Today, we have a 21st Century awareness of diversity in expression pertaining to a person’s gender, sexuality and place in the world. Yet we sometimes forget that these markers of human identity have always existed throughout our shared... more
Today, we have a 21st Century awareness of diversity in expression pertaining to a person’s gender, sexuality and place in the world. Yet we sometimes forget that these markers of human identity have always existed throughout our shared cultural past, and are articulated in various ways within ancient stories and mythologies.
In this thesis, I will consider the way that gender identity and sexuality are evoked in Norse mythology, focusing on the figure of Loki.
The sexuality and gender identity of Loki has not previously been surveyed. The starting point of this research comprises a close reading of Georges Dumézil’s system of understanding myth, followed by an analysis of Jerold C. Frakes’s attempt to explain the position of Loki in Norse mythology and religion. These scholars’ works are seminal to understanding the god Loki, and will guide my comparative study of the nature of Loki amongst the other gods and in other cultures. I will then draw on their theories to offer my own interpretation of Loki’s position in the pantheon. Following this, I will discuss the sexuality and gender-identity of Loki and how this reflects the social milieu of Viking-Age Norse society.
My central thesis statement is therefore twofold: first, to fully grasp the role of Loki in Norse mythology we have to look at them through the lens of the Norse worldview; second, an awareness of Loki’s place in the pantheon gives us insights into Norse understandings of gender identity and sexuality.
In this thesis, I will consider the way that gender identity and sexuality are evoked in Norse mythology, focusing on the figure of Loki.
The sexuality and gender identity of Loki has not previously been surveyed. The starting point of this research comprises a close reading of Georges Dumézil’s system of understanding myth, followed by an analysis of Jerold C. Frakes’s attempt to explain the position of Loki in Norse mythology and religion. These scholars’ works are seminal to understanding the god Loki, and will guide my comparative study of the nature of Loki amongst the other gods and in other cultures. I will then draw on their theories to offer my own interpretation of Loki’s position in the pantheon. Following this, I will discuss the sexuality and gender-identity of Loki and how this reflects the social milieu of Viking-Age Norse society.
My central thesis statement is therefore twofold: first, to fully grasp the role of Loki in Norse mythology we have to look at them through the lens of the Norse worldview; second, an awareness of Loki’s place in the pantheon gives us insights into Norse understandings of gender identity and sexuality.
