves against each other in a gifting contest. The dwarves make Odin's spear, Freyr's ship and Sif's new hair. In In Norse mythology, Skíðblaðnir (the name can be anglicized as Skídbladnir, Skídhbladhnir or Skíthblathnir) is the ship of Sif ("In-law-relationship" is a goddess in Norse mythology. He even rescues Iðunn after he gave her to a giant, but only after being cornered and threatened with death by the gods. Iðunn (possibly meaning "ever young" or "rejuvenator" is a goddess in Norse mythology. Finally, in Þrymskviða, Loki manages, with Thor at his side, to retrieve Mjolnir after the giant Þrymr secretly steals it, in order to ask for Freyja as a bride in exchange. Þrymskviða (the name can be anglicized as Thrymskviða, Thrymskvitha, Thrymskvidha or Thrymskvida) is one of the Thor ( Old Norse: Þórr) is the red-haired and bearded God of Thunder in Germanic paganism and its subset Norse paganism In Norse mythology, King Þrymr ( Thrymr, Thrym; "uproar" of the jotnar stole Mjollnir, Thor 's hammer to Freyja (sometimes anglicized as Freya) is a major goddess in Norse Paganism, a subset of Germanic Paganism.

Even though Loki may have been a liability to gods (leading to the death of Baldr, the birth of Fenrir and other monsters that would eventually engulf the world), his pranks ultimately provided the gods with all their most precious items, from Thor's hammer to the flying ships. Fenris redirects here See Fenrir (disambiguation for other uses

Slayer of Baldr

Disguised as a giantess, Loki arranged the murder of Baldr. He used mistletoe, the only plant which had not sworn never to harm Baldr (in some versions it was deemed unimportant and harmless, and in others it was deemed too young to make an oath), and made a dart of it, which he tricked Baldr's blind brother Höðr into throwing at Baldr, thereby killing him. Mistletoe is the common name for a group of hemi-parasitic Plants in the order Santalales that grow attached to and within the Höðr (often anglicized as Hod) is the brother of Baldr in Norse mythology. Another version of the myth, preserved in Gesta Danorum, does not mention Loki. Gesta Danorum ("Deeds of the Danes" is a work of Danish history by the 12th century author Saxo Grammaticus ("Saxo the Literate"

Loki, in the shape of a witch with stained black teeth Þökk, was the only being that refused to weep for Baldr, preventing the defunct god's return from Hel. Þökk ( Old Norse "Thanks" is a giantess in Norse mythology, presumed to be Loki in disguise who refuses to weep for the slain See also Death in Norse paganism In Norse mythology, Hel, the location shares a name with Hel, a female figure associated with the location After refusing to weep for Baldr, Loki (in the form of Þökk) stepped into a cave, and immediately after changed shape into a raven. Raven is the common name given to the largest species of Passerine Birds in the Genus Corvus.

Binding and Ragnarök

The murder of Baldr was not left unpunished, and eventually the gods tracked down Loki, who was hiding in a pool at the base of Franang's Falls in the shape of a salmon. There they caught Loki with a fishing net. They also hunted down Loki's two children with Sigyn, Narfi and Váli (not to be confused with Váli, the son of Odin and Rind). Sigyn ( Old Norse "victorious girl-friend" is a goddess and wife of Loki in Norse mythology. Narfi in Norse mythology may refer to the son of Loki or the father of Nótt, the personified Night. In Norse mythology, Váli was a son of Loki. He is mentioned in the Gylfaginning section of Snorri Sturluson 's Prose Edda. In Norse mythology, Váli is a son of the god Odin and the giantess Rindr. Odin (ˈoʊdɪn from Old Norse Óðinn) is considered the chief god in Norse paganism. They changed Váli into a wolf, and he then turned against his brother and killed him. In Norse mythology, Váli was a son of Loki. He is mentioned in the Gylfaginning section of Snorri Sturluson 's Prose Edda. They used Narfi's entrails to bind Loki to three slabs of stone, and Skaði placed a snake above his head so that its venom would pour onto him. Sigyn sits beside him and collects the venom in a wooden bowl, but she has to empty the bowl when it fills up, during which time the searing venom drips onto Loki's face. The pain is then so terrible that he writhes, making the earth shake.

Baldr's murder was also one of the events that precipitated Ragnarök. In Norse mythology, Ragnarök (rɑgnɑrɔk Old Norse "Final destiny of the gods" refers to a series of major events including a great battle foretold Loki would stay bound until then. When Ragnarök finally comes and Loki is freed by the trembling earth, he will sail to Vigrid from the north on a ship that also bears Hel and all those from her realm. In Norse mythology, Vígríðr is the giant plain where Ragnarök will be fought See also Death in Norse paganism In Norse mythology, Hel (sometimes Anglicized or Latinized as Hela) is the ruler of Hel, the Norse See also Death in Norse paganism In Norse mythology, Hel, the location shares a name with Hel, a female figure associated with the location Once on the battlefield, he will meet Heimdall. Heimdall ( Old Norse Heimdallr, the prefix Heim- means home, the affix -dallr is of uncertain origin is one of the Æsir They will fight and though Heimdall is ultimately victorious, Heimdall later dies of his wounds.

Norwegian rune poem

In the 13th century Norwegian rune poem, Loki is mentioned in a paragraph in relation to the Younger Futhark rune Bjarkan:

Loka Táttur

Not all lore depicts Loki as a malevolent being. History The concept of folklore developed as part of the 19th century ideology of Romantic nationalism, leading to the reshaping of oral traditions to serve modern ideological An 18th century ballad (that may have drawn from a much earlier source) from the Faroe Islands, entitled Loka Táttur (The Loki's Tale ballad),^[5] depicts Loki as a friend to man: when a thurs (troll or giant) comes to take a farmer's son away, the farmer and his wife pray to Odin to protect him. The 18th century lasted from 1701 to 1800 in the Gregorian calendar, in accordance with the Anno Domini / Common Era numbering system The Faroe Islands or Faeroe Islands or simply Faroe(s or Faeroes (Føroyar meaning " Sheep Islands" Færøerne Old Norse A troll is a fearsome member of a race of creatures from Norse mythology. The Mythology and Legends of many different Cultures include monsters of human appearance but prodigious size and strength Odin hides the son in a field of wheat, but the thurs finds him. Odin rescues the son and takes him back to the farmer and his wife, saying that he is done hiding the son.

The couple then pray to Hœnir, who hides the son in the neck-feathers of a swan, but again the thurs finds him. In Norse mythology, Hœnir is one of the Æsir. In Ynglinga saga, along with Mímir, he went to the Vanir as a hostage On the third day, they pray to Loki, who hides the son amidst the eggs of a flounder. The thurs finds the flounder, but Loki instructs the boy to run into a boathouse. The giant gets his head caught and Loki kills him by chopping off his leg and inserting a stick and a stone in the leg stump to prevent the thurs from regenerating. He takes the boy home, and the farmer and his wife embrace both of them.

Archaeological record

Two known depictions of Loki have survived into modern times.

Kirkby Stephen stone

A 10th century depiction that is often interpreted as Loki exists in the parish church of Kirkby Stephen, England. Kirkby Stephen is a small market town in Cumbria, in the north-west of England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The figure is bound with irons and horned. The legendary character Loki is presumed to have been brought to England by Norse settlers in the region. Before the stone was found, it was used as a building stone. ^[6]

Snaptun stone

The "Snaptun stone" features a depiction of Loki with a curled mustache and scarred lips from 1,000 CE.

On a spring day in 1950, a semi-circular flat hearth stone bearing a depiction of Loki was discovered on a beach near Snaptun, Denmark. In common historic and modern usage a hearth (Har-th is a Brick - or stone -lined Fireplace or Oven used for Cooking and/or Heating The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe ^[7] Made of soap stone, the depiction was carved around the year 1,000 CE. Soapstone (also known as steatite or soaprock) is a Metamorphic rock, a talc- Schist. The depiction features a curled mustache. The figure is identified as Loki due to the seemingly scarred lips, a reference to a story recorded in Skáldskaparmál. The second part of Snorri Sturluson 's Prose Edda the Skáldskaparmál or "language of poetry" (c ^[7] The stone is on display at the Moesgaard Museum near Aarhus, Denmark and a copy at the Aarhus city Viking Museum. The Moesgård Museum is a museum located in Højbjerg, a suburb of Aarhus, Denmark. Geography The city lies roughly at the geographical centre of Denmark on the peninsula of The Viking Museum is a museum located beneath the Nordea bank building in central Aarhus, Denmark.

Other spellings

• Common Danish, Swedish and Norwegian form: Loke
• German form: Lohho, Loge (Wagner)

Modern age

The composer Richard Wagner presented Loki under an invented Germanized name Loge in his opera Das Rheingold. The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. Das Rheingold ("The Rhine Gold" is the first of the four operas that comprise Der Ring des Nibelungen ( The Ring of the Nibelung) by Richard Wagner Loge is also mentioned, but does not appear as a character, in Die Walküre and Götterdämmerung. Die Walküre ( The Valkyrie) is the second of the four Operas that comprise Der Ring des Nibelungen ( The Ring of the Nibelung ("Twilight of the Gods" – see Notes) is the last of the four Operas that comprise Der Ring des Nibelungen ( The Ring of the Nibelung The name comes from the common mistranslation and confusion with Logi, a fire-giant. Fornjót ( Old Norse Fornjótr) is an ancient giant in Norse mythology, the father of Kári (a personification of wind of Logi (a personification Since Wagner's time, Loki has appeared, either as himself or as the namesake of characters, in comic books, on television, in literature and in song lyrics.

References