![]() For example, he cuts off Sif’s hair for seemingly no reason other than it amuses him. Friend or foe?Īs mentioned at the beginning, Loki is a god of mischief and often causes trouble for the Æsir, even when he’s on their side. Therefore, while Loki is often in a male form, he is not bound to a single gender like the other Æsir – nor to the gender norms that follow. When Loki returns, he is pregnant and he later gives birth to an eight-legged horse named Sleipnir, who becomes Odin’s steed. In one of the stories told in Gylfaginning (“The Beguiling of Gylfi”), Loki turns himself into a female horse in order to lure the stallion Svadilfari away from his work. In addition, while Loki fathers the majority of his children, he also mothers one of them. “From food has Freyja eight nights fasted, “As thy maid-servant thither I go with thee Ģ6. ![]() However, when Loki is in disguise, the text switches to female pronouns, suggesting that his transformation into a handmaiden is much more… thorough: When Thor is in disguise, the text keeps his male pronouns. In Þrymskviða (or Thrymskvida, “the Lay of Thrym”), Thor and Loki must pretend to be Freyja and her handmaiden in order to get Thor’s hammer Mjölnir back from a Jötunn king named Thrym. In both myths and popular culture (as well as in this blog post), Loki is generally described as being male. His own gender changes throughout the stories. Loki’s parentage is not the only instance of him defying the gender norms of Norse mythology. While we don’t know why he received his mother’s name or how the blood pact with Odin happened, these factors suggest that Loki chooses his allegiance to the Æsir over the Jötnar, in spite of his bloodline – even though this choice eventually changes. ![]() son of Laufey), instead of his father’s.įurthermore, in Lokasenna (“The Flyting of Loki”), he mentions that he is blood brothers with Odin: Loki however takes his mother’s first name for his surname, “Laufeysson” (lit. This practice is still common in Iceland today. In Viking times, it was common for children’s surnames to be made by taking their father’s first name and adding “son” or “daughter” onto the end. However it’s not quite as simple as that. Therefore, Loki should technically be classified as a Jötunn. Loki’s father is Fárbauti, a Jötunn, and his mother is Laufey, who is thought to be an Æsir (though this isn’t specified). Like Odin, Loki is also the child of an Æsir and a Jötunn – with a marked difference. Read more: The Creatures of Norse Mythology Despite this, he is still classified as an Æsir as Norse mythology is patrilineal, which means that bloodlines run through the father. When they do have children, this union is generally between male Æsir and female Jötnar, and even Odin himself has a Jötunn for a mother. The Æsir and the Jötnar have a literal love-hate relationship: they are just as likely to fight as they are to marry and/or have children. While there are lots of characters within Norse mythology, the two main groups are the Æsir (the gods) and the Jötnar (often translated as “giants”). Strap in – this is going to be a bumpy ride! Æsir or Jötunn? He helps the Æsir and marches against them in Ragnarok.Ĭonfused? Don’t worry – so are we. The Æsir are infuriated by him and dependent on him. He is generally male – and sometimes female. However, other than being a trickster, it is difficult to say exactly what else Loki is. A lot of the time, he uses his cunning to help the Æsir out of trouble – other times, he’s the reason they’re in trouble in the first place. In Norse mythology, Loki is best known as the trickster god. However, while Loki’s characterisation is consistent in popular culture, there is very little consistent about Loki in Norse mythology. He is also often framed as an antagonist, although he is rarely a stereotypical “bad guy”. Loki tends to be portrayed as mischievous and self-serving, yet lovable and charming. While modern depictions of Loki can vary from the sinister in Neil Gaiman’s American Gods to the misunderstood in Joanne Harris’ Runemarks, they generally follow the same blueprint. While Loki may not have been favoured among the pagan Scandinavians, his popularity has increased in recent years along with a renewed interest in Norse mythology (something no doubt helped by Tom Hiddleston’s portrayal of the character in the Marvel movies). You wouldn’t pray to Loki you would pray to the other gods to keep Loki away.” ![]() After a short discussion, she provided her own theory: Once in a lecture on Viking artefacts, my professor asked us why we have not yet found any statues that are thought to portray the god Loki. Read on to find out more about Norse mythology’s most mischievous god. Æsir or Jötunn, friend or foe, Loki is many things, often at the same time. Who is Loki? Many people are familiar with the Norse god Loki from modern depictions, but what does Norse Mythology say about the identity of Loki?
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |