fandomhigh | Gods & Monsters: Divine Trickery, Friday, Second Period.

"Right. So. Loki. If you have to pick a god to go on a bender with and be able to get you both out of jail in the morning, he's not the worst choice," John began as the class got settled. "Willing to get both of you out? That's up in the air. He can, it's a question of if he will."

"Because like most tricksters, Loki's a shapeshifter, but he's more versatile than most. Male, female, a fish, a mare, a fly... Loki's a clever shit who always has at least two ways out of a situation. More, if he caused the situation in the first place, which is most of the time. Hell, even referring to Loki as 'him' isn't the most accurate, even though it's most often used, because Loki is perfectly comfortable no matter what gender is being presented. Loki has both 'fathered' and 'mothered' -- yes, actually birthed -- other gods, which tells you how detailed his shifting abilities are, and how far Loki go to achieve a goal."

"Loki's relation with mortals and gods varies by source; Loki sometimes assists the gods, and sometimes is a malicious arsehole, just because he feels like it. He likes poking holes in inflated egos, which is always needed around the godly-types. Mind you, all of Loki's positive relations with the gods end with his role in engineering the death of the god Baldr, and Loki is eventually bound by Váli with the entrails of one of his sons, to have poison dripped on to his face and await the end of the world. And yet. Despite his story having an 'end,' somehow he keeps popping up."

"Tricksters, yeah? Even if you think they're somewhere else, they're probably still meddling."

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Like it's Ragnarök

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So, in the poem Þrymskviða, Thor wakes and finds that his powerful hammer, Mjöllnir, is missing. Thor turns to Loki first, and tells him that nobody knows that the hammer has been stolen. The two then go to the court of the goddess Freyja, and Thor asks her if he may borrow her feather cloak so that he may attempt to find Mjöllnir. Freyja agrees, and Loki flies off in it to hunt down the hammer.

In Jötunheimr, the jötunn Þrymr sits on a burial mound, doing some arts and crafts. Þrymr sees Loki, and asks what could be amiss among the Æsir and the Elves; why is Loki alone in the Jötunheimr? Because this is NOT generally a place the 'good' gods hang out. Loki responds that he has bad news for both the elves and the Æsir: that Thor's hammer, Mjöllnir, is gone. Þrymr says that he has hidden Mjöllnir eight leagues beneath the earth, from which it will be retrieved if the goddess Freyja is brought to him as his wife. Loki flies off, the feather cloak whistling, away from Jötunheimr and back to the court of the gods.

Thor asks Loki if his efforts were successful, and that Loki should tell him while he's still in the air as "tales often escape a sitting man, and the man lying down often barks out lies." Loki states that it was indeed an effort, and also a success, for he has discovered that Þrymr has the hammer, but that it cannot be retrieved unless Freyja is brought to Þrymr as his wife. The two return to Freyja, and tell her to dress herself in a bridal head dress, as they will drive her to Jötunheimr. Freyja, indignant and angry, goes into a rage, causing all of the halls of the Æsir to tremble in her anger, and her necklace, the famed Brísingamen, falls from her. Freyja pointedly refuses and fucks off, leaving everyone else to figure it out.

As a result, the gods and goddesses meet and hold a thing to discuss and debate the matter. At the thing, the god Heimdallr puts forth the suggestion that, in place of Freyja, Thor should be dressed as the bride, complete with jewels, a bridal head-dress, and the necklace Brísingamen. Thor rejects the idea, and Loki interjects that this will be the only way to get back Mjöllnir, and points out that without Mjöllnir, the jötnar will be able to invade and settle in Asgard. The gods dress Thor as a bride, and Loki states that he will go with Thor as his maid, and off they go.

After riding together in Thor's goat-driven chariot, the two, disguised, arrive in Jötunheimr. Þrymr commands the jötnar in his hall to spread straw on the benches, for Freyja has arrived to be his wife. Þrymr recounts his treasured animals and objects, stating that Freyja was all that he was missing in his wealth. Because he's a git that thinks a goddess is property. He's lucky Freyja didn't show up herself to deal with him.

Early in the evening, the Loki and Thor meet with Þrymr and the assembled jötnar. Thor eats and drinks ferociously, consuming entire animals and three casks of mead. Þrymr finds the behaviour at odds with his impression of Freyja, and Loki, sitting before Þrymr and appearing as a "very shrewd maid", makes the excuse that "Freyja's" behaviour is due to her having not consumed anything for eight entire days before arriving due to her eagerness to arrive. Þrymr then lifts "Freyja's" veil and wants to kiss "her" until catching the terrifying eyes staring back at him, seemingly burning with fire. Loki states that this is because "Freyja" had not slept for eight nights in her eagerness.

The jötnar bring out Mjöllnir to "sanctify the bride", to lay it on her lap, and marry the two by "the hand" of the goddess Vár. Thor laughs when he sees the hammer, takes hold of it, strikes Þrymr, beats all of the jötnar, and goes home.

So, it's theoretically a story about Thor, but without Loki, nothing would have been accomplished. Of course, there's the question about how Þrymr got his grubby paws on it in the first place...if he didn't recognize Thor, it's doubtful he did the stealing himself... what do you think? Was it circumstance that Loki 'happened' to be the first person Thor saw, or is it plausible Loki set the whole thing up, just for fun?

Edited 2019-07-26 19:41 (UTC)