Loki was the trickster of the Norse pantheon
and the husband of the goddess Sigyn. He
represented disorder, mischief-making, and
irrationality, and always stood in the way of
those who wanted to bring order and calm to
the universe. Some said he interfered in thelives of humans too, and he was often
blamed for giving ordinary people the
desires and passions that caused problems
in their lives. A shape-changer with an
insatiable sexual appetite, his tricks ranged
from simple pranks to cold-blooded murders.Loki
THE TRICKS OF LOKI
A blood brother of Odin, Loki had three wives who bore him
many children, but this was not enough for him. So he used his
power of shape-changing to have afairs with goddesses, giants,
humans, and animals. Loki also had a rapacious appetite for
food, and even killed a dwarf called Otr for the salmon that
he had caught. However, he occasionally used his trickery
to help the gods. For instance, he hatched a plot to retrieve
Thor’s hammer, which had been stolen by the giant Thrym.
The giant was willing to return the hammer only if the gods
let him marry the goddess Freyja. So Loki suggested that
Thor disguise himself as Freyja and go to the wedding
dressed as a bride. Before the ceremony, Thrym brought
out the hammer and Thor snatched it from him.NORTHERN EUROPEThe shape-changer
Although he is usually portrayed in human
form, Loki’s many disguises included a flea,
a fly, a salmon, and a seal. To disguise
himself as a bird, he stole Freyja’s
cloak of feathers.Skilled Norse dwarfs
Norse dwarfs were skilled craftsmen.
When Thor threatened Loki for cutting
Sif’s hair, the trickster persuaded a dwarf
to make new hair for the goddess.Loki and Sif
When Loki cut off the golden hair of
the corn goddess Sif, the crops would
not ripen. Sif’s husband, Thor, threatened
to kill Loki as a result.60