Loki: Evil ... or Just Misunderstood

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by 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.

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 worshipped 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 had two children by his wife Sigyn: Vali and Narvi. 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 Fenris, 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 Fenris was tied with a magical rope and imprisoned until Ragnarok (the end times).

To tie Fenris, the gods were forced to trick the mighty wolf into believing they were playing a game. Fenris 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 Fenris was trapped and Tyr lost his hand.

Vali and Narvi fared even worse. After Loki's role in Balder's death, the gods transformed Vali into an angry wolf that killed his brother Narvi. They then took Narvi'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.

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.

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 Trym 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 Trym 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 Trym.

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 Trym 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.

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!

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 -- who, according to Snorri Sturlson, 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."

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 sonNarvi 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!

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 Trym 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 Fenris 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.

You can find more information about Loki and Norse mythology on the following Web sites: The Song of the Sibyl (http://members.iquest.net/~chaviland/Voluspa.htm), Lokasenna (http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/poe/poe10.htm), The Danish History Books I-IX: Book III (http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/OMACL/DanishHistory/book3.html), Loki (http://www.winterscapes.com/uppsala/loki.htm), Gylfaginning XXXIII, http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/pre/pre04.htm), and Skáldskaparmal, (http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/pre/pre05.htm)