Mythology

Loki

Copyright © 2005 Jonathan Dee

The ancient Norse peoples had a slanderous trickster god, who is amongst the most outrageous of liars and mischief-makers in the annals of mythology. Loki, the god of fire.

Even though in later times, Loki was often identified with the Devil of Christian tradition, he did have a good, or at least a tolerable side. He was charming and handsome, persuasive and diplomatic. The gods of Asgard, so often the butt of his cruel jokes, still found Loki an amusing fellow to have around, especially when he turned out to be too clever for his own good.

The stories of Loki’s malicious jests are many; his capacity to get others into trouble is only equalled by his ability to get them, and himself out again.

In fact, it was Loki who was responsible for the creation of the thunder hammer, even though such a weapon was the last thing the wily trickster had in mind when a wicked plan hatched in his fertile brain.

One night, Loki crept into Thor’s house and cut off the hair of Sif, Thor’s wife. Thor tracked him down by his footprint and put Loki in a perilous position, but the sly malefactor promised a wonderful compensation if the thunder god would spare him. Loki promised to go to the dwarves and have a magical hairpiece created for Sif. As well as that, presents for Odin, Frey and something very special for Thor himself.

Loki immediately travelled to the cave of the sons of Ivaldi the dwarf, who owed him a favour. They soon had made a new head of hair for Sif, a spear that would never miss it mark, and a boat that could be folded up and kept in a pocket when not in use. Cheered up by this success, Loki was feeling triumphant, his head full of a glorious return to Asgard. It was in this boastful mood that he came to the forge of two dwarf brothers called Brokk and Sindri. After a few drinks, Loki bet the pair that they could not possibly equal the craftsmanship of the spear, hair and boat. So confident was he, that he wagered that they could cut off his head if they could make three superior treasures fit for the gods.

Accepting the challenge, the dwarves heated their furnace, Brokk pumping the bellows and Sindri weaving the charms. First he threw a pigskin into the flames, and was rewarded by the sight of a live boar with bristles of gold emerge from the furnace. Loki though was not pleased, because it suddenly occurred to him that he might actually lose his wager.

The next feat was to create a golden arm ring. Now, Loki was sweating from more than the heat of the furnace! Cunning as ever, he transformed himself into a gadfly and, as Sindri thrust an iron ingot into the fire, Loki stung Brokk on the eyelid.

Brokk let out a roar of pain and for one split second, forgot to feed the flames. Sindri was furious and feared that this final work of magic would be spoiled. And so it proved, for when a hammer was drawn from the furnace, it could be seen that its handle was very short.

Loki now resumed his true shape, commenting that he had won the bet, since though the boar and ring were very fine and equalled his other magical objects, the hammer left something to be desired.

The brothers swore to appeal for justice. So it was, that a tribunal of gods was assembled. Odin, Frey and Thor acted as judges, but these were easily bribed by the wily Loki, who gave Odin the spear and the ring, Frey the boar and the boat, and to Thor the famous hammer. Hair was restored to Thor’s wife and Loki was assured of salvation. However, Thor felt that the hammer was the best of all and ruled in favour of the brothers. The other gods agreed and Loki was told to surrender his head to the dwarves.

Loki said that, although he had promised the dwarves his head, he had not said anything about his neck. Unable to work out a way to manage this the dwarves went home unsatisfied.

As the ages passed, Loki’s love of wickedness overwhelmed whatever decency remained to him. His earlier loyalty to Odin was forgotten as he made alliances with the frost giants and the forces of chaos. His children were horrifying. Jormundgandr, the World Serpent, a creature so huge that it circled the earth and could only live by eating its own tail; the wolf Fenris which was fated to be the doom of Odin, and most terrible of all, Hela, half beautiful woman, half decayed corpse, who rules the land of the dead. However, it was not these who brought about Loki’s downfall. It was a plot against Baldur the Beautiful that caused the gods to turn against Loki.

Loki was captured and bound in a deep cavern. A serpent spat venom into his eyes causing the captive god to writhe and scream. Only his wife Sigryn remained faithful to Loki. She held a cup above his face to catch the poison. It is said that when her vessel is full, Sigryn must turn to empty it. Then, the venom falls into her husband’s eyes once more and his anguish is the cause of earthquakes.

There, Loki must stay until the day of doom comes, when he will rise and lead his monstrous children to overthrow Asgard.