The Aesir's Role In Norse Mythology

The Norse trickster god, Loki is undoubtedly the most debatable figure from Norse mythology to this day. Though he appears to be a scheming, mischievous deity who has no real loyalties, his role is shrouded in mystery; what was his purpose in the ancient stories. Was he merely a plot device, a foil for the Aesir, and the pantheon of gods in Norse religion? In the tales, Loki is portrayed as a scheming coward who cares only for shallow pleasures and self-preservation. He’s by turns playful, malicious, and helpful, but he’s always irreverent and nihilistic. While treated as a nominal member of the gods, Loki occupies a highly ambivalent and ultimately unique position among the gods, giants, and the other kinds of spiritual beings that populate
the pre-Christian Norse religion.
His familial relations are interesting with regards to Norse mythology. Loki was the son of Farbauti, a giant, and Laufey, a female god. His mixed heritage does aid in explaining the complexity of his character, as the giants once waged war with the Aesir and are considered, in many ways, their enemies. Loki, as the son of a giant as well as a goddess, straddles the line between two warring factions, a trait which plagues his character throughout his mythology. He marries the goddess Sigyn, but has many affairs, his most notable with the giantess Angrboda, by whom he gives birth to Hel, the queen of Niflheim; Fenrir, the oversized wolf who is fated to kill Odin at Ragnarök; and Jörmungandr, the World Serpent banished to the seas. The trickster god also, interestingly enough, is the mother of Odin's great eight-legged horse Sleipnir, as Loki mated with a powerful male stallion while in disguise.