The name Loki is also
related to liechan or liuhan (enlighten), to the Latin luc-, lux, to the Old
English leoht (light), and the Greek leukos (white). LOKI AS VICTIM In several
myths, Loki seldom acts out of his own free will, but that he ..acts under some
sort of compulsion in more cases than of his own free will (de Vries). The
better known stories about Loki are: his responsibility for the death of Baldr,
and that he opposses the Aesir at Ragnarok. These are his only truly evil acts
without any compensating good, including perhaps the killing of Fimafeng at
Aegir's feast (Skaldskaparmál 33, Lokasenna Intro). Loki is not always portrayed
as absolutely evil or repulsive. Nor is he always portrayed doing harmful acts.
He more often acts under compulsion. For all his flaws, Loki inspired a degree
of loyalty not only in Sigyn, but in Ódin as well. Even though he has already
played a part in Baldr's sojourn in Hel, his oath of blood-brotherhood with Ódin
secures him a place at Aegir's feast, above the objections of the other Aesir.
Sigyn, Loki's wife, remains steadfastly by him until Ragnarok, keeping him from
as much harm as she is able. If he'd been truly awful to her, Sigyn could have
just gone on her way. Njord and Skadi parted for far more trivial reasons
without apparent censure. Loki's relationship with Ódin and Thor would seem to
support the claim that Loki often acts under compulsion. LOKI AND ÓDIN Loki is
most often seen as the comrade and table-companion of Ódin and the Aesir
depicting Loki not as a cleverly dangerous and manipulative diety who harms
everyone around him, as is popular belief. In Lokasenna he recalls to Ódin that
in earlier days they had mixed their blood in the rite of blood-brotherhood, and
Ódin had promised to pour no ale unless it were brought for both. Later, Frigg
bids Ódin and Loki to preserve silence on the deeds they had done long ago.
Idunn reminds Bragi that Loki had been chosen as wish-son or adopted son by Ódin
(Lokassenna 9). In Gylfaginning (41), the Aesir have hired a giant to fortify
their stronghold in Asgard, and has promised him Freyja, the sun and the moon as
his reward, provided that the walls would be finished within half a year. On the
advice (or permission) of Loki, the giant is allowed to use his horse to help
him in his work. He sets to work with his extraordinary horse Svadilfare, making
tremendous progress each day, which worries the gods. The gods hold council,
they adjudged Loki worthy of death unless he found a way to stop the giant from
keeping his part of the deal. He then changed himself into a mare, which was
pursued by the giant's helpful stallion Svadilfari. This caused the work to be
suspended and it was not completed in the agreed time. Thor slew the giant and,
some time after, Loki gave birth to Sleipnir, Ódin's horse (Gylfaginning 42,
Volupsa 25). This myth shows Loki as acting in self-preservation rather than
malice.
Thus, Loki is a victim of circumstance, out to save his own skin. Loki
is again the cunning god, appearing in the well-known role of the man, who gives
bad advice and afterwards has to remedy the dangers issuing from it (de Vries).
He also provides a gift for a god: he provided Ódin with Sleipnir. This will
also become a recurring trait of Loki's. In the Sorla-thattr (13th century)
Loki, son of a peasant Farbauti and his wife Laufey who was thin and meagre and
hence called Nal or Needle, is cunning, caustic, and tricky. He became Ódin's
serving-man. Ódin always had a good work for him, all of which he performed.
Loki knew almost everything that happened and told it to Ódin. In Lokasenna,
this does appear to be the case, for Loki knows all the secrets of the other
Aesir, which he throws into their faces. Also in the Sorla-thattr, Loki's steals
the Brisingamen, Gem of fire ( ie, human intelligence; brisingr means fire;
brising means bonfire) from Freyja - this sets in motion a train of events
vitally connected with the course of human evolution. According to Old Norse
myth, another version of this story, obscurely referred to in a poem, appears as
a fragment cited by Snorri (Skaldskaparmál 8, 16). Here, Loki stole the
Brisingamen for his own purposes. Heimdall contends with him for it and both are
in the form of seals. This equates Loki with Promethean stealer of fire for the
benefit of mankind, though it is never stated that this necklace did good to
men, but more on Prometheus later. Ódin, Hönir and Loki are travelling together.
They are confronted with a giant, Thjazi, in the shape of an eagle. Loki is
separated from the two others by Thjazi. Thjazi forces Loki to promise to bring
the goddess Idunn into his power or he will kill him. When the gods discovered
this, Loki was threatened with torture or death - for it is Idunn who keeps the
apples which the gods have to feed on when they age, and they all become young,
and so it will go on right up to Ragnarok. He escaped by borrowing Freyja's
feather-dress, flying to Jötunheim in the form of a falcon, and brings back
Idunn, whom he transformed for the occassion into a nut. The Aesir slew Thjazi
when he pursued Loki to Asgard in his eagle form, but in Lokasenna Loki claims
to have been himself first and last in the fight with the giant. When Thjazi's
daughter Skadi came to Asgard to avenge her father, she is offered a god of her
own choice in marriage, on the condition that she will only be able see his feet
when she makes her choice. She also demands that the Aesir makes her laugh,
which is accomplished by one of Loki's more bizarre tricks.
