Lord of Misrule: Essays on Loki

Contents

Loki: The God of Mischief – Thor & Audrey Sheil

Page 3

Loki: Father of Strife – Alice Karlsdottir

Page 7

Loki: Evil or Just Misunderstood? – Kevin Filan

Page 13

Loki – Chapter XI of Our Troth

Page 20

The Lokian Path – Wayland Skallagrimsson

Page 27
 Loki: The God of Mischief
Thor & Audrey Sheil

Surprised. That is the only term for it. I was surprised when a respected fellow Heathen told me that
there were Heathens who so feared Loki that they would not say his name. That sounded so bizarre!
Indeed, it reminded me of an old friend who was Christian. Marco had read a book entitled The
Amityville Horror. Somewhere in there was mention of a Voodoo deity named Isabo. Apparently, the
author had heard that if one were to say a Voodoo God's name three times, they invoked it. That was
enough for Marco. He would never say the name of anything that sounded remotely like a voodoo
name. Ironically, Isabo is a simplified Creole spelling of the French name Isabeau.
Some years later, a few friends were discussing a book on the Middle Ages. One of the people
mentioned in the book was a French noblewoman named Isabeau. Every time her name was mentioned,
Marco cringed. We finally got him to admit why he was afraid. We all thought it was funny.
It was.
However, it is not funny that there are Heathens who fear Loki's name. That is not funny at all. That is
Pathetic.
All this Loki-fear comes from the Ragnarok story. There is no other myth that makes such dire
statements about Loki. In fact, remnants of old peasant lore treat Loki much as any other God. Where
he was known, he apparently was not an object of terror.
Our first paradox comes in the tale of the adventure with Utgard Loki. Here, Loki and Thor encounter a
Jotun named Utgard Loki. "Utgard" can loosely be translated as “outside” or in this case, "outsider."
One of the tasks is an eating contest between Loki and a Jotun named Logi. It turned out that Logi was
Wildfire.
We have to ask ourselves: could either of these Jotuns be the inimical Loki of Ragnarok? Could the tale
have been altered so that Loki the God was written into the place of an attacking Jotun like Utgard Loki
or Logi?
And what of the tale of Loki using mistletoe to kill Baldur? Could that not have been a revision of an
earlier tale of a Jotun’s trickery? Consider that Utgard Loki made several references of using magick
for trickery.
Last of all, we need consider that the Gods are characters in the myths. They are like actors in a play.
The myths are allegories and should not be taken literally. We know that the Gods are not big men and
women with special powers. Gods are spiritual beings. In reality, they are far above our abilities. Gods
do not descend to the petty behavior of humans. They do not entertain such petty emotions as spite,
resentment and jealousy. Myth is not to be taken literally, and yet we see many Heathens do just that.
Loki is one of the Twelve Judges of Asgard. This alone is an important thing to consider.
He is one of the main Gods. Surely, then, his role is much more sublime than a mythic betrayer.
We have no other myths of Loki. A few folktales allude to him, though several had been Christianized.
They had replaced the name of Loki with that of the Devil. This version of the "devil" is not the arch-
demon, sulphur-stinking paragon of all that is evil. The folktale devil may be a prankster or trickster.
The common theme of these stories is for the main character of the tale to somehow outwit the devil. It
may be a match of wits, a challenge or even a contest. In these, the devil actually upholds his end of the
bargain. Does that sound like the work of pure evil?
The Christian theology refers to its Satan as a "deceiver," among other things. His role is to fool
mankind. It was easy to transpose this to a trickster Gods, who also fools people. However, the
Trickster is not evil. The Trickster is mischievous and can be spiteful, but his nature is not one of pure
malevolence. Here is a place where a theological abstraction gets entangled with a cultural concept.
Loki is not the Devil. He is not poised to strike at Mankind. It is Christian theology which calls its devil
an enemy of humanity, ever seeking the demise of the human race. Traditionally, the "enemy of
mankind" was the place of jotuns and trolls. Loki was aligned with the Aesir. It is very likely that the
"enemy of mankind" attribute of Satan was superimposed on Loki. He was likely a popular God, and
what better way to discourage his acceptance than to equate him with the ultimate evil? Could this have
been behind the unfortunate references to Loki in the Ragnarok cycle? That very well may be, just as
the later references to Baldur look more like parodies of Christian myth than anything genuinely Norse.
This is not to say that Loki is an entirely safe deity. He is not! A trickster has to be understood on his
own merits. Loki deals in things that can get downright dangerous. He is a deceiver, a master of
subterfuge and icon of stealth. Loki is the Jester, and he is also the Prankster, Accuser, Fault Finder and
Booby Trapper.
It is Loki's place to find fault. This aspect of the God of Mischief is the starting point of a humorous
tale, "The Flyting of Loki". The story is a roughshod romp on the character of the Gods, finding fault
with each. The "Flyting" alludes to his work as the accuser and fault finder.
One important point is that Loki only finds fault. He looks for weaknesses, flaws and faults. Loki does
not look for strengths or assets. That is the work of other Gods. Loki's place is to uncover that which is
wrong.
Loki is the Revealer. He is focused on exposure of wrongs, not revelation of that which is right.
By the same token, Loki is also the Concealer. While he does not create the flaws, he certainly known
how to hide them. It is Loki's place to conceal and hide. One might put forth the idea that Reveal and
Conceal are two sides of the same coin. If so, then the coin itself might be Loki.
Does it seem two-faced? One might consider Janus, the two-faced Roman Gods. But Janus is no
trickster. He is a God of transition, of Past moving to Future. This is very different from a God who
changes faces at whim.
As Concealer, Loki is also a Shape shifter. The change of Shape alters the form so that one thing
appears as something else. One might consider water, a fluid that assumes the shape of its container. In
a square cup, it takes the form of a square. In a cylindrical container, it is a cylinder. Let us freeze the
water in its container and then remove it. The water would have the shape of the vessel in which it was
frozen. The shape changes, but it is still water. No matter how it looks, its innate nature does not
change. So it is with the shape-shifter. His form may confuse us, but his nature remains the same.
It is natural for us to fear that which is not what it appears to be. Millennia of experience has taught
mankind to be wary of such things. Many times, the false form conceals danger. It is the ambush and
the booby trap. People change shift their shape by changing identity. Such are the con men, undercover
operatives and spies of our world. Deception is completed with the false identity and disguise.
Loki knows the shape shift and how to expose the shifter. He is the patron of the spy-catcher, counter-
intelligence officer and the police "bunco" squad. It is the province of Loki to ask those questions
which expose the fraudulent individual. He makes the inquiries and provides the tests that strip away
the disguise.
The shape shifter and the spy catcher are two sides of another coin. Again that coin itself is Loki.
Loki is the Trickster, the Prankster, the Jester and the Joker. He is the Merry Fiddler who starts the
party. Loki brings humor and amusement. It is he who helps us laugh. Indeed, there is a truth to humor.
Many things are revealed in jest.
The Prankster is not a safe prankster, for it is also Loki's task to upbraid the windbag, the pompous ass
and the show-off. When one gets too big for his britches, Loki has the prank that takes him down a peg
or two. It is the humor of Loki that deflates the pretentious. It is his trickery that exposes the
sanctimonious prig as a weasel.
Loki's standard is the one a person sets for himself. Loki judges people by their own self-proclaimed
standards. When an individual claims to be more than he really is, Loki strikes. A recent case is a state
governor who made his mark as a crusading attorney. He claimed to be a champion of law, order and
morality. This governor touted his status as a family man. People were stunned when his trysts with
prostitutes and a high-priced escort service were uncovered. Trysts? It was estimated that he spent
upwards of $80,000 dollars for his dalliances.
This is the sort of thing that Loki arranges. It has been great fun for the people to see a gas-bag get
deflated, and a horror for those close to him. Again, there are two sides of the coin. On one is Humor,
on the other Humiliation. Once again, the coin itself is Loki.
There are folks who are wary of Loki because the myths tell of his shifting gender. Those shifts were
mythic conveniences. One has to wonder if they were also an accidental or deliberate confusion of Loki
the God with Utgard Loki or Logi.
However, there is a lesson there in keeping with Loki. It is a lesson to look beyond the appearance to
the nature of the thing itself. Even gender is not enough of an indicator to determine the value of a
thing, or a person. We see people who seem to be both Male and Female, or neither. Look at some of
the popular entertainers whose ambivalence is part of their act. This is not so much an answer as the
beginning of more questions.
And there is Loki at work again, asking the hard questions that need to be asked.
However you choose to view Loki, it should be evident that this is not a deity to be ignored. By the
same token, he is not a God to approach lightly. Loki is fascinating, and he can be a great help.
However, as we can draw from the examples above, he is not entirely safe.
You will draw your own conclusions about Loki, and they may or may not tally with those of others.
Some love him, some dislike him, some fear him, and some accept him as part of the All that is Asgard.
No matter how you choose to view the God of Mischief, you will have to deal with him sooner or later.
He is not a fearsome "devil," and he is not a New Age bringer of "sweetness and light." Loki is who
and what he is.
Take the bull by the horns and take a good look at Loki. Do not let fear delay you. The sooner you face
him and come to terms with his nature, the better. You might be pleasantly surprised at what you
discover.
***********************************************************************************
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takes the examination of Loki further. We look for the places where he abides in our modern world You
will learn how Loki touches the lives of individuals. There are numerous examples of Loki as prankster,
trickster, exposer, deceiver, accuser, concealer and revealer. There is more: we take a tour of the Elder
Futhark with Loki as our guide. We look at each Rune individually as Loki sees it. This is a most
illuminating section of the book, for it reveals so much of the God of Mischief, the Runes and ourselves.
The book is capped with appendices containing extra material related to Loki and his work.
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 Loki: Father of Strife
Alice Karlsdottir

Loki -- the name conjures up images of a Satan-like deity of evil, an alien concept that wormed its way
into the Northern pantheon bent on its destruction. More ink has been spilt on Loki than on many more
respectable gods; his unsolvable paradoxes, seemingly endless contradictions, and deceptively
accessible buffoonery provide endless opportunity for speculation, and controversy dogs almost any
opinion of him.

A relatively late figure in the Teutonic myths, and one appearing only in Scandinavia, Loki takes part in
more tales than almost any other god and serves as a trickster figure in the most amusing ones. Because
he appears in so many of the legends and interacts with so many other deities, Loki is a key figure to
understanding the rest of Norse mythology.

The Norse pantheon is divided into two main groups of gods and goddesses: the Aesir, who are
generally connected with poetry, magic, war and statecraft, and the Vanir, deities of wealth and fertility.
Although aligned with the gods by choice and with their enemies the jotuns by birth, Loki is basically
an outsider who interacts with all the different groups of beings and yet is ultimately loyal only to his
own will.

Loki is usually portrayed as a beautiful but evil god, quick-witted and well-versed in cunning. Some of
the epithets for him given by Snorri Sturluson in the Prose Edda include "forger of evil," "the sly god,"
"slanderer and cheat of the gods," and "wrangling foe." (Snorri Sturluson, The Prose Edda, Arthur
Gilchirst Brodeur, trans. (New York: The American-Scandinavian Foundation, 1916), pp. 114-15) He is
sometimes thought to have been a fire demon in his early forms. His father was Farbauti ("Cruel
Striker"), no doubt some kind of storm giant or lightning deity. his mother is called Laufey ("Leafy
Isle") or sometimes Nal ("Needle"), and Loki is always referred to by the matronymic Laufeyarsson,
rather than by his father's name, as was the common practice at the time these myths were written
down; perhaps this indicates some doubt about who Loki's father really was.

Loki is one of the race of Jotuns, the giants who are the sworn enemies of the Aesir. Although it is not
uncommon to find giantesses marrying into the Aesir or Vanir, Loki is the only male giant to be found
among them. He is said to have gotten in by swearing the oath of blood brotherhood with Odin, the
chief of the gods. After this very solemn ceremony, Loki not only is accepted into Asgard, the abode of
the Aesir, but is admitted into their council of law as well.

Once in Asgard, Loki proceeds to lead a long and colorful career of getting the gods into and out of
trouble through his cleverness, cunning, and love of mischief. Along the way he sires two legitimate
sons by his wife Sigyn (or Siguna) and three "monsters" by the giantess Angerboda. He is also mother
to Odin's prized eight-legged horse Sleipnir (we'll explain that one later). Finally he contrives the
murder of Balder, the most beloved deity, and then gets drunk at a banquet and insults all the gods.
Eventually he goads the Aesir into chaining him up under the earth. Here he can cause no more trouble
(except for earthquakes) until Ragnarok, the Twilight of the Gods, when Loki will lead the forces of
doom and destruction against Asgard and the world as we know it will come to an end.

Even this brief description of Loki raises many questions. He really can't be dismissed as an arch-
villain and nothing more. If he's so evil, how in the world was Odin, the all-wise, persuaded to mix
blood with him? Why does the brave and honorable Thor continue to hang out with him long after he
has proved himself something less than trustworthy? If Loki is such a vile creature, why is he now, as
he has always been, such a damned appealing fellow, continually turning up in more stories, legends,
and folk traditions than any other god?

It seems likely that Loki's original character was less wicked than it was later portrayed. The influence
of Christianity on Norse culture doubtless had an effect on the figure of Loki, who gradually became
more and more evil. The concept of a deity both helpful and destructive (and bawdy to boot) was just
not compatible with the changing mythology.

Although many of Loki's actions appear evil at first glance, when viewed symbolically they take on a
different meaning. Loki must be considered within the old Norse concept of the world, where good and
evil were not the polarized absolutes they have come to seem. He ultimately appears as a powerful and
compelling personality underneath the buffoonery, and if Loki was considered part of the Aesir
pantheon, then he probably belonged there, serving a necessary function in the Norse mythos.

A God of Change

One of the best ways to investigate the character of Loki is to examine his actions. If you do, you can
see a pattern to many of them. For instance, there is a group of myths in which Loki plays havoc with
several of the goddesses. In one story he cuts off the hair of Sif, Thor's wife. After Thor threatens him
with dire consequences, Loki goes to Svartalfheim, the home of the Dark Elves, and coerces the
dwarves into making Sif new hair of real gold which will grow on her head as if it were her own. Now
Sif is a Mother Earth figure, and her hair is usually held to symbolize the golden grain. Therefore one
who cuts it off is akin to a reaper at harvest time; the renewal of the hair would then symbolize the
growing of the grain again in the spring. Seen from this viewpoint, the cutting of Sif's hair is not such a
dire think; the grain has to be harvested, after all, though the fields be left bare in winter.

The kidnapping of Idunna, the goddess of youth (during which Loki aids the storm-giant Thjassi), and
Loki's theft of the love-goddess Freyja's necklace are both similar in motif. In each, a goddess or
something belonging to her is taken away by Loki and later returned (albeit usually because the other
gods threaten to kill Loki if he doesn't). These actions can all be seen as representations of the cycle of
the seasons, the winter-summer myth. Loki emerges as one who turns the wheel of the year--in other
words, as a force of change. Change is not always pleasant, but most will agree it is necessary now and
then.

Loki as Odin's Shadow

When they get around to explaining what Loki is doing in Asgard in the first place, most scholars
intimate that poor old Odin must have been drunk that night, or temporarily mad, or otherwise
incapacitated. Why else would the great All-Father, the god of wisdom and magic, take this viper to his
bosom? That's a good question. I would like to suggest that Odin knew exactly what he was doing that
day he slashed his arm and bound it to Loki's as they walked together under an earthen bridge swearing
the solemn oath of brotherhood.

This was no small undertaking. In effect it gave Loki the same status he would have had if he really
were Odin's brother, and, once made, this type of oath could not be broken. It is interesting to note that
one of Odin's many names, Helblindi, is the same as that of one of Loki's obscure and little-mentioned
brothers. Odin and Loki are most definitely related god-forms -- clever and cunning, versed in magic,
connected with winter and death, both with a hint of the dark side about them, shape-changers, sex-
changers, travelers. It would be more of a puzzle if they hadn't developed some sort of relationship.

Jungian psychology claims that everyone has a "shadow" side, a darker aspect to his or her nature,
which can either be recognized, accepted, and integrated, or ignored and denied, in which case it
becomes projected outward as the evil "other." In Norse legend Loki, instead of being cast into outer
darkness, is brought home by Odin. One can see the union of Odin and Loki as symbolic of the forces
of reason and order (the Aesir) accepting and integrating the symbol of the chaotic and primal (Loki)
rather than attempting to avoid or destroy him.

As a result of this process of integration, the Aesir can keep an eye on Loki and can periodically force
him to repair his mischief. He is also available to benefit the Aesir; many of his tricks are to help them,
indicating that the dark side has potential resources the rest of an entity can use. Lastly, Loki serves to
initiate various cycles in the development of the Aesir, including the culmination of their development:
their death in Ragnarok. As two opposing forces on a wheel will cause it to spin, the union of Odin and
Loki serves to keep the universe in equilibrium. Either force alone would produce total destruction or,
conversely, stagnation. By working together, they keep the wheel of time moving.

Loki and Thor

And what is Thor, that nice, upstanding young god, doing running around with that rotten little punk
Loki? Sure, Thor complains about Loki, often claims to hold him in contempt, and berates him for his
mischief, but when it's time to hitch up the goats, more often than not it's Loki he calls to be his
traveling companion.

Why should this be? For one thing, both gods have a connection with fire. Loki, as I've mentioned
before, is said to have developed from an ancient fire demon. Thor, the god of thunder, causes lightning
with the sparks emitted from his chariot wheels or from his thrown hammer, and his eyes glow like
coals and themselves throw off sparks when he's angry. it is sometimes suggested that Loki represents
the lightning that accompanies Thor's thunder. At any rate, Thor is certainly astute enough to realize he
can use someone with quick wits to help him on his escapades.

Another trait Thor and Loki have in common is a mutual inclination to disregard authority. What, you
say? Good old law-abiding Thor a renegade like Loki? Well, the fact is that in many myths Thor often
shows himself to be outside the normal framework of society. In several stories the Aesir are plagued
by a giant visitor whom they cannot kill because of some vow or because he is protected by the laws of
hospitality; then Thor appears, declares he is bound by no vows, and bashes the interloper's head in.
One instance of this is the story of the giant who disguises himself as an ordinary laborer and offers to
erect a wall around Asgard in return for the sun, the moon, and the goddess Freyja. he tricks the gods
into letting him use the aid of his horse, which is really a magical creature, and he nearly succeeds in
completing his task by the deadline. However, he is ultimately cheated out of his wages by Loki, who
turns himself into a mare and lures the stallion away (Odin's horse Sleipnir is the result of this trick).
The threatening giant is supposed to be under safe-conduct despite hit attempted deceit, but Thor is not
one to hold to loopholes in the law and quickly dispatches the intruder. Unlike Loki, Thor is a model of
personal honor, but they both seem to disdain the conventional laws of authority.

Then there is the story of Thor's fishing trip. he sets out with the giant Hymir, using an ox head for bait,
and hooks the Midgard Serpent, which surrounds the world. Before Thor can kill it with his hammer,
Hymir cuts the line and it sinks back in to the sea. Now there is some evidence that if the serpent let go
of its tail and left its place at the boundary of Midgard (our world), the world would end. If this is the
case, Thor's rash desire to eradicate the forces of darkness would have the effect of altering the balance
of the universe and bringing on destruction prematurely. It is the tendency to want to change the status
quo that gives Thor and Loki a point in common. Both of them are forces of death and of creative
destruction.

But Loki's most important function for Thor is as his antagonist. In many ways Thor is the most human
of the gods; he is a sort of Everyman figure, and his experiences often symbolize the struggles faced by
ordinary people. Yet Thor gets a little full of himself at times, and Loki sees to it that he is made to feel
a bit foolish now and then, just to keep him on his toes. It's pretty hard to be an omniscient tyrant with
someone like Loki around to trip you up occasionally. Thor needs this kind of irritation to make him
think; we all do.

The Lord of Darkness

Aside from his identity as a mischievous scamp, Loki seems to have another, more esoteric, persona,
one of grandeur and terror. Behind all the pranks and jokes lurks a Hades-like king of the underworld.
While Hel is the ruler of the dead, Loki is her father, and it is he who leads the forces of death during
Ragnarok. There is no question that Loki is also a deity of power and status, despite his role as the fool.

A glimmer of this august side to Loki appears in the story of Thor's visit to Utgard-Loki, "Loki of the
outer world," a giant ruler who is a master of magic and illusion and who makes Thor look like a fool
in a series of stacked competitions. When Utgard-Loki at last reveals his deceptions to Thor, the giant
and his kingdom vanish in the mists before Thor can lift a hammer. Because Loki accompanies Thor on
this journey and is also tricked by the giant king, he is generally not suspected of having any
connection to him. But doesn't the fact that these two giants have the same name make you a little bit
curious? The idea of deception is present in both of these Lokis, and being in two places at the same
time wouldn't be all that difficult for Loki. Certainly he isn't above making a fool of himself as well as
of everyone else.

The story usually heralded as 'where Loki first went wrong" is the account of his three monstrous
progeny, gotten on a giantess known as Angerboda ("Anguish-boding"). These children are Hel, the
goddess of death, Jormundgard the World Serpent, and the Fenris Wolf. The fact that Loki begot these
creatures of death and darkness is supposed to show the true malevolence of his character, and it is true
that these beings are some of the chief forces of destruction at Ragnarok. But let's examine what each
of them might represent.

Hel, the goddess of the underworld, is generally depicted as parti-colored, being one half living flesh
and the other half a decayed corpse. In the Eddas there is a description of her abode, where her table is
called "Hunger" and her bed "Sickness." But the sagas and Eddas also have descriptions of people
sharing Hel's bed after death, of her halls laid with rushes and her benches strewn with gold, and of her
mead-vats brewing away. There is not much evidence that Niflheim, her realm and the abode of the
dead, is a bad place to wind up. It is not an abode of damnation, but merely a place where just about
everyone goes when he or she dies, except for special sorts who wind up in Valhalla or some other
realm. Death is not pretty, so neither is Hel; nor is it a thing of evil or dread, unless you insist on seeing
it that way. Death is a natural part of the cycle of life, and Hel and her quiet, peaceful kingdom seem to
me to be anything but threatening.

The Midgard Serpent, a huge snake that lies with its tail in its mouth, encircling our world entirely, is a
little less palatable. It wakes up in time for Ragnarok and manages to kill Thor with its venom just as
Thor is bashing its head in. But except for this battle, it doesn't do anything particularly sinister; on the
contrary, there's a certain sense of order created by this scaly boundary between us and all those other
beasties out there in the other eight worlds (Norse myth holds that there are nine in all). There is also a
sense of power in the image of a serpent with its tail in its mouth; in fact it is a common symbol in
many cultures (cf. the serpent symbolism in kundalini yoga). With the awakening of the serpent at
Ragnarok, this power is released and the world as we know it ceases to exist.

Then there's the real nasty, the Fenris Wolf, so ravening and dangerous that the gods had to chain it up
with sword holding its jaws open, the god Tyr losing a hand in the process. The Fenris Wolf seems to
exemplify sheer, raw, uncontrolled power which must be kept in check at all times. At Ragnarok he
bursts his bonds and kills Odin; Vidar, Odin's silent son, then appears and rips the wolf's jaws apart.
Some old carvings show a huge beast being ripped apart and the swallowed god emerging from its
belly. Some think the original legend was of a god eaten and then resurrected, the whole thing being a
kind of shamanic journey. (It is interesting to note that Tyr is also killed by being swallowed by Garm,
Hel's dog, during Ragnarok.) Although Odin and Tyr are not actually depicted as being reborn, the
children of the gods do survive Ragnarok to begin the new age -- much the same thing in the Norse
view.

Balder and Ragnarok

The biggest black spot against Loki is the death of Balder, the most beloved of the gods. The death of
Balder not only deprives Midgard of light and goodness, it causes the gods and the Nine Worlds untold
grief and pushes the universe one step closer to destruction. Why does Loki do it?
Although the myth of Balder's death is well-known, the extent of Loki's responsibility for his murder is
not as cut and dried as it seems. In the myth, Hodur, Balder's blind brother, is guided by Loki to throw a
magic mistletoe dart which kills Balder. later, when the gods try to bargain with Hel for Balder's release
from the underworld, an old giantess, who is usually assumed to be Loki in disguise, thwarts them.
Balder remains in the realm of death, and after Ragnarok, as Odin's heir, he becomes the new lord of
the Aesir.

Many mythologies have a slain god in them; the real problem with the Balder story is that he doesn't
get resurrected the next spring. So although he is often depicted as an agricultural or solar god, he
doesn't really fit into these roles, since he lacks an annual cycle of death and rebirth. Instead the death
of Balder can be seen as an initiation myth, a shamanic self-sacrifice to gain insight and knowledge,
much as Odin sacrifices himself on the World Tree to win the runes. It was common in those days for
the son of a chieftain to have to prove himself by some rite of manhood, often including a symbolic
death. In the long run, Balder doesn't seem to lose out by being killed; on the contrary, he trades his
innocence for knowledge and reappears after Ragnarok as a much more powerful and majestic figure,
the new ruler of Asgard. Maybe Loki did him a favor by instigating his death.

It is necessary here to talk about Ragnarok. The Norse world-view hinges on a sense of cycles of
growth, a fact that is not always understood when discussing the "end of the world." It is
understandable, though unfortunate, that the concept of Ragnarok has been confused with certain
Christian ideas about Armageddon. There are no absolute forces of evil and good in the Norse
cosmogony (except for those created by Christian hybrids), and Loki is not another Satan. Ragnarok is
more like the end of an eon, the destruction of a way of thinking and living, to be replaced by a new
cycle, a new world, and new gods, all built on the foundations of what has gone before. There is no
sense that the new order is inherently better than the old, or that the old ways were wrong. It is just time
for a change.

Ragnarok is not a one-time cataclysm, but a recurrent happening, as gods and people evolve ever
upward and outward. The survival of the Aesir and Vanir children implies the reincarnation of the entire
pantheon, with the same forces now appearing in different combinations. Balder, emerging from
Niflheim at last, takes over as the new All-Father. The world of Odin now gives way to a new world, a
new outlook, new concepts and goals. This is seen as an opportunity for growth, development, and
change, not as disaster; it is a natural part of the universal cycle, as death is a natural part of an
individual life. Loki is the god of change who sets this all in motion; he is resisted, because radical
change is never welcome, and because the struggle of Ragnarok is necessary to liberate the new forces.
Loki forces the cycle to its conclusion; he is the god who turns the wheel of the universe, though he too
is involved in the destruction.

Conflict, dissension, struggle, exertion, endeavor -- these are the things that move the universe. Without
them we would be as stones, unmoving, uncaring, untroubled. Loki is the force that disrupts out lives,
that stirs us from the comfort and peace of our firesides and forces us out to battle. He can turn our
world upside down and change every idea we hold dear, but with him in our lives we need never fear
boredom.
 Loki: Evil or Just Misunderstood?
Kevin Filan

A casual reading of the surviving sources paints a rather unflattering picture of Loki. He is presented as
a thief, a liar, a father to monsters and murderer of the Sun god Balder. But he's also the source of many
of the items most treasured by the Norse gods: Thor's hammer, Odin's horse, Sif's golden hair. All of
these things were brought to Asgard through Loki's efforts. Upon closer consideration, a more nuanced
picture of Loki emerges. By exploring Loki's role among the gods and among men, we can learn more
about this not-so-merry prankster and the society that described him in so many stories.
Loki's Genealogy
Although Loki made his home with the gods, he was a child of the Jotuns. Snorri Sturlsson, the 12th
century author of the Eddas, wrote:
"Also numbered among the Æsir is he whom some call the mischief-monger of the Æsir,
and the first father of falsehoods, and blemish of all gods and men: He is named Loki or
Loptr, son of Fárbauti the giant; his mother was Laufey or Nál; his brothers are Byleistr
and Helblindi."

Interestingly, Helblindi ("One Who Blinds With Death") is one of the kennings or poetic titles awarded
to Odin.
In another poem -- the Lokasenna -- Loki said,
"Remember, Othin, in olden days

That we both our blood have mixed;

Then didst thou promise no ale to pour,

Unless it were brought for us both."

Other sources claim Odin was the child of the giants Bor and Besla. These sources name his brothers as
Vili and Ve, or as Hønir and Lothur (variants include Lodur or Lodhur). The Völuspá saga describes
how these three created man:
"Then from the host three came,

Great, merciful, from the God's home:

Ash and Elm on earth they found,

Faint, feeble, with no fate assigned them

Breath they had not, nor blood nor senses,

Nor language possessed, nor life-hue:

Odhinn gave them breath, Haenir senses,

 Blood and life hue Lothur gave."

While some scholars have claimed that Lothur is another name for Loki, contemporary opinion is
divided on this. To be fair, opinion on Loki's genealogy may also have been divided among the
Germanic and Nordic tribes and scribes. While most surviving material on the Germanic gods comes
from post-Christian Scandinavia, these gods were worshiped over a period of centuries or possibly
millennia, throughout a geographical range stretching from Central Europe to the Arctic Circle. It is not
surprising that we find variations on the core myths.
Nevertheless, it appears clear that there was some close relationship between Odin and Loki. It is also
noteworthy that Loki, Odin, and many of the other Norse gods and goddesses traced their lineage back
to the giants. (More on this later.)
Loki's Children
Loki had two children by his wife Sigyn: Vali and Narfi. However, his children with the giantess
Angrboda (foreboding) are far more famous. These were Hel, the queen of the dead; Jormungandr, the
Midgard Serpent who encircles the world; and Fenrir, a massive and vicious wolf. Loki's children were
not well received by the gods. Ultimately Hel was banished to the underworld, Jormungandr was cast
into the ocean, and Fenrir was tied with a magical rope and imprisoned until Ragnarok (the end times).
To tie Fenrir, the gods were forced to trick the mighty wolf into believing they were playing a game.
Fenrir agreed to be bound only if one of the gods would place his hand in the wolf's muzzle. Only Tyr,
god of justice, had the courage to do so. And so Fenrir was trapped and Tyr lost his hand.
Vali and Narfi fared even worse. After Loki's role in Balder's death, the gods transformed Vali into an
angry wolf that killed his brother Narfi. They then took Narfi's entrails and used them to bind Loki
beneath the earth. We know very little about these sons of Loki, or about Sigyn, their mother and Loki's
wife in Asgard. However, we may question the "justice" by which sons are murdered for the crime of
their parents, no matter how hideous that crime might be.
Loki is not only father to several children, but is also mother to Sleipnir, the eight-legged horse that
Odin rides while wandering between worlds. When a giant came to Asgard and offered to build an
impenetrable wall around the kingdom in six months, the gods agreed to pay him the Sun, the Moon
and the hand of the goddess Freyja. They felt certain that he would be unable to complete his end of the
bargain. But as the winter progressed, they realized that he was on track to complete his task, thanks to
the help of his enormously powerful stallion Svadilfari.
Rather than surrender Freyja to a giant, the gods called on Loki to trick the builder. On the last day
before summer, Loki transformed himself into a mare and lured Svadilfari away from the worksite. The
walls were impenetrable but not quite completed...and so the gods were free to disregard their oaths
and kill the giant. Eight months later, Loki birthed Sleipnir and gave him to Odin. Loki's treachery in
this case gained an impenetrable fortress for the gods and a fine steed for Odin.
Loki, the Apples of Idun and a Random Billy Goat
One of the earliest Skaldic poems, the Haustlöng of Thjodolf of Hvrin (fl. 10th century CE) describes
how and why Loki stole the apples of Idun. Once again we see the trinity of Odin, Hønir and Loki
traveling together. As they were cooking an ox, an eagle alighted and began eating the meat. Odin told
Loki to drive the unwanted guest away. Obliging, Loki struck the eagle with a staff.
But unbeknownst to the Æsir, this eagle was really Thiatsi, a giant and a powerful magician. Loki
found himself stuck to the staff, unable to move, as the eagle flew away. As he soared, Thiatsi battered
his captive on trees and mountains until at last the bruised Loki begged for peace. Thiatsi agreed to
release Loki, but only if in return Loki brought the giants Idun, the elf-maiden who keeps the golden
apples of Asgard. Loki helped Thiatsi kidnap Idun and steal her golden apples. But these golden apples
gave the gods immortality; without them Odin, Thor and the gods and goddesses of Asgard began to
age and die. Hence, Loki went out again to steal them back from the giants.
To do this, he transformed himself into a falcon, and returned Idun and the apples. In his eagle's guise
Thiatsi pursued Loki, and at the gates of Asgard nearly caught him. Alas for Thiatsi, Odin had piled
wood and shavings around Asgard's walls; as Thiatsi caught up with Loki and his cargo, Odin set the
wood afire. Badly burned, Thiatsi fell to the ground and was killed by the gods.
In this story, Loki's skill at theft both threatens and saved the gods. He aided in the kidnapping of Idun
because he was oath-bound to help Thiatsi; he aided in returning her to Asgard because doing so would
save his fellow gods. In neither case was his behavior dishonorable. Indeed, Thjodolf described him in
one kenning as "Høenir's-Helper."
After Thiatsi's death, his daughter Skadi -- a powerful warrior and magician in her own right -- came to
Asgard seeking revenge against those who had murdered her father. As wergild or reparation, she
demanded that the gods make her laugh. This was no small task; as you might expect, she was hardly in
a jovial mood. But Loki was able to rise to the occasion. Taking a cord, he tied one end to a goat's beard
and the other to his testicles, and then engaged in a loud game of tug-o-war. When the cord snapped he
fell on Skadi's knee, causing her to laugh aloud. By his clowning Loki was able yet again to defuse a
tense situation.
Loki and Thor
Based on the surviving material, Loki and Thor had a rather convoluted relationship. There are many
stories in which Thor threatened to beat Loki to a bloody pulp, separate his head from his body, or
otherwise do him great bodily harm. And yet there are also many stories that feature Thor and Loki
traveling together. In a great number of these stories Loki gets Thor out of trouble.
For example, when the giant Thrym stole Thor's hammer Mjolnir, Thor went to Loki for assistance.
Putting on Freyja's falcon-cloak, Loki journeyed to Jotunheim, land of the giants. There he discovered
that Mjolnir was buried deep within the bowels of the earth. He also discovered that Thrym would not
return it unless the gods gave him Freyja as his wife. But when Loki returned he discovered that Freyja
had no intention of marrying Thrym.
Undeterred, Loki came up with another plan: They would dress Thor in bridal garb and take him to
Jotunheim. Thor protested, "Æsir might call me unmanly if I let myself be arrayed in bridal linen."
Loki replied, "Quiet, Thor! Such words! Soon the giants will settle in Asgard if you do not fetch your
hammer."
Although the giants became suspicious when "Freyja" ate an ox and eight salmon before washing them
down with three kegs of mead, Loki assured them, "Freya ate naught for eight whole days, such was
her longing for the giant world." Ultimately Thrym was convinced and brought out Mjolnir to
consecrate his "wedding." But once the hammer was within Thor's grasp, the celebration quickly
became a bloodbath as he killed every giant in the place.
Loki and Sif
Whatever friendship there may have been between Thor and Loki was sorely tested when Loki decided
as a practical joke to cut the hair of Sif, Thor's wife. Afterward Thor took hold of Loki and swore to
break every bone in his body. To get out of this predicament, Loki promised to visit the dwarves and
bring back hair of gold for Sif. Hoping to save himself from Thor's wrath, Loki went to the dwarven
smiths who were sons of Ivaldi, and had them make golden hair for Sif, a mighty spear for Odin and a
boat for Frey. Then Loki went to the dwarven sons of Brokkr and wagered his head that Brokkr's clan
could not make three things so valuable. Brokkr accepted the wager. Though Loki (in the guise of a fly)
tried to ruin his work, Brokkr forged a golden boar that could travel as swiftly as the wind, a golden
ring that would drop eight identical rings each ninth night, and a hammer that would never miss its
target when wielded.
While impressed with all the items offered, the gods decided that Thor's Mjolnir was the most
impressive. Brokkr claimed Loki's head -- and Thor helped him to catch the wily god. But the always-
clever Loki reminded the dwarf that he could claim the head but not the neck; hence the dwarf
contented himself with sewing shut Loki's mouth.
You can hardly blame Loki for feeling bitter about this transaction. The gods gained mighty tools,
thanks to his hard work. Most would say that he made ample amends for his jest. And yet as thanks for
his gifts he gets his mouth sewn shut by a dwarf!
Loki As Friend to Man
The Faroese ballad Lokka táttur presents Loki in an even more positive light. In that song, a giant won
a match with a peasant and demanded the peasant's son as payment. The desperate father called upon
Odin and later Hønir to hide his son. But though Odin turned the boy into a seed of wheat in a field,
and Hønir transformed him into a feather on one of the swans in a flock, neither could hide him from
the giant's bloody wrath. Finally Loki arrived to sets matters right.
Loki told the peasant to build a boathouse and put iron bars on the windows. Then Loki went out
fishing with the boy. After catching a halibut, he transformed the lad into a fish egg, hid him amid the
halibut's roe and returned the halibut to the ocean. When the giant comes seeking the boy, Loki went
out fishing with him. After the giant caught the halibut and counted each egg in the roe, the boy became
frightened, and an egg rolled away. Loki then took the boy back to shore with the giant in hot pursuit.
As the boy ran into the boathouse the giant tried to follow but got trapped in the iron bars. Loki then cut
the giant to pieces and returned the boy to his parents, whereupon the peasant's wife embraced both of
them.
Once again we see the triumvirate of Odin, Hønir and Loki. And once again we see that Loki is the one
who can make things aright in the hour of greatest need. Where even Odin had failed, Loki was able to
succeed.
The Death of Balder
The death of Balder -- who, according to Snorri Sturluson, was the best and brightest of the Norse gods
-- has become famous as Loki's most despicable deed.
After Odin's wife Frigga began receiving premonitions of Balder's impending doom, she made every
object in the world swear an oath not to harm to Balder. Only the mistletoe was neglected; after all, it
was such a small and inconsequential plant that it could hardly kill anyone. Convinced that their
beloved Balder was now immortal, the gods made sport of hurling things at him and watching them fall
at his feet.
Recognizing this oversight, Loki made a dart with the mistletoe. Then he told the blind god Hodur that
he too should join in the game. Placing the dart in Hodur's hand, Loki helped him to aim the mistletoe
at Balder's heart. The missile struck -- and Balder fell dead before the horrified guests. According to
Sturlson, "This was the greatest misfortune ever to befall gods and men."
Desperate to bring Balder back, Odin sent his son Hermod to negotiate with Hel, the queen of the dead.
Hel agreed to let Balder go, but on one condition: "If everything in the world, both dead or alive, weeps
for him, then he shall go back to the Æsir, but he shall remain with Hel if anyone objects or will not
weep." The gods sent messengers through the world, asking everyone to weep for Balder. All obliged,
until they came to a giantess sitting in a cave. Because she refused to mourn, Balder was forced to stay
in Hel's realm until the coming of Ragnarok; and because Loki instrumented Balder's death, the gods
bound him beneath the earth with a poisonous serpent dripping venom in his face.
Danish chronicler Saxo Grammaticus (fl. 1150 - 1220) tells a different tale altogether. According to
him, Hothur was a mighty warrior and skillful leader who loved Nanna. But as Balder also loved the
comely maiden, her father Gewar was loath to give Hothur her hand. Now even though Balder's
"sacred strength were proof even against steel," Gewar knew of a sword hidden in the woods that could
slay Balder. He also knew of a bracelet that would make its bearer wealthy. Hothur gained these
treasures from the satyr who guarded them, and used them to defeat the Saxons.
Meanwhile Nanna declined Balder's offer of marriage, as she loved Hothur. The furious Balder then led
an attack against Hothur. But Hothur's strength (and magic sword) proved too much for even the gods
of Asgard; he and his army put them to flight. Undaunted -- and mad with love for Nanna -- Balder and
his forces attacked Hothur again. But this time Hothur gave Balder a fatal wound in his side; after three
days of torment, the god expired.
In Saxo's version Loki played no role at all in Balder's death; rather, the god was the architect of his
own misfortune. Unfortunately, Saxo was a far poorer poet than Snorri; even in translation, his Latin
induces not excitement but somnolence, and his tale has thus achieved less fame. Still, a comparison of
the two stories can prove enlightening. In Snorri's telling, Balder was a martyred god, so beautiful and
so benevolent that none but the vilest would seek to harm him. Saxo's Balder was a petty thug and
killer, whose blind lust led him to his doom. He didn't need Loki to destroy him, as he was perfectly
capable of bringing about his doom on his own.
Raven Kaldera and Wayland Skallagrimsson have simultaneously but separately suggested yet a third
version of this story. Odin knew that none of the gods living in Asgard would survive Ragnarok. He
also knew that Balder was prophesied to be the king of the gods in the world to come after that great
cataclysm. Finally, he knew that only one of the Nine Worlds would remain unscathed by Ragnarok:
Helheim, the land of the dead. Accordingly, Odin conspired with Loki to murder Balder and send him
to Helheim. There, Balder would be safe until the Great War was over and he could take his throne.
Loki did what Odin had asked him to do -- and was chained to a rock and eternally tortured for his
efforts.
If you believe this version, Loki was not a vicious killer but a fall guy who suffered for his obedience.
This version also suggests that Loki was capable of great self-sacrifice: Not only was he willing to
endure torture for Odin, but he was also willing to be branded a murderer and liar for doing what must
be done. As Wayland Skallagrimsson put it: "[Loki] sees there are consequences for his actions, and he
pays them. He might transgress society's bounds, but he pays for it. And knowing that payment is
coming and yet acting anyways, this makes his payment voluntary. This is a form of honor."
The Lokasenna
Yet another tale holds that Loki was bound not for killing Balder but rather for his disrespectful
behavior at a feast.
When the sea god Ægir held a banquet, his servants Fimafeng and Eldir offered praise to those in
attendance. Disgusted by what he perceives as flattery, Loki killed Fimafeng; as a consequence, the
gods drove him away. But Loki was not so easily removed. He returned and demanded a seat at the
table, citing a blood-oath that Odin had sworn with him. Once seated, Loki proceeded to insult
everyone at the table. He mocked Bragi, god of poetry, as a "bench ornament" and "backward in
battle." He castigated Odin for injustice and allowing "faint-hearted" warriors to win. And of Frigg,
Odin's wife, Loki said, "You are Fjörgyn's daughter and have ever played the whore." Loki spared no
god his sharp tongue.
Finally, Thor came in and responded to Loki's taunts with a threat to knock off his "shoulder-stone"
(head). Faced with an angry thunder god, Loki decided discretion is the better part of valor and made
himself scarce. But the gods found him hiding in salmon's form and dragged him to his doom. With the
entrails of his son Narvi they bound him to the rocks.
Though Loki was bound to the rocks for disrespect, he implies that he had something to do with
Balder's death in this statement to Frigg:
"If you like, Frigg, there's a lot more

I can tell you about my tricks:

For I saw to it that your son died,

That Baldur will not come back."

This story suggests that Loki was punished not for slaying Balder but for his disrespect to the gods who
had finally grown tired of him. Yet it appears that Loki merely stated uncomfortable truths. While the
gods repeatedly accused him of "lies" and "false speech," many of the statements he made refer to other
well-known stories in which the gods behaved in less than honorable ways.
Here Loki is shown as a sower of discord. But he sowed discord by stating aloud what everyone in the
hall knew but would rather forget. He reminded the gods of their own failings, until finally Thor
decided he would rather bandy blows than words. Loki's "evil" in this case consisted of revealing evil.
Given the treatment he had received at the hands of the gods, one can hardly blame him for his views.
He had won them many treasures; he had saved them from many catastrophes. And yet they begrudged
him a drink and told him, "none of the gods, none of the elves, speak of or wish you well." Should we
be surprised that he reminded them of their own shortcomings, when they were so unready to forgive
his?
Another lesson we can take away from this: If you are saluting the Norse gods, be sure to pay tribute to
Loki. Otherwise don't be surprised if he decides to make your failings visible in a most painful and
embarrassing way!
Loki Reconsidered
Almost every society has been forced to create two ethical systems -- one ideal, one practical. Pre-
Christian Northern Europe was no exception. They had a warrior code of ethics that placed a high
premium on honor and honesty; without that, their civilization would soon have descended into
anarchy. And yet, because they lived in a harsh and often violent world, they were sometimes forced to
do dishonorable things to survive.
More often than not, Loki reserved his treacheries for Asgard's enemies: He tricked Thrym into
returning Thor's hammer, and he stole Idun and her apples of youth from Thiatsi to ensure the
continuing survival of Asgard's dwellers. For these things he was tolerated but not loved. While Loki
time and again saved the gods, his very presence reminded them of their ungodly behavior. When Tyr
looked down at his missing hand, he remembered how he betrayed Fenrir Lokison. When Odin rode
Sleipnir, he remembered how he and his fellow gods betrayed a giant so that Asgard might be
protected. Loki brought Asgard some of its most precious treasures, but often at the price of honor.
Calling on Loki -- or behaving in Loki-worthy ways -- is not done lightly. Accordingly, Loki appears to
be a deity who is called upon only when all other avenues have failed. He is called upon not when an
individual's life is in danger, but when a clan is in danger. He is the survival instinct more primeval than
any cultural norm. If there were no wall around Asgard, it would soon have fallen to the giants...and
honoring their bargain would have meant dishonoring Freyja, in what would have amounted to a god-
sanctioned rape. In the surviving legends, Loki does not appear to be a god of chaos, despite what some
Norse Discordians may think. He is rather the god of order - order preserved at all costs. He is not
immoral so much as amoral. In Nietzschean terms he is the Will to Power, which seeks to triumph and
does not concern itself with constructs like "good" and "evil."
Loki's kinship with the giants brings up an interesting and oft-overlooked point. Yes, Loki is a child of
giants, but so is Odin and so are many of the other Norse gods. Upon close examination, we find that
the rulers of Asgard and their enemies have more in common than we might have supposed. We've
been told that the giants seek to kill all men, and that only the efforts of the gods keep us alive; but
have we heard that from the giants or from their sworn enemies? Loki might suggest that the main
difference between the two is that the Æsir have better publicity agents; if the giants had a few good
poets writing stanzas on their behalf, perhaps they would be better-honored among men. Certainly Loki
and his family have received less harm from the giants than from the gods.
Loki and the forces he represents must be carefully watched. Should he get out of control, chaos would
result. There is a difference between base deeds done out of hard necessity and vile behavior done for
no good reason. If everyone followed Loki's lead and assumed that nothing matters but success, the
world would be an even sadder and more brutal place. We should also keep in mind that, in many of the
stories, Loki serves as both catalyst and savior; he gets the gods out of the trouble he got them into in
the first place. If we call on Loki lightly, we may soon be begging him for help in fixing the mess he
made!
It is easy to demonize Loki. By declaring him the father of treachery and lies, we place the other gods
on the side of truth and honor. By rejecting him we may hope to reject evil. Yet when we try we will
find that he is not so easy to reject. Only the very fortunate or very shallow live in a world where they
always measure up to their own moral standards; the rest of us are frequently forced to compromise and
do the best we can. Third-world peasants who join death squads so their family can be safe and fed;
starving castaways who eat their fellow passengers; interrogators who beat information out of captives
to avert terrorist attacks -- all of these people know Loki up close and personal. We may not like the
worldview Loki represents, but we ignore it at our own peril.
 Loki
Chapter XI of Our Troth

They hurry to their end,

they who ween themselves so strongly standing.
I am almost ashamed to work with them.
To turn myself again into licking flames
I feel a luring lust.
To consume them who once tamed me,
instead of stupidly going under with the blind,
though they be the godliest gods!
that does not seem stupid to me.
I'll think on it: who knows what I'll do?
- Richard Wagner (Rheingold, scene iv)

This subtle friend of the gods is rather refractory to a sober method of analysis dividing him into
mythological and folkloristic elements. As a matter of course he has been caught time upon time and
placed on the anatomist's table, has had his body dissected and his inner organs numbered as
belonging partly to a corn spirit, partly to a spirit of nature and partly to something else; but the
analysis has never succeded in depriving him of his deftness and agility, he slips from under the hands
of the anatomists and springs to his feet ready with a shocking jest"
(Grønbech, II, pp. 330 -31).

There are few god/esses who bring forth such a strong and swift reaction among followers of the
Northern ways as Loki. Particularly in the earlier days of the Rebirth, he was seen almost as a "Nordic
Satan", never called on, and usually not acknowledged as a deity by anyone - with a few exceptions
such as Alice Karlsdóttir, whose Borealis article on Loki stands as one of the best heathen explorations
of his character (this article was later reprinted in Gnosis)[and included above in this collection of
essays – editor]. There are still plenty of folk in Germanic religion who are shocked by the very idea of
giving Loki any sort of worship or spiritual attention, and cannot imagine how someone following the
Northern ideals of honour and troth could do so - they see Loki as a sort of Nordic Satan. The idea that
someone can call themselves "Ásatrú", true to the Ases, and still worship or even work magically with
the one who often works to bring about their end, is still one that meets with much challenge, and is
indeed open for discussion. However, there are a few true folk who, like Wodan himself, have found
the Trickster to be someone worth sharing a horn with.

Forthwith the words of one of those folk, Paul Stigård...

Picturing the Æsir, Loki doesn't fit. He is not a valorous warrior, an incarnation of the world's fertility,
nor a sage with the wisdom of the ages. He does not represent a divine level of honour, strength,
courage, or any ideal of Teutonic society. Picturing Ásatrú, Loki still doesn't fit. Books dealing with the
Norse gods as a subject of religion or magick tend to spend a half page on him. Just enough to show
thought was given to Mischief-maker, but not enough to encourage any thought about him by the
reader. Asking Ásatrúar brings a similar reaction. No one seems to want to think about Loki, he just
doesn't fit.

However, Loki is ever-present in Norse mythology. If our pagan ancestors wanted to ignore him as
much as modern Ásatrúar do, he would be briefly mentioned in the Edda, rather than driving Þórr mad
in every other lay. Obviously, Loki fits somewhere.

Scholarly works on Norse mythology and paganism also only deal with him perfunctorily. Therefore,
books were written to deal with Laufey's-son separately. De Vries wrote The Problem of Loki in 1933,
and Rooth's Loki in Scandinavian Mythology came out in 1961. Loki was dealt with academically.
However, reviving the religion of Óðinn and Þórr leaves no rest for the wicked. Loki insists on having
his due.

A problem arises, though, in trying to know who Loki is. This is an eternal problem with neo-pagans.
Worshiping a deity who embraces more than one concept prevents easy understanding. Flame-hair
takes this to a new level, not only presenting himself in many different, even contradictory, aspects, but
also requiring at least minimal effort of study to understand these aspects. He not only refuses to let
himself be known, no one seems to want to know him.

However, knowing Od's-blood is possible, whether or not it is desirable. In doing so, another problem
facing neo-pagans arises: that of reconciling oneself with one's god. The more common case is the
original pagan worship of a deity seeming horrible: the Blood-Eagle and similar rites are no longer
desirable. But in this case, the god himself appears reprehensible. Understanding Loki on an
intellectual level becomes as much of a problem as dealing with him on a spiritual level.

Possibly the worst act associated with Loki is the killing of Baldr. To most Ásatrúar, this no doubt
seems the worst crime possible, the killing of a god. And Wolf's-father is not even remorseful for this
act, as well he should not be.

The Edda does not tell of the time Baldr spent in Jötunheimr, learning their ideas before he came back,
determined to undermine the gods. He taught them of peace and became the most beloved of the Æsir.
He spread flowers and the concept of utopia. He was actually talking deities of war into being nice.
While it is not known why the others were so gullible, Loki was not fooled. He discovered Peace-
freak's weakness to mistletoe, which was hard to find as it is not native to Iceland, and put that
knowledge to good use.

Of course, this is not serious. Baldr was not out to destroy the strength of the Æsir, but his teachings
were certainly having that effect. Ragnarök would be coming early in the year, and the gods would not
have had a chance in Hel. And if Loki had simply spoken out against this divine hippie, no one would
have listened. After all, who trusts Loki? They would have tied him down right then to prevent him
from harming the Flower-powerful. And his efforts would have come to naught (Warder's note: Snorri's
presentation of Baldr as a kind, sweet, peaceful Christ-figure is almost certainly a great distortion of the
god's original warrior-character, as discussed in the chapter on Baldr, where the many spiritual
implications of this myth are looked at more closely. But when one considers what Snorri seems to
have been doing here, the Loki he knew is to be applauded as the force of change who - even in a
literary work - shows up to keep the forces of stagnation from weakening Ásgarðr. Of course, no one
thanks the guy who rocks the boat! - KHG).

But there are other despicable acts, other atrocities Skywalker has done. His family tree reads like a
litany of plagues and curses (as if he were responsible for his relatives!). He is apparently the father of
the Miðgarðsormr, the Úlfr Fenrir, and Hel; the brother of Byleistr ("Lame") and Helblindi ("Death-
Blind" - one of Wodan's less lovable aspects - KHG), as well as the mother of Sleipnir, Óðinn's eight-
legged horse. And if Baldr can end up resembling Christ by the time the Edda is written, apparently
Loki can have descendants similar to Lucifer at that point as well. However, since Loki's children by
his other wife, Sigyn, turned out wonderful, is it possible his other progeny took after Angrboda, their
mother? If so, this still does not deal with the question of mare-hood, but that is another matter entirely.
This leaves the primary negative image of Loki, that of a thief. Many times he plays a prank or steals
some treasure and brings down the wrath of the Æsir. However, they do not simply punish him or cast
him out, they demand he solve the problem. Which he does, every time. He has a trait common to
tricksters the world over: providing. Just as Prometheus gave humans fire, Samael gave Adam and Eve
the Apple of Knowledge, and Raven gave the world light, Loki, under the name Lóðurr, has the power
to provide mind ("Völuspá" mentions life-force and good appearance - KHG) to humanity, as well as
returning anything of which he deprives Ásgarðr. In fact, he is very likely the only one capable of
retrieving such things. Simply put, he has the power to give and take, and is the only one with the
power to give back what he has taken.

Which is one reason to worship such a god. When something disappears mysteriously, Týr is certainly
not to blame, and as such cannot help in its retrieval. Lost objects are the province of Loki, and while
his followers may be more likely to lose possession, they do not stay lost.

Another dominion of Loki is parties, especially the crashing thereof. Lokeans come and go
unannounced, and try to avoid being bounced from parties as ruthlessly as Venom-eye was in
Lokasenna. On the other hand, Ásatrúar who want their celebrations to go smoothly do not offend, but
please Loki. Unlike the Greek goddess Eris, he does not pick on people just because they got his
attention.

Actually, he does have many other aspects in common with Eris, including bad puns and mental
masturbation. However, choosing the path of Loki is more than that, transforming life into the divine
rebellion, demonstrating the personal existence of free will every day. Discordians refer to such people
as "Chaoists", those who stir up chaos. "Zenarchy" (by Kerry W. Thornley) explains a fitting sort of
philosophic lifestyle for Loki-worship, although by no means the only one.

For example, an aspect of life Thornley does not mention is the use of computers. If there is a single
greatest representation of intelligence and freedom flowing as fire, it is the energy pulsing through
electronics. The keyboard is the taufr of inspiration and the monitor scrys into the Well of Wyrd. No
vitki should be without one, much less a follower of Loki.

But all manifestations of freedom without bounds, such as keys, and intelligence without limit, such as
books, are connected with Gold-thief. This is why his punishment is so horrible. At the end of
Lokasenna, Loki was captured and taken to a cavern under the Earth. There he was tied down with the
bowels of his son Nari, and a serpent was placed above him to drip venom onto his face. Sigyn catches
the vile liquid in a bowl until it fills up, and then she must pour it out while a few drops of poison spill
into her husband's eyes. When he writhes, the Earth shakes.

No doubt the binding of Loki happened in conjunction with the religious suppression in Scandinavia.
One of the most positive aspects of Ásatrú is the free admission that every aspect of the religion is a
metaphor, a motif of life. When the binding of Loki is mentioned, it is in a prose afterthought to a
poetic lay. It is an addition, as the free spirit of the Norse was not being bound until later in history.

But the final point is that just as Óðinn, Þórr, and even Freyr and Frigg have dark sides, Loki has a
bright spot or two, and both the "good" and "evil" need to be accepted in any deity. Further, to be
Ásatrú is to be true to all the Æsir, not just most of them. Ásatrúar have as many layers as Ásatrú does.
Just as all are made up of small amounts of the more popular gods, all have a little bit of Loki as well.
Loki has been bound for at least 800 years, as the Teutonic religion has it. Now, his bonds are loosening
and we gain his fire in our soul and an occasional mischievous spark in our eye.

As far as our forebears' view of Loki, we know relatively little outside of the Eddas. He is not born of
the Ases or Wans: he is an etin, with whom Wodan swore blood-brotherhood. This is no bar to counting
him among the god/esses: Skaði and Gerðr are also of pure etin-blood, and most of the holy folk are
half-breeds. He is the son of the etin Fárbauti ("Cruel-Striker") and a womanly wight called Laufey
("Leafy Island"). Although there is no direct Norse evidence for the nineteenth-century reading of Loki
as a fire-god (based on a false etymology connecting him with logi, 'flames'), a naturalist interpretation
might read his birth as springing from lightning setting a wood on fire - an event which, in itself, is
destructive, but is often needful for the health of the land. One might even draw this out to suggest that,
like forest fires, Loki brings true devastation on a long-term scale forth only when he has been kept
from doing his smaller works of destruction (leading to new life) for a while.

Loki has several heiti, including Hveðrungr (roarer? - Völuspá 55, Ynglingatal 32), Loptr (he who fares
aloft - or, as Paul translates it, "Skywalker"), and perhaps Lóðurr (etymology difficult). Snorri describes
him as handsome, and he is normally seen as a short slight man with fiery red hair. The small size is
surprising, since he is supposed to be of etin-kin; but other wights (mostly Þórr) are always threatening
or beating him, and he seems unable to defend himself physically. On the other hand, Heimdallr, as
Warder of the Ases' Garth, is presumably a fine warrior, and Loki proves his equal at Ragnarök.

Not only is Loki always getting the Ases into trouble and out again - but his solutions always bring
them more good than they had before. Sleipnir, the walls of the Ases' Garth, Wodan's spear, Thonar's
Hammer, Sif's gold hair, Fro Ing's golden boar and ship, the acceptance of Skaði among the god/esses -
we have Loki to thank for them. He does not do these things out of loyalty, a trait he seldom shows (in
fact, to save his own skin, he once tricked his good friend Thonar into faring towards an ambush in
Etin-Home without Hammer or gauntlets). Most of the time, his motivation is to keep from being
punished for whatever he did wrong in the first place. Nevertheless, there are many who might think
that the reparations he ends up making far outweigh the original damage. Even when he is in the worst
odour with the Ases, he is inadvertently helpful: while hiding out from their wrath, he builds a fishing
net. As he hears Þórr nearing, he burns it, then leaps into the river and turns into a salmon - but the
pattern of the net remains in the ashes so that the Ases can recreate it, and Loki is caught by his own
invention and Þórr's quick hands.

Loki is also sometimes helpful when he was not responsible for the problem in the first place. In the
Eddic poem Þrymskviða, for instance, he has nothing to do with the theft of Þórr's Hammer - but it is
he who finds out where the Hammer is and what Þrymr wants in return for giving it back, and it is he
whose quick wits cover so that Þórr can pass as Freyja through the whole of a bridal feast at which the
cross-dressed god shows a distinctly unladylike character. He also goes above and beyond the call of
duty to make Skaði laugh by tying one end of a rope to a goat's beard and the other to his bollocks, then
starting a tug-o-war with the goat. All of the stories in which it is Loki who saves the day (whether or
not he was the one who nearly lost it) hint that perhaps it is not such a bad idea to ask him for help in
the stickiest situations. In one of our older skaldic poems, Haustlöng, which describes Loki's recapture
of Iðunn from the etin Thjazi, Loki is called "Óðinn's friend", "Þórr's friend", and "Hoenir's friend".
Simek suggests that this, together with his generally good portrayal in the poem and the myth, "could
possibly point to an originally more positive role for Loki in Germanic mythology" (Dictionary, p.
315).

Loki often appears as Þórr's traveling companion on journeys to Etin-Home. In fact, J.S. Pereira has
suggested that travelers in highly dangerous areas would do well to call on Thonar and Loki together -
though stresses that this would probably only be done in times of the greatest need and most intense
danger, such as a war zone where the social order has already broken down so far that Loki's amoral
swiftness of wit is the best thing for dealing with it. In such a case, Thonar would not only give the
strength and endurance such a faring would need, but also offer a sign of the stability lying on the other
side of chaos and the traveler's hope to get to settled steads again. For more ordinary farings, one might
suspect that calling on Loki (with or without Thonar) would, at best, be an invitation to lost luggage.
Then again, Loki might be just the god to ask about bringing said luggage back, although we would
suggest insuring it before calling his attention to it!

Despite his usual charm, Loki appears as a terrifying figure at Ragnarök, when all his might is turned
towards destruction - when he breaks his chains and leads the hosts of the evil dead across the sea on a
ship called Naglfar, which is made from the finger- and toe-nails of corpses. Then, one of his sons is
Wodan's bane and one is Thonar's; if Surtr can be seen as his kinsman as well, which seems likely, it is
almost wholly Loki's clan that works the doom of the gods. It should also not be forgotten that he is the
god of earthquakes, forest fires, and such.

The earliest evidences we have for Loki are the "Balder-bracteates" of the Migration Age, on which a
winged figure - probably Loki in Freyja's falcon-cloak - stands in front of the sacrifice. One image
which is probably of Loki has also survived from the Viking Age. The Snaptun bellows-stone found
near Horsens in Jutland (now held in the Prehistoric Museum at Moesgård near Århus) shows a
mustached face with its lips sewn together - the revenge taken on Loki by the dwarf Brokk when Loki
had cleverly gotten out of paying for a lost wager with his head. Though there is no way to really know,
one might guess that the smith's sympathies were with the dwarf and that this particular reference on
the bellows-stone was a warning to Loki not to get too frisky in the smithy: in fact, the practical
purpose of the stone was to feed the flames with a controlled flow of air while protecting the bellows
from their heat. This use of his image also suggests the possibility of Loki as first stemming, not from
the etins of mountain and ice, but from Surtr's fiery kin in Muspell-Home.

As far as traditional worship goes, there is no evidence for it, neither place-names nor literary/historical
references. As William Bainbridge observes, most religious practice is based, one way or the other, on
upholding social norms; while the dangerous Trickster may have had his place in some rites, it is
unlikely that he ever had an organized cult.

However, ritual drama may well have been a major feature of Scandinavian worship; and if the myths
were enacted in a cultic context, Loki would have shown himself very important to Norse worship
indeed. Here he could be likened to the Trickster-figures of other traditional cultures, whose clowning
during ritual performances and processions - and the whole concept of temporary reversal and
"carnival" mockery of the established order presided over by the Lord of Misrule, which ultimately
strengthens social norms - is needful to the success of the rites. Like many other Tricksters or Lords of
Misrule, Loki is of ambiguous gender: not only does he mother Sleipnir (and it should be remembered
that calling a man a mare and/or saying he had borne children was the worst insult possible to the
Vikings), but he also dresses as Þórr's lady-in-waiting in Þrymskviða, and in Lokasenna, Óðinn accuses
him of having lived under the earth as a woman for eight winters and borne children. When he wants to
travel most swiftly, he borrows, not Wodan's eagle-shape, but the falcon-hides of the Frowe and Frija;
this again must be seen as a form of shamanic cross-dressing. The Trickster is the one who crosses all
boundaries (especially those of social taboo), creating the border-state in which acts of ritual shaping
and reshaping are possible. This function, particularly in regards to various degrees of cross-dressing, is
shared by other deities; but Loki is the one who embodies it most often and thoroughly. The border-
state is the time of greatest might - but also the time of greatest danger, when nothing and no-one is
safe; this too should be remembered when dealing with Loki.

It is also worth pointing out that the poem Lokasenna ("the Flyting of Loki"), in which Loki crashes a
party of the Ases to which he was not invited (rather like the evil fairy in "Sleeping Beauty") and trades
vicious insults with everyone there, is actually one of our richest sources for Norse god/ess lore. Until
recently, it had been thought that the irreverent attitude this often raunchy poem shows towards the
god/esses was a sign that it had been written after the conversion; but the language and metre are
consistent with an early date. Gurevich suggests that the mockery of Lokasenna actually "should be
interpreted not as a sign of the 'twilight' of paganism but as a mark of its strength...All these parodies,
mockeries, and profanations occur within the sacral sphere" (Historical Anthropology of the Middle
Ages, pp. 168-69), arguing that one of the strongest and earliest characteristics of traditional religions is
the ability to weave humour with the most serious holiness and even to laugh at the god/esses. This is
surely a side of the Norse religion in which Loki comes into his own.

Grönbech suggests that Loki "was the sacral actor whose business was to draw out the demon, to bring
the antagonism to a head and thus to prepare for victory - hence the duplicity of his nature; to act the
part he must partake in the holiness and divinity of the sacrificial circle, and when this ritual fact is
translated into the language of the legend, it assumes this form: Loki is of giant extraction, born in
Utgard and admitted to the company of the gods on his entering into friendship and a blood covenant
with Odin" (II, p. 331).

Loki is the total antithesis of social rules, whose very being causes them to break down around him.
Sometimes good comes of this, and sometimes ill. Taken to its farthest reaches, this characteristic of his
appears in his role as one of the chief causes of Ragnarök. It should be marked that Loki's chief foe is
not Thonar (who thinks little of breaking guest-laws when he has the chance to bash an etin on the
head), nor even Tiw (as one might have guessed), but Heimdallr, the warder of the Rainbow Bridge and
of the gates of the Ases' Garth.

In later Scandinavian folklore, Loki appears as the creator of fleas and spiders, and the spider, lokke,
may possibly have some etymological connection with him. This would fit neatly with Loki's character.
As well as the father of monsters and mother of Sleipnir, he is certainly likely to be the creator of
mildly obnoxious bugs and insects which, like the spider, can be very helpful or can be deadly
poisonous. Although cockroaches seldom appear in Scandinavia or Germany, it is a pretty good bet that
Loki has something to do with them as well. Other than that, there are no beasts traditionally associated
with Loki. However, Alice Karlsdottir suggests that the grackle, being a small, loud-mouthed, and
obnoxious cousin of the raven, is probably Loki's bird. The fox, which seems like a smaller, weaker,
but slyer and more adaptable cousin of the wolf, has also been suggested for him in modern times. For
the same reason, American Ásatrúar might also see Loki in the coyote; he surely has much in common
with the Amerindian spirit Coyote.

When working with Loki, it should not be forgotten that he has a truly ill-willing side, and his sense of
humour can be very nasty indeed at times. He can, indeed, be a practical joker of the most dangerous
sort. Great care is called for, especially in a religion such as that of the Troth, where fires of sundry
sorts play such a great part. Both houses and woodlands can go up in flames very easily... Calling Loki
into your life will surely bring changes, but there is no surety that you will like them, or even live
through them. Toasting Loki at symbel has been found to bring small accidents within the evening
(such as eyeglasses melted in campfires or lost forever in snowbanks). Those who work with delicate
equipment, especially that through which energy runs, should be especially careful: Loki is the God of
the Glitch and the Power Surge.

Nevertheless, it is probably better to be on good terms than bad with him. Some of us have found that a
toast made to Loki, or a few drops poured to him, before the start of a ritual/feast works well to stave
off disasters, whereas Lokasenna shows in graphic detail what happens when Loki is not given a drink
and a seat among the other god/esses - and even when he is not invited, he will show up anyway.
Further, it might even be seen as somewhat rude to ask Thonar in and tell him his traveling-buddy has
to stay outside, or invite Wodan to a feast and let him think that his blood-brother is unwanted.

In working with Loki today, it has been found that he is especially fond of single-malt Scotch, and a
shot of it poured out to him with the appropriate request will often encourage him to fix whatever
horrible thing he has done to your life or your computer.

On the wilder edges of Ásatrú, there exists a disorganization by the name "Friends of Loki" - a sort of
Norse Discordianism, frequently manifesting via computer. "The Friends of Loki are known for strict
dogmas, coordination, hierarchy, organizational rules, orthodoxy, and respect for the staider and
socially oriented aspects of mainstream Ásatrú. Not!"

But perhaps the most truly Lokean blessing/curse was not first spoken by any Germanic folk, but by the
Chinese: "May you live in interesting times!" Whether this is a blessing or a curse...just depends on
how well you get on with Loki.

Contributors:
William Bainbridge
Alice Karlsdóttir
J.S. Pereira
Lew Stead
Paul Stigård
and very special thanks to Grendel Grettisson for "Friends of Loki", and to all the folk from Trothline
who had their say in the long-running and often rather warm "Loki" discussion.
 The Lokian Path
Wayland Skallagrimsson

I am not a Loki's man. I am also not not a Loki's man. And to explain what I mean by this, and to
explain why I am writing this, I have to first explain about Steve. Steve was the best friend I ever had.
He was a street kid, a notorious burglar. I'd read about his exploits in the local paper long before I met
him. When I met him, he volunteered to risk his life to help out my sister, whom he'd never met,
dealing with a situation it is not my business to talk about. After this he came to me to learn whatever I
could teach him about such soul-crafts as galdr and seidh.
He had been much interested in mythology as a youth, and had come to worship the Greek god
Prometheus. But over the years he had come to feel this wasn't quite right, and he came to feel that
Loki was calling him. So he became a priest of Loki. He took this calling quite seriously. He was,
indeed, quite a lot like Loki himself, character-wise. He was an incessant player of practical jokes
(except for on April Fool's Day, where he adopted a most serious and solemn demeanor). He made
sacrifices, he performed devotional acts. He was a speaker of truths, especially those that were
unpleasant to hear and difficult for most people to say, even with close friends and loved ones.
We came to worship together much. We practiced in the arts of seidh and galdr together, and trained in
the martial arts. And as the friendship between us became a settled thing we became blood-brothers.
Loki seemed to favor him. Rarely did he ask anything of Loki but when he did the god seemed to grant
what he asked in an immediate and spectacular fashion. He needed spending money one night and
prayed for Loki's aid at a poker game we were at. He won everyone's money, all of it, in two hands. In
each hand he had been dealt a Royal Straight Flush. In stud poker. (For all you non-poker players the
odds against that happening once, never mind twice in a row, are simply astronomical.) And he had not
been the dealer on either occasion. Another time he was again in need of money, so he took his last
dollar to the convenience store and stood awhile listening for Loki's guidance. He then pointed to a
scratch card he wanted, and it paid out twenty dollars. On still another occasion we were performing a
galdric ritual and the people upstairs were being unreasonably loud, as they usually were. Steve looked
up at the ceiling, tight-lipped and irritated and snarled "Loki, please shut them up. Right now!"
Instantly everyone upstairs shut up, walked as one to the other side of their apartment where we heard
them all sit down. They did not speak or get up again until we went to bed much later.
And it was this that proved his undoing. For while Loki seemed quite happy to give him whatever he
asked for, every time this happened Steve's life fell apart. He suffered horrendous runs of bad luck. He
went completely and utterly mad, often quite self-destructively. When this happened he would usually
disappear, turning up months later unexpectedly. And this eventually got to be too much for him. He
put aside his service to Loki. He still believed in him, still considered him his god, but he resolved to
have nothing more to do with gods, galdr, seidh, or anything spiritual. He focused on forming a
scientific view of the universe (he, like myself, believed that there is nothing incompatible between
scientific and religious views). He found a wife, had children, and settled down. And there we lost
contact. Not because I was angry at him. Not because he wanted nothing more to do with me. But he
had changed too much, and the friendship we had had was no longer possible. Neither one of us wanted
to settle for a lesser, more surface level acquaintance, having been so close.
Many years later I had found the berserkergang, and was involved in visionary trance work. And then
one day my valkyrie (one of my disir, my fylgja is a valkyrie) appeared before me in a vision, and she
had one of her sisters with her. It was Steve's fylgja (also a valkyrie). Steve's valkyrie reminded me of
my oath of blood-brotherhood. She asked me to take up Loki's path, in addition to my Odinic one. She
asked me to pay the last of the debts Steve had outstanding to Loki. And she asked me to find what he
had never found, a way to walk Loki's path without it becoming too much to bear. I guess she thought
this would all benefit Steve in some way. So hence my words at the opening of this writing.
And Steve, wherever you are, if you ever chance to read this: I have made that final sacrifice you
promised Loki. I am trying to pay your debts to him, in partial payment of my debt to you. Fare well
wherever you fare.
I've come to learn some things about Loki's path, both from Steve and on my own. Following is my
attempts at putting this into some sort of organized form.
The first thing that comes to mind is to comment that a priesthood of Loki seems to be entirely a
modern phenomenon. There is no record anywhere that I have ever heard of of such a thing in the
ancient world. He is not even mentioned as being any ancient heathen's patron. Indeed, some modern
Asatruar refuse to see him as a god. But this is foolishness. The matter is firmly settled by the Prose
Edda. Technically Loki is a jotun, but Snorri refers to him as one of the twelve Aesir whose natures are
divine. Also, he is spoken of as a blood-brother of Odin. (Because of this, whenever a toast is given to
Odin one is also given to Loki. Those who understand this should offer a separate toast to Loki after
offering one to Odin but technically the deal Odin and Loki struck means that a toast to Odin IS also a
toast to Loki.)
The relationship between Odin and Loki is a deep one. Loki is Odin's partner in crime. He is Odin's
hatchet-man. He's the one who does the things that are best done in the dark, in secrecy, things Odin
cannot afford to be seen doing himself. (See below where Baldur is discussed.) Also, like Odin, Loki is
a wild, mad, capricious god. Again like Odin Loki is a liminal member of society, dwelling only at its
fringes. Also like Odin (but even more so) Loki's honor is generally considered a questionable thing. In
general it would be safe to say that Loki is much like all the darkest, most extreme elements of Odin's
nature. And so walking Loki's path is much like walking Odin's, only more intense in some ways, a
little more limited in others.
Loki is a god of chaos, and change for change's own sake. In its lighter form this means he is a god of
mischief (I have known Loki's men who say that in this form he is very much like The Red Guy on the
cartoon Cow and Chicken). In its darker form this means he is god of destruction and harm, almost a
Norse Satan. But looking at him purely as this is a mistake, as it is only one extreme of his being. He is
simply god of chaos, god of change, in all its aspects, baneful and beneficial. (Steve always used to say
that a good picture of him to be found in the modern world is in Star Trek's Q.)
Loki is most holy, and is a necessary part of the pantheon. This is a great mystery, and needs much
study to understand it. Loki is a trickster, and often betrays his friends. But actually reading his myths,
every time he does things, things work out in such a way that it is ultimately to the benefit of gods and
men both. This is Loki's nature. He also gets his friends out of as much trouble as he gets them into. He
is the chaos and destruction necessary to preserve creation any length of time. A created thing must
inevitably be destroyed, ended by the very same law that gave it form. Fires burn themselves out,
consuming the very fuel they need for sustenance. Fresh new governments become entrenched
bureaucracies. Customs become chains. Many of the best treasures of the gods, things the gods have
that are needed for their safety and that of the worlds were derived from some betrayal or custom-
breaking of Loki's that none of the other gods could do, for reasons of honor or politics. A woman of
Loki once said that he is the force that breaks the dam which is blocking up the stream, stagnating the
water and killing the life within. Loki is that which destroys that which needs destroying.
Many of the charges leveled against Loki by modern Asatruar are rather unjust. Many will point to the
story of how he traded Idunn and her apples to a giant in exchange for his own safety as evidence of his
base dishonorable nature. But this shows a lack of study or thinking. If Loki had truly meant to cost the
gods the apples of immortality then he would have died too! It seems a much more rational reading of
the myth to assume that what did happen was exactly what Loki meant to happen: he ended up double-
crossing the giant and stealing Idunn and the apples back. He simply, as is his nature, used his wits and
trickery to extricate himself from a bad situation. (Though I'm sure he must have been rolling on the
floor with glee watching the gods panic when they discovered the apples gone, knowing he had the
solution in hand!)
Other dishonorable actions of Loki's also come out for the best. His duping of the giant who was
building Asgard's wall by leading away his magical horse may not have been honorable, but it won for
the gods unassailable fortifications for free, and got Odin a valuable steed and ally in Sleipner. His
removal of Sif's hair ended up in winning for the gods their six most valuable treasures, things that are
necessary for the survival of gods and men both, such as Thor's hammer Mjollnir. His duping of Thialfi
was a nasty trick to play, especially on a mere boy, but it won for Thor a valuable servant and ally.
These good outcomes from bad actions are too consistent a part of Loki's stories not to have meaning. I
say they show Loki's true nature: he is the god that does what others can't because of honor or custom.
His true function is to preserve the world of gods and men. Because he has no face, no honor in the
conventional sense, he is free to do what needs doing, even when the inexorable weight of hide-bound
tradition prevents all others from acting. He is the god of dirty tricks. Our cultural ancestors knew the
world to be a hard, cruel, dangerous place and understood the necessity of sometimes dealing from the
bottom of the deck. Loki I believe is the epitome of this understanding.
It must be said that Odin is farsighted, and has seen the end of the worlds of gods and men. And it must
be said he loves that which he created out of Ymir's body, and has dedicated himself to its preservation.
He saw a way to preserve something past the inevitable end of Ragnarok. So he conspired with Loki in
secret, as the wise Frigga had once advised him. Then he sent disturbing dreams to his son Baldur, who
was the greatest of warriors, dreams of his impending death. He told his mother Frigga of the dreams,
who went to each and every thing in the Nine Worlds and obtained from it a promise that it would not
harm her son Baldur. She received this promise from fire and from water, from iron, from stones, from
bears, from men and women. And when this was done it became a form of entertainment amongst the
Aesir to strike at Baldur with any sort of weapon they wished, for he was quite invulnerable to
everything. Then Odin sent Loki to Frigga in the form of an elderly woman, who asked her what the
Aesir were doing over yonder. Frigga described their sport and Loki winnowed from her, by clever
conversation, the fact that she had not requested the oath from the mistletoe, for it seemed young, and
soft, and harmless. Loki immediately removed himself to the woods, and plucked a sprig of mistletoe,
which he was able to fashion into a usable arrow, such is his cunning in crafty things. He went to the
blind warrior god Hod, who stood at the edge of the circle about Baldur. Loki implied to him that he
was dishonoring Baldur by not taking his part in the sport, and offered to guide his hand. To this Hod
assented, and Loki placed in his bow the mistletoe arrow. It sped true to Baldur's breast and transfixed
him. At this all the gods were greatly dismayed, and Frigga most of all. She sent Hermod the Bold, son
of Odin, to ride to Hel and offer her ransom in exchange for Baldur's freedom, for Harbarth brought his
dead son not to his own hall of slain heroes, but to Hel. And Hel agreed to release him if every thing in
all the worlds, both dead and alive, agreed to weep for him. So the Aesir sent messengers over all the
worlds and everywhere they went a great wailing was heard. But Loki took the form of a giantess who
named herself as Thanks, and said she would rather Hel keep what she had. And so Baldur was
consigned to Hel until the end of the world despite the best efforts of his mother to protect him. You
see, Odin was farsighted, and a necromancer. He had summoned up a dead seeress' spirit, and learned
from her the way in which the worlds of gods, and men, and alfs would end, the Fatal Destiny. He saw
his own death, and Thor's, and that of the all the mightiest of the gods. And he saw a way to preserve
his son Baldur beyond this dark day. For only the realm of Hel would withstand the coming holocaust.
By conspiring with Loki Odin was able to arrange for Baldur's death which gave him the opportunity to
bring him to the one place he would be safe, and from which he would be freed on the day of
Ragnarok. Baldur would then be able to take his father's former place, and with the children of the
other gods begin the world anew.
This too is another great service Loki has rendered everyone. Except Baldur, Hod, and Frigga, at least
in the short term. It is because of this betrayal that there will be anything much left after Ragnarok. And
this provides an answer to the other most common objection modern Asatruar have to Loki's nature; the
fact that at Ragnarok he fights on the side of the giants and the dead. Because of his involvement in
Baldur's death the other gods chained him beneath the surface of the earth, bound with the intestines of
his own son, eternally tortured. But he had taken these actions at Odin's behest, and for the benefit of
all. It seems hardly surprising that he would look at this as a betrayal, that the Lord of Chaos would,
after being freed from such torture, be in the mood to exact a little "eye-for-an-eye" vengeance.
A note seems necessary here on Loki's torture under the earth. Modern Asatruar in general, and Lokians
in particular, seem to be of the consensus that while Loki is chained, he is also free. After all chaos,
laughter, and mischief are still in the world. Loki-the-bound is generally considered to be an hypostasis
of Loki, an aspect of him so well developed that it is nearly independent. Other gods show this splitting
of form as well. The birch goddess is, on Yule night, present in every household to check on the
spinning. Odin, as the Grim Reaper, must often be in many different parts of the world at once. And
Odin again, as the trinity of High, Just-As-High, and Third, is capable of being in multiple persons at
once.
So it can be seen that Loki does have his honor, even though it is certainly not a traditional kind. Nearly
every action of his is taken to the ultimate benefit of others. (Though I am sure this is not always a
matter of conscious intention, it is nevertheless a part of his constitution.) And he always pays for his
transgressions. No matter that he gets his lips sewn shut, or that his life is regularly threatened, or that
Thor beats him up. No matter that he went into the whole Baldur affair knowing its outcome (Odin had
foreseen it with his necromancy). He always sticks around, stays the course. He sees there are
consequences for his actions, and he pays them. He might transgress society's bounds, but he pays for
it. And knowing that payment is coming and yet acting anyways, this makes his payment voluntary.
This is a form of honor.
Nor is he limited to honor. He is brave, too, in his own way. He risked his life, wagering his head in
exchange for some of the gods' treasures. He tied the beard of a goat to his balls to win over Skadhi for
the Aesir. And he of course faced torture and confinement in the Baldur affair.
Lokians have much in common with Discordians (pagans who worship Eris, the Greek goddess of
chaos). Irreverence, mischief, and a complete lack of inhibitions seem to be guiding principles of their
behavior. Loki is god of laughter, and a prime function those who have Loki as a patron can serve is to
never let anyone go too long without laughing. Another is to make sure no one becomes too
complacent, or impressed with themselves, or habitually acts the hypocrite, and as such should take
example from the poem "The Flyting of Loki". This is not a comfortable function for either the Lokian
or the recipients of his or her flyting, but the health of a kindred can be greatly benefited from an
integrated relationship with its Lokian, if it is fortunate enough to have one. After all, truth is truth, and
a benefit to those who heed it. A Lokian should always be ready to speak those truths that are too
unpleasant or painful for others to say, as Loki himself does. Many kindreds either refuse to look at
priests of Loki as real priests, or if they do they tend to look down on them but in this I feel they fail to
understand either Loki's nature or the Asatru world view of the holy. Though in truth this disdain is not
helped by many Lokians, who seem to see the utter freedom of Loki's way only, and so act out in
childish, inappropriate, and destructive ways. The Lokian who is truly devoted to his path, as opposed
to just using it as an excuse to play, will always show the same sort of honor as Loki himself, and
always pay willingly the consequences of their actions. True Lokians will always act in such a way that
it is ultimately to the good of others. (A note to kindreds with Lokians: a good way to deal with a
dangerously unbalanced Lokian is to adopt the same strategy the Aesir themselves do and pair him or
her with a man of Thor as a chaperone.)
Lokians have more options than just to function as clowns and truth-sayers, though. Loki's path is
uniquely suited to the life of the mystic, much as Odin's path is. A mystic is a type of spiritual
practitioner who seeks to transcend the limitations of the self and to see directly a more fundamental
level of reality. Seidhmen are a type of mystic. Many vitkar (rune magicians) are too.
A fundamental tenet of mysticism of many different varieties is to have no clinging or attachments to
the concept of the self. After all it is simply a matter of logic: the self cannot be transcended if it is
clung to. Loki's nature is amorphous, chaotic, capricious, ever-changing. Loki is whatever the
circumstances he finds himself in allow him or require him to be. The Lokian who emulates his or her
god in this fashion is uniquely well-suited to the path of mysticism. Embracing true Loki-nature is
equivalent to a supremely forceful non-abiding. The Lokian who does this cannot remain, in thoughts
or emotions, anywhere, for the nature of chaos is change. The mystic will be whirled about, his or her
fortunes and nature changed from each moment to the next. (I believe Steve's essential problem was
that he wasn't able to entirely let go of clinging to preferences of the ways he wanted things to be and
allow himself to be carried along by the god.)
The Lokian who is a mystic must give up all thoughts of self control. Such a Lokian must also not
make the mistake of thinking of this as a giving up of all self-determination. What must be done is to
allow the god to affect the Lokian as he will. The god must be allowed to wreak whatever changes his
reason or whim requires in the thoughts, emotions, and fortunes of the Lokian, at all times. Indeed, one
of the primary practices for the mystic Lokian is to seek to ever increase his or her awareness of the
god at all times, and to lay him -- or herself ever more open to his influence. The effect this will have is
to prevent the Lokian from ever carrying out or implementing a plan from start to finish, to be sure. But
this has a flip side, and it is this flip side that is particularly advantageous to the mystic. Being eternally
thrown off of the path the mystic is on forces the mystic to be ever searching for side paths, alternate
routes. It encourages an eternal open mindedness that is free from all discriminating thought, all
thought that sees that a thing definitely is this and is definitely not that. (After all, such discriminating
thought is hardly consistent with the goal of the mystic. By pigeonholing everything one sees, one can
hardly learn to see beyond that thing's external appearances.) In short, it forces the mystic to adopt just
that frame of mind that will bring him or her to the ultimate goal of transcendence of the self and the
world of Midgard, the world of appearances. After all the Lokian is not forbidden a goal…just
forbidden attempting to approach it by a single route.
But it should not be thought either that the path of the mystic is the only other path for the Lokian in the
modern world. There is a particular advantage that Loki brings any of his people engaged in pursuing
any path. And that is the perspective of the outsider. Just as Loki dwells along the outskirts of the
society of the gods, so the Lokian is generally brought to dwell along the fringes of any group, social,
professional, or otherwise that he or she is in. And this allows a unique perspective that more
mainstream followers of the way in question cannot have. To be mainstream is to, in general, think like
others who have walked that path before, and also much like most others who currently walk that path.
This is a safe way of following any particular way. It ensures that mistakes will be kept to a minimum.
But it also tends to discourage original thought and fresh perspectives. The Lokian who follows any
path may be more prone to making mistakes, but is also able to think much more originally, to utilize
many new perspectives. And this can be very advantageous. Indeed, it is generally the only way of
getting out of a rut or breaking through some conceptual dead end. Thus the Lokian can find a way to
bring his or her religious life to bear on any of life's ways, be it in art, music, poetry, science, math,
history, sales, anything.
Because there were no ancient rites for Loki there are no traditional modern practices. I know two
Loki's men who swear the proper sacrifice to Loki is either an alcoholic drink, a peanut butter and jelly
sandwich, or a cup of coffee. Most Lokians I've known think playing practical jokes is a holy
obligation. Steve's observance of April Fool's Day as a day sacred to Loki makes much sense (as does
his serious mein on that day). All Lokians I've talked to say the path of Loki is not something one seeks
out. One is born to it. If you are, there is no escaping it. If you are not, then choose another path. This
one is often too rough even for those who are naturally best suited to it.