Who and what they are (or can be) lie deep within their repertoire of tricks which leave us in a stage full of ultimate ambivalence, thus Loki and Hermes become so elusive that they disappear as quick as a magic trick in this sea of possibility. Identifying them according to these features might be fairly easy, but providing a consensus about their essential nature is a heavy task. (March 97-8) Consequently, both Loki and Hermes are akin to each other in regards to trickery and inventiveness. Apollo gave Hermes a whip, and Hermes gave Apollo the lyre he had invented and this became Apollo's symbol as a God of music. Apollo soon learned this, but they resolved the problem and exchanged gifts. Shortly after, he stole Apollo's cattle and herded backwards as to not have the tracks easily followed. Hermes was only a baby and the first thing he did was to kill a turtle to make a lyre from the shell. (Gaiman) Another trickster is the Greek god, Hermes who is a messenger and less of a central focus but shares a similar ground with Loki when it comes to the inventiveness and creativity. Nevertheless, Loki is the one who provides gifts to gods like Thor's hammer. Thus Brokk never gets to return with Loki's head. With commentary by Maria Kvilhaug, this volume two book is a collection of Old Norse medieval texts concerning the gods Thor and Loki. Even though Loki loses the bet, he comes up with one more trick up his sleeve. Norse myths are chock full with stories of heroism, gods, giants, dwarfs, along with strong elements of shamanism, pagan ritual, sorcery and shape-changing. For instance, after stealing Sif's hair, Loki takes a bet with Brokk who gets to take Loki's head in the end. While Loki's mischief is the root of many troubles, he is also the one who solves those troubles with similar mischief. This duplicity almost shows itself in every case for Loki and Hermes. Loki is considered a god in Norse mythology. (Spinks) A trickster is both a creator and destroyer, giver and negator, a bestial and divine being. Greek god, Hermes and the Norse god, Loki are among such tricksters and both of them bear a resemblance in the ways they conduct themselves. Tricksters basically hold a double-edged sword they are the embodiment of binary oppositions, they are deceivers, shape-shifters, invert-ers and messengers of the gods. They are almost always male, and each of them has their own distinctive ways to handle the situations, but all of them cling to a certain set of features that make them alike. The idea of a trickster has established itself as a cultural hero whose creativity extends and strengthens the culture of the mythological world they belong to.
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