Loki, a Norse god who originally hails from Asgard (one of the worlds of the gods in Norse mythology), has a bit of a reputation of being a jerk and a trickster.
Wondering why this might be, we asked Gods and Heroes author Korwin Briggs his take on the situation and Loki himself—just to be fair.
Seriously, Loki, what’s your deal??
Answer: My deal? My deal is kindness. My deal is compassion. I am strong and brilliant, and unfailingly generous with those gifts, as I’m sure everyone here would agree. I’ve given people laughter and stories,and helped them solve all sorts of problems that no one can prove I caused, and I’ve taught them all valuable lessons about the need to trust strong, brilliant, and generous gods like myself. And it’s hardly my problem if you’re too stupid to appreciate that.
If you ask Briggs…
Seriously, what’s the deal with Loki?
Short answer: No one’s sure.
Long answer: The main problem is a lack of sources. Most of what we know about Norse mythology actually comes from one medieval Icelander named Snorri Sturluson, who was writing more than a century after Christianity had mostly displaced the old Norse religion, and the rest comes from a small assortment of poems and sagas, and trinkets found in Viking burial sites.
Some people argue that Loki performed the same role as trickster gods all over the world, acting as a chaotic wrench in the gears. There’s a theory that the medieval Christians emphasized his negative qualities in the hopes of making paganism look bad. There’s also a theory that long, long ago, Loki was less of a trickster and more of a world-destroying giant, and that later stories that cast him as a prankster are actually an improvement. I don’t know which, if any, are true, but they all seem to agree that Loki is a jerk.
About Gods and Heroes
Before there was Batman, Wonder Woman, or Black Panther…there was Indra, Hindu king of gods, who battled a fearsome snake to save the world from drought. Athena, the powerful Greek goddess of wisdom who could decide the fate of battles before they even began. Okuninushi, the Japanese hero who defeated eighty brothers to become king and then traded it all for a chance at immortality.
Featuring more than 70 characters from 23 cultures around the world, this A-to-Z encyclopedia of mythology is a who’s who of powerful gods and goddesses, warriors and kings, enchanted creatures and earthshaking giants whose stories have been passed down since the beginning of time—and are now given fresh life for a new generation of young readers.
Plus, you’ll learn all about:
Dragons: The Hydra, St. George’s Dragon, and the Australian Rainbow Snake
Giants: Grendel, Balor of the Evuil Eye, Polyphemus, and the Purusha with the thousand heads
Monsters: Manticore, Sphinx, Minotaur, Thunderbird, and Echidne, mother of the Nemean lion that nearly killed Heracles
Underworlds: Travel to Hades, Valhalla, and the Elysian Fields
Buy Gods and Heroes
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