Loki then and now: the trickster against civilization

ABSTRACT

Loki, one of the most mischievous of the Norse gods, is a classic Trickster figure. This mythological character is difficult to define but is an archetype that Jung himself explored. The Trickster can be understood not only as a part of the Jungian individuation process, but also, from an anthropological perspective, as a metaphor for change, embodying the dynamics between the personal and the systemic. Mythological narratives featuring Loki portray him as a figure that frequently challenges the civilising forces of society, a challenge that can lead to either destruction or renewal for the society in question. More recently, however, the character of Loki has been revived as part of a Hollywood film franchise featuring a number of the comic book giant Marvel’s characters. This highly profitable enterprise, includes contemporary versions of other members of the Norse pantheon including Thor, Odin and Frigg, but Loki, as played by Tom Hiddleston, has proved a particularly popular character with the fans. This paper examines the history of Loki in the Icelandic Edda as well as the Hollywood commodification of the character in order to explore the psychological importance of the Trickster for the contemporary individual.

KEYWORDS:

• The trickster
• Marvel
• Loki
• the Avengers, Edda, individuation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Helena Bassil-Morozow is a cultural philosopher and media scholar, lecturing at Glasgow Caledonian University. Her many publications include ‘Tim Burton: The Monster and the Crowd’ (Routledge, 2010), ‘The Trickster in Contemporary Film’ (Routledge, 2011), ‘The Trickster and the System: Identity and Agency in Contemporary Society’ (Routledge, 2014) and ‘Jungian Film Studies: the Essential Guide’ (Routledge, 2016; co-authored with Luke Hockley).

Notes

1. A Google key word search for ‘Loki’ immediately suggests ‘fan fiction’, ‘fanart’ and ‘poledancing’ as further search terms, with a long list of possible sites to follow up for all three. The ‘pole dancing’ association stems from a scene in Thor, where Loki uses a spear stuck into the ground as leverage during an attack against his brother.