Faces of Loki 5 – The Fiery-One

 This one is more UPG and PCPG (or commonly accepted UPG) than usual. There’s still some brief reference to the myths and lore, but primarily my personal view point. 

One common connection with Loki is the idea of him being a god of fire. So for this entry in the faces of Loki series, I would like to look at “The fiery one”. And by this I mean many aspects of his fire. From creative spark, to chaos, to rage, to warmth, to passion. To start, because I know someone will mention it, let me address the fact that yes I am aware that the lore does not specifically list him as being a fire god. But, also consider that very few (if any) myths out right say “so-in-so is god of this thing”. We determine what they are gods and goddesses of by what they do and what roles they play in the myths. We say Odin is a god of wisdom. The lore doesn’t say it in that way but, because he is wise and a seeker of wisdom, we call him a “god of wisdom”. In Greek myths they talk about Aphrodite’s beauty and even vanity and again, we humans declare her “goddess of beauty”. So though the myths don’t actually say “Loki is a god of fire”, we can see fire appear in many of his stories, and we can see personality traits that align with common concepts of fire and what it means spiritually. We see fire in the making of the gifts for the gods. And it was Loki who made the dwarf let go of the pump causing the fire to lose its temperature just enough to make the handle on Mjolnir shorter than intended. We also see in the kidnapping of Idunn that the whole ordeal started around a fire to cook meat. In many versions of this story, it was Loki who made the fire. And in some accounts, he was stubbornly determined to tend the fire and make it cook even after Odin said to just forget it and move on. And in that same tale, when bringing Idunn back home, the Aesir light a fire where Loki makes it back in but Thiassi did not. And of course, he was sitting next to a fire when the Aesir came for him to bind him. So we see how actual fire appears in his stories. But what are the fiery personality traits we can find in Loki?  

When I think of Loki’s fire, one of the first things that comes to mind is the “spark” of creativity and innovation. Even that spontaneous “ah ha” moment at times. When he went to the dwarfs to have them make the golden hair for Sif, it suddenly occurred to him he could have gifts made for the other gods as appeasement. And he went about making it happen. Then when it looked like the dwarfs were going to win the wager, he got creative in his thinking on how to stop them from succeeding. Who but Loki would have thought “I’m gonna be a fly and bug him” followed by “ok…bite him!” ? And when he was fleeing from the Aesir and wondering what, if anything, they’d be able to use to catch him, he envisioned a fishing net and then sat down to work to see if a contraption like that could be made. But then there are the aspects of fire itself that can correlate to Loki. In the earliest of days, fire provided light in the dark. Similarly, Loki sheds light on the things we can’t see or refuse to see, or that we try to keep hidden. He helps us see the parts of ourselves that need healing. When we have problems in our lives that we ourselves cause and refuse to fix, Loki helps us see those things. Or else he’ll cause chaos that makes us see it and change, or stay and suffer until we do change. He also helps us see what we need to see in others to move away from toxic relationships and associations. Just consider the flyting at Aegir’s feast. They kept complaining about him and one specific “offense” that Odin himself was guilty of too. And so he shed light on all their secrets. He helps us see these things, both in ourselves and in others, so that we can fix or remove those problems. So in this way, he brings light into our darkness. Another aspect we know of fire is raging wild-fire. This too falls in-line with the idea of Chaos. But consider the word “raging”. Loki can be fire’s rage. While bound to the rock, he shakes the earth writhing in pain, and to break free. And once he is loosed he rides with all of Helheim’s inhabitants to join with Surtr and the riders of Muspell to the final battle against those who put him there. And there they will battle while it all burns. And so, this too is part of Loki’s fire. Loki also has a fiery passion for life and living, and love & “passion”. A lot of this part is purely UPG. But it is common belief that Loki, and most all Jotun types, love music and dance. Loki is known as a trickster, and some view him as a bit of prankster and practical joker. This is part of his passion for life. As for the passion of lovers, the lore tells us he is pleasing to look at and quite sought after by the ladies. I guess one could say that Loki’s fire is hot in two ways. Lol. And finally, fire is warm and comforting. For many who hold Loki as patron, he is warm, loving, and comforting to us. He is an outcast. And as such, he tends to be a source of comfort and acceptance for humans who are outcast or shunned, or different in some way. He has been a source of comfort and inspiration to the abused, the bullied, the LGBTQ+ community, the disabled, the neuro-divergent, the lonely. The list goes on. And he is a comfort, a friend, and even a parental type to many people in all walks of life.  And that is the warm, comforting fire that he brings.  Like a hearth and home for the lost.

There are many more aspects of Loki and of Fire. And many more ways they can be seen as correspondence or representative of each other. But these are the ones that stand out to me the most. And to be honest, they are so mingled and yet fluctuating in his spirit, that I don’t believe I could ever pick a favorite aspect of “The Fiery-One”. Because just like us, he is all these things. 

Hail Fiery One! Hail Loki !