Loki’s Connection to the Tarot

The Ancients who practised Tarot and Astrology and Kabbalism and dabbled in mythology saw the half-giant half-god Norse character, Loki, as both the Devil and the Fool. In the Celestial Tarot pack by Kay Steventon and Brian Clark, Kay’s illustration for the Devil represents the Greek goat-god Pan brandishing his musical panpipes.

Loki as the Devil

Where Loki is concerned, Pan’s free-wheeling expansiveness and mischievous demeanour are exactly what Loki is all about. And then Loki’s relation to the Devil: this specific tarot card is all about breaking free from the things that bind you … perhaps an overly materialistic nature, or feeling restricted in personal creativity, or being stuck in a stifling, dead-end job. And that’s exactly where Loki (or Pan) initiates challenges in life, forcing you to step out of your comfort zone, find the courage to shatter those devilish bonds.

Loki as the Fool

The Fool has a fearlessness, a spirit of adventure, which makes him act unexpectedly. So, yes, upsetting things but also making space for new energies to flow in. He rebels against the present but is also brave enough to leap into the unknown and to accept whatever lesson the future throws at him. The Fool’s nakedness symbolises a pure soul (although who could call Loki’s scheming trickery pure?), an innocence, a faith in himself that everything will be okay. The Fool/Loki is prepared to follow a hunch, an intuitive prompting, just to see what happens at the other end. In the tarot, when the Fool appears it’s a turning point. And certainly, any actions the mythological Loki takes always initiates a turning point … because he’s upset the applecart and before you can move forward you have to pick up the apples!

Celestial Tarot by Kay Steventon & Brian Clark © US Games Systems, Inc.

4 things you might not know about Loki

1. He is the product of a cruel giant, Farbauti (pictured below), and a lovely goddess mother, Laufey (which is why Loki has emerald-green eyes, blond curls and perfectly engaging dimples)
2. He gave birth to Odin’s eight-legged horse, Sleipnir. Yes, really!
3. He has three monstrous offspring from his union with the giantess Angrboda:
   • the massive serpent Jörmungundr who is wrapped around the base of the World Tree on Midgard (Middle Earth)
   • Hel, whose face is one-half beauty and one-half skull-like death because she rules over the dead soldiers who don’t make it to Valhalla
   • Fenrir, the slavering, fearsome wolf who had to be chained, with a sword jammed across his mouth to tame his vicious sharp teeth
4. He can change his form into all sorts of small creatures, such as birds, fish, or biting insects (which is why he manages to get around unnoticed and cause his havoc)