Crow of Loki

A quick run down!

Skaði; the Avenger. Daughter of the giant Thiazi, a strong and fearless figure who didn’t hesitate to face the Gods looking for retribution after her father’s death. Associated with winter, hunting, snow and wolves.

Sif; the Golden-Haired. Fair wife of Thor, renowned among the Gods for her beautiful locks of gold hair. It is believed she was associated with harvest and fertility.

Hel; Queen of the Dead. Daughter of Loki, one half of her body decays like a corpse while the other is fresh and young. She reigns over Helheim, realm of the dead, with her hound Garm. Associated with death but most of all, the acceptance of it.

Iðunn; the Eternally Young. Fair, generous and luminous, keeper of the golden apples which grant the Gods their immortality. Associated with purity, youth and innocence.

Frigg; the Prophetess. Wife of Odin and blessed with the gift of foresight, though she is said to keep all knowledge of the future to herself. Allmother associated with childbirth, motherhood and family matters as well as divination.

Jörð; the Fertile Earth. Giantess and mother of Thor, embodying the spirit of the earth. Associated with nature, wildlife and the prosperity of land.

Rán; the Restless Sea. Embodying the dangers of voyage at sea, she was said to sink ships who ventured on her waters. She dwells in an underwater palace where she pulls her victims to stay with her for eternity. Associated with the ocean and death at sea.

Freyja; the Sorceress. Sister of Freyr, she masters the art of seidr (magic) and is known as the most beautiful of the Goddesses. Associated with love and sexuality, but also battle and death: along with Oðinn, she chooses the fallen warriors who will fight alongside the Gods during Ragnarök.

A quick rundown!

(Following that one other post I made about the Norse Goddesses)

Þórr, the Terrible. Son of the Earth Goddess Jörd and the God of Gods Óðinn, a fierce and powerful figure who’s known for his short temper and for being the strongest of the Æsir. Despite this, he is the protector of mankind and a great drinker, as he enjoys having a good time. He is associated with thunder and lightning.

Freyr, the Fair. The kind and generous son of the sea God Njördr, he lives in the world of the elves. He is most known for the story in which he gives up his treasured sword to please Gerðr, the woman he loved, dooming himself to die in Ragnarök due to his lack of weapon. He is associated with harvests, welcome rains and fertility.

Týr, the One-Handed. A poised and coolheaded figure, known to have sacrificed a hand in order to bind the wolf Fenrir. He accompanies Thor in a lot of his travels and often voices wise advice for the Gods. Though he is also associated with negotiation and justice, he is generally considered a God of war strategy, battle and sacrifice.

Loki, the Trickster. A troublemaker in Asgard, often causing conflict which he is always forced to solve himself. He notably accomplished the feat of causing the death of Óðinn’s beloved son Baldr. However in most cases, his legendary wit manages to avoid him the consequences of his actions. He is associated with trickery, mischief and cunning.

Óðinn, the Wanderer. One of the most important figures in norse mythology and the wise leader of the Æsir Gods. He is constantly in search for knowledge, having namely discovered the runes. He often disguises himself as an old traveler to wander the lands, and is known to bring deceased warriors to his hall of Valhalla. He is associated with wisdom, knowledge and death.

Baldr, the Good. Son of Óðinn and Frigg, the most beloved of the Gods who all revered his innocence and generosity. He was said to be gracious, cheerful and so beautiful he appeared luminous, though early sources make him out to be as fierce as a son of Óðinn would be. As the story goes, he foresaw his own death through a dream. He is associated with light, purity and beauty.

Heimdallr, the Watcher. The important figure who watches over the Bifrost, the bridge which leads to Asgard. He lives in a high fortress to properly utilize his keen senses: legendary eyesight and hearing. He is said to be able to hear grass growing and see as much by day or by night. As the Gods’ watcher, he stays vigilant at all times until Ragnarök, when he will blow the Gjallarhorn to inform Asgard of the enemy’s approach.

Forseti, the Lawspeaker. The obscure justice-maker of the Gods, who presides over their legal assemblies as divine judge. According to Snorri’s Prose Edda, he is the son of Baldr and Nanna. His hall is Glitnir, golden and bright, and there he settles conflicts and exacts fair judgment. For this reason, he is associated with the law, peacemaking and justice.

Bonus:

What’s a Lokean?

A Lokean is someone who honors Loki as their primary deity (or at least one of their primary deities if they have multiple) and chooses to identify as Lokean. Beyond that, there are no special requirements.

What’s the purpose of this blog? Why does it exist?

I would give you kids a dramatic backstory, but in full honesty I just thought it would be useful if new Lokeans had resources I (Mod R) didn’t have when I was new to the community. Plus, there’s a little bit of stigma around Lokeans, and it’s good to have a space of our own, yeah?

We’re here to welcome you guys and help you with your beginner work! We’re like the Lokean Professor Oak.

How cool is the Lokean Welcoming Committee?

Moderate-to-severely cool.

You worship Loki? Isn’t Loki evil?

Nope. He’s not evil. He’s also not the God of evil. The Norse didn’t really have the same concept of absolute good and evil as we do now. Loki is far more complex than you might have realized. Most modern devotees view him as a vital agent of change.

Important note: Lokeans do not believe that everyone needs to worship Loki. Most Lokeans are polytheists, which means that respect for a wide variety of worldviews and a wide variety of gods is built into our belief system. Not a fan of Loki? That’s fine! The vast majority of us just want to do our own thing in peace.

How do I start this Lokean business?

Weeell, first of all, you need to read up on Norse myths so you know all about what you’re getting into. If watching/reading Marvel comics and movies inspired you to look into this and you haven’t done your reading yet, just know that Norse mythology is vastly different from its depiction in the Marvel comics. Lucky for you kids, we have a reading list! We recommend that you start with all that stuff. You don’t have to be an expert on Norse mythology, you just have to have the basics down. You can learn more as you go!

Once you’re done with the reading, I recommend doing some of this stuff to start off:

Find ways to incorporate Loki into your everyday life

Pray. Tell him why you think he’s awesome and why you want to worship him. Or tell him what brought you to him. Or just tell him whatever’s on your mind. Make sure to take time to listen as well. You may or may not “hear back” from him, but spending time in contemplation is important and can lead to valuable insights. If prayer and connecting with the divine are new or difficult for you, these links on communication and discernment might help.

Make offerings. Mead and ale were traditional, if you’re of age and can get them, but even water or coffee will do. And there are a bunch of other options. They don’t even have to be food. If you’re most comfortable doing a scripted formal ritual, you can find posts on how to hold a blót here, here, and here. You can also check out our offerings tag for ideas.

Set up a shrine or altar. The Norse didn’t really have altars in the sense that modern pagans do, but nonetheless, a lot of devotees find it helpful to have a designated space for worship in their home. Here’s our introductory post on altars. We also have an altar tag with lots of tips and pictures of altars to draw inspiration from.

Talk to other devotees. Connecting with other people who share your beliefs is helpful and fulfilling in a lot of ways! But be careful, since Heathen spaces also tend to have neonazis lurking around. the @valkyriesquad​ has a list of non-folkish bloggers. @anothersusurrus​ maintains a list of Norse god devotees which includes a Loki category.

Keep exploring. You’ll grow as a person over time. Your life will go through a lot of changes. Inevitably, so will your practice. Don’t be afraid to try new things, or to abandon something that just isn’t working for you anymore. This post offers some suggestions along those lines.

What does “work with” mean?

People often say “work with” instead of worship/honor/etc.! Don’t know why, but I say it because it sounds more casual!

An altar? Offerings? Why? What does that do?

Everyone enjoys gifts, but gifts were reaalllyyy important to the Norse. The gods already provide us gifts by helping to keep the world running, so we, as devotees, give offerings in return to acknowledge the gods’ hard work and affirm our continuing relationship with them. And altars serve as a place to leave those offerings as well as being a visible reminder of the gods. They also give people who don’t have access to a public temple or natural area a place to worship.

See this post for a more thorough explanation about why we participate in these practices, or the rest of this FAQ for how to go about it.

How do I leave offerings?

Put them somewhere. Leave them out for as long as you want (make sure you pick it up before it spoils or something). You can leave it out for minutes, hours, or days. Whatever you feel comfortable with. It isn’t required to be super formal and ritualistic. However, if you’re more comfortable with being formal and would like to perform a blót rite, then you can find a few different heathens explaining the basics of how they do theirs here, here, and here.

When you feel like it’s the right time to get rid of the item, dispose of it in one of the following ways:

throw it away

burn it (stay safe, y’all)

bury it

eat/drink it

throw it outside (in a place where it won’t kill anything or harm creatures)

whatever else you can think of that you feel comfortable with

What sort of offerings does Loki like?

From what I’ve gathered, he likes:

cinnamon

sweet things/candy

coffee (I think I’ve heard of him liking mocha as well)

just food in general, man

cake

alcohol (“When in doubt, Mead it out.”)

plants associated with him

crystals associated with him

Seriously though, pretty much anything is fine

For a list of offering ideas other than food/drink, check out this post. For some offering recipe ideas, check out our recipes tag! You might also be able to glean inspiration from our offerings and craft tags.

What if I can’t leave offerings due to (reasons)?

You don’t have to give offerings. It’s your own practice, make it as you like/can. Just don’t be rude about it. (i.e. “I’m not leaving offerings because I think the Gods are beneath me” <- don’t say anything like that)

How do I set up an altar?

Take random items that you think the God/spirit the altar is for will enjoy. Arrange them in a decorative way somewhere. Bam, you’re done. You don’t have to have specific items. You don’t have to arrange things in a specific way. It’s not that particular. It’s your practice, you do what you are comfortable with.

Item suggestions for beginners:

candles

bowl/plate for offerings

incense

cloths

plants

crystals/stones

pictures/artwork/poetry

ANYTHING YOU WANT AHHH SURPRISE IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY

If you want a more detailed post, check this one out. You could also browse our altar tag for examples of real Lokean altars.

Also, quick note: It’s spelled ‘altar’, not ‘alter.’ If you make this mistake, don’t worry! It’s a common error!

Where do I put my altar?

Anywhere! On a table or window sill! In a drawer! In a basket! In a box! On the floor! On a dresser! Wherever you want/Wherever you can!

Looking to be discreet? We have resources and ideas about discreet altars, pocket altars, and eshrines for ya!

What if I can’t have an altar due to (reasons)?

You don’t have to have an altar, just like you don’t have to give offerings.

How do I talk to Loki?

There’s no single correct way to pray to Loki. Some individuals and kindreds might choose to follow a particular format every time. However, there’s no kind of universal mandate on how it should work anywhere in the surviving texts, and it’s not like we have an unbroken tradition to work from the way some other religions do. Basically, as long as you’re respectful, you’re good!

If you’re still stuck, we have a prayers and poems tag with some examples.

But a lot of people who ask us this question are actually wondering how you might hear Loki communicating with you. In which case, you have a few options.

Talking directly to gods/spirits is generally referred to as “having a godphone.” But you don’t need a “godphone” to communicate. Some use divination, like tarot or runes. Some people hear back in dreams or through omens. Everyone’s different!

And really, you don’t need to hear anything back at all in order to worship Loki or call yourself a Lokean. Loki can still hear you just fine. Not hearing anything back doesn’t mean that you’re a lesser person or that you’re doing it wrong.

Some more posts on communication and discernment that might be of interest:

Talking to Loki

Gods and God-Phones 101

Please Talk About Godphones

Developing the Godphone

Hearing the Gods

What Do They Want? – Hints for the Headblind

Discernment

Questions to Ask Yourself

When Godphones Ring – Discernment for Pagans

Discernment – Is it a sign?

Not Everything is a Sign

Evaluating Mystical Experiences and Messages From Beyond

Seven Spirit Rules

A Note on Discernment: Hearing Your Own Voice

Divine Communication, Ethics, and Manipulation Techniques

Your God is on the phone. He has a message for you.

Spiritual Abuse Red Flags

Polytheism While Dealing With Mental Illness

Our communication tag

All this seems overwhelming! Do I have to start doing all this stuff right away?

Internalizing a new worldview and forming new habits takes time! And the gods understand that. It’s okay if you start small and adopt new practices at your own pace.

What are some common symbols for Loki?

This post has got you covered. As you might have guessed from our blog theme, snakes and the colors red and gold are pretty popular.

I also work with gods from another pantheon, can I still honor Loki?

Please refer to this ask!

I heard some Lokeans practice magic! Will worshiping Loki grant me special powers?

It’s true that some Lokeans practice magic in a variety of different traditions. However, real witchcraft works nothing like it does in most popular movies or fictional stories. If casting the right spell or praying to the right god could grant you Hollywood-style superpowers, then society as a whole would be taking advantage of that, and our world would run very differently.

This isn’t to say you can’t practice magic if that’s something you’re interested in. Regardless of whether it actually works or not, it is a real thing that people do, and have done throughout human history. Just be aware that you’re not going to be able to recreate the stuff in Harry Potter.

Do Lokeans have to practice magic?

Nope. A lot of Lokeans don’t practice magic. Some don’t even believe magic works. Your practice is equally valid regardless.

Is (book) a good book to read?

Many books on Norse mythology generally make Loki out to be the god of evil and stuff like that.

If it says “Loki, the God of Evil and Chaos” when introducing Loki, it’s prooobably not gonna be a fantastic read. However, there are exceptions to the rule, and one of the mods will be glad to point you in the right direction should you ask!

(Here’s a list of books you should definitely avoid, though.)

I keep hearing something about “godspouses”? What’s that about?

A godspouse is a person who has ritually married a deity. They can be any gender or orientation, as can the deity in question. Some godspouses function more or less like Christian nuns and treat the commitment as symbolic of their lifelong devotion. Others believe they have a romantic or sexual relationship with the deity in question.

Becoming a godspouse isn’t required or expected in order to be a Lokean, nor does it make you better or more devoted than other devotees. It’s simply one of many ways to define a personal relationship with Loki.

For more information on godspouses, see these resources.

What does (weird term) mean?

Just like any other community, Pagan Tumblr has developed some of its own vocabulary. Plus, Heathenry has a bunch of weird words that come from Old Norse. Here are some common things we’ve seen newbies get tripped up on:

Blót - A Heathen ritual sacrifice. Don’t worry. It’s not, like, humans or anything these days. Most people use booze or blood from a butcher shop.

Blood Brothers - Loki and Odin as a pair, referring to the pact mentioned in Lokasenna. Also affectionately known as the “two man con” or, by particularly exasperated devotees, sometimes just “Them.”

Folkish - An adjective used to describe the belief that only people of Nordic descent should be allowed to worship the Norse gods. However, historical and archaeological evidence reveals that this wasn’t true back in the Viking Age. Many folkish Heathens are white supremacists, so you should approach anyone who identifies as such with extreme caution.

Fulltrúi - The Heathen equivalent of a neo-Wiccan “patron deity”, although they don’t function in quite the same way. Basically, it’s the primary god you worship, if you choose to focus on one god. (Many don’t.) The word translates roughly to “fully trusted one.”

GLE - Grumpy Lokean Elder. His blog has some awesome, scholarly resources.

Godphone - The ability to communicate with deities without divination or physical signs. Despite the name, it doesn’t usually work like an actual phone. See this post for more info.

Godspouse - A person who has “married” a deity. Some of them function more or less like Christian nuns. Others believe they have a romantic or sexual relationship with the deity in question.

Lore - The mythology, sagas, and other various historical and pseudo-historical writings about Norse religion.

Nokean - A silly person who is against the worship of Loki. They generally don’t know what they’re talking about and are just looking for reasons to exclude people (especially minorities.) Pay them no heed.

UPG - Unverified Personal Gnosis. Knowledge you’ve gained about a deity that isn’t (and perhaps can’t be) verified by the lore. If more than one person has the same UPG, it becomes SPG, Shared Personal Gnosis. Since UPG isn’t verified, it’s important not to treat it as hard facts.

This weird thing happened to me! Is it a sign from Loki?

Only you can determine whether to treat something as a sign or not. You know the context of the situation and your own personal symbolism way better than any stranger on the internet. Odds are, you also have slightly different criteria for what counts as sufficient proof than our mods. And that’s okay.

Regardless, remember that you don’t actually need a sign or a “calling” in order to worship Loki. If it’s something you want to try, that’s justification enough. By the same token, you’re allowed to say no even if a god is calling you. It’s your existence, and you get to decide who or what you’re devoted to.

What if my question isn’t answered here?

Loki, the Deity, probably, when I finally caught up and realised:

Since it’s super hard to find them when you need them! Anyone is welcome to use these, but I don’t want to see “this is great for people who DON’T have chronic illnesses too” (trust us, we know).

These are to be used as a supplement in addition to professional medical care, treatment and medication, not as a sole alternative!

Back + neck issues:

Crystals for back pain (external site)

“Ease my neck pain” sigil

“Ease my lower back and hip pain” sigil

“My back is relaxed and free of pain” sigil

“I am free of back pain” sigil

Brainfog:

Brainfog lifting

Memory masterpost

Memory and concentration spell

Mental reboost tea spell

“Brainfog begone” sigil

Fatigue:

Spoonie spell for energy 

Energy gain spell

Energy boost spell 

Energy bath

Fatigue recovery spell jar

Crystals for fatigue

“I recover from fatigue” sigil

“I have the energy to take a shower” sigil

Headaches: 

Headache soothing tea spell

Headache healing

To banish a headache

Tea for cluster headaches

Curing a headache

“Ease my morning headaches” sigil

“Headache” sigil

“Against headaches” sigil

“My headache goes away” sigil

Immune system:

Masterpost of sigils to boost your immune system

Immune boosting crystals (external site)

Crystals for autoimmune diseases (external site)

Joint pain:

Arthritis pain relief oil

Joint pain spell

Healing spell for joints

Crystals for arthritis relief (external site)

“Ease my joint pain” sigil

“My arthritis is manageable” sigil

“My joints are stable” sigil

“Soothe my joints” sigil

Migraine:

Anti-migraine spell

Anti-migraine spell bottle

Migraine relief bath

Migraine magic (herbs and crystals)

Witch tip for migraines

“Ease my migraine” sigil

Muscle pain + spasms:

Muscle pain sachet

Warming salve for sore muscles

Crystals for muscle pain (external site)

“Ease my jaw tension” sigil

“My muscles are relaxed” sigil

Nerve pain:

Crystals for nerve damage (external site)

Crystals for sciatica (external site)

Pain (general):

Chant to ease the pain

Chant for bad pain days

Simple ease the pain spell

Chronic pain relief spell

Release my pain to the wind spell

Bath spell to ease chronic pain

Chronic pain relief spell jar

Chronic pain relief spell bottle

“I find moments of peace from my pain” sigil

“My pain is manageable” sigil

Reproductive system related:

Endometriosis symptom relief tea

“Ease my endometriosis pain” sigil 

Crystals for PCOS (external site)

Masterpost for period relief

Respiratory: 

Crystals for asthma relief (external site)

Herbal remedy to ease asthma symptoms

“Breathe easy” sigil

“My asthma is under control” sigil

“My wheezing ease” sigil

“Quiet my wheezing” sigil

“Ease my chest pain” sigil 

Skin related:

Magical dermatitis and eczema healing salve

Crystals for eczema and dry skin (external site)

“Ease the unbearable itchiness/my body does not itch” sigils

Sleep problems:

Sleep crystal spell

Sleepy witch tip

“My chronic pain does not affect my sleep” sigil 

Stomach issues:

Soothing tummy tea

Anti-nausea bath

Crystals for digestion (external site)

“My digestive issues are eased” sigil

“I overcome stomach pains” sigil

“Ease my stomach ache/pain” sigil 

If anyone knows of additional witchy content for any of these that I missed, or content on a category I wasn’t able to include, feel free to send it my way and I’ll get a part two started for this post!

Not everyone knows this, but the “Nine Noble Virtues,” or “NNV,” are not set down and codified anywhere in the lore. They were first created by members of the British Union of Fascists and National Socialists, the Odinic Rite, and the Asatru Folk Assembly.

All three of these organizations are made up of fascists and white supremacists.

They were invented by racist fascists in an effort to mirror the Ten Commandments and make their practice closer to Christianity. They are a new invention, made by fascists, to further fascist values. Just throw them in the trash with the fascists where they belong.

If you look into them, those innocent-seeming values were carefully chosen to support the whole ‘traditionalist’ fascist ideal. There’s nothing wrong with courage or hospitality, of course, but the visions of courage and hospitality projected into the NNV are a twisted and corrupted vision of it, and the whole concept of the NNV is poisoned.

If you read the modern versions, in that very link you gave, you’ll see the racism creeping in hard.

For example, “Hospitality”, for the people who made the NNV, really means

To succor the friendless but to put no faith in the pledged word of a stranger people.

AKA “Not people who are different from us.”

Just some examples of how the NNV aren’t accessible to everyone: 

Courage - Not everyone is capable of being courageous at all times. Especially when people have very real oppression they may suffer under. 

Fidelity - Fidelity in any list of values should be concerning. It’s the kind of thing that’s used in mafia and gangs. If requiring unwavering unquestioning loyalty to people and causes sounds culty, that’s because it is. Most white nationalist groups depend upon a group of people being shamed for asking questions or speaking up when things are wrong. 

Self-Reliance - This is a big ableist one and frankly goes against how society works. Holding self-reliance as a virtue/tenet brings shame feelings of failure to people who need accessibility services, guardianship, hospice, in-home care, crisis services, mental health services, or financial help from family or from tax-paid assistance programs. Bonus points: what a great way to keep people isolated from a support system outside of the cult. 

Industriousness - This one assumes that everyone can become proficient in a tactile trade or craft and has the capability of producing a good work ethic. Holding this as a tenet measures a person’s worth based on their productivity and contribution to society rather than recognizing the inherent worth of a person. Sound familiar? It should, it was added to the list by Nazis who brought Odinism to the US in 1939.

Perseverance - Another ableist assumption that everyone is capable of pushing through overwhelming and disabling situations. Having tenacity is one thing, but this has undertones that people can and should keep going in horrible situations even when they shouldn’t for their health. And it’s often used like that in the AFA and in other groups that push the white nationalist agenda. 

Now, does aspiring for these qualities make someone a Nazi? Of course not. These may be good qualities to aspire to as an individual, but when they’re promoted as the requirements to be a part of a religious group, that’s when things get creepy. Tenets of a Faith need to be accessible and attainable by all its members. If it isn’t, the message is one of exclusion and elitism.