Norse Mythology · trickster

Loki

trickstercunningtrickeryfire (in some accounts)

The trickster god — part of the Æsir but not a true god — who engineered Baldr's death and will fight the gods at Ragnarök.

Loki leaves the hall and threatens the Æsir with fire · Christian Frølich · c. 1900 · Danish mythological illustration · Public domain

The account

Who they are

Loki is the trickster of Norse myth — a figure of cunning, transformation, and disruption. He is 'blood-related' to the gods (son of the giant Fárbauti in one account) but is not a true Æsir; he is a complex, ambiguous figure who helps the gods (he wins Sif's hair, the ship Skidblaðnir, and Thor's hammer, all through trickery) and who also destroys them (he engineers Baldr's death and will lead the enemies at Ragnarök) [S1][S2]. His children are among the greatest threats to the world: the wolf Fenrir (who will kill Odin), the world-serpent Jörmungandr (who will kill Thor), and Hel (who rules the realm of the dead) [S2]. At Ragnarök, Loki fights against the gods and is ultimately caught by the river-vine and slain by the serpent's poison [S1][S2]. Loki is the great ambivalent figure: helper and destroyer, the one who holds the fate of the world in his cunning [S1][S2].

Worth knowing

A trickster, 'blood-related' to the gods but not a true Æsir [S2].
Engineered Baldr's death via the mistletoe [S2].
Father of Fenrir, Jörmungandr, Hel, and Sleipnir [S2].
Fights the gods at Ragnarök and is slain [S1][S2].

Uncertainties & variants

Loki's status (god vs. giant vs. trickster) is ambiguous in the sources; he is not a 'true' Æsir but is bound up with them [S2].

Relationships (11)

Connections

Family & kinship

PARENT_OFFenrir — Loki (with Angerboa) is the parent of Fenrir.[S2]

PARENT_OFJörmungandr — Loki is the parent of Jörmungandr.[S2]

PARENT_OFHel — Loki is the parent of Hel.[S2]

PARENT_OFSleipnir — Loki (in the form of a mare) is the parent of Sleipnir.[S2]

Partners

PARTNER_OFAngerboa — Loki and Angerboa are the monster-couple.[S2]

PARTNER_OFSíd — Loki and Síd are (in one account) the parents of Sleipnir.[S2]

Conflict & enmity

KILLEDBaldr — Loki engineered Baldr's death (via the mistletoe and Höðr).[S2]

FOUGHTSif — Loki cut off Sif's golden hair (an act of mischief against Thor's wife).[S2]

ENEMY_OFThor — Loki is ultimately an enemy of the gods, including Thor.[S2]

KILLEDHeimdall — Heimdall and Loki will kill each other at Ragnarök.[S1] [S2]

Alliances & rule

ALLY_OFHöðr — Loki instigated Höðr to throw the mistletoe at Baldr.[S2]

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Their corner of the divine world

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Myths featuring Loki

4 stories

The Death of Baldr

Baldr, the brightest of the gods, had dreams of his death. His mother Frigg extracted oaths from all things not to harm him — except the mistletoe. Loki, disguised as an old woman, learned of this and guided Baldr's blind brother Höðr to throw a mistletoe dart at Baldr, killing him [S2]. Baldr's death is the beginning of the end, setting the chain of events that leads to Ragnarök [S1][S2].

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The Binding of Fenrir

The gods, fearing the growing wolf Fenrir, tried to bind him. The first two bindings he broke, but the third — a magic ribbon made of six impossible things (Gleipnir) — held. Only Týr placed his hand in the wolf's mouth as a pledge; when the binding held, Fenrir bit off his hand [S2].

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Loki's Children

Loki, in the form of a mare, mated with the stallion Svaðilfari and bore Sleipnir, the eight-legged horse of Odin. With the giantess Angerboa, Loki fathered the great monsters: the wolf Fenrir, the world-serpent Jörmungandr, and Hel, the ruler of the dead [S2].

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Ragnarök (The Fate of the Gods)

At the end of the world, a great winter (the Fimbulwinter) precedes Ragnarök. The bonds break: Fenrir breaks free, Jörmungandr rises from the sea, and the ship Naglfar (built from the nails of the dead) sails with the hosts of the dead. Heimdall sounds the horn Gjallarhorn; the gods ride to the field of Vígríðr. In the great battle, Odin is swallowed by Fenrir (avenged by Víðarr), Thor slays Jörmungandr but dies of his venom, Freyr is slain by Surt (having given away his sword), and Heimdall and Loki kill each other. Surt's fire destroys the world; from the ashes, a new world rises [S1][S2].

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Artworks

Depictions

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