July For Loki Using 30 Days Of Deity Devotion Prompts, Day 23 Your Own Composition A Piece Of Writing

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 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 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 9 • Common mistakes about Loki

Countless. So here are just a few I've heard myself.

•He's evil, "the Norse Satan" (as if Satan was originally evil himself, but that's another story). False. No deity is good or evil, but I guess it's easier to separate rather than consider the whole of reality.

•He's the bad boy of Ásgarðr, rebel without a cause, always messing around. False. He definitely knows how to create Chaos, and enjoys it from time to time, but he mostly loves to travel the Nine Worlds and take good care of his family and his people.

•He's dangerous to "work with". May be true, it wholly depends on your attitude - but isn't that so for any spirit/entity/deity?

•He will destroy your life. False. He will destroy what needs to be burnt, only to let what really matters grow free. That may include a huge part of the false truths you built around and for yourself. but would you rather live in constant denial of who you are?

•He will lie to you. Absolutely false. He will tear you apart with the hardest truths you never had the courage to face, he'll guide you and show you how to deal with them, and you'll be finally free.

•His devotees are dangerous people. Well. If I may say so myself. Just joking! Us lokeans generally tend to be respectful and inclusive people. You can always find the occasional arsehole, as everywher; but maybe because most of us experienced hard times in our lives, we tend to be compassionate towards others. Of course, Loki also teaches us not to take bullshit from anyone, so if you consider growing tired of your unfairness being a bad person, then yes, a lokean would probably very bad for you.

Art: Loki is scheming the murder of Baldr by joan789 on DeviantArt

July for Loki using 30 Days of Deity Devotion prompts, Day 6 • Other related deities and entities associated with this deity.

Besides his family (see previous post of this for reference), Loki interacts with pretty much the whole of the Nine Worlds. You can easily find more in any mythology book, I’d rather tell you my own personal experience. Remember, this is my perception and you’re not asked to agree with it, just be respectful, as usual.

Loki’s tied to Jötunheimr, a realm he visits often. There he meets various locals, like Skrýmir, or Þjazi, whom he kills. The killing of the latter leads to a bit of trouble with Þjazi’s lovely daughter Skaði, but that’s another couple of stories. He also appears to enjoy visiting Svartálfaheimr, and seems to love the beautiful creations of the Dwarves, though sometimes this leads to a bit of trouble. No surprise here. Lord Surtr, king of Múspellheimr, is an important figure in Loki’s story: his realm keeps the ship Naglfar, the ship Loki will steer at Ragnarök. Coming to Æsir and Vanir, Thor is definitely worth mentioning among Loki’s friends. Loki and Thor live marvelous adventures together and go along easily. Given Loki’s tie with lightning and Thor’s bond with thunder, their friendship is also kinda symbolic of the natural elements they’re related to. Freyja is someone whose company I feel Loki enjoys, reciprocated. They’re both masters of magic and seiðr, sometimes share her feathered cloak, and I think they’re good friends. Óðinn, well. Loki and Óðinn go way back to the beginning of time, when they used to roam the Nine Worlds with Hœnir. They're blood brothers, yet some feel Loki and Óðinn can’t possibly get along. I respect this opinion, but that’s not what Loki’s shown me. Total UPG here, but my senses (and Loki) tell me that though they have no doubt a complicated relationship, the bond is very much there, both ways. It’s just something a bit beyond our understanding.

Art: Brothers' Oaths by Hellanim on DeviantArt

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