Loki is the god of mischief . That of discord and disillusion . Accepted by the Aesir, the god Loki is the source of many misfortunes and is considered a threat among the gods. Enough so that no cult is dedicated to him.
The one who is also called Loke or Hvedrung is depicted as a handsome man. He is "beautiful and splendid in appearance," says Snorri Sturluson's Edda. But also “bad character, very changeable in his behavior ”.
Who is Loki?
Loki is the son of two giants , Farbauti and Laufey . With his first wife, Sigyn, the god Loki has two sons: Narfi and Vali. He has three others with the giantess Angrboda : the wolf Fenrir , Jormungand the Midgard Serpent, and the death goddess Hel .
It is also from Loki that Odin's eight-legged horse, Sleipnir, is born. As he is turned into a mare, Loki fathers him with the stallion Svadilfari.
Where was Loki born?
Although born in the realm of Jotunheim , the land of giants, Loki is accepted by the Aesir and lives in Asgard. For reasons that remain unknown, Odin takes him under his wing and makes Loki his protege. It is said that a blood pact binds them forever.
However, the more time passes, the closer Loki gets to the giants. God of trickery par excellence, he causes many problems in Asgard and the Gods before being summoned to repair them.
Loki's powers
The god Loki has a very special power: that of metamorphosis . By horse, by birds, by fly, by salmon. He can also change gender by transforming into a mare or a woman.
He also uses his power to get out of the most complicated situations, like pushing someone to take action or revealing a secret.
Loki or good and evil
The god Loki, in Norse mythology, is both good and evil . He knows how to help the Gods when necessary, by giving birth to Odin's horse for example. Or by building the wall of Asgard, finding Thor's hammer and offering Gungnir to Odin. But very often, he only helps them if it can be favorable to him.
Loki is mostly cunning and prankster, sneaky and malevolent . “More than the others he possessed that wisdom which is called trickery, as well as the wiles to accomplish all things”, is it written in the Edda of Snorri Sturluson. Loki rarely cares about the well-being of those around him and often goes against their expectations. Legend has it that Loki is unable to "see the days go by without a hitch" .
He is responsible for the death of the god Baldr , the son of Odin. Following this, the exasperated gods decide to capture him . After finding Loki in the form of a salmon, the gods take him to a cave and bind him there with a chain created from the entrails of his son Narfi. A snake is placed above his head, so that its venom comes to flow on the face of the devious god. It is said that Loki's wife places a bowl on the top of his skull, to best collect the venom. When she has to empty it, venom flows over Loki who, writhing in pain, makes the whole earth tremble. Loki remains tethered in the cavern until Ragnarök , the prophetic end of the world.
Ragnarök, final battle spawned by Loki
Long before Ragnarök, Loki plays an important role in prophecy. Loki's three monsters were cast aside by the gods, after the oracle told them of the danger they were in. The prophecy has Loki's three children playing a role during Ragnarök . Jörmungard was therefore thrown into the ocean, the wolf Fenrir was chained, and Hell was sent to Niflhem the realm of the dead.
When the hour of Ragnarök strikes, the chains that enslave Loki in the cave are broken . The god is released, as are the wolf Fenrir and the Midgard Serpent. Legend has it that his daughter Hell delivers him the boat Naglfar, made of dead fingernails, thanks to which Loki brings many giants to the battlefield. In the Edda it is noted: "A boat travels from the east, the people of Muspell come over the waves and Loki leads".
It is not alongside the gods that Loki fights but rather alongside the giants during this last battle. There he fights the god Heimdall. He and Loki die of their wounds during this face-off.
Loki's sons also achieve real carnage during Ragnarök. The wolf Fenrir kills Odin before being killed in turn. Jörmungard and Thor kill each other.
Loki and his character in the Marvels
In the Marvels universe , Loki is depicted dressed in green, with a yellow colored horned helmet on his head.
He is described there as the half-brother of Thor . Indeed, if in Norse mythology Odin and Loki are quite close, the comics find a good reason for this: after the death of Laufey - king of the giants and father of Loki - by Odin, the latter adopts Loki. The little one therefore grows up with the Aesir . But the villain tries many times to eliminate Thor, out of jealousy. Odin therefore ends up excluding him from Asgard.
Much like in Norse mythology, in the Marvels Loki is a deceitful god . He is in cahoots with other villains, sometimes even manipulating them to achieve his goals.
Master of illusion also in the comics, Loki has even more powers. He is endowed with great stamina and superhuman physical attributes . For example, Loki is able to withstand large caliber bullets, and is immune to almost all diseases.
