We frequently receive requests for lists of Lokean symbols. I’m not going to lie: I’ve always been against the idea, and I still kind of am. I do not believe it’s respectful to treat deities as beings you can summon at will with the right combination of symbols and offerings. And I really, really don’t believe in encouraging people to base their practices on lists of symbols on the internet, since a symbol partly loses it meaning when divorced from its original context in the myths. But the truth is that people are going to seek this stuff out regardless.
And so, I kind of consider this list the lesser of two evils. Instead of just listing things, I’m going to include a bit on where each symbol comes from and whether it’s historically attested or a modern association. This list is no substitute for actual research or a relationship with Loki. It is meant only as a starting point for those things.
That said, don’t stress if you find out that some of the symbols you’ve been using aren’t attested in the lore. Remember, a symbol does not need to be attested in order to be valid. A symbol does not need to be shared with anyone else to be valid. Loki can and does make use of whatever associations we happen to have. A personal symbol can often feel more meaningful because it’s unique to your individual relationship.
Birds - Loki can shapeshift, but for some reason he borrows Freyja’s falcon cloak on occasion. For example, in Þrymskviða, he uses it to search for Mjolnir. He also has kennings associating him with crows (meinkráka, harm crow), hawks (barni öglis, hawk’s child), and vultures (gammleið, vulture’s path.)
Flies - In Skáldskaparmál,Loki transforms into a fly in an unsuccessful attempt to win a bet against the dwarves forging Mjolnir.
Goats - Goats are traditionally a symbol for Thor. However, some Lokeans like to make stealth references to the story in Skáldskaparmál where Loki ties his balls to a goat in order to entertain Skadi.
Horses - In Gylfaginning, Loki is commanded to keep a giant from finishing building a wall in time so the Aesir don’t have to pay him. Loki turns into a white mare to distract the giant’s work horse and gives birth to Sleipnir as a result. The Edda is ambiguous as to whether this was consensual or not, so use discretion when considering whether you find it appropriate to use as a symbol.
Salmon - Loki turns into a salmon in order to hide from the Aesir after the events of Lokasenna. Unfortunately, Thor catches Loki with his own net.
Seals - In a tragically mostly lost poem called Húsdrápa, quoted by Snorri in Skáldskaparmál, Loki steals Freyja’s necklace Brísingamen. Loki and Heimdall transform into seals and fight over it.
Snakes - Loki is the father of Jormungandr, the serpent that encircles the world. Additionally, when Loki is bound, Skadi hangs a venomous serpent above his head to torture him. In modern Western culture, snakes are usually considered very crafty (likely because of the serpent in Genesis.) They also transform and renew themselves regularly by shedding their skin, a very Lokean concept. However, it should be noted that the “Urnes Snakes” symbol popularized by the jeweler Trove of Valhalla is actually a modern design that, despite the company’s claim, does not originate from the Urnes stave church.
Wolves - Loki fathers Fenrisulfr. Another of his sons in turned into a wolf as a punishment. Finally, Loki is the blood brother of Odin, who’s heavily associated with wolves.
Foxes - Loki is never associated with foxes in the lore. However, foxes have long been trickster characters in our culture (see Aesop’s fables, Reynard, Br’er Fox, etc.) And because people associate tricksters with foxes, they associate Loki with foxes.
Spiders - Pretty much the same deal as with foxes. There isn’t solid evidence that Loki was associated with spiders historically, but spidery tricksters like Anansi and Charlotte have led modern devotees to see them as a Loki thing. A scholar named Anna Birgitta Rooth put forth the theory that the name Loki is related to Swedish locke (spider), but that theory didn’t gain much acceptance among academics.
Mistletoe - The plant Loki uses to kill Baldr in the Eddas, as it’s the only thing that hasn’t sworn not to harm Baldr. Keep in mind that mistletoe is not the same plant as holly. (You want the one with white berries.)
Birch - Because of the Norwegian rune poem. (see below)
Common Haircap moss, aka “Loke’s Oats” - In parts of Denmark, Loki was said to be “sowing his oats” when extreme summer heat caused things to look distorted and wavy. This was considered to be an act of trolling on his part, since the “oats” he sowed were useless and inedible.
Bentgrass, aka “Loke’s Grass” - Another type of inedible grass that Loki was presumably sowing instead of something agriculturally beneficial.
Cinnamon - Modern Lokeans very commonly associate their deity with this tastiest of tree bark. However, there’s nothing connecting Loki to cinnamon in the lore. Surprisingly though, the Norse actually would have had access to the spice through trade with the Middle East.
Dandelion - The dandelion was colloquially known as “Loki’s bloom.” This surprises absolutely nobody who has ever had a yard.
Bjarkan - The only rune with an attested connection to Loki, in the Norwegian rune poem:
“Birch has the greenest leaves of any shrub;
Loki was fortunate in his deceit.”
Logr - His name starts with it. Also, water is a very liminal thing.
Cen - Based on SPG about Loki and fire. (see below.)
Pretty much all of them can be tied to Loki with some creativity TBH
Lokabrenna - Yes, really, Loki is a star. (But we knew that.) The Norse named the star we call Sirius Lokabrenna, “Loki’s burning” or “Loki’s torch.”
Lokablót, the sacrificial celebration of Loki, has no set date. There is no evidence for the historical worship of Loki, and so modern devotees do their own thing. That said, a couple particular days have become somewhat popular.
April 1 - A lot of people think that April Fool’s Day is an appropriate time to celebrate Loki’s trickster nature.
Lokabrenna Day - Because the star Sirius was named for Loki, some people in recent years have decided to celebrate Lokablót when Sirius rises. (The same day Kemetics celebrate Wep Ronpet, basically.) Unfortunately, because of the laws of physics and stuff, that day is going to vary based on your location. Here’s a guide on how to calculate it. Yes, it’s kind of complex.
None of these are attested, but I include them for the sake of completeness and because it’s a surprisingly common question.
Green and Gold - These come from the Marvel character.
Red and orange - These, as far as I can tell, are SPG, likely tied to the aforementioned fire association SPG.
Fire - Wagner combined Loki with Logi, the fire god, in his Ring Cycle. And ever since, Loki has been associated with fire and magic in pop culture. There are some very iffy pieces of evidence that Loki might have had some historical connection with fire (e.g., the Snaptun stone and medieval folklore about the Ash Lad) but the scholarly consensus is “Nope, blame Wagner.” That said, fire, with its dual roles of creation and destruction, enlightenment and passion, is a pretty potent symbol for Loki even if it doesn’t have a historical basis.
Red hair - Loki’s hair color is never mentioned in the lore, and there are some illuminated Icelandic manuscripts in which he is shown as a blond or brunette. The fire god mistake mentioned above probably popularized the redhead image. (Interestingly, Thor is canonically a redhead.)
Fishing Nets - In Gylfaginning, Loki weaves a fishing net while on the lam and hiding from the Aesir. (The story kind of implies it’s the first fishing net, although Ran is also credited with inventing them elsewhere.) Loki turns into a salmon to escape but ends up being caught with his own creation,
Earthquakes - The prose epilogue to Lokasenna claims that earthquakes are caused by Loki writhing in pain when Sigyn leaves to empty her venom-catching bowl.
Masks - While Odin, not Loki, takes the name of Grímnir (the masked one) in the lore, masks are a fairly logical thing to associate with a shapeshifter.
This list only includes things that are in the lore or that I perceive to be extremely common SPG. I want to reiterate that it is perfectly acceptable to have personal associations that have nothing to do with the lore. My goal here is merely to shed some light on where the most popular symbols come from. I hope it’s useful!
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