Loki Meaning – The God of Mischief

A cunning and deceptive troublemaker, loki meaning is a tricky and shapeshifting god of chaos, change and thievery. The bane of the AEsir gods (the supreme beings of Norse mythology) and the Jotnar (giants), Loki has a complicated relationship with both groups, as he neither fully belongs to divine society nor completely opposes it.

The enigmatic trickster is not only a powerful symbol of the power of unforeseen change, but also of how even the most perfect system can crumble if it becomes stagnant. He is a reminder that constant self-gratification ultimately leads to destruction.

One of the most well-known stories about Loki is when he tricks Thor into butting heads with the giant Geirrodr in order to free up his strength. Likewise, he often bargains with the gods to gain their favours (Odin’s spear, Gungnir; his ring, Draupnir; and Odin’s 8-legged steed, Sleipnir).

While the trickster is not only a brash and insolent figure, he is also intelligent and wry, with a quick and foul tongue. Moreover, the god of mischief is a physically attractive being, with fiery red hair and beard, large eyes and sharp and clever wits. He is typically portrayed as either a man or a woman, depending on the story. His gender-bending nature is partly due to his shifting parentage between AEsir and Jotunn, and is sometimes a result of his own actions, such as pretending to be a mare in order to get back Thor’s hammer Mjolnir from the king of the Jotnar named Thrym.