Examining the individual gods in the story gives us new respect for how similar Greek and Norse myths are. Many elements and qualities of Prometheus in Greek mythology and Loki in Norse mythology are the same. They both behave in the same way because they are both their own mythical scammers. For example, Prometheus is a wise and intelligent Titan and he is the son of the giants Iapetus and Klymene (Kanareva 139).
Prometheus used his ingenuity to offend the gods, especially Zeus. Prometheus, along with Hermes, is considered one of the most important tricksters in Greek mythology. However, in some reports, he behaves like a more heroic figure. Despite the fact that he was considered cunning, his actions were not selfish. Its purpose was to alleviate the human predicament. Prometheus suffered a lot from his deeds and so did Loki.
When we think of Norse mythological tricksters, we think of Loki. He is the son of a giant but lives among the gods of Asgard. Loki caused many problems to the gods during his tenure in Asgard, “…a trickster figure, a thief and a slander, abusing the gods and putting them into jeopardy by his mischief, but also saving them through his cunning” (Willis 195). At this point, Loki is chained to a rock where snakes drip deadly poison. In this example, Loki has been conquered and only his loyal wife is present to prevent the poison from dripping onto him and killing him.
In comparative mythology, Norse mythological Loki is often compared to the cunning Prometheus, but the two trickster gods have little in common. Titan is the god of blacksmiths, craftsmen, and the creators of mankind. Loki is a god of shameful deeds, and he is responsible for the manifestations of evil. Loki shows through many anecdotes how he manipulates seemingly impossible situations. Thor should be invincible in a drinking and wrestling match, but Loki magically changes his perception and forces him to admit defeat. When Loki lets Thor drink the sea and fight his old age, he urges him to set his own limits. For Freyja, it is supposed to be impossible to become a giant’s wife or to break Sir’s vow. Instead of breaking the social etiquette of this tightly-knit vow, Loki devises a plan to keep the giant from ending his contract.
Loki’s final deception leads to “… the greatest tragedy that has ever fallen upon God and man.” (Sturluson 81). The situation surrounding Baldr’s death is first presented as if Frigg had received a vow to harm Baldr from all living inanimate objects on Earth. How Loki achieves his deadly purpose also casts doubt on the punishment for killing the Norse system. By tricking Hod into killing his brother, Loki accidentally puts it into a mere system. Prometheus manages what seems impossible at first glance, whether it is to set fire to people or to openly deceive Zeus with some of the sacrifices that are not appropriate for the rulers of the gods.
Hesiod gives only vague answers on this subject, but Prometheus has found a way. The clever characters Loki and Prometheus openly deceive to defy authority, uphold their personal desires, destroy the purity of the hierarchical Pantheon, and follow similar plot structures in both stories. Loki has no prejudice about who he is fooling and seems to be fooling people just to see what he can avoid. Both characters push themselves to new heights. They also test their own limits and their activities correspond to the above-mentioned meticulous or cunning notions of intelligence. Both Prometheus and Loki were punished for their deeds in the end.
Both of them are tied to rocks and have been tortured for thousands of years in one of the most vicious ways you can imagine. The terrible results of each are similar, but the audience doubts if their efforts are worth it. It is also worth noting that once a decision is made, these people will not reappear in the myths of their respective cultures, except for a short note stating the conditions for liberation. In the story, the disappearance of a literary character represents figurative reasoning or death, but in the case of Loki, Norse mythology predicts that he will die if released during Lagunak. Perhaps the terrible end of these people is intended to serve as a warning.
Perhaps they have a terrible ending, and their “death” means the completion of their ultimate goal and will be excluded from mythology. Their importance stems from the fact that they make a difference. Both personalities have one thing in common. It means that I like to change something. We see great changes as a result of great and ambitious activities, whether ethical or immoral.
Loki was introduced to me as the “God of Trickster” when I first learned about him. Perhaps these characters aren’t as tricksters as bridges. If a younger brother is playing a prank on his brother, the relationship will be similar before and after the prank. Loki often thus mischiefs other gods of Norse mythology and maintains a similar malicious relationship before and after his deception, as evidenced by his previous deception of Thor.
However, his actions after Baldr’s death set him apart from the Trickster stereotypes. It is ironic that a lone fighter that best adapts and operates in unforeseen circumstances can make a difference to our others. Perhaps the most prominent duty of these people is to preserve history and thus maintain the growth and continuity of society. These heroes have the ability to do things that no one else can, but at a great price to catalyze such a major change. Characters that cause unforeseen circumstances affect the development of society.
Prometheus inverts the event but uses two completely different interpretations of one scenario. One of the punishments for Prometheus was the people’s overthrow from pets that worked one day. Zeus, who cannot overcome it, is deceived, and as a result, the weak suffer. In mythology, there is progress of people who believe in the Greek gods for achieving higher positions with the help of fire development, but this sometimes brought negative outcomes.
Humans, on the contrary, have the opportunity to mate, and gods could acquire feelings for their family members and those who might be worthy of those personal feelings. The consequences of it are the mortal game where gods play a dominant role in the life of a human for their favorite hero success and against the other god’s heroes. The invincible Zeus is deceived, and the weak are protected. Zeus’s sovereignty is questioned in both cases, but it is ultimately a question that can be answered by his new claim of power.
Works Cited
Kanerva, Oksana. 2019. “Poetics of Colours (Red/Green) as Related to Fire Imagery in Depicting Loki, Prometheus and Satan.” Journal of modern education review 9.2, pp. 138-143.
Sturluson, S. 1954. “The Prose Edda.” tr. Jean I. Young. University of California Press, p. 81.
Willis, Martin. 2006. Mesmerists, monsters, and machines: science fiction and the cultures of science in the nineteenth century. Kent State University Press.