In Germanic and Norse mythology, Loki was the fire god, descended from giants (who are often portrayed as enemies of the gods.) There are many stories about him. In some he is depicted as a likeable trickster, fond of jokes and disguises; in others he is clearly evil, as in the well known story where he causes the death of Baldur, the favourite of all the gods and object of Loki's envy.
In the stories Loki became increasingly evil, and was the father of three monstrous children; a giant wolf, a sea-serpent and Hel, goddess of the dead. Eventually the other gods expelled him from Asgard (their fortress) and imprisoned him in a cave, tied up with his own son's entrails and exposed to venom dripping from a snake's mouth. There he stayed until the final conflict or apocalypse, Ragnarok, in which Loki would side with the forces of evil.
In the stories Loki became increasingly evil, and was the father of three monstrous children; a giant wolf, a sea-serpent and Hel, goddess of the dead. Eventually the other gods expelled him from Asgard (their fortress) and imprisoned him in a cave, tied up with his own son's entrails and exposed to venom dripping from a snake's mouth. There he stayed until the final conflict or apocalypse, Ragnarok, in which Loki would side with the forces of evil.
