Loki Keeps His Word
The Highest Fantasies are Low: How Odin Got his Magical Steed
What loftier fantasy could the Gods conceive than to build Asgard as their future fortress of doomed splendor? to erect Valhalla for the merriment of their divine banquets? It was a dream worth many mead-benches.
They hired the help of a Jötun (Giant, although Devourer is better translated) assisted only by his workhorse Skaðilföri in the labor. Loki the trickster had promised him Freya, lovely Goddess of beauty, as wifely wage; but only if he could construct the citadel within the time-span elapsed between spring and winter.
While spring transformed into summer, the gods looked anxiously upon the speed of the progress. Freya had no desire to share her bed with an ugly Giant with calloused hands, and threatened Loki with fierce retribution if he didn't find a way to get out of his oath.
Loki gave his word he'd break his word.
He noticed, sly that he was, the huge amount of labor the horse Skaðilföri was accomplishing, and devised a plan to change that.
Loki looked into a running stream nearby and sighed, considering the burden he was about to take upon himself. He winked at his shifting reflection in the stream, and metamorphosed into a sexy brown Mare.
The Mare gamboled about the green, with much kicking of hooves and making of mare-eyes at Skaðilföri with those extra-long and femmy equine lashes; horsey pheromones hung about the air in reeking clouds, betokening summer love and summoning the workhorse to playful cavorting.
To the dismay and curses of the Giant, Skaðilföri (all horny) galloped after Loki the sexy Mare, and was thereafter not seen again for months. Continuing his labor alone, he had no hope of meeting their time requirements.
Now, we all knew that Loki was of ambiguous sexuality, but this time he really lost himself in the role. In the nearby forested zones of Alfheim they did what horses did. Again, and again. And again.
Loki came to the point of forgetting he who he was, thinking himself a Mare locked in the cycle of Skaðilföri's perpetual rut.
But at long last he transformed himself back, with another wink in the river, and left his lover Skaðilföri pining and alone. Parting is such sweet sorrow.
The deadline was past, yet Asgard was still under construction. Loki came back, stomach already bulging with strange animal gestation. It should have felt like a victory, but the other Gods taunted him mercilessly and did nothing to ease him through this painful pregnancy.
The time between spring and winter elapsed again before the offspring was born. Don't ask about the mechanisms by which a male god gestates and gives birth to a horse: you don't want to know.
It was then, to Loki's screams, that a magnificent eight-legged steed saw the light, black as night and rearing for battle. Fully grown (ouch!)
The Gods rejoiced and named him Sleipnir.
"You see," groaned Loki, exhausted, "I kept my word."
High Fantasy Challenge:
About the Creator
Rob Angeli
sunt lacrimae rerum et mentem mortalia tangunt
There are tears of things, and mortal objects touch the mind.
-Virgil Aeneid I.462
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Comments (15)
I missed this! WOW Rob, so riveting, and odd, and vivid in ways I was not expecting. Kind of horrifying, but also, that's Norse gods for ya. Lol, what a wild story!
Yeah, these stories make total sense... I particularly enjoyed when he gave his word to break he word.
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This was a darkly humorous retelling. I love how transgressive Norse mythology can get. Loki is of course the equivalent of “Hermaphrodite” or the planet Mercury, known for ruling the masculine conscious and feminine subconscious (the left and right brain). A trickster for sure, because nothing deceives us more than our own thoughts. This was such a fresh take on high fantasy. I abhor any stories with dragons, so I’m glad this wasn’t that! “He winked at his shifting reflection in the stream, and metamorphosed into a sexy brown Mare. The Mare gamboled about the green, with much kicking of hooves and making of mare-eyes at Skaðilföri with those extra-long and femmy equine lashes; horsey pheromones hung about the air in reeking clouds, betokening summer love and summoning the workhorse to playful cavorting.” I LOL’d so hard! 😆
An excellent retelling of the story! I love it! Loki did indeed keep his word, to not keep his word <3
🤣Nice❤️📝✌️
Hahahah! This was both tragically hilarious and terrifying to me! I love your narrative voice in this and all your extra commentary! This was a fun and unexpected read! 🤣 Great work Rob!
loved considering loki's gestation and birthing. Nicely done...fun to read... gave his word to break his word...brilliant
You gotts love/hate Loki. Rob, you never fail to deliver dishes best served cold or hot, depending on one's outlook. This was horrifying and splendid. I love mythology.
Woah, this one took me for a ride…. No pun intended at all. 😂 Great story and sounded like some legit mythology! Rob, your writing is so immersive! 💫
This was a nightmare! Absolutely terrifying! It literally made me shudder!
Haha, weird and interesting. Nice writing!! 💙Anneliese
I love trickster stories! They are my absolute favourite type of mythology and Loki has some of the best in the biz! Specifically loved the comedic asides in this story as well as the flow and tone. It was all pitch perfect! Your, shall we say 'polite', description of what the horses did for months was very funny. And the trickery of Loki coming back to bite him in, what I must say is, a rather unpleasant way is never not funny. Hopefully he doesn't go on to kill anyone important with a mistletoe arrow setting off a chain of events leading directly to the end of the world
Ouch is right!!! A very immersive and playful tale. Great entry, Rob!
Gosh, Norse mythology is something!