Fic: Over the Sea
Title: Over the Sea
Author: Pinigir
Fandom: Norse Mythology, British Folklore
Characters/Pairing: Loki
Rating: PG
Summary: Loki explains something about his heritage.
Notes: This is based on my interpretation of Loki. This view isn’t necessarily entirely based on what is known from mythological canon.
Notes: I haven’t made use of a beta. If you see any mistakes, don’t be afraid to tell me.
Over the Sea
Dear, dear readers,
There’s a question I would like to ask you. Why is it that you all seem to think that my parents were giants? Where does that idea come from? I know, I know, it’s written down in the Edda. But really, just because it’s written there doesn’t mean it’s the truth. It might as well be some poet’s fancy.
I mean, do you know what giants are supposed to look like? And what I look like? I will give you a hint: there’s very little that we have in common. To say it more clearly: I have never been and never will be a giant. If you don’t believe me, I’ll explain it to you.
First of all, giants are known for their gigantic size, hence the name. Giants are big, very big. I, on the other hand, cannot in any way be considered to be gigantic. I’m not even the tallest one of the gods of Asgard. I’m dwarfed by Thor, for example. (It is rumoured that Thor does have a little bit of giant in him, though, but that doesn’t exactly disprove my point now, does it?)
The way my body is built also contradicts the nature of giants. I’m well muscled, but not in a bulky way. I could more easily be described as wiry in built, bordering on skinny. My body is made for lightness and speed and lends me great agility and dexterity. These aren’t words that are often, or at all, associated with giants. They are big hulks of muscle and bone, built for strength and not much more.
It could generally be said that the features of giants are crude. Very few giants are known to be beautiful; most of them are just plain ugly. You could say about me whatever you want, but I am not ugly. I have famously good looks. Only Balder is said to surpass me, though I’d rather like to forget that. My looks are striking: beautiful in an otherworldly way. I have an androgynous quality about me, maybe even feminine. I could make for a very pretty woman if I wanted to be. Not even female giants really manage to look like women.
It’s not just my physique that doesn’t compare to giants. I am the most cunning and intelligent of the gods, even though I might not always act like it. Most giants are incredibly stupid. Some of them are known to be wise, but it comes from age and experience, not necessarily from the greatness of their minds. Really, cunning isn’t something that comes into one’s vocabulary when thinking of giants.
Finally, there is my personality, which isn’t very giant-like either. Giants are profoundly dull and predictable, while I am the opposite. My moods shift constantly. I act on impulse, do everything on a whim. Giants can’t conceive of such a thing. They are really set in their ways.
In short, there is really nothing about me that could be attributed to a heritage of giant origin. I am no giant, and neither were my parents. We haven’t established what it is that I really am, though. Fear not, I will reveal it to you.
Where most of the Norse gods abhor magic and fear it, I’m an expert at it. I use it to cast glamours and the like, but mostly I use it for the power to shape-shift. You wouldn’t believe how many times that has come in handy. The shape-shifting, but especially the glamours, have always been associated with a certain type of beings. Beings also known for their love of trickery and charm, just like me.
My hair is as red as the fire I am associated with. My eyes show you the green of the forests. My skin is fair and would easily burn if I were human. Only a few freckles give it colour. This colouring is not typically found in the lands of the North, although I have to admit that it isn’t completely non-existent. It is typically found in the lands of the Celts and Britons...
I already said something about my beauty and my lithe form; the fact that I can move with an almost unnatural grace. That might not make things that much clearer, but there is something that will. It involves my ears. They are a dead give away, really. Why? Because they are pointy. That’s right, I have pointy ears. Now, what does that make you think of?
Do you know it yet? Or do I really have to spell it out for you? Me and my parents were born on the British Isles. We belong to a race that is known under various names, like sidhe, elves and fae. I’m sure you’ve heard of them. Knowing this, it wouldn’t be hard to imagine that me and my parents are nothing at all like those boorish creatures known as giants. I think that, by now, you will agree with me.
As I have shown you, it should be obvious to anyone who sees me that I cannot possibly be a giant. So, how could it be that people see me as the spawn of giants? The only thing I can think of, is that it is just a gross misunderstanding, born in ignorance. When asked about my parents, I told everyone that they came from a land that was over the sea. I even told them its name. Sadly though, it seems that their limited view of geography got in the way here. All they knew was that giants lived across the sea. And so, according to their fridge logic, I had to be a giant. That this “fact” is still wide spread “knowledge” centuries later, is probably due to human laziness. It seems that no one ever attempted to check the (un)truth of this. That, at least, is my theory of why I am thought of as a giant.
The thing is, I don’t actually care why people think that I’m a giant. It just bothers me that they do. It’s a gross misconception that I would like to bring to an end. I have just shown you, with arguments, what is really the case. Those were some pretty convincing arguments, don’t you think? So, why not spread the word? Tell everyone what I really am? I would be eternally grateful if you did.
Yours sincerely,
Loki
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Reviews are always welcome!
+++
Now with a sequel: A Fairy in the North.
Author: Pinigir
Fandom: Norse Mythology, British Folklore
Characters/Pairing: Loki
Rating: PG
Summary: Loki explains something about his heritage.
Notes: This is based on my interpretation of Loki. This view isn’t necessarily entirely based on what is known from mythological canon.
Notes: I haven’t made use of a beta. If you see any mistakes, don’t be afraid to tell me.
Over the Sea
Dear, dear readers,
There’s a question I would like to ask you. Why is it that you all seem to think that my parents were giants? Where does that idea come from? I know, I know, it’s written down in the Edda. But really, just because it’s written there doesn’t mean it’s the truth. It might as well be some poet’s fancy.
I mean, do you know what giants are supposed to look like? And what I look like? I will give you a hint: there’s very little that we have in common. To say it more clearly: I have never been and never will be a giant. If you don’t believe me, I’ll explain it to you.
First of all, giants are known for their gigantic size, hence the name. Giants are big, very big. I, on the other hand, cannot in any way be considered to be gigantic. I’m not even the tallest one of the gods of Asgard. I’m dwarfed by Thor, for example. (It is rumoured that Thor does have a little bit of giant in him, though, but that doesn’t exactly disprove my point now, does it?)
The way my body is built also contradicts the nature of giants. I’m well muscled, but not in a bulky way. I could more easily be described as wiry in built, bordering on skinny. My body is made for lightness and speed and lends me great agility and dexterity. These aren’t words that are often, or at all, associated with giants. They are big hulks of muscle and bone, built for strength and not much more.
It could generally be said that the features of giants are crude. Very few giants are known to be beautiful; most of them are just plain ugly. You could say about me whatever you want, but I am not ugly. I have famously good looks. Only Balder is said to surpass me, though I’d rather like to forget that. My looks are striking: beautiful in an otherworldly way. I have an androgynous quality about me, maybe even feminine. I could make for a very pretty woman if I wanted to be. Not even female giants really manage to look like women.
It’s not just my physique that doesn’t compare to giants. I am the most cunning and intelligent of the gods, even though I might not always act like it. Most giants are incredibly stupid. Some of them are known to be wise, but it comes from age and experience, not necessarily from the greatness of their minds. Really, cunning isn’t something that comes into one’s vocabulary when thinking of giants.
Finally, there is my personality, which isn’t very giant-like either. Giants are profoundly dull and predictable, while I am the opposite. My moods shift constantly. I act on impulse, do everything on a whim. Giants can’t conceive of such a thing. They are really set in their ways.
In short, there is really nothing about me that could be attributed to a heritage of giant origin. I am no giant, and neither were my parents. We haven’t established what it is that I really am, though. Fear not, I will reveal it to you.
Where most of the Norse gods abhor magic and fear it, I’m an expert at it. I use it to cast glamours and the like, but mostly I use it for the power to shape-shift. You wouldn’t believe how many times that has come in handy. The shape-shifting, but especially the glamours, have always been associated with a certain type of beings. Beings also known for their love of trickery and charm, just like me.
My hair is as red as the fire I am associated with. My eyes show you the green of the forests. My skin is fair and would easily burn if I were human. Only a few freckles give it colour. This colouring is not typically found in the lands of the North, although I have to admit that it isn’t completely non-existent. It is typically found in the lands of the Celts and Britons...
I already said something about my beauty and my lithe form; the fact that I can move with an almost unnatural grace. That might not make things that much clearer, but there is something that will. It involves my ears. They are a dead give away, really. Why? Because they are pointy. That’s right, I have pointy ears. Now, what does that make you think of?
Do you know it yet? Or do I really have to spell it out for you? Me and my parents were born on the British Isles. We belong to a race that is known under various names, like sidhe, elves and fae. I’m sure you’ve heard of them. Knowing this, it wouldn’t be hard to imagine that me and my parents are nothing at all like those boorish creatures known as giants. I think that, by now, you will agree with me.
As I have shown you, it should be obvious to anyone who sees me that I cannot possibly be a giant. So, how could it be that people see me as the spawn of giants? The only thing I can think of, is that it is just a gross misunderstanding, born in ignorance. When asked about my parents, I told everyone that they came from a land that was over the sea. I even told them its name. Sadly though, it seems that their limited view of geography got in the way here. All they knew was that giants lived across the sea. And so, according to their fridge logic, I had to be a giant. That this “fact” is still wide spread “knowledge” centuries later, is probably due to human laziness. It seems that no one ever attempted to check the (un)truth of this. That, at least, is my theory of why I am thought of as a giant.
The thing is, I don’t actually care why people think that I’m a giant. It just bothers me that they do. It’s a gross misconception that I would like to bring to an end. I have just shown you, with arguments, what is really the case. Those were some pretty convincing arguments, don’t you think? So, why not spread the word? Tell everyone what I really am? I would be eternally grateful if you did.
Yours sincerely,
Loki
+++
Reviews are always welcome!
+++
Now with a sequel: A Fairy in the North.