LOKI’S SMILE

“Then the dwarf would have hewn off his head; but Loki said that he might have the head, but not the neck. So the dwarf took a thong and a knife, and would have bored a hole in Loki's lips and stitched his mouth together, but the knife did not cut. Then Brokkr said that it would be better if his brother's awl were there: and even as he named it, the awl was there, and pierced the lips. He stitched the Ups together, and Loki ripped the thong out of the edges.”

-Skáldskaparmal (from the Prose Edda), Brodeur translation

Loki is such a fascinating character. He is the cause of so many mishaps, and instigates so many stories, that it is difficult to imagine what Norse Lore would look like without him. He is such an archetypal figure that many identify with him, and you probably know someone with “Big Loki Energy.”

You’ve probably said too much, or let your mouth run you into situations that did more harm than good. We’ve all been there. Yet you can probably also relate to the feeling of having your mouth sewn shut, and being unable to speak. This is the great embodiment of Loki: the instigator and the punished, he who says too much and he who cannot speak. Love him or hate him Loki has lessons to teach us all, often in spite of himself.

The original fantasy painting was done in oil and measures 16" x 20".