God Loki in Scandinavian mythology. Who is Logi? What we know from myths, history and revelations

God Loki, the most cunning liar, the god of mischief and deceit, the most charming of all the gods in Scandinavian mythology. He is cunning and cunning, he was characterized by the rarest quality for a mythological character - a change in character. Once upon a time, at the dawn of time, he helped in the creation of the world and helped other gods countless times. Later, his pranks became more malevolent, such as when he cut off the hair of the goddess Sif. And then anger finally took possession of him, which manifested itself, for example, in the murder of Balder, which Loki himself arranged.

Loki was married three times. His first wife's name was Glut, and she bore him two children, Einmuria and Eisa; all three names are associated with fire and its warmth, because Loki was also considered the god of the hearth, peace and relaxation, which is why the peasants revered him as the greatest of the gods. The children from his second marriage were less attractive. The giantess Angbroda gave birth to three children for Loki. First daughter - Hel, goddess of death; one son is Jormungandr, the World Serpent, and the other is Fenrir, a dire wolf who threatened the very existence of the gods. Loki's third wife was the beautiful Sigyn. Her children's names were Narvi and Vali.

Children of Loki and Angrbod: Hel, Jormungandr and Fenrir

There are many more stories about the Scandinavian god Loki than about other gods. He could be kind, helped many, entertained them. One day the giantess Skadi rose to Asgard to avenge the murder of her father Thiassi. Loki began to distract her by telling various dirty stories, and Skadi changed her anger to mercy.

Sometimes Loki was extremely cruel. One day, while walking with Odin and Hoenir along the river bank, Loki noticed an otter about to eat salmon. God threw a stone at her and killed her. But it was not an ordinary otter, but Otter, one of the sons of the troll king Hreidmar. Thus began the infamous story of Andvari's gold and the ruin of Hreidmar's family.

As you know, the children of Loki and the giantess Angrboda were Hel, Jormungandr and Fenrir. It was a marriage forbidden by the gods, in a cave, but they grew so quickly that Odin learned of their existence. He ordered Loki to destroy them before they grew large enough to become a threat to the entire world. Odin cast Hel into Niflheim, and in this dark kingdom she became the goddess of death. He threw the serpent Jormungandr into the deep sea, and so the World Serpent appeared, which, lying in the middle of the sea, encircled the seabed and bit its own tail.

The third son of Loki and the giantess Angrboda is the wolf Fenrir. One brought him in in order to cultivate kindness in him. But Fenrir quickly grew in size, and at the same time his ferocity grew. Then the gods decided to make the strongest chain and tie him so that he could no longer threaten them. After Fenrir broke the two chains, the dwarves wove the finest bonds - Gleipnir. Fenrir allowed himself to test its strength, but only on the condition that one of the gods would put his hand in his mouth as a guarantee that no magic would be used against him. None of the gods dared. Tyr put his right hand into the wolf's mouth and immediately lost it. Then the wolf was put in the underground kingdom, where he howled wildly. To silence him, the Aesir thrust a sword into his mouth: the handle rested under his tongue, and the tip against the roof of his mouth, and blood flowed from his throat like a huge river.

The gods of Norse myth captivate Loki

Loki's pranks became more and more vicious. With his love of lies and other people's secrets, he constantly quarreled the gods with each other. He committed one of the most disgusting acts by cutting off Siv's magnificent golden hair. As a result of this and his subsequent bet with Brokk and Sindri, Loki suffered pain because his lips were sewn together.

Soon Loki gave up petty villainy and was overcome by a vengeful passion for destruction. He started with Balder, and then came to the gods for a farewell dinner and insulted them in the most caustic terms. The gods decided that they had had enough and decided to tie up the villain. Loki could change his appearance and turned into a fish. The gods of Scandinavian myths: , and Kvasir still managed to catch him. They led him to a deep cave, forced Loki's son Vali to turn into a wolf and rip out the throat of his brother Narvi. The Aesir took out his intestines and tied Loki to three huge stones. The bonds turned to iron. The giantess Skadi took a poisonous snake and hung it over Loki's head so that the poison would drip onto his face until the end of his days. Every drop of poison caused unbearable pain to the overthrown god. During the great battle of the hour, the gods will greatly regret that they treated Loki so cruelly.

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What do we know from myths, history and revelation?

Logi is a powerful Scandinavian spirit of fire. In myths, he is mentioned as the second son of the ancient frost thurs Mistblindi, also known as Fornjot, and the fire giantess, born immediately after the Flood. Loga has two brothers: the older one is Kari, the North Wind, and the younger one is Aegir, the king of the seas. Logi himself swore allegiance to King Utgard-Loki and entered his service. He appears in the myth of how Thor and Loki met this wizard king and were forced to compete with his friends and relatives in various skills. Loki declared that he could eat faster than anyone, and Utgarda-Loki invited him to measure his strength with one of his servants - namely Logi. And Logi won a very convincing victory: unlike Loki, who ate only meat, he also devoured bones and dishes. After this, he discovered his nature: it became clear that he was a very old fire giant, with whom Loki, as a younger man, could not compete.

Friends and family sometimes called Logi "Tall Logi" (Halogi) because he was very tall - even for a giant. His wife's name was Glut ("Burning Coals"); she bore him two daughters - Enmira ("Ashes") and Eiza ("Smoldering Embers"). But they left him long ago, and now Logi lives alone in his black mountain cave. Literary sources also mention a mortal named Logi/Halogi, after whom the ancient Scandinavian kingdom of Halogaland took its name. Perhaps Logi the man repeated in his life the archetypal pattern on which the story of Logi the Giant is based; but we cannot say this with certainty.

Logi is a very old ethin, one of the ancient magical trinity consisting of Kari, Logi and Aegir (Wind, Fire and Sea). This triad was worshiped before the arrival of the Indo-European invaders. Some scholars (for example, Helen Gurber in Scandinavian Myths and Legends) suggest that these three giant gods were the heroes of an ancient creation myth that existed before the myths of the Aesir and Vanir. Together they make up the triad of primordial elements that formed the Earth: Sea, Flame and North Wind. Norse mythology researcher Preben Müllengracht hypothesizes that these three elements, Sea, Flame and North Wind, represented an alternative to the magical quaternity of elements (Earth, Water, Fire and Air). The historical sea kings of Orkney traced their ancestry back to these three brothers.

Logs

I can cook you dinner

but just as easy and simple

I can burn you alive.

I devour everything: both the food and the table.

Muspellheim messenger,

Plenipotentiary Viceroy of Sunnah,

I dance in all worlds except one.

I outwitted the one who shares my name,

I nest in his hair;

It was in me that the dwarves once forged Mjolnir.

I fight on all sides.

I sleep in flint and chair

and under the red start buttons.

A single spark is enough.

Will you strike a spark?

— This poem is in the public domain. You may redistribute it freely, providing attribution to the author and source and reproducing the text of this license, but you may not change or transform it or base it on your own works. —

Real name: Loki Laufeyson

Alias: God of Mischief, God of Evil, Prince of Evil, the Son of Secrets, the Maker of Mischief, the Sly One , the Lie-Smith, the Lord of all Liars, Sly-God, Shape-Changer, Wizard of Lies, Loki Trick- Loki Trick-Skin, Tso Zhung, Loren Olson, the Trickster of Asgard, Ikol, Gem-Keeper, Walter Lawson , Lester, Father Williams, Willie, Satan.

Relatives: great-grandfather - Tiwaz, adoptive father - Odin, adoptive mother - Frigga, grandmother - Bestla, grandfather - Bor, father - Laufey, mother - Farbauti ), uncle - Cul, uncle - Vili, uncle - Ve, wife (dead) - Sigyn, brother - Baleistr, brother - Helblindi, adopted brother - (Thor), foster brother - Balder, foster brother - Hermod, foster brother - Vidar, foster brother - Tyr, foster sister - Angela, foster sister - Laussa ), incarnation - Kid Loki, incarnation - Ikol, cousin - Arkin, daughter - Tess Black, son - Son of Satan, son - Fenris the Wolf (Fenris Wolf), son - Sleipnir, son - Vali, grandson - Hoarfen, grandson - Sturm, grandson - Drang, grandson - Wolf Gods.

Gender: Male

Height: 192 cm.

Weight: 238 kg.

Eye color: Green

Hair Color: Black-Green

Position: Evil

Universe: Earth-616 (Earth-616)

Place of birth: Asgard

First appearance: Venus #6 (1949)

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Creators: Don Rico, Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Jack Kirby

Description of Loki

Loki Laufeyson is one of the gods of Asgard, a supervillain and superhero in the Marvel comic book series. The character was created by Don Rico, Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby in 1949 and first appears in Venus #6. However, after his debut, Loki was shelved until 1962, when he reappeared in Journey into Mystery #85. It was from his second appearance that the character began to gain well-deserved popularity and ultimately became one of the key figures in the Marvel Universe.

Since his appearance in 1962, Loki Laufeyson has been the adopted son of the god Odin (his real father is the king of the Frost Giants). Raised in the world of Asgard, Loki is an “unsuccessful” representative of his race, because... Usually all giants are much larger. However, he succeeded in other directions: he became the greatest magician in Asgard, has the abilities of telekinesis, werewolf, and has psionics skills. He also has access to the “standard” abilities of Asgardians: super strength, super vitality, super endurance, etc. Loki is practically not subject to aging and his age is estimated at approximately several thousand years.

Throughout the development of the character, Loki appears as a negative and positive character. However, it is generally accepted that he is a supervillain, because. almost all the time he opposes the classic superheroes of Earth-616 and hatches plans to capture both Asgard and other worlds. During his adventures, Loki mostly fights with his adopted brother Loki and his associates. He experiences many defeats and deaths. Once his head was even cut off, but thanks to his abilities, he managed to survive. Separately, it is worth mentioning the reincarnation of Loki into other characters. In the course of certain events, he achieved self-rebirth and became a woman. And after his “death” he acquired a new young body and a new personality.

Biography of Loki

Childhood

Loki Laufeyson is the son of Queen Farbauti and King Laufey, head of the Frost Giants of Jotunheim. He was born small, to the shame of his parents, and grew up separately from the rest of the Giants.

Adoption

Magically, Loki-from-the-future returned to the past of Jotunheim, outwitted Bor and turned him into snow. While Bor was melting, he asked his son Odin for help, but he ignored him. Then Loki, in the guise of the ghost Bor, annoyed Odin.

Years passed, and Loki (as Bor) asked Odin to take into his family the son of the fallen king, whom he would kill; then Odin will no longer owe him anything. After that, he found the current Loki and explained to him how to become a god by deceiving Odin and Laufey.

Loki went to Laufey, told him where Odin would be in the upcoming battle and began to incite the king to attack him. When Loki hinted to Laufey that he was a coward, his father hit him, but decided to kill the All-Father.
Odin struck down Laufey and left him for dead. Loki rushed onto the battlefield, feigning grief and anger, only for Odin to see his strength and agree to adopt him. Driven by considerations of honor, repentance and duty, Odin adopted the boy and began to raise him on an equal basis with his own son Thor, and Loki from the future celebrated the death of Laufey, who treated him roughly.

Indignation

As a child and then a teenager, Loki became embittered by how differently the people of Asgard treated him and Thor. The Asgardians valued strength, durability and courage in battle above all else, which means they preferred Thor. Loki's talents lay in other areas, mainly in witchcraft. Having a natural inclination to command powerful magical forces, he planned to use them to destroy Thor and become the most powerful being in Asgard.

God of deceit

As Loki matured, his penchant for deceit was fully developed, and he called himself the "god of deception." However, instead of playing harmless pranks on others, he committed increasingly evil deeds. This is how his thirst for power and revenge manifested itself. Over time, he changed from the role of a playful, mischievous trickster to the role of the “god of evil.”

For centuries, Loki seized every opportunity to take over Asgard and kill Thor.

Age of Thunder

Asgard was attacked by the Ice Giants. All the gods fought as if Asgard would soon end. At the end of the battle, only Thor stood firm, having achieved victory in the battle for Asgard with his lightning. Thor killed the mighty giant, and when he fell, he destroyed the giant wall of Asgard, which had stood since time immemorial. The wall fell, but spring came again. Golden apples grew again on Yggdrasil, which the inhabitants of Asgard feasted on, but only the Enchantress could collect them.

All the gods were filled with wisdom and youth when these apples were in each of their dishes; everyone except the mighty Thor. Heimdall noticed a man walking towards Asgard. It was the mason who suggested to Odin that he rebuild the great wall, destroyed in the war with the Ice Giants. He said he could finish it in a year if he got something in return.

He wanted neither wealth nor power, only the Enchantress herself. Loki and Odin conferred and decided to accept his offer with one condition: he would be given six months, not a whole year. All the gods agreed that man could not do this. However, he built the wall so quickly that he could finish it even before six months had passed.

This greatly angered Odin, and he ordered Loki to solve this problem, otherwise he would be chained to a rock forever. Loki turned into a mare to distract the mason's stallion. Loki distracted this horse all night, and the next morning the man was unable to complete the wall. Odin told him that he had failed, and the mason knew that it was Loki who was tormenting his stallion, and was to blame for his failure.

The man said that he would kill all the gods and showed his true appearance. In fact, it was the Ice Giant, capable of changing his appearance, ready to curse the inhabitants of Asgard. While he was fighting with Loki and Odin, Thor returned from his wanderings and killed the Giant by throwing Mjolnir at him. He then ordered Loki to clean up the mess he made. Thor walked through Asgard carrying the heads of several Frost Giants.

Loki was later expelled from Asgard for another attempt at intrigue. He wandered around Asgard without food, wherever his eyes looked. It seemed as if he had been walking through the snow for thousands of years. One day an eagle flew to him and began to question him. The bird offered Loki a deal: she would get him food if he brought him the desired Enchantress. Loki talked to the Enchantress and deceived her, saying that he had found golden apples that she could collect. They climbed to the top of a snowy mountain, where the Ice Giant (who was that eagle) was waiting for them. He took the Enchantress with him to become his queen. The inhabitants of Asgard began to starve because there was no one else to collect golden apples from the tree. Odin found out that Loki was to blame and forced him to go save the Enchantress from the Ice Giant. Loki returned to the Giant's lair, where he found the bound Enchantress. The Ice Giant was sleeping at that time. They sneaked outside, but the Giant woke up and discovered that it was missing. He chased the Asgardians and captured them. But then Thor arrived and killed the Ice Giant. The Enchantress returned to Asgard and the gods were able to feast again.

20th century

At some point, Loki aroused the wrath of the ruler of Olympus, Zeus, and he expelled him to Hades, replacing him with Pluto, who ruled there. At this time, Loki gave birth to a child, whom he named the Son of Satan: during this period, he himself sometimes called himself Satan.

After some time, Loki became inflamed with passion for the Olympian goddess of love, Aphrodite, who in 1949 acted on Earth under the name of Venus. While Venus was on Earth, Loki took advantage of this to leave his exile and spread evil on the planet. He appeared in the Mardi Gras parade, which Venus attended due to her work at Beauty Magazine. This was a ruse to lure Venus to Hades, where Loki took her prisoner. Then he took over the body of Venus' employer and her mortal lover, Whitney Hammond, to spread evil throughout the world. Venus was able to escape, found Loki and promised to become his queen in Hades if he left Earth. Loki agreed, but before he could bind Venus to an oath, Zeus (then named Jupiter) appeared and rewarded Venus for her sacrifice. Loki was banished back to Hades, and Venus was able to return to Earth. Soon after this defeat, Loki plotted to invade Olympus, where the gods were busy trying Venus. The trial was started by Jupiter's daughter, Joya, who believed that Venus was neglecting her divine duties. When Loki and his army arrived at Olympus, Joya realized her mistake, took the form of Venus and promised to go to Hades with Loki if he took the army away. Loki agreed and ordered the army to retreat. Apparently, he eventually figured out this trick, since he later returned with threats to Venus. What happened to Joya is unknown.

In 1950, Apollo made a deal with the demon Zoroba, which would allow him to inhabit his body. The demon wanted to win the love of Venus on Earth. In Apollo's body, Zoroba took the chance to force Jupiter to allow Loki to return from exile and settle on Olympus. Jupiter gave a brief audience to Loki while he was considering this, but Venus did not allow the plan to take place, and Loki and Zoroba were banished back to Hades. Briefly taking the name of Satan, Loki allowed his now adult son (called the Son of Satan) to go to Earth and force Venus to love him. Unfortunately for Loki's offspring, Venus defeated him and left him to orbit the Earth forever.

In 1951, Loki bewitched the Far Eastern state of Cassarobia, so that no gods could use their powers in it. His motives, other than to inconvenience the gods, are unknown. However, soon after this, Venus found herself a prisoner of the Sultan of Cassarobia, who wanted to make her his new wife. Jupiter played on Loki's passion for Venus and convinced him to lift the spell when Venus' life was in danger. Together with his half-brother Thor, Loki held off the Sultan's army until Venus and the people of Cassarobia overthrew him.

Inexplicably, Loki was released from his imprisonment in Hades and returned to Asgard.

At some point, Odin, who had endured Loki’s tricks for a long time, sent Thor to catch him, and with the help of magic, he imprisoned him in a tree in Asgard. Odin declared that only then will Loki be free when someone sheds a tear for him.

Nowadays

Already in our time, Loki was able to free himself when, with an effort of will, he threw a leaf from a tree that hit Heimdall in the eye, which caused him to cry. Loki's first thought after being freed was to find Thor; he felt that his brother was on Earth. Wandering the Earth in the guise of a man, Loki realized that his search was unsuccessful, so he cast illusions on people in order to lure Thor out. When the illusions were dispelled, Loki appeared and challenged Thor to a battle in the air. During the fight, Loki was able to hypnotize Thor and attempted to take possession of Mjolnir, forcing Thor to put down the hammer. Distracted by the men trying to lift his hammer, Thor transformed back into Don Blake and broke out of his trance. With the hammer in his possession again, Thor chased Loki through the city. He tried to escape on a winged horse, but Thor was able to stop him and return him to Asgard.

Odin tried to ban Loki from leaving Asgard forever, but then Loki learned that without Mjolnir, Thor turns into Don Blake, and snuck past Heimdall, turning into a snake. Returning to Earth, he hypnotized Jane Foster and challenged Thor to a fight in New York's Central Park. As Loki foresaw, Jane appeared during the duel. Then he turned the tree into a tiger, and Thor had to choose between the hammer and saving Jane. Thor chose to save her, and Loki covered the hammer with a magical force field so that Don Blake could not turn back into Thor. Loki walked across America, using magic to trick and deceive, until Thor challenged him to a fight. Loki returned to the hammer and found Thor waiting there. Loki removed the force field, and Don Blake jumped out from behind the dummy and grabbed the hammer before Loki could do anything. Loki was captured and returned to Asgard. Unable to leave, Loki found a fairground psychic named Sandu, enhanced his natural ability to read minds and endowed him with telepathy, telekinesis and the ability to teleport. Armed in this way, Sandu began to rob banks, and finally put forward an ultimatum to the heads of the world: to recognize him as the ruler of the Earth. As Thor attacked him, Sandu dropped the UN building on the enemy, covering Thor in debris. Odin sent a Valkyrie with Megingjord, the Belt of Power, to help Thor. Thor again grappled with Sandu, but when the psychic tried to take possession of Mjolnir, his powers short-circuited and he was quickly captured.

Odin again imprisoned Loki and chained him to a rock with the indestructible chains of Uru. Loki was able to free himself by enchanting the chains so that Mjolnir would be attracted to them and break them, because they were made of the same material. Having received freedom, he went to kill Thor, who at that time Odin called to Asgard in search of the missing hammer. While Thor was busy searching, Loki continued to try to kill him, but Thor avoided death each time by creating hammers from wood and stone to replace Mjolnir. One such hammer accidentally turned out to be made of Uru, and was also attracted to the chains. Having found his hammer and broken chains, Thor understood everything, and the inhabitants of Asgard caught Loki.

Once again sent to prison by Odin, Loki was again chained to the cliff by Uru's chains. This time he was freed by Thor, whom he had tricked into turning against humanity. There are two versions of what happened. In the original, Loki used magic to deflect the flight of Mjolnir, which was returning to Thor, so that the hammer hit him on the head, and Thor inexplicably became evil. Together with Loki, they attacked various places around the world. Odin and some other Asgardian gods in the guise of UN members lured Thor and Loki to the UN building to sign a peace agreement on surrender. There, Odin struck Thor on the head, returning him to normal. Thor defeated Loki and handed him over to his father. In this version, Odin magically repaired all the damage Thor had caused and erased everyone's memories of his rampage. According to another version, Loki came to Donald Blake's office and magically suppressed Blake's mind as he transformed into Thor. Then Loki flattered the arrogant and unmoralized Thor, convincing him that the Earth must face the wrath of the gods. Thor declared war on the entire planet. When Thor and Loki destroyed many places on Earth, they returned to New York, where they killed the Fantastic Four and. Inside Thor's mind, the Donald Blake personality struggled in vain to break free. Jane Foster attacked Thor with reproaches, but Loki cut her off with a remark that Don was finally able to free himself from the influence of his father. Having learned about this, Odin came to Thor and told him that Blake was just a continuation of Thor. When Blake realized that he was worthy of being Thor, their personalities became one. With his humanity restored, Thor turned on Loki, defeated him in battle, and banished him to Asgard. Asking Odin to repair the damage, Thor said he would sacrifice his godhood to do so. Odin was so impressed by this that he repaired all the damage, resurrected the dead, and erased all memories of Thor's war against humanity. Thor not only retained his powers, but was finally allowed back into the halls of Asgard.

Loki's intrigues eventually brought together some of Earth's superhuman heroes. After manipulating the Hulk (who was his final mortal weapon against Thor) to cause chaos, Loki's schemes led to the creation of the Avengers.

While imprisoned in Asgard, Loki pulled Lava Man to the surface and tricked him into attacking Thor and the world above Earth. However, Lava Man was defeated and returned to Subterrania.

When Thor decided to marry Jane Foster, Odin took away half of his powers and forbade him to leave Asgard. Wanting to take advantage of this, Loki restored the memory of Zarrko, the Man from the Future, who immediately went back in time to fight Thor. He was defeated, surrendered and agreed to return with Zarrko to the 23rd century as his slave. Thor helped Zarrko seize power in the 23rd century, but was able to free himself and return to his own time.

Wanting to increase Odin's rejection of Thor's feelings for the human woman Jane Foster, Loki carried out several intrigues with her participation and willingly helped destroy their relationship. For example, it is known that Loki convinced the Enchantress to go to Earth and seduce Thor. When Odin went to put an end to the affair himself, Loki attempted to seize the throne by unleashing the giant Skagg and the demon Surtur on Earth in the hopes that they would defeat the Asgardians. Loki's plan failed, and as punishment he was given into the service of the trolls.

Among the "fruits" of Loki's other intrigues on Earth was the human criminal Carl "Crusher" Creel, who was transformed by sorcery into the superhuman Devourer and became one of the most persistent mortal enemies of the God of Thunder. Around this time, Loki had a hand in awakening the Destroyer. He even tried to pit Odin and Thor against each other in order to steal the enchanted hammer Mjolnir.

Returning to Asgard, Loki was again condemned to punishment and exile. However, despite his hatred of Thor and Odin, he helped defend Asgard from Surtur and his Fire Demons - out of pure selfishness, as he wanted to rule everything that Surtur would destroy.

Ragnarok

It was prophesied that Loki would lead the enemies of Asgard into the "Eternal Realm" and help them destroy it in the final battle known as Ragnarok, sometimes also called the "Twilight of the Gods."

Loki fulfilled the prophecy and pitted the enemies of Asgard against its inhabitants. In this battle, all participants fell, and it was discovered that the series of births, lives and deaths of Asgardians constituted a repeating cycle, controlled by beings called "Those who watch from the shadows". Thor was able to break this endless cycle. All the inhabitants of Asgard fell in this final Ragnarok, except Thor, who disappeared into a deep sleep. This time, however, Those Who Watch from the Shadows shared their fate and could no longer revive them.

Loki the woman

When Thor returned, he began to look for other inhabitants of Asgard. After finding Heimdall and the Warriors Trinity, he increased his efforts. Heimdall directed him to the southwest, where dozens of people were being held captive by the Destroyer. Loki gathered all his former Asgardian allies, Thor fell into a trap, and they all regained their former powers. Loki, during these adventures, carried out self-rebirth and became a woman. She announced that now that Ragnarok has happened, she has no more plans. Time will tell if her desire for power has truly dried up.

After telling Balder that he would never lie again, Loki continued to gain the trust of the Asgardians by revealing that he too was the son of Odin, like Thor. Balder did not believe this at first, but when Thor confirmed these words, he began to consider Loki worthy of trust. During the Skrull invasion, he was able to convince a crowd of Asgardians that Beta Ray Bill was a Skrull in disguise.

Dark Reign

Loki joined the Cabal group.

He traveled back in time to engineer the death of Bor, Odin's father and first king of Asgard, in a battle with the Ice Giants and ensure his own destiny.

In the present time, Loki revived Bor in New York, but enchanted him so that he considered everyone he saw as enemies and attacked them. Bor was even more upset that since his son was unable to resurrect him, it means that he died in battle. When Thor arrived at the place, Bor, who was under the spell of Loki, perceived him as a monster. Sensing the power of Odin in the one he considered a monster, Bor attacked Thor, seeking to avenge his son. While Thor and Bor were fighting, Loki informed Balder about Bor, and together they rushed to New York so that Thor would not kill Bor (Thor had not met his grandfather before and did not know who he was). They arrived too late: Thor was forced to kill Bor in fear that the entire planet would be destroyed in their battle. Loki then reminded Balder that the resurrected Bor was technically the king of Asgard when Thor killed him, and that the punishment for killing the king was exile. Balder was forced to agree. After Thor's expulsion, Loki addressed the outraged Asgardians and arranged for all of them (but not Asgard himself) to move to Latveria by invitation.

Loki and Balder attended a dinner hosted by Doctor Doom to celebrate the Asgardians' settlement in Latveria. She was taken by surprise by Balder's insistence that since they had left Asgard, Thor should be allowed to join them. Loki managed to calm Balder before he offended Doom too much. She later appeared to Blake and Thor, saying that she would soon return to her male form, and that he "only now" realized that his body was destined for Sif. Loki explained that after Ragnarok, when the Asgardians fell into the bodies of people, Sif's soul ended up in the body of a dying man. When Thor called for the Asgardians to gather, Sif's body was too weak to hear him. When Thor summoned all the inhabitants of Asgard, Sif's body was created, but the soul could not inhabit it, so the body went looking for the disembodied soul and came across Loki. Loki stated that changing from a woman to a man would most likely kill Sif's body and insisted that Blake and Thor find her and say goodbye.

After the Hood was defeated by Doctor Strange, Brother Voodoo and the Son of Satan, Loki offered him a second chance. She gave him the Norn Stones, Asgardian artifacts that she had used before, to help him regain his powers.

Mighty Avengers

Loki took on the astral form of the Scarlet Witch and recruited a team of Avengers to fight the Elder God Chthon. The Avengers, unaware of Loki's trick, followed the instructions of this "pseudo-Wanda". Its purpose was to unsettle Norman Osborn. Loki hoped to "create cracks in Osborn's armor" and gradually "expand" them through the Mighty Avengers. Pietro Maximoff, although he wanted to meet and talk with his sister, joined the Mighty Avengers after going around the whole world in search of her.

However, Loki began to notice that Pietro and Cassie were beginning to pose a threat to his plans, as they sincerely believed that she was Wanda. The latter also wanted to avenge her father's death. She tried to eliminate Pietro by disrupting communications when he and the US Agent from Tibet signaled for help, hoping that they would die. Cassie caught her doing this and tried to warn the others, but Loki used a spell to prevent her from speaking ill of “Wanda.” She then appeared to Henry Pym, speaking to him on behalf of the Wasp, to convince him to expel Cassie from the team. Pym was eager to give everyone a second chance after their escape from the Fantastic Four.

Loki soon became fed up with Cassie when she tricked the Young Avengers into summoning the "Scarlet Witch" to Avengers Mansion using Wiccan magic; Loki appeared there in his guise. However, Clint Barton also turned out to be cunning, and after kissing Loki, he concluded that she was not Wanda. The Wiccan used a spell to dispel Loki's deception and force her to create barriers preventing her from being summoned again, and this required removing the spell from Cassie.

Death

Loki tricked Norman Osborn into leading his Avengers and M.O.L.O.T. to attack Asgard to return it to its rightful place in the Nine Realms. However, he underestimated the destructive power of the Sentry, who succumbed to the whispers of his other personality, the Gloom. When he led the real Avengers to defend Asgard, Osborn ordered the Darkness to strike with all his might, and Asgard was destroyed. Seeing where his plan led, Loki prayed to Odin for help, used the Norn Stones to aid the Avengers against the Darkness, and was killed by him in front of a stunned Thor. “I'm sorry, brother,” were his last words.

Before his death, Loki planned to break free from the shackles of fate and be reborn as a completely new Child-Loki. However, having died at the hands of Darkness, he died forever, and no new Loki will become the original one.

Loki's abilities

Despite being a Frost Giant, Loki has the properties of an Asgardian.

Superhuman strength: Loki, without any adaptations, simply due to biology, has superhuman strength that significantly exceeds the strength of the average Asgardian male. Its strength is enough to lift up to 50 tons. He can probably temporarily increase it with mystical spells. Like Thor, he has recently been credited with greater "innate" strength than originally. One day he destroyed a large building with one blow.

Superhuman body tissue density: Like all Asgardians, Loki's body tissue density is approximately three times higher than that of humans. Although it does not appear large, the greater density of its body causes it to weigh several hundred pounds more than its appearance would suggest. This increased density also gives him some of his superhuman strength.

Superhuman Vitality: Loki's body tissues have superhuman strength, similar to that of the average Asgardian male. However, sometimes Loki, thanks to magic, could withstand injuries that would be fatal to another Asgardian. It can withstand hits from large caliber bullets, falls from great heights, powerful impacts, extremely high and extremely low temperatures, and hits from powerful pulses of energy without damage. In the past, he has proven durable enough to withstand energy blasts from the Mandarin's Rings and several punches from Spider-Man without batting an eyelid.

Accelerated regeneration: Like all Asgardians, Loki, despite his inhuman durability (by human standards), can still be injured. However, like all Asgardians, his metabolism allows him to repair damaged tissue much faster and to a greater extent than ordinary people. Magical energies have so permeated his body that he can reattach several lost limbs, and even when he was a man, he at least once returned a severed head to its place.

Superhuman endurance: Frost Giant physiology gives Loki superhuman endurance in almost everything. He can physically exhaust himself as much as possible for about a day, and only then does fatigue begin to affect him. Loki can also increase his endurance with the help of magic, as well as his physical strength and vitality.

Superhuman longevity: Like all Asgardians, Loki ages much more slowly than humans. However, he is not completely immune to aging (unlike representatives of other pantheons, such as Olympians, who completely stop aging at a certain point). Although he was recently "reborn", he retained the memory of his previous life. His actual age is several millennia, but he looks the same and is as strong as a young Asgardian male in his prime. Loki is immune to all known earthly diseases and infections.

Witchcraft: Loki is capable of generating and directing a huge number of magical effects for all sorts of purposes; for example, strengthen your body (speed, strength, endurance), but only temporarily. In terms of magical abilities, he is equal to Karnilla, the most skilled sorceress in the Asgardian dimension. Loki has telekinesis and is able to influence the movement of objects and people using his mind; this force turned out to be destructive and chaotic. He is known to be able to fire powerful shock beams, create highly durable force fields, impart superhuman properties to living beings or inanimate objects, and teleport himself or others to other dimensions. He can bring inanimate objects to life or mystically give objects or beings specific powers (temporarily). For example, he increased the power of the human criminals Cobra and Sandu. This magic only works while he is channeling the corresponding spell. Loki also once cursed Deadpool by giving him Tom Cruise's indestructible face. It withstood train travel and direct contact with a nuclear rod without receiving the slightest scratch. He also once magically directed the Invisible Woman’s psionic shields against herself. The Silver Surfer, during a long-ago meeting, assessed Loki's power as sufficient to wipe out the entire population of the planet.

Psionics: Loki has demonstrated powerful psionic abilities, the limits of which are unknown. He can telepathically transmit thoughts over vast distances and is a powerful hypnotist. He is able to telepathically communicate with living beings, and this ability is enhanced with beings who serve him.

Werewolf: Like some other gods and goddesses, Loki has the advanced ability to change shape. He can take on almost any form, be it animals, other humanoids, or even inanimate objects. It has been suggested that his current form is just a guise that Loki has chosen to remain in. Despite this, Loki noted to himself (when trying to escape Dormammu's mystical cage) that this was his most "soul-costly" power. Apparently, this means that it requires more than his other magical abilities. He turned into animals - a snake, an eagle, a mouse and a bee, and in these forms he had all their natural properties. While Loki can take on the appearance of another god, giant, or human, he does not necessarily gain the special physical or mental powers of the creature he imitates. In addition, Loki can use magic to change the appearance of foreign objects and substances. For example, he turned clouds into dragons and cars into ice cream.

Brilliant intellect: Loki has a genius-level intellect and has extensive knowledge of the mystic arts. He is extremely skilled and resourceful, an expert in military strategy, and a very skillful and charming manipulator. The latter can be judged by the ease with which Loki many times managed to regain the trust of the Asgardians after all the crimes he committed.

Vserech: Thanks to her, Loki can communicate in all the languages ​​of the Nine Realms, Earth and various alien races.

Experienced fighter: In battle, Loki is a truly formidable opponent, especially if armed with a sword or attacks with energy. He fought alongside Thor many times, and once literally knocked all thoughts of disobedience out of Disir.

Loki's Weaknesses

Limited Magic: It is believed that Loki’s powers in Midgard are at least a little, but weaker than in Asgard, because he was not born from Gaia. Even Odin's magic on Earth was weakening. Also, although Loki has some psychic abilities similar to psionics, Loki cannot directly read the thoughts of other beings or control their actions.

Superiority/inferiority complex: Loki's biggest flaw was his ambition. A passionate hatred of Thor, a thirst for power and a tendency to make enemies with his disgusting actions greatly interfere with the execution of his plans. In addition, as Apocalypse noted, Loki has a poor understanding of human nature, which is why he seriously underestimates his mortal opponents (earthlings) and suffers humiliating defeats.

Loki's Equipment

Loki occasionally uses mystical objects of power such as Norn Stones or rare Asgardian herbs to enhance his own magical abilities. These objects or substances are usually used to enhance his own powers or to bring about a permanent mystical transformation - like the one that gave the Devourer his powers. One day, Loki used the mystical sword Surtur and various Asgardian equipment to turn Thor into a frog, while Loki was in Asgard and Thor was on Earth. When the generator powering the sword's energy was destroyed, Thor returned to his normal form.

Armament: A magical sword known in Norse mythology as Lavatein, meaning "wounding rod".

It has been suggested that since Loki looks like a god and does not have giant features, then his mother was probably a goddess and not a giantess.

The character Loki, based on the traditional God of Deception, appeared in a number of Golden Era comics, unrelated to the Thor storyline. Loki's first appearance in Venus #6 (1949) was seemingly retconned in Journey Into Mystery #85 (1962). In Norse mythology, Loki's appearance is somewhat similar to his appearance in the comics, except that in the myths he wears a black goatee.

Although Loki is one of the most powerful sorcerers in the Marvel Universe, in the original myths his only permanent abilities were werewolf (and this may not have been an innate ability, since some myths explicitly say that he used the skin of an animal to change his appearance), handling fire and creating illusions. Indeed, in Loki's Quarrel (Lokasenna), Loki openly ridiculed Odin for using magic: in the culture of the ancient Norse, male magicians were considered Ergi, unmen.

In Norse mythology, Loki's father is called Farbauti, and his mother is Laufea.

In Norse mythology, Loki was not an obvious villain, unlike in the Marvel Universe.

Worked on the material: Vadim Ilyasov

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Biography

Snorri describes Loki as a handsome, short man. Brother of Odin. Before the giants began the war with the Aesir, Loki lived for three years in Jotunheim with the giantess Angrboda. During this time, she bore him three children: a daughter - half red, half blue Hel (goddess of the kingdom of the dead), the giant serpent Jormungandr and the monstrous wolf Fenrir. He also has two children from Sigyn: Nari and Vali (in other versions: Nari and Narvi, Vali and Tsarvi). In addition, the Song of Hyndla states that Loki gave birth to all the witches by eating the half-burnt heart of an evil woman and thus impregnated them (The Song of Hyndla, 41).

After this, Loki tried to hide, and in the form of a salmon hid in the waterfall of the Franangr fjord. The angry aces caught him and his two children, Vali and Narvi. Vali was turned into a wolf, and he tore his brother into pieces. Loki was tied up with Narvi's intestines and chained to a rock, to three stones. Skadi, avenging her father, hung a snake over his head, the venom of which continuously drips onto Loki's face. But the god’s faithful wife Sigyn holds a cup over him, into which the poison is collected. When the cup overflows, Sigyn goes to empty it, while the poison drips onto Loki's face, and he struggles in agony. This is what legend says is the cause of earthquakes.

On the other hand, the aces often resorted to the services of Loki in cases where it was necessary to show cunning. Loki had the ability to change his appearance. So, in the form of a beautiful mare, he lured a horse named Svadilfari from the jotun mason who was building Asgard, thereby saving the Aesir from the need to give the latter the goddess Freya as his wife. At the same time, Loki became pregnant, after which he carried and gave birth to an eight-legged foal, Sleipnir, which Odin later rode. Thanks to Loki, the Aesir received such treasures as Thor's hammer Mjollnir, Odin's spear Gungnir, the ship Skidbladnir, the ring Draupnir and the boar Gullinbursti.

Origin

Some researchers argue that, being part of the triad of demiurges (Odin, Khenir and Lodur, or Loki), this god originally belonged to the generation of gods that existed before Odin, and was the son of the giant Ymir, and his brothers were Kari (air) and Hler (water), sister - Ran, the terrible goddess of the sea. Other mythologists, however, consider him the son of the giant Farbauti, who was associated with Bergelmir, the only survivor of the flood, and also the son of Lauveya (leafy island) or Nal (ship). In this case, the only thing that connects Loki and Odin is the oath of brotherhood that the Scandinavians swore to each other.

Family

In addition to his marriage to Sigyn, Loki married the giantess Angrboda (the promise of grief), who lives in the Iron Forest and gave birth to three monsters: Hel - the goddess of death, the Midgard serpent Jormungandr and the wolf Fenrir.

Loki is also mistakenly credited with marrying Glut (radiance), who was married to Logi and gave birth to two daughters - Eiza (coal) and Enmira (ash).

Etymology

The question of etymology is not resolved. The most common version is the origin from Old Icelandic luka - « close, lock; end"(possible reference to Loki's role in Ragnarok as a chthonic deity).

Loki in modern culture

Music and theater

• Loki is a character in Richard Wagner's opera Das Rheingold (1869, under the name "Loge").
• Loki is the hero of the song "Loki, God Of Fire" from the album Gods of War group Manowar.
• Loki is the hero of the song “Deceiver of the gods” from album of the same name Swedish Viking metal band Amon Amarth.

• Loki is mentioned in the song Sinew"Charging Loki"

• The Týr group's repertoire includes a shortened version of the skaldic ballad "Lokka Tattur" ("Loki's Tale")

Literature

• Under the influence of Wagner, the novel “Loki” (Loki. Roman eines Gottes, 1899), a kind of “proto-fantasy” based on Scandinavian mythology, was written by the German writer and anthroposophist Ludwig Jacobovsky.
• I. A. Bunin's poem "Balder" is dedicated to the myth of German-Scandinavian mythology, the central character of which is Loki.
• V. Ya. Bryusov's poem "" was addressed to Andrei Bely.
• Loki also appears in modern fantasy, as in person (“A.D. 999” by Jadrien Bell, 1999, “My Ragnarok” by Max Fry, “Certified Sorcerer” by Lion Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt, as well as in Lars-Henrik Olsen’s book “Erik, son of man"), and in reincarnation ("American Gods" by Neil Gaiman and his comic book "Sandman"; "The Mask of Loki", "Love is Imagination" by Roger Zelazny).
• In Yuri Nikitin’s book “Revelation”, Thomas and Oleg, having descended into the Underworld, see Loki chained (as in myths), but in the next book “The Return of Thomas” they meet him among the other gods of Asgard.
• Loki as a Norse god appears in the books "

God Loki is the most mysterious character in Scandinavian mythology, belonging to the caste of Scandinavian aesir gods. Having started his life with innocent pranks, over the years he turned into a cunning and malicious god, capable of reincarnating to achieve his goals. His whole life consists of helping some gods and giants and harming others. Loki is unpredictable in his actions, he is like an element - inseparable from danger and destruction, leading to change and the birth of a new life. Good and evil, death and survival coexist in it at the same time. He is called to help when there is no longer any hope of salvation. And at the same time, knowing no barriers to malicious actions, Loki represents the embodiment of evil, which contributed to the death of the gods and the destruction of the traditional world order.

Loki (god): mythology will tell about his family

His parents are the giant Farbauti and Lauveya (Nal). Scandinavian myths say that Loki had two brothers - Henir and Odin. Loki's first wife was Glut, akin to the element of fire, with whom he had two daughters. The second time he married the giantess Angrbod, from whom three monsters were born - Hel, the goddess of the kingdom of the Dead, the wolf Fenrir and the giant serpent Ermungand. His third wife was the devoted Sigyn, who gave birth to sons Nari and Narvi. Loki also tested himself in the maternal role, turning into a mare, he seduced the stallion Svadilfari, and gave birth to the wonderful eight-legged horse Sleipner, capable of traveling through nine worlds. But Loki did not limit himself to continuing his family line. One of the legends says that he became the progenitor of all witches when he ate the burnt heart of an evil woman, which is why he conceived and gave birth to offspring of witches.

Appearance and character

Loki - a skilled werewolf

Loki is known as the master god of transformation. His unique ability to transform into any animal, change appearance and gender gave rise to the expression “mask of the god Loki.” To accomplish his good and evil plans, he turns into a horse, fish, insects, birds and pinnipeds. But the spider that suits him best is its similar name in Swedish - lockke. To achieve his goal, he often takes on a female form - the goddess Freya, the giantesses Tekk and Angbord, and uses dressing up in women's clothes. Loki's magical attributes are his magical shoes.

God of fire

In one version of the origin of Loki, he is the god of fire. It is believed that his name comes from the word “logi” - fire. Whether this is true or not, in the distant Stone Age people revered Loki as the god of fire. His element was indomitable fire, burning with a bright flame. There is a legend that once the God of Fire Loki staged a competition with his own element - the Spirit of Fire. The essence of it is who will eat more. God himself only managed part of the available food, but the Spirit of Fire grew into a giant and began to eat everything - food, dishes, table, leaving behind only ashes. Loki's first wife when he was the God of Fire was Glut, which means "radiance." She bore him two daughters - Eiza (coal) and Enmira (ash). All family names were closely associated with fire and warmth, so the peasants also revered Loki as the god of the hearth. In a deep sense, Loki was the Light-Bearer God, awakening the divine fire hidden in every earthly creature.

Loki's Habitat

Loki never had a permanent place of residence. He traveled to nine worlds, but was most often found in Jotunheim. In Asgard, for a number of reasons, he appeared very rarely, except when he had a meeting with some ace there. No one knows where he is now, whether he has freed himself from his shackles and left the dark cave, but it is believed that this does not prevent him from reincarnating in another form and traveling in all nine worlds. Even expulsion from Asgard, a cruel punishment that brought deep wounds to body and soul, could not change him. He remained strong, cunning and dangerous to those who did not like him.

Loki in the modern world

People born between January 21 and February 19 are considered to be born in the month of Loki. The insidious deity tries to influence their fate and constantly subjects them to various tests, testing their endurance, honesty and frankness. Those who pass the test with honor are rewarded with various gifts of fate and the fulfillment of desires. If you treat Loki with disdain, you can get all kinds of trouble from him. He can connect his fans to his unquenchable energy and will protect them from deceit, deception and fraud. Although he likes to demand payment for help, so it is better to immediately contact him with a gift. For gifts, he prefers strong alcoholic drinks, candy, pies, funny trinkets, and loud fireworks. Accepts offerings in sizes and prices that a person can afford due to his financial situation. In order for Loki to be kind to you, you should light candles more often and say the words of the spell: “I light the candles, I invite Loki. Lightning and fire, become a mountain for me!”