214 Norse Mythology

Only later does Útgarda-Loki reveal to the æsir: “The one named Logi was
wildfire, and he burned the tray no more slowly than the meat.” The æsir lose
the other contests as well, failing to recognize not only the word for “fire” but
also words for “mind” and “old age.”
Logi is named as one of the three elemental sons of Fornjót in Fundinn
Noregr (Norway Found), as the beginning of Orkneyinga saga (The Saga of the
Orkney Islanders) is sometimes called, and in a section of Flateyjarbók called
Hversu Noregr byggdisk (How Norway Was Settled). There appears to be no con-
nection between this tradition and the story of the gods’ visit to Útgarda-Loki.
See also Loki; Útgarda-Loki

LOKASENNA
Eddic poem.
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Lokasenna (Loki’s Verbal Duel) is found only in Codex Regius of the Poetic
Edda, between Hymiskvida and Thrymskvida. The compiler of the manuscript
therefore understood it as a Thor poem. Lokasenna consists of 65 stanzas mostly
in ljóƒaháttr; a few stanzas are in galdralag and have quite a heightened effect.
The poem is preceded by a prose header, interrupted in a few places by prose sen-
tences tying the stanzas together, and followed by a prose colophon.
The prose header follows the rubric “About Ægir and the Gods.” It states
that Ægir, having obtained the kettle “as was just told” (i.e., in Hymiskvida) to
brew beer, had invited the gods to a feast. All but Thor were there, many æsir
and elves, and the room was lit by gold instead of a fire. The beer served itself,
and the place was one of great sanctuary. Ægir’s servants won much praise, and
Loki could not stand to hear that and killed one of them, Fimafeng. The gods
chased him away, but he returned.
The poem itself consists of a series of dialogues between Loki and various
characters, verbal exchanges in which Loki for the most part tells the god to
whom he is speaking to shut up and then reveals some unflattering fact about
that god. The first exchange, however, is not with a god but with Eldir, a sur-
viving servant of Ægir. Loki learns that the gods are discussing their prowess,
states his intention to enter the hall, and dismisses Eldir as a verbal opponent.
In the remainder of the poem Loki jousts verbally with 14 of the gods and god-
desses. Here is a catalog of the deities and the major insults directed toward
them: Bragi, cowardice; Odin, swore blood-brotherhood with Loki, often gave
Copyright 2002. Oxford University Press.

victory to the weaker; Idun, slept with the killer of her brother; Gefjon, sold her-
self for a bauble; Frigg, slept with Vili and Vé (and Loki takes responsibility for
Baldr’s death); Freyja, slept with her brother; Njörd, abused by Hymir’s daugh-
ters, sired Frey on his sister; Týr, lost his hand to Fenrir, cuckolded by Loki; Frey,

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 Deities, Themes, and Concepts 215

abandoned his sword to obtain Gerd; Byggvir, cowardice; Heimdall, dirty wet
back; Skadi, Loki participated in killing her father and has slept with her; Sif,
cuckolded Thor with Loki; Beyla, filthy dairymaid; Thor, cowered in some
giant’s glove, probably Skrýmir’s, and could not open the bag of provisions
strapped shut by Skrýmir. There are also accusations directed at Loki, most
accusing him of ergi (sexual perversion), some reminding him of the binding of
his son the wolf. The poem is finally resolved when Loki retires from the hall
under the threat of a blow from Thor’s hammer: “I spoke before the æsir, / I
spoke before the elves, / what my mind incited me to; / but for you alone / I will
go out, / for I know that you will strike” (stanza 65). In the final stanza Loki tells
Ægir that this is his final party and that he will lose his possessions to fire.
The prose colophon follows a rubric “About Loki” and tells an abbreviated
version of the story that Snorri presents as the vengeance taken by the æsir on
Loki for Baldr’s death. Loki flees and hides in the form of a salmon but is captured
and bound under a poisonous snake. Sigyn, Loki’s wife, catches the poison in a
bowl, but when she goes to empty it, Loki struggles, and that causes earthquakes.
Many of Loki’s accusations are known from other sources, such as the incest
of the vanir, the possession of Frigg by Vili and Vé, Týr’s loss of his hand, and
Thor’s journey to Útgarda-Loki. Many others are to be found only here, includ-
ing many of the accusations of sexual misbehavior directed at the female mem-
bers of the æsir. Byggvir and Beyla are known only from this poem. Although
some observers have found it difficult to imagine that believers would tell and
listen to such scurrilous material about their gods, there are analogues from
other religions. Furthermore, an argument for a late origin for the poem would
be more easily built on its language and possible analogues from classical litera-
ture, which would not have been known in Iceland before the twelfth century.
On the other hand, the primacy of Thor over Loki would accord with Thor’s
prominence in the waning decades of paganism, and if the real point of the poem
is not just that Thor alone can make Loki stop but rather that Thor can do so—
that is, if the poem ultimately pits Loki’s mouth against Thor’s hammer—it
would be consistent with many of the other mythological poems of the Poetic
Edda, which involve conflict and ultimately tell us about hierarchy: Odin is bet-
ter than giants, men, and even Thor with words (Vafthrúdnismál, Grímnismál,
and Hárbardsljód), and Thor is better than Alvíss with words (Alvíssmál). On
this one occasion, at least, Loki is better than all the gods with words, but Thor
can silence him. It is instructive to compare this myth with that of Thor’s duel
with Hrungnir, for in both Odin is unable to prevent the extension of hospital-
ity to someone who ought not to receive it, both recipients say things that
should not be said (in Hrungnir’s case that he will possess Ásgard and Freyja),
and in both cases Thor’s hammer gets Odin out of this tight spot.

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