Or Maybe You'll Cry Your Eyes Out.

Or maybe you'll cry your eyes out.

Or maybe both.

why don't you listen to simon and garfunkel and maybe you'll calm down

July for Loki using 30 Days of Deity Devotion prompts, Day 12 • Places associated with Loki and his worship

To my knowledge, there are no places associated with Loki’s worship, but some places carry (or once carried) his name. Loki-Fögrufjöll, a volcano in Iceland, aka Hamarinn or Lokahryggur, is a modern example of a place named after him. The volcano was named in modern times, but it’s still interesting! Lockbol, Luckabol, Lockesta, and Locastum were Swedish places probably named after him (“Loke In Younger Tradition”, Axel Olrik). In the Faroe Islands we still find Lokkafelli (Loki’s Fell). Transcending Miðgarð, the largest volcanic depression on Io, one of Jupiter’s moons, is named Loki Patera, and it contains an active lava lake. As you can see, volcanoes are very dear to Loki, and if we think of his Hveðrung (Roarer) aspect it's no surprise.

Apart from volcanoes, which I still have to try, I personally find it easy to connect with him in a variety of locations. In the open air, among the wild mountains, the nearer to the top, the better. He seems to enjoy high open spaces, much like a Hawk or a Vulture, in fact. Mountains, woods, rivers, all rich with life, allow me to meet the animals that are dear to him, so they're great places to commune both with their spirits and with Loki himself. Same goes for the Sea: salt water, strong winds and possibly hot Sun create a marvelous environment to get in touch with him. But let's not forget Loki is also a keeper of the hearth, therefore home is a great place to honor him! No need for majestic altars if you can't have one, a simple burner with a bit of coffee or some nice food prepared with love and intent will suffice.

Pic of Fagradalsfjall volcano eruption by Brian Emfinger

Just

Look

At

Them

look at this gif…

July for Loki using 30 Days of Deity Devotion prompts, Day 11 • Festivals, days, and times sacred to Loki

To my knowledge, there are no historical traces of sacred days/times dedicated to Loki.

Some modern lokeans celebrate him especially during the month of July, as you can see. This is a recent tradition, dating back to the summer of 2012 and a blogging project by Galina Krasskova. July is not a casual month though, since it’s the month preceding/seeing the heliacal rising of Sirius (usually late July/early August). As we already saw, Sirius is known as Lokabrenna (“Loki’s burning”, “Loki’s Torch”), and it’s a star that has always been celebrated by ancient cultures, Nordic included. So, here’s a good reason to dedicate these hot days to our beloved firey Trickster. 

But that’s not all, as Loki loves to be celebrated throughout the years, and each devotee has their own special days/festivals dedicated to him. Many see Saturday as a good day to homage him. Saturday was known in Old Norse as Laugardagr, “bath day”. Some suggest that Laugardagr was named after Loki, an adaptation from Lóður, but there is no certain evidence of this. What we know for sure is that Laugardagr was replaced by the Latin “dies Saturni”, Satur(n’s)day. Many modern practitioners notice similarities between Saturn and Loki, so it kinda makes sense to dedicate the Saturday to him. I personally feel he enjoys this day as much as I do, so I try to celebrate him even more on Saturdays, but it’s not a rule - there are no rules when it comes to Loki.

Apart from this, in my practice (UPG) I noticed he loves the Winter and Summer Solstice, possibly because of their connection with the Sun, and therefore with the Fire, but what I felt both times was so personal, I won’t share it here. Last year I also felt him very active around Samhain, of course in his Vulture form. But then again, I always feel him near, so I might not be the best one to talk about this specific topic.

Art: LOKABRENNA II by ErgiGoat on DeviantArt

July for Loki using 30 Days of Deity Devotion prompts, Day 18 • How does Loki stand in terms of gender and sexuality? (Historical and/or UPG)

“A heart ate Loki,-- | in the embers it lay,

And half-cooked found he | the woman's heart;--

With child from the woman | Lopt soon was,

And thence among men | came the monsters all.”*

{{*Hyndluljóð (The Poem of Hyndla), Poetic Edda}}

Loki is famous for being a shapeshifter, and shifting through genders is one of his abilities for sure. In the myths he is usually described as male, and a very handsome one too, but there are a few exceptions. In Þrymskviða (“The Lay of Thrym”), Thor and Loki pretend to be Freyja and her handmaiden to get Mjölnir back from Jötunn king Thrym. Thor is in disguise and keeps his pronouns, but for Loki the text uses female pronouns when in disguise, which suggests a slightly deeper transformation on his (her) behalf. Another famous example you might be familiar with: in Gylfaginning (“The Beguiling of Gylfi”), Loki turns himself into a mare to lure the stallion Svaðilfœri away from his work. They run away together, and when Loki returns to Ásgarðr he is pregnant with Sleipnir, the eight-legged horse destined to become Óðinn’s steed. Speaking of Óðinn, it’s good ol’ Grímnir himself to reveal, in the Lokasenna, that Loki spent 8 years in a cave as a milkmaid tending cows, and there gave birth to a number of children while in female form. Curiously enough, Loki reminds Óðinn that he spent quite some time among men “in witch’s guise” as well. So you see, even the mighty Óðinn is not strictly male, according to such myths. What does it tell us? That these two are blood brothers for a reason, just for a start. Then, it gives us lots of food for thought.

Last but not least, the one that for me is among the most fascinating episodes in all of Norse mythology. In the above mentioned Hyndluljóð, Loki eats the heart of a woman and then gives birth to monstrous children. As the story goes, an evil woman (a “witch”) had been burnt (three times?) by the Æsir. Is she Gullveig? Is Gullveig Angrboða? Not the place to discuss this. What matters here is, her heart survived, half-burnt. Loki finds it and eats it - but why? Is it a metaphor of the crematory Fire? Maybe there is a deeper reason in the fact that the heart was considered the home of the principle of life and of the soul itself, so by eating the woman’s heart Loki was probably able to absorb her female magic and wisdom… So much so that he then gives birth to children, monstrous ones of course - much like their siblings born from him and Angrboða. Or maybe, just maybe, such monstrous children are a metaphor for magical powers and actions that were believed to be evil as the tales were being written down later in time? Who knows… who knows… 

In my personal experience, Loki remains mainly male. I call him Faðir (father), and refer to him with male pronouns, but as you can see using female or neutral ones is not wrong at all. 

I’m sorry there’s not enough space here to discuss these themes in a more elaborate ways, there would be plenty to say, but I hope I gave you some interesting hints to think about.

Art: The God of Mischief by NickRoblesArt

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