In a recent short story, I explored the accounts in Norse mythology about Ragnarok, the final battle fought between the giants and the gods. Similar to my recently finished draft novel Ragnarok Dreaming, this story is a retelling of battle of Ragnarok from the perspective of Loki. My research drew on the classic texts, The Poetic Edda and Prose Edda and possible motivations behind Loki’s treachery and murder of Odin’s son Baldr. The story is an account of the aftermath of Loki’s fateful actions, deceit of Baldr’s blind brother Hodr, who shoots the arrow Loki has given him, the only item in the Nine Worlds Loki knows is capable of killing Baldr. For Loki, the subsequent capture and imprisonment by the Aesir, the torture and binding underground are when the schism between Odin and Loki seems to really occur. In this story, my retelling explored what possible motivations had led Loki to murder Baldr even via a-proxy, knowing Odin’s trust in him would be broken forever. The outcome of Ragnarok had been foretold by the witch Gullveig to Odin in Loki’s presence eons before when even Odin’s considerable foresight would prove unable to avoid the fatal confrontations between foes and inevitable deaths on both sides of the battlefield. If the doom of the gods and giants had been so securely foretold, this story explored what events could have led to Loki’s irredeemable actions and final rebellion against Odin.
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