[The Bear's Lair] Loki, Supernatural and Norse mythology

In the seventh appointment with the Bear's Lair we are going to take a look at a TV series that, for years now, has fascinated whoever writes to you: get ready to dive into the dark meanders - and perverse traits - of the relationship between Supernatural and Norrhean mythology.

Yes, I waited until the mystical number par excellence, seven, to write about Supernatural: a TV series which, let's face it, could alone feed years and years of this column for gruff and absolutely oriented players single-player with the pause button, but interested in mythology, theogony and cosmogony in our favorite media: novels, video games, TV series and movies, not necessarily in that order.

But let's get back to us: in this episode we will discover the history and the true identity of an ambiguous but likeable character, who accompanied us for a decade. You already understand who I mean, don't you? Just him, but there is more.

Disclaimer, as usual: just under six months from the release of the episode in question, I hope to be able to talk about it without being accused of spoilers; in any case, keep in mind, dear readers, that the following will cover a secondary storyline of Unfinished Business, Namely the episode 13 × 20 of Supernatural.

A recap of the relationship between Supernatural and Norse mythology

Over the course of the sarcastic, heroic and morally gray adventures of Sam & Dean Winchester, as you know, we have repeatedly witnessed head-on collisions with entities and divinities of the Norse pantheon.

In the first season, for example, we saw one scarecrow which turned out to be vanir: a clear reference to lineage of the Vanir, the one with a conflictual relationship with cousins aesir.

From the second season we got acquainted with Loki, which is nothing less than theArchangel Gabriel. Here, imagine attending catechism, as a child, and discovering that angels, archangels, saints and the like of Christianity are actually the old gods of Nordic pantheon, Greek, Roman, etc. Wow.

Speaking of the Catholic religion: in the episode of Supernatural 13×20 there is also a reversal of the famous Pietà by Michelangelo. Take this pearl between Mary (Maria) and Jack (technically l'antichrist).

Lucifer VS rest of the world

While we wait for the blitz of the Vatican armed forces, which are probably already on their way to Abruzzo, we arrive at fifth season of Supernatural, in which there is a lot, a lot of meat on the fire: that of a good part of the divinities of various human civilizations, cooked over low heat by one of the most successful characters of the series: Lucifer, interpreted in a masterfully disturbing way by Mark Ross Pellegrino, which we have already known in several masterpieces and also in more niche works: from X-Files a The Big Lebowski, passando per CSI, Dexter, Grey's Anatomy, Knight Rider, Prison Break, The Mentalist, Being Human, Lost, Chuck, Grimm, 13 Reasons Why, just to name a few, and who has also worked in video games Far Cry 5 in the role of Jacob Seed.

In his explosive intervention inHotel dei Campi Eisi, in fact, the villain par excellence has reduced the religions of half the world, making out - among the others - the very unfortunate Baldur, which is somewhat the Sean Bean of the Norse pantheon, but also Odin same, Mercury, Baron Samedi, Ganesh e Isis; they are only saved Zao Shen, who is then skewered and killed by Dean, and the powerful goddess Time, currently unavailable.

And how can we forget the apparently harmless Vili, god of will? We briefly met him on the occasion of the auction held by god Pluto, where artifacts such as Mjollnir, God's word and the mysterious Amulet di Hesperus, paid in dwarf moneta sonorous or with other artifacts, such as a dito di Ymir, the Father of Giants. On that occasion, in addition, we heard for the first time one of the Norse gods most loved: Thor, of which we see the mighty hammer in action. Who knows that sooner or later we will not see him in the series?

In the ninth season we also hear about Fenrir, which - understandably - is revered by werewolves, and so on until the thirteenth, in which the Norse pantheon he breaks in again with arrogance.

The thirteenth season of Supernatural

We come to the meat, as I have been writing too often lately.
What a gimmick the showrunners will have found to convince Gabriel to help ours Sam & Dean? Simple, they make him settle some unfinished business: Unfinished Businessin fact.

Old and new grievances between Norse deities, a masterfully played kazoo and an elegant set of wooden wakizashi presented by Giorgio Mastro-ta-tro-ta-tro-ta (if you don't know the Nanowar of Steel run on YouTube, march!): in the episode 13 × 20 of Supernatural we find all this and more, along with a wave of Roaring Rampage of Revenge, a little in style Kill Bill.

What does the Gabriel's revenge? To dry up those who betrayed him and sold him to the cruel Asmodeus, previously nuclearized by his arc-angelic fury, and who are therefore indirectly responsible for the years of torture and abuse suffered by the most sympathetic of Arcangeli.

But let's proceed in the order in which Gabriel / Loki (?) meets his nemeses.

Fenrir, son of Loki and scourge of Odin?

Gabriel turns to that bearded drunkard of Fenrir like Bane of Odin. Indeed Odin was paired by Lucifer, but these are details: by now we know that, in the myth, the fate of Odin it was in the jaws of the monstrous wolf. Go on.

Between one flashback and another we discover that, after faking his own death, Gabriel took refuge in Monte Carlo from some Nordic friends: Fenrir, Narfi e Sleipnir. Among pornstar prostitutes, poker and very, very Slavic suits, the tres amigos and the Deceiver spend pleasant evenings, until the former decide to betray the latter who, once back in freedom, draws up a list of names to be blocked with blood .

And the first is Fenrir, which - as we already know - is son of Loki.
*Record scratch*
*Freeze frame*
Gabriel è Loki, Then Fenrir is the son of Gabriel? No.

If you are surprised read on to the end, and you will understand what I mean.

Fenrir in Norse mythology

Let's briefly recap for new readers who, after this article, will retrieve the previous episodes of the column of the Bear's Lair. It's not true?

Fenrir, in the myth, it is an immense monstrous wolf, generated by Loki and from the objectively evil giantess Angrboða; so he is also the brother of the World Serpent (Miðgarðsormr o Jǫrmungand) and the Queen of the Dead (Whole).

It is expected that Fenrir kills Odin during the Ragnarok, only to be mated by the silent god of vengeance, Vidarr; to avoid this bloodshed, the gods bound him with a magic chain called gleipnir, forged by the Dwarves using components that are rare or impossible to find: the sound of a cat's footsteps, a woman's beard, the roots of a mountain, the tendons of a bear, the breath of a fish and the saliva of a bird.

In short, to tie Fenrir with this silky chain the god Tyr he will lose a hand, and in fact from then on the one-handed will be called; in some interpretations, moreover, at the end of time Fenrir it will also devour the rest of the Norse god of war.

This expedient, however, only delays the end: the Ragnarok will arrive anyway, Fenrir will break free from dwarf catena and will tear the Father of All.

In Supernatural, therefore, the story goes in a decidedly different way. Despite its wolf face, claws, and jaws, the luminous blue-eyed wolf is stabbed by Gabriel, with all due respect to his werewolf worshipers.

Narfi, the controversial son

Il Fenrir's body is found by the other brothers, Narfi e Sleipnir. He is the first to infer the involvement of Gabriel, between one joke and another about his brother's alleged alcoholism, and he does so by tasting blood collected from the asphalt, in defiance of every most elementary hygiene standard.

After contacting the father Loki, which from what we know should be Gabriel himself, the brothers track down the Archangel but find him in the company of Sam e Dean Winchester.

Narfi, whose real face resembles that of a stylized skull, is pierced by a wooden wakizashi and then transformed into jam with the help of a compactor for demolition. No half measures when it comes to demi-gods!

Narfi in the myth

Son of Loki and the giantess Sigyn, which once again reaffirms the passion of Loki for snu-snu death, even in myth Narfi he has a bad end: he is torn to pieces by his brother View Product, for the occasion transformed by the gods into a ferocious wolf.

And why would the gods do this? To take revenge on misdeeds of Loki.

According to other sources, however, View Product is the son of Odin, not of Loki, and therefore is brother of Thor, baldr e Vidarr; is exactly View Product to dry up the innocent Hodr, that Loki tricked him into killing Sean Bean baldr.

Yes, family dinners in the Norse pantheon are a nightmare.

Basically they are the interior of Narfi, suitably transformed, to hold back Loki on the three rocks involved in his divine punishment, which also includes snake venom and other little things.

Sleipnir, Odin's epic mount

Two down, still two left.

The stylish and well dressed Sleipnir he is quite skinny and much less powerful than the other siblings, so much so that he is physically overwhelmed by Dean. As we see in a rather funny scene, Sleipnir is greedy for apples and especially carrots, and it is understandable: the real aspect of him is that of… a horse. Literally.

Yeah, why Sleipnir is the eight-legged horse ridden by Odin.

Sleipnir, the 8 × 8 all-wheel drive horse

Odin he must have done a lot, as he has a legendary mount.

The name Sleipnir means slippery, the one who slips quickly. But this is not the noteworthy element in the history of what is called the best horse between gods and men.

The conception of Sleipnir it deserves to remain forever engraved in human history. This horse, in fact, is the son of Loki and the horse of the builder of the walls of Asgard.

For a contractual matter Loki he found himself having to slow down the renovations, and he thought well of sabotaging the means of production: he transformed himself into a mare and lured away the horse that did most of the work, being chased by the mighty horse.

The horse, however, must have been faster than Loki, because our favorite Deceiver returned to the gods only a few months later, accompanied by his son: an eight-legged horse, called Sleipnir the Slippery.

Zeus, in the background, he nods pleased.

He gran finale: Loki/Gabriel

And here we are at the final battle.
Dean bursts into the attic of the building where the fight is taking place, and sees ... Gabriel.

Or better, Loki. Which is not Gabriel.
Or better yet, Gabriel has assumed the guise of Loki for a few millennia, also receiving the tasks and powers, while the real one Deceiver he kept a low profile. In reality, therefore, we have never seen the true face of Gabriel.

The real Loki has sold Gabriel ad Asmodeus because he blamed theArchangel of the death of Odin, at the hands of Lucifer. Yes, because in the series, which in this differs a lot from Norse mythology properly speaking, Loki is the son of Odin. Like in the MCU!

After various dramas and fights, Sam and Dean help Gabriel to carry out his revenge and, in return, the growth path ofArchangel, who is now ready to help our team complete the quest of the season.

Carry on my wayward son

Don’t you cry no more [riff di chitarra].

Sorry, I couldn't resist. And there is more! To stay on the subject Supernatural, there is no shortage of other articles on the road so far in the column mythology in cinema and in TV series, including the one on Marvel and Norse mythology, or the piece about the arrival of Chaos on Netflix. If, on the other hand, you prefer to stay in the videogame field, you have already read the in-depth analysis on the influence of Norse mythology in Max Payne?

Net of any cuts in the Norns, lair of the bear gives you an appointment at next week, with… no, I'm not telling you. You will find out Wednesday next one!