HEL - the Norse Goddess of the Underworld (Norse mythology) HEL Also known as HELL, HELA Underworld Ice Queen and Goddess of the Inglorious Dead She rules HELHEIM , the Norse Underworld, with an icy fist. The daughter of LOKI and ANGRBODA , she’s an ugly half-dead hag with gangrene legs and a hideous face. Which just shows that sometimes you can judge by appearances. Having been banished to the Underworld by order of ODIN — merely for being the ugly evil daughter of LOKI — she made the place her own and became HEL of the HELHEIM Hell Hall. Which tends to become hellishly confusing. Yes, her name gives us the word ‘Hell’, but her domain is almost the complete opposite of SATAN ’s abode: it’s cold, damp, and populated by the kind of apathetic souls most devils would hardly feel worth the trouble of roasting. In fact most souls go to HELHEIM because they’ve spent their lives sitting on their asses instead of killing, pillaging and then singing rude songs about it. It’s a melancholy and depressing place filled with gloomy pessimistic spirits.

Which is why HEL is also Goddess of the Blues. Half her body is blue and the words associated with her say it all: dank, clouds, hunger, tardy feet, splendid misery... Plus authoress of ‘Nine Ways Out Of This World’ and singer of jazz classic ‘Oh Baby, Trouble in Mind’ on the Doom and Gloom label, also known as ‘What the Hel we gonna do now?’ HEL FACTS AND FIGURES Cite this Link to this page HTML: To link to this page, just copy and paste the text below into your blog, web page or email. <a href="">Godchecker entry on HEL, the Norse Goddess of the Underworld</a> BBCODE: To link to this page in a forum post or comment box, just copy and paste the text below: [url= entry on HEL, the Norse Goddess of the Underworld[/url] Cite this article Here's the info you need to cite this page. Just copy the text in the box below. Saunders, Chas, and Peter J. Allen, eds. "HEL - the Norse Goddess of the Underworld (Norse mythology)." <em>Godchecker</em>. Godchecker.com / CID, 21 Mar.

2013. Web. 17 January 2017. . 21 March 2013 by the Godchecker Team. Editors: Peter J Allen, Chas Saunders References: Coming soon. 1000+ images about Hel on Pinterest | Norse goddess, Norse mythology and Goddesses Pinterest • The world’s catalog of ideas Hel 19 Pins164 Followers In Norse mythology, Hel is a being who presides over a realm of the same name, where she receives a portion of the dead. In the Poetic Edda and Heimskringla, Hel is referred to as a daughter of Loki, and to "go to Hel" is to die. Hel is described as having been appointed by the god Odin. Her appearance is described as half-black and half-flesh coloured and as further having a gloomy, down-cast appearance. (Wikipedia) Loki | Mythology Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Narfi and Vali (by Sigyn), Jörmungandr , Hel , Fenrir (by Angrboda), Sleipnir (by Svadilfari) This article is about the Norse trickster god.

For the king of Útgarðr , see Útgarða-Loki . This article is about the god of mischief. For his uncle, the personification of fire, see Logi . Loki is the Norse god of mischief, as well as of fire. He is the son of two giants, Fárbauti ("cruel striker") and Laufey (or Nál which means "needle", implying that she was skinny and weak.). His two brothers (who were to be beside him in Ragnarok ) are Býleistr (bee-lighting) and Helblindi (All blind or hel-blinder). He is referred to as the blood-brother of Odin . Loki becomes harbinger of Ragnarok and the father of the three chaos monsters: Fenrir , Jörmungandr , and Hel . Loki's mischief and intellect is not to be underestimated, as he is ultimately although indirectly responsible for the deaths of Balder and Thor , which were caused by Hodr and Jörmungandr (respectively). .

[1] Contents Edit It is said that when the brick mason, giant builder of Asgard 's walls, demanded an unreasonably high price for his work (he requested the sun , the moon , and Freya as his wife), it was Loki's idea to give him six months to build the wall. Thinking that surely the man would fail, and that Loki's plan was infallible, the gods all agreed; all except Freya, who was part of the bargain. When the brick mason and his stallion, Svadilfari , had made much progress on the wall before his time expired, the gods all turned to Loki, threatening him with death if he didn't find a way to make sure the wall wasn't finished within the sixth month. Fearing for his life, Loki took the form of a young mare and enticed Svadilfari away from his master, causing the mason to lose the bet. The union of Loki and Svadilfari brought Odin his eight-legged steed Sleipnir .

The Three Chaos Monsters Edit Some time after the wall was built, Loki, discontent with his faithful wife Sigyn , went to Jötunheimr where he wooed the giantess Angrboda . In the time they spent together, Angrboda gave birth to three children as terrible as their father: the first, the wolf Fenrir, whose mouth reached from the heavens to the earth; the second, Jörmungandr, the serpent that encircled the earth; and the third was the goddess Hel. After hearing of their birth and the prophecies surrounding them, Odin had them brought to him. Once they arrive, he retains custody of Fenrir, has Jormungandr thrown into the ocean to grow and gives Hel dominion over Nilfheim . In the tale of "The Binding of Fenris", we find that the eldest son of Loki and Angrboda was the wolf which ate Tyr 's hand. The Dwarfs Edit It was Loki who tricked the two dwarf sons of Ivaldi and the dwarfs Brokk and Eitri to work against one another to create the gods well-known weapons and mounts.

He betted his head that Eitri and Brokk could not make gifts superior to Skidbladnir , Gungnir and replacement hair for Sif , whose golden locks had been shorn by Loki as a prank (for which he was punished by Sif's husband, Thor). Eitri made the ring, Draupnir , the hammer Mjollnir and the boar, Gullinbursti . These objects were judged to be superior and Loki lost. However, when it came time for his head to be cut off, he protested against it, as any action could damage his neck, which was not part of the deal. Instead, Brokk had Loki's lips sewn together for a while. The Theft of Idunn's Apples Edit After Balder's death, Aegir , god of the sea, invited all of the gods to his home so as they may forget their woes. It is here that Loki commits his final offense before his binding. Here he insults Bragi , calling him a coward and a poor man.

He then goes on to insult Idunn , Gefjun , Odin, Frigg , Freyja , Njord , Freyr , Tyr, Heimdall , Skadi and finally Sif. After this, he is chased away by Thor. The Binding of Loki Edit After Loki had been chased away by Thor for insulting all the gods and goddesses, Loki was then sought out and bound to a rock by the entrails of his son Narfi , who had been torn to pieces by his son, Vali , who had been transformed into a ravenous wolf. The faithful Sigyn kept watch over her husband, catching the poison from the serpent that Skadi placed over Loki's head. It was said that, when Sigyn left to empty the bowl, the poison would drip into Loki's eyes. His writhing from the pain caused earthquakes. He was chained until the day of Ragnarök , the end of the gods, where he will fight amongst the jotnar and face Heimdallr. Upon the field of Vígríðr, the two will slay each other. Powers Loki is an antagonist in Valkyrie Profile .

Loki is a playable God in SMITE Battleground of the Gods Loki can be chosen as a god to worship in Age of Mythology. Literature Loki is featured in the information book Worlds Worst Monsters and Villains. Loki appears in Neil Gaiman's novel American Gods. Loki appears in the 1975 fantasy novel Eight Days of Luke by Diana Wynne Jones. Loki is the protagonist of The Gospel of Loki by Joanne Harris, which presents a modern interpretation of the Norse sagas. Loki is featured prominently in Wagner's cycle Opera Ring of the Nibelung , wherein the last installment Götterdämmerung he reveals his hope to turn into fire and destroy Valhalla, and at the last moment at the onset of Ragnarok Valhalla is set alight, destroying the Gods. Loki is an antagonist in Rick Riordan's Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series. Music Rancid has a song written about Loki. Film Edit Loki appeared as the primary antagonist on Marvel Entertainment's 2011 film Thor, The Avengers, Thor: Dark World, and the upcoming Thor: Ragnarok as a son of Odin and brother of Thor.

Loki was portrayed by British actor Tom Hiddleston (The Hollow Crown). Loki was portrayed by Richard Grieco in Almighty Thor. In Hercules: Legendary Journeys, he is portrayed by Ian Hughes. He is portrayed by Alan Cumming in Son of the Mask. Portrayal Hel - Norse Mythology for Smart People Norse Mythology for Smart People Hel “Hel” by Johannes Gehrts (1889) Hel ( Old Norse Hel, “Hidden”[1]) is a giantess and goddess in Norse mythology who rules over Helheim , the underworld where the dead dwell. According to the thirteenth-century Icelandic scholar Snorri Sturluson , she’s the daughter of Loki and the giant Angrboða (“Anguish-boding”), and therefore the sister of the wolf Fenrir and the world serpent, Jormungand . But Snorri can’t be taken at face value, and this family tree is likely something he himself invented in the interest of making Norse mythology seem more neat and tidy than it actually was. Hel is generally presented as being rather greedy and indifferent to the concerns of both the living and the dead, but her personality is little-developed in what survives of Old Norse literature .

She’s mostly mentioned only in passing. Due to how ill-defined her character is, many scholars view Hel as a late feature of Norse heathendom, and likely an invention of the poets.[2] Either way, it’s interesting to note that the Old Norse word Hel, which is the simpler and probably much older version of the place-name Helheim, is grammatically feminine. The writers cited above use this as a piece of evidence for the argument that the goddess Hel is a literary “personification” of the underworld. However, in the animistic and pantheistic worldview of the ancient Norse and other Germanic peoples, where nothing is inert or impersonal and everything is in some way divine, the view that the underworld comprises the tangible manifestation of a goddess – or, to put it another way, the view that a goddess is the force that animates the world beneath the ground – would be considered perfectly normal. The entire concept of “personification” would have been out of place. Even if Hel is a literary invention – which must remain an open question – she’s a literary invention that’s very much in keeping with the spirit of the pre-Christian Germanic outlook on life. Looking for more great information on Norse mythology and religion?

While this site provides the ultimate online introduction to the topic, my book The Viking Spirit provides the ultimate introduction to Norse mythology and religion period. I’ve also written a popular list of The 10 Best Norse Mythology Books , which you’ll probably find helpful in your pursuit. References: [1] Orel, Vladimir. 2003. A Handbook of Germanic Etymology. p. 156, 168. [2] See, for example: Ellis, Hilda Roderick. 1968. The Road to Hel: A Study of the Conception of the Dead in Old Norse Literature. p. 84. And: 1000+ images about Hel Norse Goddess on Pinterest | Norse goddess, Norse mythology and Underworld Pinterest • The world’s catalogue of ideas Hel Norse Goddess Character research for Dzieci's developing show 'Ragnarok' 22 Pins348 Followers Loki - Norse Mythology for Smart People Norse Mythology for Smart People Loki An anonymous painting of Loki from an Icelandic illuminated manuscript Loki (pronounced “LOAK-ee;” Old Norse Loki, whose meaning/etymology is unknown[1]) is the wily trickster god of Norse mythology.

While treated as a nominal member of the Aesir tribe of gods in the Eddas and sagas , Loki occupies a highly ambivalent and ultimately solitary position amongst the gods, giants , and the other classes of invisible beings that populate the traditional spirituality of the Norse and other Germanic peoples. His familial relations attest to this. His father is the giant Fárbauti (“Cruel Striker”), and his mother, Laufey (possibly “Tree”), could be a goddess, a giantess, or something else entirely – the surviving sources are silent on this point. Loki is the father, by the giantess Angrboða (“Anguish-Boding”) of Hel , the goddess of the grave, Jormungand , the great serpent who slays Thor during Ragnarok , and Fenrir , the wolf who bites off one of the hands of Tyr and who kills Odin during Ragnarok – hardly a reputable brood, to say the least. As we’ll see below, Loki demonstrates a complete lack of concern for the well-being of his fellow gods, a trait which could be discerned, in vague outline, merely by considering his offspring.

Loki often runs afoul not only of societal expectations, but also of what we today might call “the laws of nature.” In addition to the progeny listed above, Loki is also the mother – yes, the mother – of Sleipnir , Odin’s shamanic horse, whom Loki gave birth to after shapeshifting into a mare and courting the stallion Svaðilfari, as is recounted in the tale of The Fortification of Asgard . In the tales , Loki is portrayed as a scheming coward who cares only for shallow pleasures and self-preservation. He’s by turns playful, malicious, and helpful, but he’s always irreverent and nihilistic. For example, in The Kidnapping of Idun , Loki, by his recklessness, ends up in the hands of a furious giant, Thiazi, who threatens to kill Loki unless he brings him the goddess Idun . Loki complies in order to save his life, and then finds himself in the awkward position of having the gods threaten him with death unless he rescues Idun.

He agrees to this request for the same base motive, shifting his shape into that of a falcon and carrying the goddess back to Asgard in his talons. Thiazi pursues him desperately in the form of an eagle, but, having almost caught up with Loki as he nears his destination, the gods light a fire around the perimeter of their fortress. The flames catch Thiazi and burn him to death, while Idun and Loki reach the halls of the gods safely. Loki ultimately comes to the aid of the gods, but only to rectify a calamity for which he himself is responsible. This theme is repeated in numerous tales, such as in Loki and the Dwarves and the aforementioned The Fortification of Asgard . After Thiazi’s death, the giant’s daughter, Skadi , arrives in Asgard demanding restitution for the slaying of her father. One of her demands is that the gods make her laugh, something which only Loki is able to do. To accomplish this, he ties one end of a rope to the beard of a goat and the other end to his testicles. Both he and the goat squawk and squeal as one pulls one way and the other pulls the other way.

Eventually he falls over in Skadi’s lap, and the giantess can’t help but laugh at such an absurd spectacle. Here, Loki once again comes to the aid of the gods, but simply by being silly and outlandish, not by accomplishing any feat that a Viking Age Scandinavian would have found to be particularly honorable. Loki alternately helps both the gods and the giants, depending on which course of action is most pleasurable and advantageous to him at the time. During Ragnarok, when the gods and giants engage in their ultimate struggle and the cosmos is destroyed and re-created, Loki joins the battle on the side of the giants. He and the god Heimdall mortally wound each other. Loki is perhaps best known for his malevolent role in The Death of Baldur . After the death of the beloved god Baldur is prophesied, Baldur’s mother, Frigg , secures a promise from every living thing to not harm her son. Well, almost everything – no such oath is obtained from the mistletoe, which the gods think too small and safe a thing to harm Baldur.

Upon discovering this omission, Loki carves a mistletoe spear, places it in the hands of the blind god Hod, and instructs him to throw it at Baldur. Hod, not knowing the origin of the weapon, complies, and Baldur is impaled and dies. The god Hermod rides Sleipnir to Helheim and implores Hel to release Baldur, pointing out how beloved he is by all living things. Hel retorts that if this is so, then it shouldn’t be difficult to compel every being in the world to weep for Baldur, and, should this happen, the dead god would be released from the grave. Every living thing does indeed cry for Baldur’s return, with one sole exception: a frost-hearted giantess named Tokk (Þökk, “Thanks”), who is almost certainly Loki in disguise. So Baldur must remain in Hel until Ragnarok. For these and many more crimes against them, the gods eventually forge a chain from the entrails of another seldom-mentioned son of Loki’s and tie him down to three rocks inside a cave. A venomous serpent sits above him, dripping poison onto him.

Loki’s apparently very faithful and loving wife, Sigyn , sits at his side with a bowl to catch the venom. But when the bowl becomes full, of course, she has to leave her husband’s side to pour it out. When this happens, the drops of venom that fall onto him cause him to writhe in agony, and these convulsions create earthquakes. And in this state he lies until breaking free at Ragnarok. A fascinating variant of the tale of Loki’s being bound comes to us from the medieval Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus. In his History of the Danes, Thor, on one of his many journeys to Jotunheim , the homeland of the giants, finds a giant named Útgarðaloki (“Loki of the Utangard “). Útgarðaloki is bound in exactly the same manner as that in which Loki is bound in the tale mentioned above, which comes from Icelandic sources.[2][3] It seems that even the heathen Scandinavians themselves held conflicting views on whether Loki was a god, a giant, or something else entirely.

No traces of any kind of historical worship of Loki have survived into modern times.[4] Is this any wonder, given that his character is virtually the antithesis of the traditional values to which most pre-Christian Germanic people subscribed? Loki’s Role in the Pre-Christian Northern European Worldview Why, then, did the Scandinavians have such a god in their mythology at all? What did he represent to them? To which modalities of life does his character correspond? To answer these vexing questions, we must consider Loki from the perspective of the pre-Christian northern European worldview itself. Only then can we hope to understand what Loki meant to the people who told tales of him around their hearth-fires during the long winter nights. Before the victory of Christianity, the Germanic peoples had no conception of what we think of as absolute moral “good” or “evil.” Some values and actions were appropriate for some people and some situations; others were inappropriate for those people and those situations, but very well might be appropriate for other people and other situations. This was not the free-for-all of moral relativism, however, which is, after all, simply the inversion or denial of the Judeo-Christian perspective of an absolute, universal morality.

In traditional Germanic society, a person who occupied a particular social role and was a devotee of that role’s corresponding god or goddess could rightly be held to the standard of conduct appropriate for that role and its divinity. Thus, while most Viking Age men were held to the standards of honor and manliness exemplified by such figures as Tyr, Thor, or Freyr , for example, not everyone was necessarily held to these standards. Devotees of Odin, for example – a god for whom we have ample evidence of true historical worship – followed a path of ecstatic and creative self-actualization that often seemed fickle, ruthless, irresponsible, and even shameful by the standards of, say, a man of Thor. (See Polytheistic Theology and Ethics .) Thus, Loki can’t rightly be considered a model of moral “evil.” Instead, he’s a model of one of the countless, and often opposing and contradictory, principles and meanings of which life consists. Odin shares many of Loki’s boundary-crossing, trickster-like attributes.

One Old Norse poem even states that the two are blood brothers.[5] Why, then, was Odin the recipient of considerable worship and active emulation, and Loki, as far as we can tell, received hardly any or none at all? If the modality of life to which Odin corresponds were to be expressed in conceptual terms, it would be something like the modern German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche’s “Will to Power,” a restless, vital force that strives to continually overcome itself and its surroundings, fostering growth through the mastery of subtle, arcane knowledge and abilities. That this could be seen as sacred, worthy of the name of a god, is perfectly comprehensible from the perspective of a worldview that seeks to affirm life unconditionally, which the pre-Christian Germanic worldview, much like Nietzsche’s, certainly does. The principle to which Loki corresponds, however, is the disregard for or hatred of the sacred as such.

For Loki, the gods are “not to be worshiped, but ignored, to be overcome, or in the last analysis mocked.”[6] This perspective certainly had its adherents in the Viking Age, such as Glúmr in Víga-Glúms Saga (not to mention that this perspective has been enshrined as the norm by modern humanism). Why would such people, who place their trust solely in their own might, reverence a god who happens to share their anti-spiritual perspective? Paradoxically, however, in order to affirm life as being inherently and unconditionally sacred, one must affirm even Loki and the principle to which he corresponds as being an embodiment of divinity in and of itself. One embodies Loki whenever one lives in a totally profane manner, without any reference to sacred models – hence Loki’s utter lack of any allegiances to the gods, giants, or anyone else.

Thus, while the animistic and pantheistic Germanic peoples held the sacred to be categorically superior to the merely profane, they recognized that, since, in their perspective, the sacred and the profane are not dualistic, mutually exclusive conceptions (as they are in Judeo-Christianity), all that is profane is – again paradoxically – ultimately sacred as well. The difference lies solely in the mindset with which one approaches any given phenomenon. To a profane mindset such as Loki’s, it will be profane; to a sacred mindset such as Odin’s, it will be sacred. And from a sacred perspective, even the apparently profane is ultimately sacred and worthy of being called a god. Loki features so prominently in the tales of Norse mythology because, from the perspective of the heathen Norse themselves, those tales expressed the inner meaning of the physical world we inhabit. Since most people live most of their lives with the mindset exemplified by Loki, it’s inevitable that the pre-Christian Scandinavians would have had much to say about him, as a way of reminding themselves that everything, even irreverence itself, is ultimately worthy of reverence. Looking for more great information on Norse mythology and religion?

While this site provides the ultimate online introduction to the topic, my book The Viking Spirit provides the ultimate introduction to Norse mythology and religion period. I’ve also written a popular list of The 10 Best Norse Mythology Books , which you’ll probably find helpful in your pursuit. References: Loki Loki [hr] Loki and Sigyn - Marten Eskil Winge Loki, the son of 2 giants, was the trickster god in Norse mythology who was always doing his best to cause trouble. His wife was Sigyn, who bore him 2 sons, Vali and Nari (or Narvi), though he had an affair with the giantess, Angrboda, who bore him Fenrir , Hel , and Jormungand . The Theft of Idun’s Apples In one story, Loki aids in the theft of Idun’s Apples, which insure that the gods don’t age. One day, Odin, Loki, and Honir crossed into Midgard for the day but had not brought any food with them. Loki decided to hunt and kill an ox, but when they tried to cook the meat, it remained raw.

An eagle from above told them if they let him eat his fill, the meat would cook and they would be able to eat it. They agreed, but Loki was very hungry and soon grew impatient. He rammed his staff into the bird’s body, so that the bird dropped the meat, but Loki was unable to let go of his staff. The eagle took off and flew just close enough to the ground to drag Loki across Midgard’s floor, and only stopped when Loki agreed to bring Idun and her apples out of Asgard. Loki realized that the eagle was a giant in disguise, and agreed to the task. Loki found Idun and convinced her that he had found a tree that grew apples similar to hers just outside of Bifrost. She followed him out of Asgard, only to find the giant Thiazi in the form of an eagle, who promptly carried her and her apples away. When Idun didn’t arrive to give the gods her apples, they became anxious and began to grow old. They, however, did realize that Loki was missing from their company, and suspected that he was somehow responsible for this fate.

Odin summoned Loki, who explained how the eagle would not let him go unless he agreed to bring Idun out of Asgard. Odin then threatened that if Loki did not help return Idun, they would kill him. Loki agreed to Odin’s request if Freyja would lend him her falcon skin. She gave it to him, and he flew to Thiazi’s home in Thrymheim, where he discovered Idun. He then changed Idun into a nut and carried her off. Meanwhile, Thiazi, who had been on a fishing trip with his daughter, Skadi, came home to find Idun missing. He knew someone must have helped her escape, so he began flying and soon caught up with Loki as he drew closer to Asgard. Odin was watching all of this and told the gods to take all the fire wood shavings they could fire out of Asgard and pile it as high as they could. After Loki had successfully past over Asgard’s wall, they lit the shavings. Thiazi could not stop himself, flew into the fire, and dropped to the ground in torment, where the gods quickly killed him. Loki then changed Idun back and she offered the gods her apples.

The Treasures of the Gods Another of Loki’s pranks was to cut off Thor’s wife, Sif’s hair while she was sleeping and left it in a pile on her bedroom floor. When she awoke and realized what had happened, she immediately knew only Loki could have done it. To make up for it, Loki promised to replace her hair with help from the dwarfs. Thor threatened that he had better or he would smash every bone in Loki’s body. Loki made his way to the land of the dark elves and sought out the sons of Ivaldi. He explained that he needed them to spin gold as fine as Sif’s hair and imbue it with magic so that it would grow on her head. In return, he promised them the thanks of Sif and Thor, and all the friendship of the gods. The dwarfs agreed to the bargain, and created the hair. They then decided that it would be foolish to waste the fire, so they created a ship for Freyr called Skidbladnir that could be dismantled until they were no larger than a piece of cloth, and a spear for Odin called Gungnir that would never miss its mark. Loki thanked them and made his way back.

On his way, he had an idea to visit the dwarf brothers Brokk and Eitri. He showed them his treasures and challenged them to make something of finer craftsmanship. He told them he would stake his head on it. The dwarf brothers were eager to take up the challenge. They created a boar with bristles of gold for Freyr called Gullinbursti that could outrun any horse and was always surrounded by a brilliant light, an arm-ring of solid gold for Odin called Draupnir that would drop 8 rings of its own weight on every 9th night, and an iron hammer for Thor called Mjollnir that could never be broken and would always return when thrown. Brokk then accompanied Loki to Asgard to have the gifts judged by the gods. Odin, Thor, and Freyr were quick to agree that Mjollnir was the most valuable because it alone could guard the gods against the giants. Brokk then attempted to claim Loki’s head. Loki retorted that he had promised his head, but not any part of his neck.

Brokk replied that in that case, he could at least sew Loki’s lips together to stop his ‘sweet talk.’ Brokk ended up using his brothers awl because his own knife was not sharp enough to pierce Loki’s lips. Once completed, Loki ran out of Gladsheim and ripped the leather thong out of his lips. The Death of Balder and Binding of Loki Loki - 18th century Icelandic manuscript - Artist Unknown The most famous story concerning Loki is his role in the death of Odin and Frigg’s son, Balder. Balder began to have dreams of terrible things happening to him. Odin disguised himself as Vegtam, son of Valtam, and entered Hel to seek out a seeress to interpret the meaning of the dreams. The seeress explained that the dreams meant someone would soon kill Balder. Alarmed at the prophecy, Frigg traveled throughout the 9 worlds to get each and every substance to swear an oath that it would not harm Balder. Everything she asked agreed, and the gods tested this by casting a pebble at Balder, who admitted that he couldn’t even feel it.

Soon, the gods tried other tests such as throwing darts or stones at him, hitting him with axes and slashing him with swords. Nothing harmed him. This soon became a game among the gods, who rejoiced that nothing could harm him. Loki, however, watched in disgust. He grew envious of Balder, and refused to take part in the games. Then, one afternoon, an idea occurred to him. When he was sure that no one was watching, he changed himself into an old woman and went to seek information from Frigg. Once there, the old woman began to question why they were stoning a man outside. Frigg explained that it was a game, and that nothing could hurt Balder. After awhile, she grew irritated with the old woman’s inquiries, and finally mentioned that only one thing did not swear an oath not to harm Balder, the mistletoe. Thrilled that he had finally found something that could harm Balder, Loki quickly made his way west of Valhalla and grabbed some mistletoe. He then sharpened one end of it and carried it back to Gladsheim, where the gods were so caught up in their game that they did not notice Loki come back in.

Loki looked around and noticed Balder’s brother, Hod, who was blind, standing aside. He went up to him and asked why he wasn’t participating in the game. Hod replied because he couldn’t see where Balder was, nor did he have a weapon to throw at him. Loki then gave Hod the mistletoe and guided his arm. It struck Balder, pierced him, and passed right threw him. Balder fell on his face, dead. The gods looked around and knew only Loki could be responsible. After much weeping, Frigg asked if anyone would be willing to travel to Hel and beg for Balder’s life. Odin’s son, Hermod stepped forward, and was soon off. For 9 nights he rode until he reached the underworld and met with Hel. He told her of the grief of the gods and asked Hel to let Balder return with him. Hel told him that if everything in the nine worlds, both dead and alive, would weep for Balder, she would return him to Asgard, but if even one thing would not mourn, Balder must stay in Niflheim. Hermod then left the underworld and told everyone at Gladsheim what had been said to him.

The Aesir sent messengers to everything throughout the 9 worlds asking them to weep for Balder. Everything they asked wept. As they were making their way back to Asgard, they came across the giantess, Thokk, sitting in a cave. They asked her to weep, but she refused. The messengers left mournfully, knowing that Thokk was actually Loki. After some time went by after Balder’s death, Loki realized that his days in Asgard had come to an end. He fled to a deserted part of Midgard near Franang’s Falls and built himself a house with 4 doors, one in every direction so that he could keep watch in every direction. One evening, he heard voices coming, so he quickly put out his fire, turned himself into a salmon, and slid into Franang’s Falls. Unfortunately for Loki, when Odin sat in Hlidskjalf, nothing escaped his sight. Odin quickly sent a party of gods from Asgard to capture him. Thor and the others dropped a net into the Falls and weighted it down with stones so that nothing could swim under it. Loki attempted to jump over the net, but Thor caught the salmon and would not let go.

As punishment, Thor and one group of gods led Loki to a cave while another party went in pursuit of his two sons, Vali and Narvi. They changed Vali into a wolf and watched as he ripped Narvi’s body apart before running away towards Jotunheim. They then took Narvi’s entrails and made their way to the cave. Loki was promptly bound to a rock using Narvi’s entrails, which became as hard as iron. Then Skadi positioned a snake above Loki so that its venom would drip into his face. There the gods left him. Loki’s wife, Sigyn, stayed behind holding a bowl over Loki’s face to catch the venom. Whenever it is full, she carries it away and empties it into a rock basin. Loki is then left unguarded and the poison splashes into his face. It is here Loki will remain until Ragnarok when Loki will be freed. He will then meet Heimdall, and each will kill the other.

Reference LOKI - the Norse Trickster God (Norse mythology) LOKI Also known as LOKE, LODER, LOKKJU, LOPTER, LOPTI, LOKI-LAUFEYJARSON The notoriously naughty Norse Trickster Rascal One of the world’s major Trickster Gods, in his early days LOKI was a rascal; crafty, sneaky, silly and malicious — a Loki The Lad. The son of two giants, LAUFEY and FARBAUTI, he was so outrageously mischievous that he even sneaked his way into becoming a God. He was the first anti-hero, quick-witting his way out of the tight corners and confrontations caused by his misdeeds. But as time wore on he became increasingly nasty. His first escapade was a very rampant romp. When the Gods were struggling to build ASGARD , they found they’d run out of funds. Which is not surprising as money and banks hadn’t been invented yet. All the basic construction had been completed but they needed a large protective wall to keep the riff-raff out. LOKI came up with the plan of contracting a Giant to do the job.

As payment, the Giant asked for the Sun and Moon and also the Goddess FREYA if the work was completed to schedule. The Gods were not too sure. "Don’t worry," advised LOKI. "He’ll never manage it on his own, even if he works night and day — and the deal will be off. We’ll let him keep the wheelbarrow or something." Alas, the Giant was not on his own. He had a huge stallion called Svadilfari, which could haul boulders like there was no tomorrow. With three days to go, FREYA was in distress and the Gods aghast. Now LOKI, like fire and smoke, was a shape-changer from the word go. A talent he’d developed to make him the shiftiest transmogrifier of all time — from flea to fish to fast flying feathers in 0.3 seconds. So he changed himself into a mare and seduced the Giant’s stallion. By whinnying and prancing off into the woods, Svadilfari was led far away from the stone pile. With his horse missing, the Giant didn’t quite make the schedule.

Seething with rage, he tried to take FREYA by force — until THOR cracked his skull with his hammer. Meanwhile LOKI was having a fine old time frolicking in the fields. In fact he became pregnant, and decided to sample the joys of motherhood. He gave birth to a fine baby boy stallion with eight legs. He gave this as a gift to ODIN and it was called SLEIPNIR . LOKI was now well in with top God ODIN and his son THOR , with whom he shared numerous adventures. THOR , the perfect fall guy, was persuaded to appear in drag as the prospective bride of a giant and other embarrassments. THOR could always be relied on to supply the muscle when corners became too tight for trickery. LOKI had many run-ins with the dwarves, which he cheated at any opportunity until they stitched him up. Literally. They stitched his mouth shut, which kept him quiet for quite some time. LOKI never missed an opportunity to take advantage of any Goddess, but he already had at least a couple of wives.

The first was ANGRBODA , a giantess who spawned FENRIR the Giant Wolf, JORMUNGAND the Earth-encircling Serpent, and HEL the Underworld Goddess. Next was his wife SIGYN , who produced their ill-fated sons NARVI and VALI(2) . He also managed to sneak himself another wife — or did he? It is only by assiduous research that we have discovered the truth about the mysterious GLUT . For further LOKI adventures, click your way to ANDVARI , FAFNIR , GEIRROD , THIASSI and BALDUR . We are still investigating the mysterious theft of FREYA ’s precious necklace Brisingamen. A flea was seen to flee the scene, and as a well-known god of bed-hopping, fingers of suspicion are already pointing at you-know-who. As the most scandalous God of all time, LOKI was seldom out of the Nordic News or the Sunday Runes. But his tricks came to an end after causing the death of BALDUR . Now he’s trapped in eternal punishment until RAGNAROK rolls around.

Meanwhile, the naughty rascal is as popular as ever, with major appearances in blockbuster movies and superhero comics. He even has his own Gospel of Loki, as told to famed author Joanne M Harris. We are full of admiration. LOKI FACTS AND FIGURES Cite this Link to this page HTML: To link to this page, just copy and paste the text below into your blog, web page or email. <a href="">Godchecker entry on LOKI, the Norse Trickster God</a> BBCODE: To link to this page in a forum post or comment box, just copy and paste the text below: [url= entry on LOKI, the Norse Trickster God[/url] Cite this article Here's the info you need to cite this page. Just copy the text in the box below. Saunders, Chas, and Peter J. Allen, eds. "LOKI - the Norse Trickster God (Norse mythology)." <em>Godchecker</em>. Godchecker.com / CID, 09 Aug. 2015. Web. 20 January 2017. . 09 August 2015 by the Godchecker Team.

Editors: Peter J Allen, Chas Saunders References: Coming soon.

Question: In Norse mythology who is the queen of the underworld and the daughter of Loki?
Answer: Hel