Loki
The mythology as a whole, as was stated earlier, seems to consist primarily of warrior archetypes. Loki is an obvious contrast to the other gods. His abilities lie not in strength and bravery but in wit and cunning, which time and time again is what saves the day. He is the trickster and transformer, with the ability to change shape and gender. Snorri Sturluson, the author of the two main literary pieces that these myths are drawn from, introduces him with the following in his book Edda (1987)
“Loki brings misfortune upon himself and the other Aesir with his clumsiness, haplessness, or malevolence, he always redeems himself by dint of his cunning, his magical capacities, or his eloquence.”
Loki plays the role of both villain and hero in many of the tales. He is a chaotic trickster and saboteur, often causing great trouble to the kingdom of the Gods, known as Asgard. Loki was sometimes compared to Satan. By the same token though, he is quick to fix all that he has done, often leaving things better than they began.
Loki often changes into a women as a guise to fool those seeking him. In one tale he changes into a mare to help save the Aesir (after he has of course put it in danger) and gives birth to the legendary eight-legged stallion Sleipnir, the fastest steed in the universe. At another point Loki and a giantess give birth to monstrous children: the Midgard serpent, the goddess of death Hel, and Fenrir the wolf. Eventually he leads these children into the battle against Aesir, which make his forces equal to them as a whole. So we see very different sides of Loki, a weak and timid prankster who is quick to surrender and volunteer to set things right, and also a most powerful being who can actually rival the entire forces of the gods.
The German Scholar Schjodt, in his book Om Loke Endnu Engang (1981), talks about how the Norse subscribed to a cyclical understanding of time characterized by the eternal return of stages beginning with a golden age, the creation of the world, it’s subsequent demise, and the emergence of a new golden age. It should be noted that Loki begins as a helper to the Aesir playing simple tricks here and there, and later he evolves to become a much darker enemy responsible for the murder of Balder and the battle of Ragnarok. This progression is seen in Schjodt’s eyes to be indicative of the increasing malevolence and moral disintegration of the world that ultimately leads to its downfall. Loki eventually turns completely against the gods and leads the frost giants (enemies of the gods) and his own horrendous children to an attack on the Aesir known as the battle of Ragnarok. In the end, most of the gods and goddesses die including Odin, Thor, Balder, and Loki. From the destruction a new, peaceful world would emerge from the disaster and would give the opportunity for a new beginning.
To the Norse People there was little question as to why they would need a god such as Loki. He is indicative of all that is chaotic and unpredictable, as much in their world must have been. Interestingly enough, he seems to also show us that even when things go wrong there is often a better outcome for us. This is a most dreadful and difficult guise of divine to embrace in our lives at times. Loki as the thief helps us let go of the things that mean most to us. Lawrence Russ says it quite well in his article in “The Cosmic Bee” (1984) on Loki and thievery. “Loki forces us...to feel how the divine transcends our desires and our visions, how the suffering or destruction of the finite is sometimes required by the creative purposes of the infinite, however cruel it may seem to us...If nothing is so consistently true of Loki the thief as that he cannot allow any “rightful” boundary or separation to remain intact, it is because Loki is the active, “aggressive” agent of the Whole, the catalyst by whose action all that seems finite is dissolved in the Infinite...As for Loki’s thefts and fearsomeness, all creativity and growth require the displacement of old forms to create new combinations, the destruction of old boundaries to create new syntheses. And it is certain that new creations often inspire fear and loathing in those who cling to old structures.”
Events with the greatest gains in wisdom are often those that seem the most dreadful and puzzling at the time of their occurrence. Like the thief, Loki could also be called the saboteur, the unpredictable element of sabotage. He can no doubt be quite troublesome, always sending things in disarray. At the same time this character reveals that which needs to be examined, and tended to. With the saboteur’s recurrence we can see sabotage before it happens and make things stronger than they ever could be.
Valkyrja: “Chooser of the fallen,” a linking force between men and gods who collect the valiant dead and take them to Valhalla. They were usually women in warrior garb, especially designated to take fallen warriors to their heavenly destination which is a reward for their valiance in battle. (Also known as Valkyrie)
Valhalla: The Norse word for Heaven.
Vanir: This was the group of gods corresponding to the fertility function. The principle deities of this group are Freyja, Freyr, and Njodhr. After a long war with the Aesir, they all exchanged hostages and lived in peace. The vanir who came to the Aesir camp became assimilated with the Aesir, while retaining their own characteristics and powers. These are the female lineage of Norse goddesses.
Ve: Sacred enclosure, the place of working magic and the name of Odin's brother.
Yggdrasil: The cosmic World Tree of nine worlds or planes of the multiverse.