July For Loki Using 30 Days Of Deity Devotion Prompts, Day 8 Variations On Loki (aspects, Regional Forms,

July for Loki using 30 Days of Deity Devotion prompts, Day 8 • Variations on Loki (aspects, regional forms, etc.).

Tough prompt! I decided to focus on Loki's presence in the spoken language, which also gives an idea of his presence in many countries. A list of Scandinavian names containing Loki’s name is provided by Axel Olrik in “Loke in the Younger Tradition”, an interesting read. Dagulf Loptson talks of this in his Playing with Fire book, and here's a brief list of examples. In 12th century Northumberland, England, lived a man named Locchi. In Småland, Sweden, Locke is a hereditary surname. In Uppland, Sweden, the name “Luki” appears on a rune stone. Places named Lockbol, Luckabol, Lockesta, and Locastum remind of ours truly. J. Grimm tells of a giant’s grave in Vestergötland, Sweden, named Lokehall. A Norse settler was called Þórbjørn Loki, and another man was named Þórðrloki. Snorri Sturluson’s foster-father was Jón Loptsson (“son of Lopt”). In the Faroe Islands, where Loka Táttur takes place, we have Lokkafelli (Loki’s Fell). Last but not least, the star Sirius is known in Scandinavia as Lokabrenna (“Loki’s Torch”).

There are also some very interesting popular sayings that tell us a lot about the relationship between Loki and the humans. In Denmark, we find: “Lokke is reaping his oats”, “Lokke drives his goats”: air shimmering with heat or flickering lights. “Lokke the playing man”: Sun glimmering off water and creating flickering lights. “Loke drinks water”: sunbeams break through clouds and touch the land or sea. “Lokke watches his goat herd”: heat flutters from the ground like leaping goats. In Sweden and Norway, we have: “Lokje beats his children”: the hearth fire makes a loud, cracking noise. People in Telemark throw the skin from boiled milk into the hearth fire as a sacrifice to Lokje. In Sweden, a child who loses a tooth throws it into the fire and says: “Locke, give me a bone-tooth for a gold-tooth”. In Iceland, “Lokadaun” or “Lokalykt”: a sulphurous odor. “Lokabrenna”: the heat of summer.

So, pretty much everywhere Loki was and is honored as a Fire god, very near to us humans.

Source: Dagulf Loptson, Playing with Fire.

Art: God of Fire by CandyDemonArt

July for Loki using 30 Days of Deity Devotion prompts, Day 22 • A quote, a poem, or piece of writing that you think Loki resonates strongly with

“There’s an old Earth saying… a phrase of great power and wisdom, and consolation to the soul in times of need… ALLONS-Y!”

Ok, where are my Whovians? Reveal yourselves!

Well, I’ve managed to write down serious stuff for most previous posts of this July for Loki, but today I wanted to lighten up a bit. Anyone familiar with Doctor Who and Loki will see how the Tenth Doctor channels major lokean energy - I mean, of course, it’s David Tennant playing him... Those not familiar with the character may wonder what the Helheimr I’m talking about, but read the above quote again and you’ll see it doesn’t really need context to be understood and put in relation to Loki. It’s perfect for him and it kinda sums up his approach to many matters, and something he seems to repeat to many of us time and time again: allons-y! Let’s go! Move your Áss!

Pic by BBC

July for Loki using 30 Days of Deity Devotion prompts, Day 23 • Your own composition – a piece of writing about or for Loki

Loki, my beloved Faðir.

You called me your Dóttir, and I hope to live by the name.

Loki, always the outcast.

Loki, always the wrong one.

Loki, always the beaten one.

And yet, you shine bright still.

You experienced pain, fetters and venom.

And yet, you shine to show us the way.

Show me your way, Faðir.

Teach it to me.

Imprisoned yet unfettered one, 

show all of us how to be free, 

and help us.

Help us see the light, Harbinger of Fire.

Help us make the cave we’re trapped in collapse.

Help us destroy what needs to be destroyed.

Guide us through Ragnarok and beyond.

Written November 30, 2021. I still feel this very much in my heart.

Art: Chaos Incarnate by OFools on DeviantArt

July for Loki using 30 Days of Deity Devotion prompts, Day 13 • What modern cultural issues are closest to Loki’s heart?

Many. 

Loki has a big heart. It burns with love for the oppressed, and with rage towards the oppressors. If you're a victim of injustice, whatever form of injustice, you can trust him for help. He's very protective of his devotees, and he understands the burden of being an outcast; an innocent blamed for something they didn't do; someone cruelly punished for following their own nature. He understands. And he stands with us. He fights by our side for our chains to be shattered, he does so from the beginning of time itself.

There are many things that just don't work in our society. Hate and discrimination still go strong. So if you're among the hated, know that you will always find comfort in him. Maybe you're part of the LGBTQ+ community and you struggle with people around you; maybe your skin, or your accent, or your life choices are different from your judging neighbours'; maybe you're a woman fighting for her body; maybe you're a man who doesn't wanna be like the society taught you to be; maybe you're a frightened child, hiding in a corner, calling for their Dad. Well. He's there. Call him by his name, and he will comfort you. And his love will heal the bruises of the hate. And his flame will burn the haters' hearts. Call him. We should all call him to teach us how to set ourselves free and help us destroy this sick nightmare that's dying around us, before it drags us down in its own grave.

Art: Loki by Run1and1hide

July for Loki using 30 Days of Deity Devotion prompts, Day 16 • How do you think this deity represents the values of their pantheon and cultural origins?

In the surviving myths, Loki plays the Trickster: smart, intelligent, funny, full of tricks (resources), not following any rule. Crossing all boundaries, breaking all rules, the Trickster is the one who destroys what is old and stagnant. Of course he is also a jokester and a prankster, given the right circumstances, but I wouldn't recommend taking him lightly. Tricksters are common around the world: just to mention a couple of Loki's colleagues, we find Anansi the Spider, Br'er Rabbit and Leuk Rabbit in West Africa (and therefore in the Caribbean due to the slave trade), Hermes in Greece, Coyote and Raven among Native American and First Nations mythologies… they have very much in common, though of course each has their own specific character. They're not one and the same, no more than two people with the same interests are one singular person. So, what does a Trickster like Loki tell about the cultures celebrating him? That these people knew the importance of Change, and knew Chaos is often needed to bring it forward. It is necessary to accept Chaos in our lives along with Order, in a difficult yet essential balance, the infinite cycle of Life, Death and Rebirth. Not only that: in his adventures, Loki often displays useful virtues, such as intelligence, shrewdness, diplomacy… these bring amazing gifts to the Æsir, and often get him out of trouble (or into trouble, but nevermind). I assume these qualities were considered as important as physical strength, and it’s no surprise. Loki, as most Tricksters, is also very well versed in seiðr and magic in general. This may be a bit controversial since in the infamous Lokasenna the practice seiðr is brought up basically as an insult, but let’s not stop at the surface. The great goddess Freyja is a mistress of witchcraft and seiðr, and is said to have taught it, or at least some of it, to none less than Óðinn. We know Loki masters the art, since he can shapeshift into basically anything he wants. It would be logical to assume seiðr, witchcraft, and whatever kind of magic, were probably not only accepted, but held in great consideration among Nordic people, since great two beloved divinities like Freyja and Óðinn practiced them. So, even though being well versed in magic is part of the Trickster's job, I'd dare to say this knowledge was probably very much respected in Loki too. So, does this answer today’s prompt? No. I found this question rather dull myself, so a rather dull answer seemed appropriate. 

Art: Loki by Bubaben on DeviantArt

July for Loki using 30 Days of Deity Devotion prompts, Day 7 • Names and epithets

•Loptr: airy one or lofty one, from the Old Norse lopt (air, sky, or heavens). One of my favorite bynames for Loki, it underlines its bond to the element Air and I find it so fascinating!

•Gammleið: Vulture’s-Path, possibly a kenning for Air itself too, but even more intriguing when we think that Vulture is a scavenger animal, and Fire, Loki’s main element, is also a way to the Otherworld through the sacred ritual of cremation. So, is Loki a Death god too? In my experience, he totally is.

•Lóður: some see Lóður as a god on his own, but I agree with Dagulf Loptson’s analysis and think that’s another name of Loki. Lóður, with Óðinn and Hœnir, basically creates humanity: as they were walking together on a beach they came across two fallen trees, Askr (ash) and Embla (elm). Each god blessed them with a gift: Óðinn with önd (breath), Hœnir with óð (spirit or senses), Lóður with lá (blood?) and litu góða (good color). When Loki meets the Jötunn Þrymr, he calls him Lóður

•Vé: in Gylfaginning, Snorri replaces the names Hœnir and Lóður with the even more mysterious names Vili (will) and Vé (shrine). Assuming Lóður and Loki are the same, so should be Vé and Loki.

•Hveðrung, Roarer, probably a reference to his being a god of Fire.

•Inn Bundi Áss: The Bound God, referred to Loki’s punishment of being imprisoned and tied in a cave, waiting for Ragnarök.

•Frumkveða Flærðanna: Father of Lies, which is funny, because though Loki is of course cunning and smart, and more than capable of using lies to get out of trouble, his devotees know him for being, in fact, the god of truth. Harsh truths, too, but true all the same.

•Inn Slægi Áss: The Cunning God, what were we saying? Yes, he’s sly as a Fox, and brings the Æsir precious gifts thanks to this, not to mention how often he gets them out of trouble.

•Goða Dólgr: Enemy of Gods, one can’t blow the Nine Worlds to Helheim without being considered an enemy of these touchy Æsir.

•”Föðurbróður, vársinna ok sessa Óðins ok ása”, from Skáldskaparmál, Prose Edda: “brother, comrade, and table companion of Óðinn and the gods”. This pretty much explains itself.

Art: Loki as Gammleið by Dagulf Loptson