Frustrated and angered by the actions of Loki, the gods go after Loki, who had turned into a salmon to evade capture. However, he is unable to meet the requirements imposed by Hel, the ruler of the underworld. One of the gods, Hermodr, makes a quick dash to the Underworld in a bid to bring Baldr back to life. Realizing he’s been tricked, Hodr flees the scene into the woods. Hodr shoots the arrow straight into the heart of Baldr, killing Baldr on the spot. The god of mischief then presents the arrow to the blind god Hodr – Baldr’s brother. One by one, all the arrows shot at Baldr bounce off him.įully aware that Frigg failed to consult with the mistletoe, Loki fashions out an arrow from the plant. With his new found invincibility, Baldr asks the gods to throw everything they got at him. Frigg however fails to consult with the mistletoe, thinking the tree could never pose any harm to Baldr. The story begins when Frigg (the Vanir goddess of love and fertility) commands every animate and inanimate object in the universe to never harm Baldr. It is unclear whether Loki committed this act out of sheer malevolence or envy. Loki’s gravest misdeed was when he murdered Baldr (Bbaldur) – the son of the goddess Frigg and Odin. For example, Jörmungandr is slated to kill Thor during the apocalypse while the wolf Fenrir is destined to swallow Odin, the all-father god. Those three children of Loki are fated to cause havoc to the Aesir gods, ushering in Ragnarök. In addition to Fenrir, Loki fathered the Midgard serpent Jörmungandr, and the fearsome being Hel, ruler of the realm of the dead (Underworld). On the otherhand, his union with the Jötunn Angrboda produced “the wolf” – a reference to Fenrir, the wolf who swallows Odin in Ragnarök (the Twilight of the Gods, or Demise of the World).Īccording to another poem in the Prose Edda, Loki gave birth to the horse Sleipnir after mating with the stallion Svaðilfari. ![]() With his wife the goddess Sigyn, Loki fathered two children – Narfi (Nari) and Vali. Loki fathered many children, animals, monsters and beasts alike. This makes him the brother of Helblindi and Byleistr. Image: “The children of Loki” (1920) by Willy PoganyĪccording to Snorri’s Prose Edda, Loki has been described as the son of Fárbauti and Laufey (or Nál). The three most famous children of Loki were Hel, Fenrir (the wolf), and Jörmungandr (the serpent). Loki’s origin actually traces to the Jötunns – a race of giants and malicious mythical beings that were often the sworn enemies of the Aesirs and the Vanirs. For this reason, he is often associated with the Aesir gods – a group of warrior and ruler gods who at one point in time fought against the Vanirs (deities of agriculture, fertility and commerce). Loki has been described in many Poetic Edda poems as the “blood brother” of Odin, or in some cases, the brother of Thor. He has also been called Hveðrungr – an Old Norse word which translates into ‘roarer’, perhaps a reference to his dark side, or the roars of pain he made while he was chained to a rock as punishment for killing the god Baldr. The word evokes a meaning of “air” or “atmosphere”. Some Poetic Edda poems called him using an Old Norse word Loptr. ![]() For example, in Swedish, he is called Luki or Luku Norwegians called him Loke and Lokke the Danes called him Lokkemand and in Finnish, he is called Lukki. His name in the various Nordic countries varies slightly. Who exactly was Loki, and how did he become the god of mischief? MeaningĪccording to some old texts, Loki’s name was likely derived from the Old Norse word logi, which translates into ‘flame’. Often times called the Sly-God, his actions led to dangerous consequences and chaotic events across the nine realms. Loki’s name thus elicits both positive and negative connotations in Norse mythology.Īs the god of mischief, Loki had many banters with his fellow gods and beings in Asgard. ![]() Loki, the Norse god whose mischief and shenanigans knew no limits, was such an ambiguous character, with his role moving from darkly malicious and evil to helpful but cunning. Symbols: Salmon, feathers, snake, wind, airĪssociation: Odin, Thor, and a host of other Aesir godsĮpithets: Contriver of all fraud Shape-Changer Sly-One Wizard of Lies Thief of Giants Evil Companion Kinsman of Sleipnir Foe of the Gods Forger of Evil Contriver of Baldr’s death Wrangling Foe of Heimdallr God of: Mischief, illusions, trickery, liesĬhildren: Fenrir (the giant Wolf) Hel (the ruler of underworld/dead) Jörmungandr (the Midgard Serpent) Sleipnir (the eight-legged horse) Loki in Norse Mythology Fast Fact: Loki in Norse Mythology
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