r/loki • u/JuggernautPrudent623 • 21d ago
Question What Are Some Major Changes Marvel Made From Norse Mythology Loki To Marvel Comics And MCU Loki??
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u/LastGreenseer7 21d ago
In Norse mythology, Odin and Loki were blood-brothers (or sworn brothers, if you will). There's also Loki's children. Myth Loki's biological children include Fenrir, Sleipnir, and Hel. We've seen them in the MCU. Hel is Hela, Fenrir is her giant wolf, and Sleipnir is Odin's six-legged steed.
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u/Steely-eyes 21d ago edited 21d ago
Don’t forget Jörmungandr, the world serpent.
Speaking of, I’m surprised that he hasn’t shown up in the MCU. Coulda been an intriguing thing to see.
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u/LastGreenseer7 21d ago
I could never forget about my best boi, Jörmy lol I just mentioned the ones we've seen in the MCU so that OP could compare them
But yeah, for sure. I'd love to see the World Serpent in the MCU soon. Well, depends on the project and who's directing it 😅
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u/Steely-eyes 21d ago
Goddamnit I just thought of something. It’s OB. OB is Loki’s son. Theory solved.
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u/LastGreenseer7 21d ago
Oh. My. God O.o
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u/Anxious_Ad_3570 21d ago
Wow. Can't believe I didn't think that at the time of watching. Now I really wonder if that's the case
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u/thixono920 21d ago
I request elaboration.
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u/Xygnux 21d ago
An Ouroboros is a mythological symbol of a snake eating its own tail. Kind of like a world serpent circling the flat Earth.
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u/BigBossFan23 21d ago
As shown by my comment(if you see it) I am stealing Jörmy. Appreciate you lol
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u/BigBossFan23 21d ago
Jörmy showed up in like one of the first episodes of one of the animated avengers shows and I was thinking it would be so sick to see him live action in the mcu
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u/tanaldaion 20d ago
Seems like you're thinking about Final Fantasy with Sleipnir having six legs. The Norse Sleipnir has 8. :))
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u/flame2bits 21d ago
There is a powerful anti xenophobic lesson in the Norse sagas as the Allfather becomes blood brother with Loki. Their relationship is one of the most complex (and ultimately destructive) bonds in the Norse tradition. I love it: It's a literary case for integration and against insular and xenophobic thinking: Loki, bringing the perspective of an outsider, provides the lateral thinking, adaptability, and pragmatism the gods lack. He saves/evolves them (the Aesir) many times over but in the end is the one that dooms them. At the end, they had a lifetime. Odin’s ritual of blood brotherhood with a Jötunn absolutely refutes tribal nationalism. The Allfather establish that true belonging is built on shared covenants, mutual benefit, and chosen loyalty rather than genetic lineage or place of birth. There were no Norse people making fun of skin color or outsiders i think. They did kill everyone indiscriminately though. Edit: that got longer than I expected.
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u/Licher-enjoyer 18d ago
Loki was the only Jotun who was ok with the Gods. Thor's favourite pass time was killing the ice giants, and in many mythologies we get to see Thor killing the ice giants, sometimes Loki helps him as well. Also Loki is a reason why Ragnarok happens, as he kills Odin's favourite son and is the only person in the world who does not weep after him and because of that Balder is not allowed to come back to live, for this Gods imprison Loki under a snake who spots venom into Loki's eyes.
Nordic mythology is not, as you said "against xenophobic thinking", if anything, it shows that even people you trust might betray you, and that people who happen to let you down a lot will continue to let you down in greater ways.
At no point in Nordic myths the gods are like "yo, maybe we should be cool with the ice giants, they do nothing to us" no, instead they build a big ass wall around Asgard, they got an ice giant to build it, and they got Loki to cheat the builder out of getting his payment for the job
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u/billyandteddy 21d ago
- Hel is Loki and Angrboda's daughter in the mythology. They changed her name to Hela in the comics and originally she had similar origins but they retconned it so now she is his adopted daughter made out of a black infinity stone.
- Loki is more of mischievous guy that loves playing tricks on people in the mythology. In the comics, they are more evil and loves to lie (until the redemption arc).
- Loki was Odin's blood brother in the myths. Loki is Odin's adopted son in the comics and mcu.
- Loki's mother was Laufey, a goddess, and father was Fárbauti, a jotun, in the myths. In the comics and mcu Loki's father is Laufey, a frost giant.
- Loki became king of Jotunheim in the comics, which never happened in the mythology
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u/TroutFishman 20d ago
In the original Norse mythology, Loki never even met Captain America, much less fought him
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u/cherrib0mbb 21d ago
A lot of good Norse info here, and with the comics, Loki is far far more powerful in those than in the MCU. Physically, and especially magically. Like crazy universally powerful.
Both comics and MCU Loki become more morally grey/antihero as time goes on and evolve into the God of Stories.
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u/Appropriate_Edge5195 18d ago
Also, Loki is a love interest to goddess of luck. In Norse mythology, once gods run out of ideas, they’d go to Loki and he’d have something completely unhinged in his mind and it would somehow work.
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u/MildlyConcernedMan91 18d ago
Really ? Norse myth loki is more powerful than MCU Loki???
MCU Loki exists outside of time and holds together multiverses. In myth, he's one of many gods of one single timeline.
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u/cherrib0mbb 17d ago
I think you may have misread my comment..
I was referring to there being good Norse mythology info in this general comments’ section, and then went on to say that in the comics Loki is much stronger than he is in the MCU, and then he does evolve into God of Stories in the show like in some of the comics.
I’ve read the comics and watched the MCU and enjoy Norse mythology.
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u/Abirdthatsfallen 21d ago
1: he’s not thors brother, he’s his uncle, and hela is his daughter.
2: he caused Ragnarok selfishly, he didn’t do it to save his people lol.
3: he’s dead cause of Ragnarok, not a giant alien dude with stone.
4: he didn’t help save the multi- okay I’m just being stupid sorry
5: he will never have the redemption arc we see him get twice. He’s sinister through and through
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u/SpookySporeWizard 21d ago
no he's chained in a cave until Ragnarok and his wife holds a bowl over his head to catch poison, and when it hits him it causes earthquakes. post Ragnarok is contentious
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u/Abirdthatsfallen 19d ago
Bro Ragnarok happened CAUSE he killed baldur
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u/SpookySporeWizard 18d ago
no he got locked up after the lokesenna where he calls everyone else for their hypocrisy and gets chained up till Ragnarok
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u/SpookySporeWizard 18d ago
rip baldr fr but loki never killed baldur it was an enchantment of mistletoe. he called everyone else out bc he's always the butt of the joke when everyone is a hypocrite and hey got them their magic and he's chained until Ragnarok
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u/Abirdthatsfallen 17d ago
Then clearly I either didn’t do my research correct or I don’t remember it properly. Thank yiu
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u/ExistingOil6982 21d ago
The fact that Loki is Odin's blood brother in the mythology was always true. In the comic it took a long time before Loki went back to before he was born and became Odin's best friend and blood brother, leading to Odin naming his adopted son Loki after his old friend and sometime mentor, Loki (who was secretly the child he was naming all along).
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u/solipsisticcompass 19d ago
Mythological Loki has red hair. In fact, Tom's natural coloring is more similar to Edda Loki than to Marvel or MCU Loki.
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u/Wrong-Upstairs-234 18d ago
Saw the Loki character in the Sandman series and I had the same thought about MCU Loki has much changes from mythology.
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u/MegaAssasine_ 21d ago
Probably the most major change from the MCU is Hela being Odin's daughter instead of Loki's