Loki is a god belonging to Norse mythology . He is the son of the giants Farbauti and Laufey and has two brothers, Helblindi and Býleistr, of whom little is known. In the eddas he is described as the "origin of all fraud" and he mixed freely with the gods, coming to be considered by Odin as his brother until the murder of Balder . After this, the Æsir captured him and tied him to three rocks. According to the prophecy he will free himself from his bonds to fight the gods in Ragnarök .
Despite many investigations, Loki's figure remains in darkness; there are no traces of a cult and its name does not appear in any toponymy. In religious terms, Loki is not a deity. Having no cult or followers (no evidence or reference to it has been found), he is rather a mythological being. Since it cannot be considered other than a giant. Today many neo-pagan groups that call themselves Lokeans worship him, which elevates him to the category of minor god. However, they are opposed by many other established pagan groups such as the Folkish. Some sources sometimes relate it to the Æsir;But this is probably due to his close relationship with Odin and the amount of time he spent with the gods compared to his own (which is why he is associated with Lugh , his parallel in the Celtic pantheon).
In continental Scandinavian languages ( Swedish , Norwegian and Danish ) his name is Loke (pronounced "luque"). Composer Richard Wagner introduced Loki under the Germanized name of Loge in his opera Das Rheingold . There is a fire giant called Logi , which is why, due to its similarity in pronunciation, it is often confused with it and associated with fire.
According to some theories of scholars, Loki is conceived as the spirit of fire with all the potentially beneficial or harmful that it can be. However, it is possible that this view is a consequence of the linguistic confusion with logi "fire", since there is very little indication of this in myths, where Loki's role was mainly that of Odin's cunning counterpart or antagonist. .
In fact, there is a story in Gylfaginning in the Prose Edda of Snorri where Loki competed against a jotun called Logi in a duel eating food; and he loses, because when he finished, Logi had not only eaten the meat but also the bones and the plate. They then discover that Logi is actually the personification of fire and that it had acquired its appearance using magic.
Ström identifies Odin and Loki, even calling Loki "a hypostasis of Odin." Rübekeil suggests that both gods were originally identical, deriving from the Celtic , Lugus .
Ages
Names
Like Odin, although to a lesser extent, the skalds used many kenningar to refer to Loki, which is why he bears many names, such as: "Lying Blacksmith", "Shapeshifter", "Silver Tongue", "Cunning God", " Transformist "," The crafty one "," Sky traveler "," Skywalker "," Wizard of lies "," God of mischief "," God of bad luck "," God of Lies "And" God of Chaos ", among others.
Nature
The character of the con man is complex in nature and a master of deception. Loki is a figure of attenuated evil, rather suggested than existent, a kind of con artist among the gods due to his high intelligence. On some occasions with his tricks, tricks or jokes, he annoyed or embarrassed the gods and then helped them; like when he cut off Sif's hair and then replaced it or like when he was responsible for the kidnapping of Iðunn and her apples of youth but then returned her safely. Loki is an expert in shapeshifting (examples like transforming into salmon , horse , bird , fly , etc).
Stems
Loki is the father of numerous human creatures and monsters from Norse mythology. With Angrboda he had three children:
- Fenrir , the giant wolf predestined to end Odin in Ragnarök .
- Jörmundgander , the sea serpent predestined to end Thor.
- Hela , the goddess of the realm of the dead.
Loki also married the goddess named Sigyn who bore him two children: Narfi and Váli (this Vali is not to be confused with the son of Odin and the giantess Rind ). To punish Loki for Balder's death, the gods transformed Vali into a rabid wolf which split Narfi's throat . Narfi's viscera were used to bind Loki to Ragnarök.
Momentarily turned into a mare, with Svadilfari , the horse of the giant who built part of the walls of Asgard, he begat Sleipnir , the eight-legged horse that he would give to Odin.
A story in Hyndluljóð relates that after eating a half-roasted woman's heart, Loki gave birth to a monster whose name is not mentioned. This myth is not recorded in other sources.
Intrigues with the gods
Loki occasionally worked alongside the other gods. For example, he tricked the giant who built the walls around Asgard without being paid for his work, by distracting the giant's horse by transforming into a mare in heat. In this way she became the 'mother' of Odin's eight-legged horse, called Sleipnir.In another myth she has the dwarves compete with each other in a test of skills. This led to the dwarves making Odin's spear, Gungnir , Freyr's ship , Skíðblaðnir, and Sif's golden wig. He also rescued Iðunn who had been kidnapped by the giant Þjazi . Finally in Þrymskviða , Loki succeeds, withThor by his side, retrieving the hammer Mjölnir after the giant Thrym stole it in order to ask Freyja for a wife in exchange (literally, he made Thor disguise himself as a woman).
Despite the fact that Loki was a great problem for the gods (he caused the death of Balder, the birth of Fenrir and other monsters that could eventually engulf the world ...), he provided them with the most precious items, from the hammer of Thor to flying ships, and these tools were of great help in helping the gods to defeat evil. He brings Ragnarök , but also provides them with the means to overcome it.
In Lokasenna Loki remembers the pact of friendship he had with Odin, which is not mentioned in other sources, but which is very likely since on several occasions they undertook adventures together.
Mantu þat, Óðinn, | Do you remember Odin, |
| Poetic Edda - Lokasenna , stanza 5 |
Loki and the dwarves
One of Loki's many mischiefs consisted of cutting the hair of Sif , Thor's wife. The latter, enraged, caught Loki, who promised him that Sif would regain her golden hair. Loki went to the dwelling of the dwarves, located underground, to entrust the work to the sons of Ivaldi , who were considered the best craftsmen. .
Assassination of Balder
Balder had nightmares heralding his death and told the other gods about it. The goddess Frigg , his mother, traveled the world making him swear to all things that they would never harm her son. Hence, in meetings in the Thing , the gods amused themselves by throwing objects at him, since they knew that none could hurt him. When Loki found out about this he was enraged and went to talk to Frigg in the form of a woman, telling him what was happening in the Thing and asking him if he had made all things swear not to harm Balder. Frigg remembered that he hadn't thought it necessary to make the mistletoe swear, considering it harmless. Knowing this, Loki made a dart using a mistletoe branch, then went to the Thing and tricked Balder's blind brother, named Höðr , into throwing the dart at him, thus killing Balder. In an Evemerist version of the myth, completely differently related in Gesta Danorum , no mention is made of Loki and Balder is killed by Höðr with a stab wound.
Hela , the ruler of the underworld, made it a condition to return Balder that all things mourn his death. The gods found a giant named Thokk in a cave and begged her to shed tears so that they could return to Balder. The giant refused and was the only being who did not shed tears for the death of the god saying "let Hela keep what she has", thus preventing Balder from returning from hell. The gods suspected that the giant was actually Loki in disguise, which made them even more enraged.
Lokasenna
Lokasenna is one of the mythological poems of the Poetic Edda . It recounts a heated argument between Loki and the Æsir during a banquet held by Ægir , the god of the sea. In the poem, many facets of Loki's wickedness, insight, and betrayal are exposed. Jealous of Ægir's servant, Fimafeng , for the praise he received for how well he treated the guests, Loki was enraged and killed him. The gods threw him out of the banquet, but he returned and began to insult them by mocking their shortcomings. In turns the gods tried to calm him down, as it was against the rules of hospitality to generate disputes in the host's house, but Loki continued and only fled when Thor drew his hammer , Mjölnir and threatened him.
The work ends with the capture of Loki and his captivity, although it does not explain that the death of Balder was the cause for it; the latter is clearly mentioned in the Prose Edda .
Although if you read Evémero de Mesene ( Evémero of Messina ), there is the basis that Hoder killed Balder out of jealousy of Nana, which would distance Loki from the start of Ragnarök. This would demonstrate the ambiguity of the gods, who are close to men in human emotions and have intense feelings such as jealousy, and incite intrigue.- (The text of the fragments of Evémero, in addition to the fragments present in Ennius and Diodorus Siculus , is collected in No. 63 of Jacoby's monumental syloge , and in FGrH , 19572.)
Captivity and Ragnarök
The gods full of anger at the death of Balder began to search for him and Loki took refuge in a mountain. There he built a house with four doors to be able to watch all directions. Sometimes during the day it would transform into salmon and hide in the waterfalls of Fránangr. He thought of how they could catch him and wove a flax fishing net . When he saw that the Æsir were nearby, since Odin had spotted him from Hliðskjálf , he burned the net, transformed into salmon and jumped into the river.
The gods found Loki's house and seeing the ashes of the fishing net, they began to weave one and headed for the river. There Loki evaded them by jumping over the net, but the gods divided into two groups to catch him. Loki when he was close to the sea decided to risk one more time and jump over the net, but this time Thor caught him by the tail.
They also caught the two children he had with Sigyn , Narfi and Váli (not to be confused with Vali , the son of Odin and Rind). The gods transformed Váli into a wolf that turned on his brother and killed him. They then used Narfi's viscera to bind Loki to three stone blocks, they turned the bindings into iron and Skaði He placed a viper on his head so that the venom from it dripped onto his face. Sigyn sits next to him and collects the snake's venom in a wooden bowl, but when it is full, he must throw the venom out, at which point the venom falls on Loki's face. The pain is so terrible that it twists causing earthquakes.His punishment will last until the twilight of the gods.
Balder's death is an event that would precipitate Ragnarök. Loki will be tied up until then. When Ragnarök finally arrives , Loki will break free by shaking the earth. You will sail to Vigrid on a ship that also carries Hela and all the inhabitants of Helheim . They will advance over the Bifröst bridge and then it will break. They will address Vigrid the wolf Fenrir and the serpent Jörmungandr ; and then Loki and Hrymr with all the giants . Hela's champions will also follow Loki; as well as the sons ofMuspell .
Once on the battlefield he will face Heimdall and neither of them will survive the encounter.
Kjóll ferr austan, | From the east part, a boat , |
| Poetic Edda - Gylfaginning , chapter 51 |
So you promised
they wouldn't serve you beer
if there wasn't for both of you.
| - | Poetic Edda - Lokasenna , verse 5 |}
Loka Táttur
Not all folklore describes Loki as an evil being. An 18th century ballad , probably derived from a much older source in the Faroe Islands , titled Loka Táttur , describes Loki as a friend of man. When a thurs ( troll or giant) kidnaps a farmer's son, he and his wife raise their prayers to Odin to protect their son. Odin hides him in a wheat field, but the thurs find him. Odin rescues the son and returns him to the farm with his parents, saying that he has already hidden it. The concerned couple calls Hœnir, who hides the farmer's son in the feathers of a swan's neck, but again the thurs finds him. On the third day they beg Loki, who hides it among the flounder eggs. The thurs find him, but Loki had instructed the boy to run towards a boathouse. The giant's head is trapped there and Loki kills him by cutting off his leg and inserting a stick and stone into his stump to prevent him from regenerating. He then takes the boy and returns him to his house, where the farmer and his wife hug them both.
It is assumed that Loki's "evil" is actually only figurative, since the Norse do not consider him a villain, but rather an antagonist who caused difficulties for Wotan (Odhinn). It is believed that this "villainy" is imposed by the influence (rather than analogy) of a form of Manichaeism of the Christian religion through the writing of Snorri Sturlusson, so therefore Loki was not bad, but an ambiguous antagonist, when he transcribed it took as "opposite the main god". That is why it is wrongly viewed as bad, rather than ambiguous.
It is said [ who? ] that Loki represents the Ying and the Norse Yang in mythology.
Runic poem
Loki is mentioned in a runic poem of Norwegian origin written in Old Norse around the 13th century . It is mentioned in connection with the Bjarkan rune , which in new futhark means birch .
Bjarkan's laufgrœnstr lime; | Birch has branches of green leaves; |
Archaeological record
Snaptun stone
In the spring of 1950, a carved image of Loki in a bell-shaped forge stone was found on a beach near Snaptun, Denmark . The image was carved around the year 1,000 from a soapstone stone. Loki is represented with curly mustaches and his lips with scar marks, the latter is what allows him to be identified since it refers to the story told in Skáldskaparmál , when Brok sews his lips. The stone is on display at the Moesgaard Museum near Aarhus , Denmark.
Kirby Stephen's Stone
In the church parish of the small town of Kirkby Stephen, in Cumbria ( England ), among several historical pieces is a stone block approximately one meter high with a figure with horns and chains on its arms and legs. The carved image dates from the 9th century and is one of the few surviving historical records of the period when Danish Vikings inhabited the area. The image on the stone has been identified with that of Loki, tied up after Balder's death. The representation of the horned figure may be an adaptation for Christian purposes.
Counterparts
Loki can be compared to Hermes , who deceived Apollo and who also went beyond his limits. In astrology, Mercury is precisely the planet associated with Loki, as well as the sign of Gemini . It is important to understand that the astrological Mercury is intrinsically associated with language, with narrative discourse; in this sense, Loki could refer exclusively to the potential for fraud, lies and noise, and the underlying malice, that can exist in any communication process.
It has also been compared to Prometheus , who deceived and stole the gods and who was also tied to a rock and tormented by an animal (an eagle in this case) as punishment. It can also be compared to the Celtic god Lug who ended the life of his grandfather Balar , who is compared to Balder , in addition to the fact that he also does not have an end as a god. During the Viking was some considered him an evil deity similar to Saturn / Cronus , and called him Saeter. In Polynesian mythology his counterpart would be the scammer demigod Māui .
Other ways
- Common form in Danish, Swedish and Norwegian: Loke
- German form: Lohho, Loge (Richard Wagner)
Popular culture
Loki appears as the main villain in the comic book Thor from Marvel Comics . He also appears in all of the Thor movies as the same villain and in the Avengers movie . In all of them he is played by Tom Hiddleston .
In the TV series Supernatural , the Archangel Gabriel descends to earth after the fall of Lucifer. He himself claims to have undergone a makeover so that his siblings would not discover him; takes the form of Loki before the rest of the pagan gods (he had an affair with the goddess Kali), and of a Trickster for the Winchester brothers. Before falling dead at the hands of Lucifer, he was one of the most powerful beings in the series and the one who caused more "ridiculous" or "strange" problems for the protagonists, although his death was in part a necessary sacrifice for them to escape with Kali and learn to defeat his brother.
In the TV series Stargate , a scientist of the Asgard alien race named Loki was responsible for abductions of human beings on planet Earth to study them in search of a possible solution to the genetic problem of race. In 1985 the high council discovered him and took away his title, although as a rebel he continued with his investigations until he made a mistake and was discovered by SG1 and reported to the Supreme Commander Thor.
The movie The Mask is about a mask that is, in reality, the god Loki banished by Odin from Asgard and turned into a mask, causing whoever wears it to acquire supernatural powers.
In the video game Smite, Loki appears as one of the playable characters and is depicted as a stealthy assassin with deception abilities.
In the video game The Binding of Isaac, Loki appears as an enemy boss depicted as a red demon.
In the video game Warframe, Loki makes his appearance as a warframe (a playable character) and is a stealth character.
On the moon Io , the closest to Jupiter , is the Loki volcano, the most active in the Solar System,
The Laki volcano or Lakagígar (Laki craters) is a volcanic fissure located in southern Iceland , near the Eldgjá canyon and the small town of Kirkjubæjarklaustur .
In the Kenichi manga , there is a group of martial artists called Ragnarok, the fourth fist of the group represents Loki.
In the anime Matantei Loki Ragnarok , the protagonist is the Norse god in the guise of a 12-year-old boy.
In the anime / manga Boku Girl the protagonist Suzushiro Mizuki is turned into a girl because of Loki's magic.
In the second Saint Seiya film , The Great Battles of the Gods , Loki is one of the Warrior gods of Asgard under the orders of Dolbar, this film's main enemy. In the series spin-off, Saint Seiya Soul of Gold , Loki turns out to be the evil god behind the events that brought the 12 Golden Knights back to life in Asgard.
In Neil Gaiman's book American Gods , Shadow is the cellmate of a strange criminal named "Low Key Lyesmith," who is later revealed to be Loki.
In an episode of Hercules (1998 television series) this god appears.
In the third season of the anime High School DxD Born , this god appears as the main antagonist of the series.
In the video game God of War (2018) Atreus, the son of Kratos , is known as Loki, which gives birth to the mythical Norse god of mischief.
The YouTube channel Pascu y Rodri , in their group of songs entitled Destripando la Historia , dedicates one of their most viewed songs to narrating their story.
In the Yu-Gi-Oh! , "Loki, Lord of the Aesir" (whose original name is "Polar God Emperor Loki") is one of the available printed cards. In the anime series Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's , is worn by Broder (whose original name is Brave), a member of Team Ragnarok.
In the short novel Loki: Historia de unchangeable , by Manuel Escutia, the life of the god of deception is treated taking into account the different versions of mythology.
The Sandman
In The Sandman , Loki is the god of Norse mythology, but he is temporarily released by Odin in the Mist Station story arc to help him convince Morpheus to hand over Lucifer's Hell to him and thus escape Ragnarok . Though unsuccessful , he deceives the Norse gods by turning the Japanese thunder god Susano O Nomikoto into an image of him, and replacing him to escape imprisonment from beneath the earth. This is discovered by Morpheus, who decides to make a pact with Loki to send a Dream to prison instead, freeing Susano.
Morpheus with this action intends that Loki be indebted to him, however, this causes Loki to turn against him in the events of The Benevolent , collaborating with Puck and the Furies to kidnap the baby from the metahuman Lyta Hall, which which would give this the motivation to become an avatar of the Furies and assassinate Morpheus.
However, before finishing murdering Daniel Hall, the Corinthian and Matthew the Raven find him. The Corinthian rescues Daniel and gouges out Loki's eyes, after which he will again be locked underground by Odin and Thor , to be tortured and patiently wait for Ragnarok .
Sirius
In connection with the association between Loki and fire, the brightest star in the earth's firmament, Sirius , was also called Lokabrenna , something like "Loki's torch."