Many of us are familiar with Tom Hiddlestonâs portrayal of Loki in Marvelâs enterprise. Few of us are familiar with Loki the God, though, and he has much more to offer than being âThorâs brotherâ. In fact, he is not related to Thor by blood at all! Though not all sources agree, some sources say he is the son of FĂĄrbauti (a jötunn) and Laufey (sometimes mentioned as a goddess).
Who is Loki?
In the Prose Edda by Snorri Sturlson, Loki is described as being mean-spirited and mischievous.
Also numbered among the Ăsir is he whom some call the mischief-monger of the Ăsir, and the first father of falsehoods, and blemish of all gods and men: he is named Loki or Loptr, son of FĂĄrbauti the giant; his mother was Laufey or NĂĄl; his brothers are BĂœleistr and Helblindi. Loki is beautiful and comely to look upon, evil in spirit., very fickle in habit. He surpassed other men in that wisdom which is called âsleight,â and had artifices for all occasions; he would ever bring the Ăsir into great hardships, and then get them out with crafty counsel. His wife was called Sigyn, their son Nari or Narfi.
Lokiâs Children
Like many Gods, Loki has many children with a few different partners. First, he has a son with Sigyn, his wife. Their sonâs name is Nari or Narfi. He also has three children with Angrboda, the giantess. These children are Fenris-Wolf, Jörmungandr (the world serpent), and Hel (Goddess of Neflheim). He also has another child, Sleipner, Odinâs eight-legged horse. This is an interesting child of Loki because, well, Loki is a shapeshifter! He can change his shape to suit his needs, and it just so happened that Loki had shifted into a mare and was impregnated by a stallion called Svadilfare. The story is long, but it goes something like this.
There was a jötunn doing work for the Gods, and in return, he was promised to be married to Freyja. All the work was almost completed in the timeframe given, so the Gods got together to figure out who had told the builder he could have the help of his horse, Svadilfar. See, this was not a regular horse. No, this horse was capable of lifting boulders twice the size of men. If this builder were to receive his wages (the marriage to Freyja), it would plunge the air and the heavens in darkness by taking away the sun and the moon, giving them instead to Jotunheim.
The Gods figured out that Loki was to blame and immediately began to âlay hands on himâ. Loki, in his fear at their threats of death, promised that he would find a way to make sure the jötunn did not receive his payment (the marriage to Freyja). Loki then came up with a plan.
Loki went to the builder on the last day of his contract, but not as himself. Instead, he went disguised as a mare and distracted Svadilfare. The stallion got loose and chased the mare (Loki) into the woods, as fast as they could go. The builder was angry and scared, so he took off running after his horse but could not catch them. He ran all night, neglecting his work in search of his horse.
Since the work was not complete in the timeframe given, the Gods did not honor their oath and instead called upon Thor. Not being one to like the jötunn, Thor gave the builder his payment but in the form of a cracked skull and a trip to Neflheim. A while later, the mare gave birth to a gray foal with eight feet. It is said that this horse, Sleipnir, is the greatest horse among gods and men.
â My interpretation of the story in the Prose Eddas.
If you work with the runes in any capacity, Loki is associated with the Younger Futhark rune of Bjarkan. We can see this connection in the Norwegian rune poem shown here.
Old Norse:
Bjarkan er laufgrĂžnster lĂma;
Loki bar flĂŠrĂ°a tĂma.
Modern English:
Birch has the greenest leaves of any shrub;
Loki was fortunate in his deceit.
It is said that the deceit mentioned here is a reference to Lokiâs role in Balderâs death. Speaking of BalderâŠ
The Death of Balder
Balder was one of Odinâs sons, and he was a favorite among the gods. It is said that he was beautiful and just â and he was also immune to just about everything. The Gods would often amuse themselves by throwing things at Balder, knowing full well that nothing could hurt him. There was, however, one thing that could kill Balder â mistletoe. Loki being Loki, deceived the blind god Höd into throwing mistletoe at Balder and killing him. When the story is retold, it does seem like the sort of trick a mischievous child would play!
Loki was disturbed by all the gaiety and decided to do something about it, so in disguise as a disgusting old hag, he went to Frigg while she was at Fensalir taking a break from the festivities. What was going on at Gladsheim, he asked her. She said it was a celebration of the god Balder. Loki-in-disguise asked why, then, were people throwing weapons at him? Frigg explained about the promises sheâd exacted. Loki kept at her asking questions until she finally revealed that there was one thing she hadnât asked because she thought it too small and inconsequential. That one thing was mistletoe.
With all the information he needed, Loki set off to the forest to get himself a branch of mistletoe. He then returned to the festivities at Gladsheim and sought out Balderâs blind brother, Hod, god of darkness, who was in a corner because he couldnât aim and therefore couldnât participate in the test of Balderâs invulnerability. Loki told Hod he would help him take aim and handed Hod a piece of apparently innocuous mistletoe to throw.
Hodur was grateful and accepted the offer, so Loki steered Hodâs arm. Hod launched the branch, which caught Balder in the chest. Balder died instantly. The gods looked towards Hod and saw Loki beside him. Before they could do anything, Loki fled away.
Celebration turned to lamentation since the most beloved of the gods had died. Odin alone was aware of how disastrous this event really was for them all, for he knew that with the loss of light and truth, the end of the world, Ragnarok, was due soon.
Working with Loki
Not a lot of people are brave enough to welcome Loki into their practices, but for those who donât mind a bit of mischievous energy, working with Loki might be a good path for you. He is clever, a trickster, and does what needs to be done no matter what. Many people also think that Loki is very misunderstood. Instead of being kind and benevolent, he tends to mirror humanity rather than divinity. Please keep in mind that these are generally Neo-Pagan correspondences and do not always align with Norse reconstruction practices or Heathenry. As always, it is my opinion that you should base your practice around your own research and interactions with the deities you are interested in.
Call on Loki forâŠ
deception
skill
strategy
cunning
glamors
Associations of LokiâŠ
queerness and androgyny
mischief
horses
wolves
snakes
change
transformation
endings
Offerings for LokiâŠ
mead and ale
water or coffee
candy
peppers
things deemed âchild-likeâ*
*This is a personal association with Loki based on my understanding of him. He seems to enjoy the more childlike activities and has a very childlike way of thinking when it comes to solving problems.
And thatâs just the tip of the iceberg with Loki! I am sure there is so much more information out there about him, but this should be just enough to get you started. If you are interested in Loki, I recommend reading up on his stories, the Eddas, and seeking guidance from those that already work with or worship him.
Sources and Further Reading
- The Prose Eddas - Sacred Texts
- Wikipedia - Loki
- Britannica - Balder
- ThoughtCo - The Death of Balder
- The painting in the header is Loki and Sigyn (1863) by MĂ„rten Eskil Winge
- Lokean Practice: Intro to the Norse Trickster - Skaldâs Keep
- What is a Lokean? â Polytheist.com
- Lokean Welcoming Committee
with Chaos Magic too!
Iâm glad you enjoyed my post!
