Loki

/loh"kee/, n. Scand. Myth.

a trickster god, born of Jotun ancestry but accepted among the Aesir as Odin's adopted brother: father of the monsters Fenrir, Hel, and the Midgard serpent, and the instigator of Balder's death.

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In Norse mythology, a trickster who was able to change his shape and sex.

His father was the giant Fárbauti, but he was included among the Aesir, a tribe of the gods. A companion of the great gods Odin and Thor, Loki helped them with his clever plans but sometimes embarrassed them. He also appeared as the enemy of the gods, entering their banquets uninvited and demanding drink. After causing the death of the god Balder, he was punished by being bound to a rock. Loki created a female, Angerboda, with whom he produced three evil progeny: Hel, the goddess of death; Jörmungand, the evil serpent surrounding the world; and Fenrir, the wolf.

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▪ Norse mythology

      in Norse mythology, a cunning trickster who had the ability to change his shape and sex. Although his father was the giant Fárbauti, he was included among the Aesir (a tribe of gods). Loki was represented as the companion of the great gods Odin and Thor, helping them with his clever plans but sometimes causing embarrassment and difficulty for them and himself. He also appeared as the enemy of the gods, entering their banquet uninvited and demanding their drink; he was the principal cause of the death of the god Balder. Loki was punished by being bound to a rock, thus in many ways resembling the Greek figures Prometheus and Tantalus. Loki created a female, Angerboda (Angrboda: “Distress Bringer”), and produced three evil progeny: Hel, the goddess of death; Jörmungand, the evil serpent surrounding the world; and Fenrir (Fenrisúlfr), the wolf.

      The figure of Loki remains obscure; there is no trace of a cult, and the name does not appear in place-names.

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