S5E4 - Ragnarok-ing Out with Loki

stories featured in Greaking Out are usually original adaptations of classic Greek myths.

This week's story features bad deals, kidnappings, several people who can turn into birds, sensitive body parts, and the fear of aging.

So in Greeking out, we normally hang out, you know, in Greece, obviously.

But remember that one time we went to Mesopotamia?

Well, pack your bags because today we're headed north.

Don't worry, we'll always come back to Greece.

But this time, we go all the way up to Scandinavia to tell you a classic tale from Norse mythology.

Scandinavia is a term used to refer to the countries of Norway and Sweden, the two countries on the Scandinavian Peninsula.

But this term also includes Denmark.

This region is about 1,580 miles away from central Greece.

That's right.

We're ragnaroking out this week.

Or maybe norsing out.

Oh, hey, maybe I should do a different version of the theme song, huh?

Norsing out some of the greatest stories in history.

Come from Norsemithaludge.

Okay,

just me?

Fine.

Tone deafness, also known as amusia, is a musical disorder that appears mainly as a defect in processing pitch, but also encompasses musical memory and recognition.

Ah, I see what you did there, Oracle.

Okay, well, I guess we can do away with the theme song and just get right into the story.

This is the story of Loki and Idun.

Now, you've probably heard of Loki from various movies or TV shows that shall remain nameless, but we're talking about the original Loki.

You see, Loki's stories are a big part of Norse mythology along with his brother Thor.

But to be completely fair, Loki wasn't technically a Norse god, or technically Thor's brother.

In fact, his real father was a giant who abandoned him as a baby, so Odin, chief of the Aesir, took him in.

Aesir is the name of one of the groups of Norse gods.

There is also the Vanir and various groups of other magical beings.

You can think of the Aesir and the Vanir as two different clans of gods.

That's right, Oracle, but these gods weren't believed to be as all-powerful as Zeus and company.

They were divine beings, to be sure, but they didn't seem to have as much control over the mortal world as the Greek gods did.

And there were some other differences.

Norse giants, for example, were not just massive beings, but they were actually just like gods.

They could use magic, and they tended to have the power of nature behind them, too.

There were frost giants and fire giants, for example.

This made them the perfect rivals for the Aesir and the Vanir, who were trying to make the world work for humanity as well as themselves.

And sometimes they got in their own way, especially if they were a bit mischievous, like Loki.

You're never really sure if he's a good guy or a bad guy.

And that sometimes makes him the most human of all of these divine beings.

He was a trickster, as you may already know, who was always getting the gods into trouble, but also getting them out of trouble.

Which means he was usually just fixing his own mistakes.

Which brings us to our story today.

Three of the Aesir were on a long journey, Loki, Hanir, and Odin.

I don't remember where they were headed originally, but I know they were on their way home and they were still a long way away from Asgard.

and they were hungry.

They were trekking through some mountainous terrain and there wasn't much game to hunt or food to pick.

But suddenly, the path wound down out of the hills, and the trio found themselves beside a beautiful meadow where a herd of giant oxen were grazing nearby.

Without hesitation, Odin and Hanir drew their swords and took down the first ox they could reach.

Their bellies were rumbling as they set about making a campfire and butchering the animal so they could cook it and finally eat.

When your stomach growls from hunger, it actually occurs in the gastrointestinal tract, a hollow tube that runs from your throat all the way through your digestive system.

The walls of this tube squeeze and contract to move food through your body and can rumble and growl, especially if there's no food for them to move.

The three gods sat before the fire and watched the meat cook over the flames.

They waited for the food to be done enough to eat, but they had a long wait.

Every time they checked the meat, it was still raw.

They waited for hours, but the meat was still cold and inedible every time they checked it.

Loki actually began to wonder if maybe this was some sort of a trick.

Was someone pranking them?

He gazed around the meadow, searching for anyone watching them, and he noticed a large bird perched in the top of a nearby tree.

Loki immediately saw that this was no ordinary bird.

It was an eagle, a very big eagle.

And as his eyes met Loki's, the giant bird took to the air, flapping its massive wings and then landing comfortably in the tree directly above the camp.

I see you are having some trouble with your supper, the eagle said to the three Aesir.

I may be able to help with that.

The bird went on to explain that he was using his magic to prevent the meat from cooking, but that if Odin and company would allow him to have a share of the meal, he would remove the spell and they all could eat.

Odin, Hanir, and Loki all agreed, so the eagle released his enchantment over the camp and soon the food began to cook for real.

When it was perfectly done, each of the three men took a small piece to sample, but the eagle swooped down and snatched up the rest of the food.

That's not fair, Loki complained.

That wasn't our bargain.

You said I could have my share, the eagle replied, and so I have.

Loki was furious.

He didn't like being tricked.

He was used to doing the tricking, and he lost his temper a little bit.

He snatched up a nearby branch and swung it at the giant eagle.

The eagle leaped into the air, grabbed the branch in one of its giant talons, and suddenly took flight, shooting up into the sky.

Loki was so surprised by the sudden movement that he didn't let go of the stick, and in seconds, he found himself hundreds of feet in the air, high above the campfire, clinging to the tree branch for dear life.

In real life, an eagle can carry about one-third its body weight.

This usually means only three or four pounds of cargo.

Although they have the power to kill prey many times their own size, eagles cannot carry that much weight.

Let me go, Loki demanded.

Are you sure you want me to do that?

The eagle replied.

And just for fun, he loosened his grip on the branch a little.

No, Loki yelled.

I mean, I want you to put me down.

I am not some simple scavenger.

I am Loki of the Aesir.

I can reward you if you spare my life.

Indeed you can, little man, the eagle replied.

But know that I am not what I seem either.

I am Fianci, the giant.

And those are my oxen who helped yourself to.

I demand payment.

Loki was in a tough spot, to say the least.

He didn't want to help a shape-shifting giant, but he wasn't in a position to disagree.

Anything, he replied.

I will release you unharmed, and in return, you will bring me the goddess Idu and her mystical fruits.

Yes, I swear it!

And so the giant eagle set Loki down upon the ground, screeched mightily, and took to the air.

leaving the three travelers with what was left of their meal.

The next day, they continued on their journey and finally arrived back at their home, Asgard, without incident.

Loki immediately went to find Idun.

In Norse mythology, Idun was the keeper of the magic apples of immortality, which the gods must eat to preserve their youth.

Yes, Idun was all about her garden.

She loved helping things grow and was very proud of her fruits.

So when Loki told her he had found another garden even more lovely than hers growing right outside, just beyond the walls of Asgard.

Well, this was something Idun had to see for herself.

They have apples twice the size of yours, the trickster remarked.

That's impossible, Idun replied.

Well, bring a few of your own then, Loki suggested.

We'll compare them side by side and see which ones are better.

Now, it may seem kind of obvious that he was lying, but Loki was good at knowing how to manipulate others.

He knew that Idun would be so defensive about her garden that she might not be thinking clearly.

That was Loki's gift.

He always seemed to know just what to say to get someone to do what he wanted them to do.

As soon as Idun and Loki set foot in the forest outside of Asgard, a giant eagle swooped down from a branch in a high tree.

It was Theatzi, the giant once again in eagle form.

Our bargain is complete, Loki, the eagle said.

Idun comes with me.

Idun screamed as the eagle snatched her up in its talons and flew off, taking the goddess back to the castle Thrimheim, deep in the mountains.

Thrimheim actually means thunder home, and it was located in the mythical region of Jotunheim.

In North mythology, the Aesir lived in Asgard and the giants lived in Jotunheim, and they were separated by a river called Ifing.

The mortal world where humans lived was called Midgard.

Loki watched the eagle fly off, sighed quietly to himself, and made his way back across the bridge to the safety of Asgard.

He knew this was probably not going to end well for him, and he was right.

You see, unlike the Greek gods, the Asir of Asgard were not immortal.

They only stayed young and eternal by eating the magic golden apples that Idun provided.

After a day or two, the gods began to notice changes in their appearances.

Freya's hair began to gray a bit.

Odin couldn't hear quite as well.

Thor's skin began to wrinkle and age.

They immediately looked for Idun, but of course, she was nowhere to be found.

They all gathered together in the great hall of Asgard to discuss things.

All except one.

Loki was missing.

It was then that Baldur remembered seeing the two crossing the Bifrost Bridge out of Asgard and into the woods of Midgard.

The gods looked around the room and they each saw the same knowing expression on the faces of the others.

Loki had betrayed them.

Thor's face turned a shade of dark red as he let out a bellow of outrage.

And Odin, the all-father, made one simple command.

Find him.

The goddess Froya was the first to act.

Froya was a warrior goddess who was also associated with love and beauty and gold, and she had a magic cloak made of falcon feathers.

She used it to change herself into a falcon and fly over Asgard in the nearby forest, looking for any sign of the trickster god.

In the study of Norse mythology, it's a debate as to whether Freya and Frigg were originally the same goddess.

Some say the goddess's name is Frigg, probably meaning love,

and her title is Freuja, which means Lady.

When Freya caught sight of Loki lurking in the shadows of the woods, she dived down, pounced on him, and immediately assumed her warrior form.

She drew her sword and held it on Loki as they marched back to Asgard to face the rest of the Aesir.

Okay, who's up for a commercial break?

Anybody?

Show okay.

Yeah, me too.

All right, we're gonna take a short break.

We'll be back on the other side with more Greaking Out.

If you like this episode, you'll be enchanted by the treasury of Norse mythology.

This beautifully illustrated book features tales of intrigue about gods and goddesses like Thor, Freya, and Odin, monsters and tricksters like Loki, and trolls and giants like Hoogi.

So get ready for some rich mythological storytelling about the ancient Norse world.

Available from National Geographic wherever books are sold or at bit.ly forward slash Greek Norse.

That's bit.ly forward slash G-R-E-E-K-N-O-R-S-E.

Okay, thanks for that.

And now we're back with more Greeking out.

As you might expect, the other gods were a little upset with Loki.

He was forced to confess and tell them what had become of Idun.

and when he did, the Aesir were so upset that they called for his death as punishment.

Thor was ready to kill him on the spot, but Odin had a different idea.

He gave Loki the task of correcting his mistake.

Loki would travel to Jodenheim, a very dangerous thing for an Asgardian to do, rescue Idun, and return her to Asgard.

If he failed, he would be put to death.

To be honest, Loki didn't have much of an option, so he willingly agreed, but not without a small request.

He turned to Freya, smiled slyly, and asked, I don't suppose I could borrow that marvelous cloak of yours.

It wasn't long before Loki himself was flying through the air in the form of a falcon, soaring away from the safety of Asgard and towards the darkness of Jodenite.

I suspect he considered making a run for it, just flying away as far as he could, but he knew the Asgardians would find him eventually, and besides, he didn't like the idea of growing old either.

Loki was kind of accustomed to the idea of immortality.

Statistically speaking, the average American's life expectancy is about 80 years.

But living well into one's 80s or 90s is an acceptable expectation for many.

And the number of people who live to be older than a century is increasing.

In 2015, some 72,000 Americans were 100 or older.

As he approached the castle Thrimheim, Loki scanned the area from above.

He caught a glimpse of a small fishing boat a mile or so away from the rocky riverbank below the fortress.

As he got a little closer, Loki's keen falcon eyesight revealed the giant Theatzi on board, enjoying an afternoon on the water.

Loki delighted in his good fortune.

He quickly swooped down towards the castle and perched on the ledge of a window in the tallest tower, guessing that this was where Idun was being held captive.

And he guessed right.

At first, Idun was none too happy to see Loki when he revealed his true form.

There was a lot of angry yelling and objects thrown, but eventually Loki was able to convince Idun that he was there to bring her home.

Strangely, all he had to do was tell her the truth.

Idun eventually agreed to go with Loki and they devised a plan.

Using her magic and the power of Froya's cloak, Loki was able to transform Idun into a small acorn.

When he turned into a falcon, he picked her up easily in his talons and they flew away towards Asgard, casually gliding over the fishing boat as they soared calmly above the river.

Nothing to see here, just a falcon carrying a nut across a river.

Loki knew he didn't have much time before Theatzi figured it out though, so he flew as fast as his wings could carry him.

And of course, when Theazi came home and discovered his prisoner was missing, he roared in disbelief.

But not in confusion.

He knew Loki well enough to know exactly what had happened.

Theatsu wasted no time.

Launching himself into the air and transforming into his massive eagle form, he flew straight for Asgard, beating his mighty wings as fast as he could.

By the time he was right outside of Asgard's battlements, he had Loki directly in in his sights.

Now maybe Odin knew from the beginning that Loki would need help pulling it off, or maybe it was whispered into his ear by the head of the Mirmir, who always gave him the best advice.

Either way, Odin was ready for Theatsi.

He ordered all of the Aesir to gather as much wood as possible, as quickly as possible.

Thor swung his hammer to take down tree after tree, and the others hacked and cut them into smaller pieces, creating a massive pile of kindling and dry wood pieces, which they spread all around the walls of Asgard.

Kindling is the small, easily combustible sticks or twigs used for starting a fire.

Kindling helps a fire get going because it is small and dry and easily flammable.

As soon as Loki landed safely within the walls of Asgard, Odin instructed the god Uller to notch an arrow to his bow and light it with a flame.

Moments later, they caught sight of Fiatzi, the giant eagle, in the distance.

Uller pulled the bow back and found his target, but it wasn't Theazi.

Just as the giant eagle was about to pass over the walls of Asgard, Odin gave the command and Uller fired his bow into the kindling.

In seconds, the entire fortress was surrounded by a wall of flame.

Theazi screeched as his feathers caught fire and burst into flame.

The giant eagle fell to the ground, just inside the walls, defeated and destroyed.

In real life, it takes almost 30 seconds for a manageable fire to turn into something that is dangerous and fast moving.

Experts say that it only takes about five minutes for an entire home to be completely engulfed.

Now you might think this is the end of the story.

And it might have been, were it not for Theazi's daughter.

Loki made good on his promise to the rest of the gods, so he thought he was safe.

Idun was back

that's not it.

She wanted...

Restitution.

Restitution is payment or recompense for injury or loss.

Making good for or giving an equivalent of some injury or loss is considered to be an act of restitution.

Okay, restitution it is.

Scotty wanted restitution.

And Odin actually kind of agreed.

Scotty was a bit of a sour puss.

She was a very serious warrior who lived in the coldest mountain region region of Jotunheim.

She was all business, all the time.

But she didn't necessarily want a war with Asgard either, so she accepted Odin's invitation to come inside the walls and discuss things.

After a long and intense discussion with Odin, they agreed upon terms.

I don't know exactly what was said, but I'm sure there was gold exchange and some other considerations made, and then they all sat down to a great feast to celebrate the deal.

After the food and the wine, when everyone was just starting to feel comfortable, Scotty put down her glass and turned to Odin, saying, I have one more demand before I will be satisfied.

Odin stiffened a bit and a small shadow crossed his face.

But he kept his cool, smiled politely, and nodded for the stern-faced giantess to continue.

I want you to make me laugh.

A stunned silence filled the hall.

No one moved as they all considered this.

What kind of a demand was this?

Who could possibly make her laugh?

Even the giants among them were stunned.

Forget about laughing.

They couldn't remember a time when the warrior Scotty even smiled.

But at that moment, she did smile.

It wasn't a smile of joy, of course.

It was the small, smug, satisfied grin of someone who knew she was asking for the impossible.

Odin was at his breaking point.

His hand went to the hilt of his sword.

She wasn't here to make a deal.

She was here to make fun of them.

Thor's face began to turn red again as he understood the nature of this insult.

It seemed another battle was just about to break out right here in the great hall of Asgard when an unlikely voice spoke up.

Perhaps I can help with that?

It was Loki.

All heads turned to stare at the trickster, who smiled up at the gods and giants seated at the banquet table.

You, Scotty said dismissively.

How could you make me laugh?

Well, not just me, said Loki.

Me and...

His eyes darted around the room quickly.

This goat.

An old goat had wandered into the hall and was wandering around in the far corner.

It raised its head in surprise when it realized everyone was watching it, but Loki continued.

It's hard to know whether he actually had a plan or was just making this up as he went along, but he spoke very convincingly.

I will make you laugh simply by standing in the middle of the room.

But first, I'll take this rope and tie it to the beard of this goat-like sir.

You'll notice that our friend here is a bit uncomfortable with this idea.

Indeed, the goat actually began to kick and fuss a bit.

Both male and female goats have beards, and some types may have wattles, like a turkey, dangling from each side of the neck.

Now, Loki continued, I will take the other end of this rope and tie it here to my nose.

Not surprisingly, everyone in the room began to squirm a bit uncomfortably.

The nose is a sensitive body part, but Scotty seemed to be fascinated.

All I need now, Loki said, is for someone to make a loud noise.

Thor, perhaps you can...

And with that, Thor smacked his hammer down hard on the table and there was a great peal of thunder.

The goat immediately squealed and jumped and ran towards the door.

But of course it ran out of rope, much to Loki's discomfort.

Now it was the trickster's turn to squeal and jump, and this made the goat jump and pull even more.

The two were squawking and squealing and jumping this way and that way.

After a while, it was hard not to laugh.

Loki was in pain, but he was also hamming it up a little bit, maybe a little too much, because eventually he tripped and fell headfirst into Skadi's lap.

And this was the last straw.

Skadi couldn't contain herself any longer, and she burst out laughing so loudly and so long that the roof of the Great Hall of Ogard actually began to shake.

Students of Norse mythology will know that Loki actually tied the rope to a different sensitive body part in the original story.

And while this is a family show, we do strive for accuracy.

Okay, thanks for that footnote, Oracle.

As the laughter died down, the giantess agreed that she was surprisingly satisfied.

Personally, I think she realized that Loki had been punished enough, but regardless, The giants all returned to Jotunheim and all was well again in Asgard.

Loki would need a few days to recover of course but everyone knew he would be back to his old tricks in no time.

Thanks for listening.

Tune in next week to hear about some long simmering revenge.

It's freaking

out.

National Geographic Kids Greaking Out is written by Kenny Curtis and Jillian Hughes and hosted by Kenny Curtis with Tori Kerr as the oracle of Wi-Fi, audio production and sound design by Scotty Beam, and our theme song was composed by Perry Gripp.

Emily Everhart is our producer.