Loke (or Loki) is often overlooked in popular adaptations of the Norse mythology. He was a giant who spent much time with the gods but also came to be used often as the central mover and catalyst for many of the changes and trouble the gods face.

Together with Thors anger, Loke mischief could be considered the only major force of development in Asgard. He certainly wasn’t a perfect being but, as is often the case with such characters, he was not a completely villainous one as well.

In this collection I will include some stories that I think show a little of both of his sides. In many of the stories from my source, Loke is often portrayed as a complete outsider but, from the way he is often found traveling or dining with the gods, I always got the feeling that he was also accepted by them in a curious way.

One might get the idea that even the virtually supreme gods got something from Loke that they themselves lacked. Perhaps in the same way that small children can lighten the mood at an office or stale dinner party.

The stories I read only mention his emotions when necessary to the action but I thought about how Loke might tell them himself and I figured he might have some things to say about his shabby treatment. I also thought he might have some mixed feelings about the gods themselves. He seemed to, at once, idolize them and loathe them. And that I saw as his central flaw…or virtue, depending on the situation.

So to frame the stories, I chose to let Loke put them into his own words. To give him an audience I put a dwarf in his presence. The dwarf has little to say (as would I in the presence of a giant) but I hope he helps connect the reader to the tale in a way.

The premise is that a woodsman finds Loke years after he has been punished for his eventual outrageous behavior. Chained to the mountain, Loke has had time to reflect on his life and eagerly gives his account.

How Thor Got His Hammer tells of how Loke was ultimately responsible for the greatest weapon of the gods by his own deception. It is hard to imagine Thor without his hammer and without Loke’s character defects it would have never been made.

The Binding of Fenrer is the sad story of the capture and torment of one of Loke’s children, a child that happens to be a ravenous beast all the same.

Idun’s Apples tells of how Loke both exhausted and then saved the youth of the gods. How could the gods doubt Loke’s importance after that?

Loke’s Punishment is the ultimate fate that Loke’s temperament demands and leads directly back to where the dwarf finds Loke at the beginning of the frame.