The Prose Edda on Loke

The Younger Edda: > Snorre'S Edda, Or The Prose Edda. > Preface.

• attestation: At Ragnarok, Loke advances with the Fenris-wolf, the Midgard-serpent (his children), the giants, and Surt

  "Loke advances with the Fenris-wolf and the Midgard-serpent, his own children, with all the hosts of the giants, and with Surt"

• relationship: The Fenris-wolf and the Midgard-serpent are identified as the children of Loke

  "the Fenris-wolf and the Midgard-serpent, his own children"

The Younger Edda: > Chapter Ix. > Loke And His Offspring.

• attestation: Loke (or Lopt) is fair of face but evil in disposition, fickle-minded, and surpasses others in cunning

  "His name is Loke, or Lopt. His father is the giant Farbaute, but his mother's name is Laufey, or Nal"

• relationship: Loke's brothers are Byleist and Helblinde

  "His brothers are Byleist and Helblinde"

• relationship: Loke's wife is Sygin, and their son is Nare or Narfe

  "His wife hight Sygin, and their son, Nare, or Narfe"

• relationship: With the giantess Angerboda in Jotunheim, Loke begat three children: the Fenris-wolf, Jormungand (Midgard-serpent), and Hel

  "A giantess in Jotunheim, hight Angerboda. With her he begat three children. The first was the Fenris-wolf; the second, Jormungand, that is, the Midgard-serpent, and the third, Hel"

• relationship: Loke's father is the giant Farbaute and his mother is Laufey (also called Nal)

  "His father is the giant Farbaute, but his mother's name is Laufey, or Nal"

The Younger Edda: > Chapter Xiii. > Odin'S Horse And Frey'S Ship.

• attestation: The gods unanimously blamed Loke for advising them to accept the builder's terms

  "all agreed that this must have been advised by him who gives the most bad counsels, namely, Loke, son of Laufey"

• attestation: The gods threatened Loke with death if he could not prevent the builder from fulfilling the bargain

  "they threatened him with a cruel death if he could not contrive some way of preventing the builder from fulfilling his part of the bargain"

• attestation: Loke caused a mare to lure away the builder's horse Svadilfare, wasting the final night of work

  "a mare suddenly ran out of the woods to the horse and began to neigh at him. The steed, knowing what sort of horse this was, grew excited, burst the reins asunder and ran after the mare"

• attestation: Loke bore an eight-legged gray foal after his encounter with Svadilfare, the best horse among gods and men

  "Loke had run such a race with Svadilfare that he some time after bore a foal. It was gray, and had eight feet, and this is the best horse among gods and men"

The Younger Edda: > Chapter Xiv. > Thor'S Adventures.

• attestation: Loke competed in an eating contest against Loge; both ate to the middle of the trough but Loge consumed flesh, bones, and trough while Loke ate only flesh

  "Loke had eaten all the flesh off from the bones, but Loge had consumed both the flesh and the bones, and the trough too. All agreed that Loke had lost the wager."

• attestation: Loke's eating opponent Loge was actually wildfire, which burned trough and meat alike

  "he whose name was Loge was wildfire, and he burned the trough no less rapidly than the meat."

The Younger Edda: > Chapter Xv. > The Death Of Balder.

• attestation: Loke was punished for causing Balder's death and preventing his release from Hel

  "A very great wrong did Loke perpetrate; first of all in causing Balder's death, and next in standing in the way of his being loosed from Hel. Did he get no punishment for this misdeed?"

• attestation: Loke hid in a rock house with four doors for outlook, transforming into a salmon in Frananger Force during daytime

  "he ran away and hid himself in a rock. Here he built a house with four doors, so that he might keep an outlook on all sides. Oftentimes in the daytime he took on him the likeness of a salmon and concealed himself in Frananger Force."

• attestation: Loke invented the fishing net by working flax and yarn into meshes, but burned it when the asas approached

  "he took flax and yarn and worked them into meshes, in the manner that nets have since been made; but a fire was burning before him."

• attestation: Loke will remain bound until Ragnarok

  "There he will lie bound until Ragnarok."

• attestation: The fetters binding Loke across the three rocks turned to iron, with rocks under his shoulders, loins, and hams

  "the asas bound Loke over the three rocks. One stood under his shoulders, another under his loins, and the third under his hams, and the fetters became iron."

• relationship: Loke's sons were Vale and Nare (or Narfe)

  "Loke's sons, Vale and Nare or Narfe."

The Younger Edda: > Chapter Xvi. > Ragnarok.

• attestation: Loke and Hrym come to the plain Vigrid with all the frost-giants and friends of Hel

  "To this place have also come Loke and Hrym, and with him all the frost-giants. In Loke's company are all the friends of Hel"

• attestation: Loke fights with Heimdal and they kill each other

  "Loke fights with Heimdal, and they kill each other"

The Younger Edda: > Chapter Ii. > Idun And Her Apples.

• attestation: Loke struck the eagle with a pole but it stuck to both the eagle's body and Loke's hands

  "he grasped a large pole, raised it with all his might and dashed it at the body of the eagle. The eagle shook himself after the blow and flew up. One end of the pole fastened itself to the body of the eagle, and the other end stuck to Loke's hands"

• attestation: The eagle (Thjasse) demanded Loke pledge to bring Idun and her apples out of Asgard as ransom for his freedom

  "the latter declares that Loke shall never get free unless he will pledge himself to bring Idun and her apples out of Asgard"

• attestation: Loke lured Idun into a forest with a false story about superior apples, and the giant Thjasse in eagle form seized her

  "Loke coaxed Idun out of Asgard into a forest, saying that he had found apples that she would think very nice, and he requested her to take with her her own apples in order to compare them. Then came the giant Thjasse in the guise of an eagle, seized Idun and flew away with her to his home in Thrymheim"

• attestation: The gods threatened Loke with death or torture and he promised to rescue Idun using Freyja's falcon-guise

  "Loke was seized and brought into the council, and he was threatened with death or torture. But he became frightened, and promised to bring Idun back from Jotunheim if Freyja would lend him the falcon-guise that she had"

• attestation: Loke turned Idun into the likeness of a nut and flew back with her in his claws

  "Loke turned her into the likeness of a nut, held her in his claws and flew with all his might"

The Younger Edda: > Chapter Iii. > How Njord Got Skade To Wife.

• attestation: As part of the settlement, the gods had to make Skade laugh; Loke tied a goat's beard to his own scrotum

  "Then Loke tied one end of a string fast to the beard of a goat and the other around his own body"

The Younger Edda: > Chapter Iv. > Thor'S Journey To Geirrod'S.

• attestation: Loke was captured by Geirrod while flying in Frigg's falcon-guise; Geirrod starved him for three months

  "he, out of curiosity, flew into Geirrodsgard, where he saw a large hall"

• attestation: Geirrod released Loke only when Loke swore to bring Thor to Geirrodsgard without his weapons

  "Loke confessed who he was, and to save his life he swore an oath to Geirrod that he would get Thor to come to Geirrodsgard without his hammer or his belt of strength"

• attribution: Thor's Drapa identifies Loke as 'the Midgard-serpent's father' and 'a great liar' who exhorted Thor to visit Geirrod

  "The Midgard-serpent's father exhorted Thor, the victor of giants, To set out from home. A great liar was Loke."

The Younger Edda: > Chapter Iv. > Idun.

• attestation: Loke struck Thjasse with a rod that stuck fast, binding Loke to the giant who carried him away through the air

  "Loke the hard rod laid 'Twixt the shoulders Of the giant Thjasse."

• attestation: Loke flew in falcon guise to retrieve Idun while Thjasse pursued in eagle form; the gods built a fire that scorched the giant

  "The friend of Honer flew In the guise of a falcon (He often deceived the asas with his cunning); And the strong fraudulent giant, The father of Morn, With the wings of the eagle Sped after the hawk's child."

The Younger Edda: > Chapter Iv. > Loke'S Wager With The Dwarfs.

• attestation: Loke cut all the hair off Sif; Thor seized him and would have broken every bone had Loke not pledged to get golden hair made

  "Loke Laufey's son had once craftily cut all the hair off Sif; but when Thor found it out he seized Loke, and would have broken every bone in him, had he not pledged himself with an oath to get the swarthy elves to make for Sif a hair of gold that should grow like other hair."

• attestation: Loke wagered his head with dwarf Brok that Brok's brother Sindre could not make three equally good treasures

  "Loke wagered his head with the dwarf, who hight Brok, that his brother Sindre would not be able to make three other treasures equally as good as these were."

• attestation: A fly (Loke in disguise) stung Brok while he worked the bellows, trying to sabotage the creation of the treasures

  "a fly lighted on his hand and stung him; but he kept on blowing as before until the smith had taken the work out of the furnace."

• attestation: Since Loke claimed the wager was for his head but not his neck, and he escaped with magic shoes, Brok sewed Loke's lips shut with thread called Vartare

  "The thread with which the mouth of Loke was sewed together is called Vartare (a strap)."

The Younger Edda: > Chapter Iv. > The Niflungs And Gjukungs.

• attestation: Loke boasted of securing both an otter and a salmon with one stone throw

  "Loke bragged of his chase, for he had secured an otter and a salmon with one throw."

• attestation: Loke was pleased by Andvare's curse and intended to pass it along to the next recipient

  "Loke replied that he was glad of this, and said that all should be fulfilled according to his prophecy: he would take care to bring the curse to the ears of him who was to receive it."