A Brighter Fire in the Dark

[lunik_the_bard]

Title: A Brighter Fire in the Dark
Rating: Gen
Fandom: Thor, Norse Mythology
Summary: Odin discarded the Jotun race and their world into darkness. A necessary iniquity, and the only way to ensure they never again rose up to attack another realm. But how could that place of ice and nothing else have produced a fire so bright as Loki Laufeyson?

An

Comments

[daffenger]

You're so exceptional at weaving myth into new stories t_t

[lunik_the_bard]

Oh, gosh, that is such a sweet thing to say, thank you!

[dhampyresa]

You should leave some awesome for the rest of us.

I feel like I've linked this song around so much 90% of the hits are due to me (and 50% are me).

[lunik_the_bard]

(I've been linking it around a whole lot, too! Also, my sister and I have been performing it to folk groups. I get a little bit too Loki while introducing it, and occasionally call her a baby stealing one eyed arsehole. I get some odd looks.)

(For the record, my sister has two eyes.)

[sphinxofthenile]

Such a fresh spin on the myths, I really enjoyed it!

[lunik_the_bard]

Thank you! I adore the myths because the breakdown of Odin and Loki's brotherhood is such a resonating story. Even before you can ask how they go from "Any gift presented to me will belong to you also" to "destroying the world out of hatred for you", you have to wonder how they came to love each other in the first place. Loki was a Jotun halfling; Odin was a god. For those two people to come together in the first place, you know the sentiment between them was real.

Then you get to break your own heart wondering how it all went to shit.

[sphinxofthenile]

Story of my life. Err. I have a thing for breaking my heart, obviously.

But yes, so much this. Granted, there is always the fact that Odin was part-Jotun himself and apparently one crafty bastard.

[lunik_the_bard]

There's that. And the fact that he's the quintessential wandering god means that he had more in common with Loki than, for example, Freyr. But there's the Seidmadr issue as well - somehow Odin manages to get away without the stigma of being a male sorcerer (there's no record of him birthing unnatural children of his own, and the only person to accuse him of sexual 'deviance' is Loki). Association with someone as unapologetically argr as Loki would come with problems. And even if Odin's reaction was fuck you, I'm the Allfather, I'll do what I want he would still be acting in defiance of the expectations of the other gods. I just like to imagine the relationship between the two of them within that framework - because the spark when they met was strong enough that Odin took a stand to give it a chance, and the disapproval of others would have only made it stronger, I think.

(And I do think an awful lot!)

[lunik_the_bard]

I don't mind even slightly! Hello, new friend.

Thank you - I love the myths, have since I was little. And discovering the marvel canon, I always find myself tripping over the Loki-into-world-domination and the Odin-has-history-with-Laufey-(Who-is-a-dude-for-no-reason). I'm loving marvel, because it has Kid!Loki in it, but... well, I wrote this! XD

[zinnamom]

This is a wonderful and lovely story. I love how Loki is such a Trickster in this, that's the way I envision him in the myths and it's an element I often miss in the Marvel fandom when it comes to Loki.

There really are not enough mythology inspired fics around but I'm glad the once I do seem to find are such great quality.

[lunik_the_bard]

Thank you, you're so lovely to say so! I have a soft spot in my heart for the Trickster archetype and characters who make reality whatever they say it is. I'm with you that we don't see enough of crafty!Loki in fandom - I like the other characterisations of him that fandom picked up on, vengeful!Loki, desperate-for-approval!Loki, inferiority/superiority-complex!Loki... But the Loki who sees a problem like "Whoa, I'm adopted" and reaches a conclusion like "Better win daddy's love by deceiving a rival king, deposing my brother and committing genocide", that's the Loki I love.

I wish I was better at writing his rube-goldberg mind.

[zinnamom]

I have quite a fondness for Tricksters myself, my favourite characters have a tendency to fall in that category.

I've recently read a truly brilliant book about Tricksters, "Trickster makes this world" by Lewis Hyde. It looks at the trickster figure from a cultural antropological point of view. If you haven't read it yet I can highly recommend it.

[lunik_the_bard]

That sounds like exactly the kind of thing I'd be interested in! I'll look this up, thanks.