Loki flies off, the feather cloak whistling, away from Jötunheimr and back to the court of the gods. 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. Odin declares this perverse. down by the gate of Death. Þrymr recounts his treasured animals and objects, stating that Freyja was all that he was missing in his wealth. You said you would never drink ale 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. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, This article was most recently revised and updated by, Loki - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). [9], Loki comes out of the woods, and meets Eldir outside of the hall. 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. [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, Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. 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. 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]. all your possessions which are here inside— The castle is so tall that they must bend their heads back to their spines to see above it. Aurgelmir, also called Ymir, in Norse mythology, the first being, a giant who was created from the drops of water that formed when the ice of Niflheim met the heat of Muspelheim. 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. High comments that "there is no report that the Æsir expressed hope for a happy reunion". 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'). The stone may point to a connection between Loki and smithing and flames. Loki may be depicted on the Snaptun Stone, the Kirkby Stephen Stone, and the Gosforth Cross. 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. 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". [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. Anne Holtsmark, writing in 1962, concluded that no conclusion could be made about Loki. At the falls, Loki spreads his net before Andvari (who is in the form of a pike), which Andvari jumps into. This scenario is otherwise unattested. [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. [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. Olrik further cites several different types of plants named after Loki. 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. Thor arrives, and subsequently kills the builder by smashing the builder's skull into shards with the hammer Mjöllnir. 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. Byggvir says that he is proud to be here by all the gods and men, and that he is said to be speedy. over the waves, and Loki steers [49], Thor agrees to compete in a drinking contest but after three immense gulps fails. The builder makes a single request; that he may have help from his stallion Svaðilfari, and due to Loki's influence, this is allowed. [21], 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. Loki is by some, called the god of mischief, but is that really true, is Loki really a god according to the sources in Norse mythology? 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. 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. 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. If the scale tipped in favor of the heart, the person would be consumed by a female demon named Ammit. 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. 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. 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). [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. 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. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. 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. With the female giant Angerboda (Angrboda: “Distress Bringer”), Loki produced the progeny Hel, the goddess of death; Jörmungand, the serpent that surrounds the world; and Fenrir (Fenrisúlfr), the wolf. Loki's positive relations with the gods end with his role in engineering the death of the god Baldr, and eventually, Váli binds Loki with the entrails of one of his sons. Anubis had several rolls as the god of death. [34], In Baldr draumar, Odin has awoken a deceased völva in Hel, and questions her repeatedly about his son Baldr's bad dreams. 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. He is neither Aesir nor Vanir, but the son of giants; the gods archrivals since the start of the world. Also like Prometheus, Loki is considered a god of fire. [36], In the second of the two stanzas, Loki is referred to as Lopt. 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". Thor turns to Loki first, and tells him that nobody knows that the hammer has been stolen. 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). Loki’s status in pre-Christian Scandinavia remains somewhat obscure. Víðarr stands and pours a drink for Loki. [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. [7], In stanza 54, after consuming Odin and being killed by Odin's son Víðarr, Fenrir is described as "Loki's kinsman". Prior to drinking, Loki declaims a toast to the gods, with a specific exception for Bragi. Loki, in Norse mythology, a cunning trickster who had the ability to change his shape and sex. 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. [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. In Lægjarn's chest by Sinmora lies it. Otherwise, Loki had three children with the female jötunn Angrboða from Jötunheimr; the wolf Fenrir, the serpent Jörmungandr, and the female being Hel. Corrections? Loki and Logi sit down on opposing sides. 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. Eldir responds that "if shouting and fighting you pour out on" to the gods, "they'll wipe it off on you". Loki has a love of pranks and will go to elaborate ends to play jokes on others. [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 arrival of Thor and the bondage of Loki, Origin and identification with other figures. Loki, in the form of a mare, was impregnated by the stallion Svaðilfari and gave birth to the eight-legged horse Sleipnir. 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]. Útgarða-Loki reveals that all was not what it seemed to the group. [45], Minus the goats, Thor, Loki, and the two children continue east until they arrive at a vast forest in Jötunheimr. Lopt was impregnated by a wicked woman, "[44], 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. 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. Further, that Fenrir must now wait in shackles until the onset of Ragnarök. 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. This stanza is followed by: Loki ate some of the heart, the thought-stone of a woman, Aurgelmir was the father of all the giants; a male and a female grew under … In Norse mythology Loki is a cunning trickster who has the ability to change his shape and sex. This version of the mythological Loki was created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Larry Lieber. Loki is mentioned in stanza 13 of the Norwegian rune poem in connection with the Younger Futhark Bjarkan rune: Birch has the greenest leaves of any shrub; According to Bruce Dickins, the reference to "Loki's deceit" in the poem "is doubtless to Loki's responsibility for Balder's death". 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. [63], The scholar John Lindow highlights the recurring pattern of the bound monster in Norse mythology as being particularly associated to Loki. [28], After riding together in Thor's goat-driven chariot, the two, disguised, arrive in Jötunheimr. 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. A trencher is fetched, placed on the floor of the hall, and filled with meat. [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. 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 "could not bear to hear that", and kills the servant Fimafeng. [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. [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". Loki (Old Norse: [ˈloki], Modern Icelandic: [ˈlɔːkɪ], often Anglicized as /ˈloʊki/) is a god in Norse mythology. 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. 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. Loki Loki is a giant in Norse mythology. 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. Loki can be selfish, but he is also the funniest of the Norse gods. 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. [20], Sif goes forth and pours Loki a glass of mead into a crystal cup in a prose narrative. They encounter an immense building. As they leave, Útgarða-Loki asks Thor how he thought he fared in the contests. That night, the builder drives out to fetch stone with his stallion Svaðilfari, and out from a wood runs a mare. The etymology of the name Loki has been extensively debated. The mare runs to the wood, Svaðilfari follows, and the builder chases after. Inside the great hall are two benches, where many generally large people sit on two benches. Upon hearing this, Thor takes hold of his hammer and swings it at Útgarða-Loki but he is gone and so is his castle. He is oneof the main characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe saga. After taking the tesseract and not knowing what’s hiding inside it, Loki wants some peace. 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. Loki appears unfazed by his poor reputation, but when the team brings back a mysterious new recruit, Loki finds he may just yearn for a second chance after all. The four seek shelter for the night. 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. we mixed our blood together? The notion of Loki survived into the modern period in the folklore of Scandinavia. The stallion Svaðilfari performs twice the deeds of strength as the builder, and hauls enormous rocks—to the surprise of the gods. 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". In 1959, Jan de Vries theorized that Loki is a typical example of a trickster figure. 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. So when I heard Mackenzi Lee was writing a young Loki novel set in the 19th century I was already sold. "[3] Though not prominent in the oldest sources, this identity as a "tangler" may be the etymological meaning of Loki's name. 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. 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". [8], 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. [41] In chapter 35, Gangleri comments that Loki produced a "pretty terrible"—yet important—family. Loki states that this is because "Freyja" had not slept for eight nights in her eagerness. 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. roasted on a linden-wood fire, he found it half-cooked; [15], The goddess Freyja declares that Loki must be mad, stating that Frigg knows all fate, yet she does not speak it. 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. Útgarða-Loki then calls for his nurse Elli, an old woman. Loki is one of my favorite characters of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and in Norse mythology as well. Loki is referenced in two stanzas in Völuspá hin skamma, found within the poem Hyndluljóð. According to Hans Jørgen Madsen, the Snaptun Stone is "the most beautifully made hearth-stone that is known." There are the monstrous brood with all the raveners, The feather symbolized truth. In both the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda, the goddess Skaði is responsible for placing a serpent above him while he is bound. Odin puts forth the ring Andvarinaut, covering the single hair. Hævatein the twig is named, and Lopt plucked it, 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. Andvari responds that lying men receive a "terrible requital": having to wade in the river Vadgelmir, and that their suffering will be long. There, the gods praise Ægir's servers Fimafeng and Eldir. Loki’s status in pre-Christian Scandinavia remains somewhat obscure. Loki retorts that Freyr purchased his consort Gerðr with gold, having given away his sword, which he will lack at Ragnarök. Andvari gives some background information about himself, including that he was cursed by a "norn of misfortune" in his "early days". Names from Norse Mythology: Godchecker's mighty alphabetical index list of Norse deity names – includes alternative names, titles, akas and nicknames of the Gods, Goddesses and spirits. Loki can manipulate just about anything, even having the ability to change his own form and gender. Further, with the hoard, he will have red gold for the rest of his life. He guards the well of wisdom under Yggdrasil. 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. Loki responds by asking Andvari "what requital" does mankind get if "they wound each other with words". The medieval sources from which came much of what is known of Loki provide no evidence of a cult, unlike for other Norse deities, and the name of Loki does not appear in place-names. The building turns out to be the huge glove of Skrymir, who has been snoring throughout the night, causing what seemed to be earthquakes. 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. The medieval Icelandic historian Snorri Sturluson listed her among the Aesir gods and goddesses. Depending on whom you ask, he's an Aesir, a jötunn or both. 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. 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. Struggling, all four squeeze through the bars of the gate, and continue to a large hall. 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. Bragi responds that, were they outside of Ægir's hall, Bragi would be holding Loki's head as a reward for his lies. [48], Útgarða-Loki says that no visitors are allowed to stay unless they can perform a feat. Thor demands to fight someone in the hall, but the inhabitants say doing so would be demeaning, considering Thor's weakness. 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. In their terror, the family atones to Thor by giving Thor their son Þjálfi and their daughter Röskva. The second attempt awakes Skrýmir. Þorgeirsson also points to Þrymlur where the same identification is made with Loki and Lóðurr. In addition, Loki is referred to as the father of Váli in Prose Edda, though this source also refers to Odin as the father of Váli twice, and Váli is found mentioned as a son of Loki only once. 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. Ancestor veneration is a practice that nearly all pagan peoples, past and present, have shared, and the pre-Christian Norse and other Germanic peoples were certainly no exception. [58], The bound figure on the Kirkby Stephen Stone. We know that the Aesir sees him as one of their own, even though he is a mix of a jötunn (a giant) and an ásynja (female Aesir). from whom every ogress on earth is descended. 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. 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". Loki is represented as the companion of the great gods Odin and Thor. Þrymr then lifts "Freyja's" veil and wants to kiss "her" until catching the terrifying eyes staring back at him, seemingly burning with fire. 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). [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. 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. 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. 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. At the entrance to the castle is a shut gate, and Thor finds that he cannot open it. [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. 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). 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): "Lævatein is there, that Lopt with runes 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. Loki's consumption of a woman's heart is otherwise unattested.[37]. 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 tale notably features Loki as a benevolent god in this story, although his slyness is in evidence as usual. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. 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.