Loki the Trickster from Mythology of Scandinavia

In mythology, a Trickster is a god, goddess,spirit, human hero or animal who plays pranks or otherwise disobeys normal rules and norms of behaviour.

The Trickster breaks the rules of the gods or nature, sometimes maliciously as Loki does, but usually with ultimately positive effects.The goddess Eris played the Trickster when she dropped the Apple at the Wedding Feast and ultimately started the Trojan War. The Trickster-Hero can be looked at as both creator god and innocent fool, evil destroyer and childlike prankster. He is a creator, a joker, a truth teller, a story teller, a transformer.

The Coyote is the Trickster in most Native American cultures.

The most beautiful of all the sons of Odin All-Father was Baldur the Beautiful.

Although Baldur knew he was loved by everyone, at night he tossed and turned, dreaming that he was about to be killed. Nothing could cure him of these nightmares.

The Seeress Speaks
Odin, concerned for his son, determined to find out why. He mounted his eight legged steed Sleipnir and rode out over the Bridge of Bifrost to Hel, in the Land of The Dead.

Past the fearsome hound that is the Guardian of the Entrance, Odin the All-Father rode. Down into the chill darkness that is Hel, he searched for the grave of Volva the Seeress, and woke her from her cold dark sleep.

"For age upon age I have drifted dreamless in my deathly sleep. What is it that you would ask ?" croaked the Seeress.

"Why are the Halls of Hel decked with silver and furs and laid out for a grand feast?" asked the All-father.

The answer chilled him to the bone. For the feast was set for none other than Baldur the Beautiful.

"Ask no more of me", whispered Volva the Seeress, and returned to her dreamless sleep of death.

Sadly, slowly, All-father mounted Sleipnir and returned to Asgard where he called a great council of the gods. They were greatly grieved, for Balder was well loved and many long speeches were made as to what could be done.

Finally Frigga, wife to Odin and mother of Baldur, thumped her white fist on the talk-table.

"I, the Mother of All, need only to extract a promise from all that exists not to harm Baldur".

And so it was that Frigga set out on her quest to save her beautiful boy, personally pleading with all the living creatures on the earth.

Sun, fire, water, earth, iron, every sort of metal, tree, disease, beast, bird, fungus, poison, serpent and even the very stones swore never to harm Baldur.


Loki plays his Tricks
So there was nothing that could harm Baldur. Never did he cut himself with his knife, never did he stumble, nor did he trip. Never did he hit his head, nor prick his finger with a pin. When Baldur's brothers discovered this they made it into a sport. At the feasts Baldur would stand to one side as the others threw spears, stones and knives but, whatever they threw at him, it was harmless.

But there was one who stood aside - Loki, the Trickster.

One day Loki turned up in Asgard in the disguise of an old woman.

He spoke to Frigg. "It seems to me that those youngsters are trying to kill Baldur."

Frigg smiled gently at the old woman, "Oh no, they would never harm him." she said. "All things have sworn not to harm him, except that sprig of mistletoe behind the oak, for it is still to young for such oaths."

Loki went straight away to the mistletoe and, plucking a sharp stem, fastened it to the end of a spear where the iron point would normally go.

He sidled up to the blind god Hoder. "Why do you look so miserable? " he asked with a sneer

(Hoder could not see the curl of Loki's lip).

"I can hear the feasting and the laughter of those who throw things at my brother but I cannot join in, for I cannot see and the other gods do not allow me to carry a weapon for fear I may hurt myself."

"Come now Hoder," said Loki with a laugh, "If it truly means so much to you, I shall lend you this spear I found and shall even guide your hand."

The unsuspecting Hoder accepted Loki's offer and let him guide his hand, Hoder threw the spear and the mistletoe struck Baldur in the heart.

And that was the death of Baldur the Beautiful.

After the death of Baldur, Loki knew that he had now done what could never be forgiven. He turned his back upon Asgard, and wandered far into the thick woods, and covered himself with the deep waters; he climbed to the tops of misty hills, and crouched in the dark of hollow caves; but above the wood, and through the water, and down into the darkness, a single ray of calm, clear light seemed always to follow him, and he knew that it came from the eye of Odin

Then he tried to escape the watchful eye by disguising himself under various shapes. Sometimes he was an eagle on a lonely mountain-crag; sometimes he hid himself as one among a troop of timid reindeer; sometimes he lay in the nest of a wood-pigeon; sometimes he swam, a bright-spotted fish, in the sea; but, wherever he was, among living creatures, or alone with dead nature, everything seemed to know him

Loki built himself a house near a narrow, glittering river which, lower down flashed from a high rock into the sea below. He took care that his house should have four doors in it, that he might look out on every side and catch the first glimpse of the gods when they came, as he knew they would come, to take him away. Here his wife, Sigurn, and his two sons came to live with him.

(Sigurn was a kind woman, far too good and kind for Loki)

One day he spied in the distance the whole company of the gods approaching his house. The sight of them pierced Loki with a pang that was worse than death.

He rose without daring to look again, threw his net on a fire that burned on the floor, and, rushing to the side of the little river, he turned himself into a salmon, swam down to the deepest, stillest pool at the bottom, and hid himself between two stones.

The gods entered the house, and looked all round in vain for Loki, but they saw the remains of the fishing-net in the fire. Odin knew at once that there was a river near, and that it was there where Loki had hidden himself.

Loki, seeing the danger he was in, swam and leaped quick as a flash of lightning, but not quickly enough. Thor stretched out his hand and caught him while he was turning in the air and, although Loki wriggled and slithered, the Thunderer grasped him tightly by the tail, and, holding him in this manner in this hand, waded to the shore.

There Odin AllFather and the other gods met him and, at Odin's first searching look, Loki was obliged to drop his disguise. He assumed his proper shape before the assembled lords and one by one they turned their faces from him for, in looking at him, they seemed to see over again the death of Baldur the Beloved.

There were high rocks looking over the sea near Loki's house and one of these, higher than the rest, had four projecting stones, and to these Loki was bound.

His two sons had by this time been transformed into wolves, had fought with and destroyed each other.

With their sinews we must make a chain to bind their father, and from that he can never escape," growled Odin.

It was done. A rope was made of the dead wolves' sinews and, as soon as it touched Loki, it turned into bands of iron and bound him immovably to the rock. Secured in this manner the gods left him.

But his punishment did not end here. A snake, whose fangs dropped poison, glided to the top of the rock and leaned his head over to peer at Loki. Every few moments a burning drop from his tongue fell down on Loki's face.

In all the world there was only one who pitied him. His kind wife Sigurn ever afterwards stood beside him and held a cup over his head to catch the poison.

When the cup was full, she was obliged to turn away to empty it, and the deadly drops fell again. Loki shuddered and shrank from them, and the whole earth trembled.

So will he lie bound till Ragnarok be here.

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Sources : wikipedia