The Loki Variations

Loki, ever the shapeshifter, has never been more adaptable across pop culture. Whether it's deep in the stories from Norse mythology, the countless offshoots and interpretations across media, or even the prolific Loki that has come to dominate our screens via the Marvel Cinematic Universe, each serves its own purpose and offers a new layer to the character we've come to know so well. By exploring contemporary variations of Loki from Norse god to anti-hero trickster in four distinct categories - the God of Knots, Mischief, Outcasts and Stories - we can better understand the power of myth, queer theory, fandom, ritual, pop culture itself and more. Johnson invites readers to journey with him as he unpicks his own evolving relationship with Loki, and to ask: Who is your Loki? And what is their glorious purpose?

Karl Johnson is a lecturer in Sociology, a life-long geek, and a Shetlander trapped in the Central Belt of Scotland. He researches and writes about widening access to higher education, social theory and pop culture, and issues affecting the Scottish Islands - such as gendered exclusion in Lerwick's Up Helly Aa festival.