Introduction to Lokasenna / Loki's Scene
This picture was drawn by Karolina
og Thorhildur
Lokasenna takes place in Aegir's palace. Aegir had invited the
heathen gods, goddesses and elves to a grand celebration. The guests
were: Odinn, the mightiest of
all heathen gods, and his wife Frigg, Bragi and his wife Idunn, Njordur
and his wife Skadi, Freyr and
Freyja, Vidar, Odin's son, Loki
and Freyr's servants Byggvir and Beyla. Tyr was there along with Sif who
is Thor's wife. But Thor could not
show up because he was at Austurvegur fighting trolls.
Loki became the gods' enemy because he killed Aegir's slave, Fimafengur,
at the party. When the gods threw Loki out of the celebration, Loki became
mad; came back to the celebration and insulted the gods and goddesses.
Lokasenna ends when Thor shows up and threatens to beat Loki up if
he doesn't get out of the celebration.
The afterword tells how the gods change Loki's son Narfi into a wolf.
Narfi eats his brother Vali and the gods use Vali's intestines to tie Loki
under a poisonous snake. Sigyn, Loki's wife, collected the poison that
dripped from the snake's tongue into a bowl. But when the bowl became full
she had to go empty it. The poison then fell on Loki's face, causing him
to shake violently and so powerfully that there were earthquakes.
Written by Gudmundur St.
Translated by Hafsteinn