Nordic Wiccan: Loki

Loki (Loke, Lopt, Laugatjanaz) is a tricky, complex and cunning Giant or God. He has a chapter in my new book, "Your Divine Friends", in Lulu Publishing. He is said to be quite fair in appearance, but fickle in manner, with a heart full of chaos and a dark side. In the earlier myths, he is presented as being less-than-malicious in his tomfoolery and even helpful in some situations. In the instances when he would get the Gods in trouble, he would get them back out of trouble and in many cases he would put them in an even better situation than they were before. But Loki grows progressively more unpleasant and is directly responsible for the death of Balder, the God of light.

Loki's rule is about self-knowledge. He is known for bringing about chaos and discord, but by challenging the Gods, he also brings about change. Without Loki's influence, the Gods may become complacent, so Loki does serve a worthwhile purpose, much as Coyote does in the Native American tales or Anansi, the spider in African lore. Look honestly at yourself no matter what you show others. He is appealed to for tricks, humor, fire, chaos, lawyers and conflicts. Or honor him by doing something difficult without expectation of reward or thanks. But his energy can shift, so be careful.

Correspondences:

Altar: upon a cloth place three red candles, a stone with the rune Kaunaz carved into it, the figure of a mare, the figure of a bird, two small round stones and a chain

Color: black, red

Day: Saturday

Element: Fire

Incense: dragon’s blood, pepper, yew

Offerings: examine yourself for how you manipulate others, even for their own good, or with truthful means

Plant: beech, blackthorn, elder, elm, ivy, juniper, mullein, thistle, willow, yew

Pronunciation: 'Low-key' (Loki)

Rulership: cunning, dark magic, deceit, fires, shape shift, revenge, thieves, trickery, wit

Runes: Kaunaz, Naudiz, Thurisaz

Stone: black agate, jet, lead, obsidian, onyx

Symbol: snake, fire, salmon, fly

http://img08.deviantart.net/a8c4/i/2011/185/3/0/loki___the_end_is_here_by_ladynorthstar-d3kzjpo.png

To Loki
Jordsvin

Loki, Lord of every guile
Leave us here in peace a while;
here's a drink, great Cosmic jester;
find some other folks to pester !

Loki, master of all guile
Handsome son of Leafy Isle
And Farbauti's bairn forbodin'
Thou blood-brother of great Odin!
Here's a toast to your word-might;
Now go torment some other wight !

Loki´s Loose
David Hoyt Johnson

It is the silence first who is aware of the waking,
one thousand years they have slept,
safe in Valhalla's chambers,
comforted in the warm embrace of snow's cover

Each stretch is bellowed to the valley below
like cats rising from a warm nap they reach,
extremities tingle as strong hearts regain tempo,
clear eyes snap open...

Odin's thunderous step echoes in majestic halls
as he seeks his companions from their rest he does call,
from room beyond he hears Thor's hammer tested upon granite
in distant land a machine records the tremor.

Rejoined again they stand upon balcony firm
arctic winds tear at their leathered faces
cold eyes stare at the world beyond
a world that has changed

In vast cities of concrete and stone
swarms of people scurry about
yet each is alone in the crowds,
they know not the scent of their brother.

It is Thor who points to the sluggish men
as they sit in their little tin boxes
with the effort of a babe they speed faster
in this game of children that they play

He is bewildered at homes they enter with pride
built not with their hands and sweat,
but the hands of strangers they will never know,
indebted till death to the money changers

It is the women whom Odin does watch,
trying to be equal to the foolishment of men
castrating lovers like tramps in the taverns
then wondering why they sleep in cold beds.

He marvels at the lies, spoken freely as fast
before the alters of their Gods
and laughs at the confusion
when all falls apart.

With words not spoken both Odin and Thor
return to their chambers in a time long before,
for they know in their hearts born of wisdom and time
that this too will soon crumble, and men will be men.

Loki
Galina Krasskova

Oh my beloved God,
You have feasted upon my heart.
You have devoured it,
as though it were the sweetest of fruits.
My fine and feral God:
savage and sensual all at once;
compassionate and cruel,
my heart was ever too small a thing
to hold the secrets You whispered in the dark
and far too small for Your brother’s furious thunder.

I have danced in Your flame.
I have made my bed in its sweetness.
I have felt its bite and its silken caress.
You have ridden the pulsing gallop of my heart beat,
swam the rivers of my blood.
I have poisoned myself with you,
my Intoxication, my Addition, my God.
Nowhere could I flee, if ever I wished to flee
from the implacable heat of Your presence.
Loki, before even Odin there was You.
And in my heart, some halls remain hidden for You alone.

https://shellirosewarne.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/loki-sons.jpg

Pass It On
Michaela Macha

It only takes a spark
To set a fire going,
And soon all those around you
Will flare up in its glowing;
That's how it is with Loki´s laugh.
Once you've experienced it,
You spread his laugh to everyone,
You want to pass it on.

What a wondrous time is Ragnarök
When all the bonds are bursting,
The serpent starts to sing,
the wolves begin their howling;
That's how it is with Loki´s laugh.
Once you've experienced it,
You want to sing, it's fresh like spring,
You want to pass it on.

I wish for you, my friends,
This madness that I've found,
You can depend on him,
It matters not that he is bound.
I'll shout it from the mountain's cave - Hail Loki!
I want Midgard to know
The Lord of Laughs has come over me,
I want to pass it on.

Hearth Fire
K. C. Hulsman

Hail be to thee Loki,
God of my heart,
Dear friend and mentor,
whispering wisdom
and bald truths.

When I find myself lost
On serpentine paths
Mired in brambles,
Eclipsed by fog and shadow,
You guide me through
back to the crossroads.

Hearth fire,
Sturdy stone,
Flickering flame;
You, dear Loki,
Beckon me home.

So do I hail!

Loki, Lover of Misfits
Laura Patsouris

Loki, lover of misfits,
walker in liminal spaces,
I turn to You.
Be my strength when I am weak,
and love me in my brokenness.
Help me to see myself as You do,
and to rise above the limitations society would put
on human expression and diversity.

Help me to know the sacredness of the outcast and the truth-teller.
Help me to turn what society sees as weakness into my greatest strengths,
and help me to never forget what it was like to be shunned.
Help me to provide safe harbor
for all the other misfits, outcasts and tired travelers
who walk Your winding road.
Hail Loki!

With the onset of Ragnarok, Loki is foretold to slip free from his bonds and to fight against the Gods among the forces of the jotnar (giants). At which time he will encounter the God Heimdall, and the two will slay each other. At The End of the World Ragnarok, the stars will fall from the sky, the sun will be eaten, and the sea will swallow the Earth.