Lokasenna
Lokasenna, known also as "Loki's Flyting", is a poem in the Elder Edda. As do most of the more recent poems in the Elder Edda, this poem deals with the subject of the gods of Norse mythology. In this poem the gods (particularly Odin and Loki) trade insults. The poem Lokasenna is inextricably interrelated with the death of Baldur, which was arranged by Loki, and Loki's eventual punishment for this. In the poem, many facets of the divine malice, insight and treachery of Loki are exposed, as are the inevitable shortcomings of the gods with whom Loki is trading insults. Loki, it should be noted, as well as being a god of mischief is also a highly skilled worker with words, full of guile and eloquence.
Lee M. Hollander, in his introduction to his translation of the poem, claims that it was in no sense a popular lay and suggests we should not necessarily believe that the accusations of the "sly god" were an accepted part of the lore. Nevertheless the poem provides a great deal of incidental and secondary information about the gods, their doings and their propensities: the character of Loki (particularly in this poem) was to the Norsemen what a contemporary gossip columnist is to modern society, both mischievous and muck-raking.
The setting is a feast given by the sea god Aegir. (In a nice piece of continuity, the prose introduction says: "Ægir, also named Gymir, had made ale for the Æsir, when he had received the great kettle of which was told" (see Hymiskviða)). Thor did not attend, however his wife Sif came in his stead as did Bragi and his wife Iduna. Tyr, by this time one-handed as a consequence of his sacrifice of his hand in the shackling of Loki's son, the wolf Fenrisulfr attended, as did Niord and his wife Skadi, Freyr and Freya, as well as Vithar, the son of Odin. Many other Vanir, Aesir, and also elves were there.
The servants of Aegir, Fimafeng and Iduna, Bragi's wife, holds him back. Loki then insults Iduna, calling her a slut. Gefyon attempts to calm the escalating situation; Loki turns his spite on her
impugning her with child-love. Odin then attempts to take a grip, as do (in turn), Freya, Niord, Tyr, Freyr and Byggvir. The exchanges between Odin and Loki are particularly vitriolic.
Eventually Thor turns up at the party, and he is not to be placated, nor witheld. Alternating with Loki's insults to him, he says three times that he will use his hammer to knock Loki's head off if he contunues.
Loki is chased by the gods, and caught after an unsuccessful attempt at disguing himself as a salmon. His son Vali is turned into a wolf who kills his brother Narvi (a variation of which being that Fenrir is killed and his entrails are used to bind Loki, but this makes no sense as Fenrir must defet the gods in the Ragnarok). The entrails are used to bind Loki to three rocks above which Skathi places a serpent to drip venom on him. Loki's wife Sigyn remains by his side with a bowl to catch the venom, however whenever she leaves to empty the bowl, venom falls on Loki, causing him to writhe in agony; these writhings were said to be the cause of earthquakes.
Interestingly, the Lokasenna does not directly state that Loki's binding is as a consequence of the killing of Baldur, a logical corollary which many have subsequently drawn.
