Who Is A Trickster Figure In Norse Mythology

LOKI: God of Lies, Chaos, and Trickery

By: John Sargent
HUM 2310
Tue/Thur. 4:00-5:15

Loki, In Norse mythology, the evil trickster, deceptive, mischievous, and scheming, is one of the most well-known characters in Norse mythology. He was a trickster figure, as well as a shape-shifter. He could become any animal that he wanted to. That is how he can be the mother of Odin’s 8 legged horse Sleipnir. He was the father of two sons, Nari and Vali, by his wife Sigyn. He also fathered the monsters Hella, Fenris, and Jormungard the world serpent with the giantess Angurbooa as their mother. In the references I checked out, Loki's name is mentioned more than that of any other god, although Odin and Thor seem to be the most well known in
modern times. He was a participant in many of the god’s adventures, often accompanying Odin, or Thor, on their travels, though he was always stirring up trouble. There are different stories on whether Loki was a god or not. In a lot of Norse stories Loki was not a god but a giant, the son of the Farbauti and Laufey. Although he was usually an antagonist to the gods, he sometimes lived in Asgard, the realm of the gods. The gods and the giants were enemies, but some stories have Loki had taken an oath with Odin that made them blood brothers, and because of these ties, the other gods enjoyed his company and tolerated his excesses and schemes Loki was always thinking up new angles, sometimes these worked to the advantage of the gods, but often they led to disastrous consequences. One of the better outcome stories when Loki hatches a plan to cheat the architect and builder of the wall around Asgard, a giant, out of his payment.
Assuming the shape of a mare, Loki seduced the giant's stallion Svadilfaeri. The horse was essential to completing the work on time, and this delayed the giant's task by not allowing him to finish the wall in the time he agreed to. In this case, the gods were grateful for Loki's intervention, for had the giant finished on time, they would have had to turn over the sun, the moon, and the beautiful goddess Freya to him. As a result of this episode, Loki, as a mare, gave birth to Odin's eight-legged horse Sleipnir. Loki had a hand in the disappearance of the goddess Idunn. He lured her in to the woods so that she could be kidnapped by the giant Thiassi. Since Idunn was the keeper of the golden apples of youth, which the gods needed to eat to keep from growing old, they were anxious to get her back, and they therefore forced Loki to use his trickery and magic to retrieve her from Jotunheim. To do this he turns Idunn in to a nut and returns to Asgard with her. When Thiassi tries to get her back he is killed by the
gods. In another story Loki cut off the beautiful blonde hair of Thor's wife, Sif.
Thor was ready to kill him, and Loki, fearful but always scheming, promised to make Sif a better head of hair out of pure gold that would root and grow just like real hair. Loki then went to the Sons of Ivald, dwarfs of the forge. He had them make not only the golden hair for Sif, but also a magic spear, Gungnir, which later belonged to Odin. But Loki wagered with two other dwarf smiths, Eindri and Brokk that they would be unable to forge objects comparable to those made by the Sons of Ivald. Brokk and Eindri then forged the magic arm ring Draupnir, and Mjolnir, the magic hammer that Thor was to use ever after. When the gods had seen all these marvelous objects, they declared that Brokk and Eindri had won. Loki had wagered his head to Brokk, but managed talk him out of his head and to just saw-up his lips so that he could not fast talk his way out of situations. But Loki painfully pulled the threads out of his wounds and was free to lie again, and the gods were the beneficiaries of the wonderful magic creations the dwarfs had made. Loki's most terrible deed before the end of the world, however, was to cause, through trickery and sheer maliciousness, the death of Balder, Odin's beautiful and peaceful son, whom all the other gods loved dearly. Loki disguised himself as an old woman and tricked Balder's mother Frigg into revealing Balder's weakness which was mistletoe, and then tricked Balder's blind
brother, into killing Balder by throwing a sprig of mistletoe at him and killing him. Because of this Loki was taken to a deep cave. The gods took three stone slabs, set them on edge, and made a hole in each. They sent for Loki's sons Vali and Nari. The gods turned Vali into a wolf, and he immediately tore his brother to pieces. Then the gods took Nari's entrails and used them to bind Loki across the stones, with one stone under his shoulders, one under his loins, and one under the backs of his knees. Once bound, these cords turned into iron. Next the giantess Skadi brought a poisonous snake to the cave and set it above Loki's head. Then she let the poison drip onto his face. There they left him, and there he would stay until the time of Ragnarok, when he would break free of his bonds, summon up all the wretched souls in Hel, and lead the forces of evil in battle against the gods. But until then he would remain bound, with his faithful wife, Sigyn, holding a basin over him to catch the poison drops. When the basin filled she would go to empty it, letting the poison drip for a brief time onto Loki's face. At these times, Loki strained at his bonds and jerked so hard in his agony that he rattled the Earth. This was the Norse explanation for the phenomenon of earthquakes. Looking at all the different stories of Loki lets one see part of human nature. I feel we all have a little Loki in us all.
Roberts, Morgan J. Myths of the Worlds Norse Gods And Heroes. New York, 1995

Lindow, John. Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, And Beliefs. New York, 2002

Krasskova, Galina, Exploring the Northern Tradition. New Jersey, 2005