Loki – The God of Mischief and Cunning

In Norse mythology, loki is the god of mischief and cunning. He is one of few gods who headline in more than a single myth and is often a major player in the battles between gods and giants at Ragnarok, the end of time. As the trickster god, Loki’s antics frequently embroil the gods in tricky situations and his deceptions and entrapments have led to many a tragedy. He is also a shapeshifter and a lover of women, and crosses the boundaries of rigid Norse gender roles, including by consuming the heart of a witch to gain her wisdom and power.

He is the father of Hel, ruler of the underworld; Fenrir, the colossal wolf bound for cataclysmic events; and Jormungandr, the monstrous serpent encircling the world. His other children are with his wife Sigyn, whom he married in order to gain her freedom; with Angrboda, a jotunn (possibly a troll) who wed him to seduce him; and Sleipnir, his eight-legged horse.

The stories that surround Loki often have to do with him attaining treasures for the gods, a role which some academic theories suggest may be a reference to his being the bringer of fire in Viking Age Paganism. He is also the father of a daughter, Nari or Narfi, with Sigyn. For his crimes against the gods, Loki is forcibly chained to three rocks in a cave by the gods and held there until he breaks free at Ragnarok. He is kept entombed in this state by the droppings of a venomous snake, which drip down into a bowl Sigyn holds, and the force of his writhing in pain causes earthquakes.