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
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
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