I actually don’t know what first sparked my interest in Norse mythology. I remember already knowing a bit when I first played Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth (for the PSP, not the PS1) But I didn’t really start researching it until after I saw a mostly obscure anime called Ragnarok many many years ago. I only watched a few episodes of it, but while the characters interested me, the story did not and I walked away from it going: “I can do that better.”
Loki interested me from the beginning, as he is, I feel, the character around which the entire mythology rotates. I have read a lot of different opinions on him, from him just being a harmless jokester to evil incarnate.
When the Thor movie was coming out I knew nothing about it. I really didn’t want to see it because I figured it would effect my own vision of Norse mythology too much, and Thor was not a comic book hero in which I was ever interested. I’m not sure why I changed my mind, (Maybe cause Thor’s actor was cute, no lie) but when I started it up and saw “Thor’s brother” I wasn’t sure at first who it was. Odin has lots of sons after all. (In mythology anyway.) It wasn’t until I heard the character called “Silvertongue” that it actually clicked.
And I remember feeling a sense of dread. It is so easy to make Loki the villain, and I figured that was what was going to happen in this movie as well. I was so happy at the thought and care that went into Loki’s progression from good to evil. The depth and humanity of it, well I can understand why he has such a following (handsome, talented actors aside). I don’t watch that movie for Thor. Thor can shove it. I don’t believe his change in attitude for a moment when compared to the anguish that Loki had to endure and the decisions he had to make.
Though part of me is still upset, because now I feel like I have to share Loki with the rest of the world. Some of them who don’t know anything about the mythology or the character beyond what was in that movie. It worries me mostly because of the story I am trying to write that uses Loki as one of the main characters. It will probably be tainted by those movies, but I guess I won’t let that keep me from nurturing my own version of Loki. And maybe one day, someone else will like my version of Loki as well.
