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You have no idea how many times I get that question. Are you the 'famous' Loki? Ugh! I was named Loki before he ever came along. It's a popular name among giants! At any rate - no, Magnus Chase, I am not related to the famous Loki. I am Utgard-Loki, meaning Loki of the Outlands, king of the mountain giants.

–Utgard-Loki to Magnus when the einherjar thought he was related to Loki in the Sword of Summer.

Utgard-Loki (Old Norse "Loki of the Outlands", also known as Skrýmir) is a Jotunn and the ruler of the Mountain Giants. He is known as "the most powerful sorcerer in Jotunheim".

History[]

In the old stories, Utgard-Loki is encountered by the gods Loki, Thor, and Thor's servants while they travel. When they arrive in the realm of the giants, Utgard-Loki first meets them disguised as a sleeping giant named Skrýmir, whose snores created shaking throughout their first night. A series of events occur as Thor attempts to rouse him from his sleep, but to no prevail.

Later in their travels, the three discover the giant's tall, looming castle. After squeezing through its gates, Utgard-Loki introduces himself. The giant demands that in order to remain in his castle his guests must amaze them with an impressive feat. Loki is the first to challenge him. The god claimed he could eat faster than anyone, but a being named Logi beats him at consuming a trencher of meat. One of the gods' servants volunteers to outrun Hugi at a race, but comes in last place. When it is Thor chance he competes in a drinking contest, but fails to drain the mug's contents. The results are the same when he agrees to lift one of Utgard-Loki's cats, where the god could only lift a single paw. At last, Thor demands to outwrestle one of the giant's subjects, so Utgard-Loki calls for his nurse Elli. However, despite Thor's incredible might, he is forced down to one knee, ultimately losing.

Later next morning, Utgard-Loki addresses them, revealing the true nature of the challenges they have faced. He tells them that Thor, when trying to land several hits on him as Skrýmir, was powerful enough to create wide valleys. The challenger Utgard-Loki selected for the trickster god was actually wildfire itself, which was why it was able to devour the food so quickly. Their servant had lost to Thought, who easily outpaced any sort of action. As for Thor, the cup he drunk from was impossible to drain because it was really connected to the ocean. (Though the god did manage to cause a change in tides.) The cat he tried to lift was in reality Jormungand, the colossal world serpent. And lastly, the being Thor wrestled against was in fact the personification of old age, who everybody lost to eventually.

Despite being thwarted by the giant's illusions, Utgard-Loki was impressed by their show of strength, but was also terrified by it. He announced that it would be best that the three of them should depart from his realm, and that they should never meet again.

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard[]

The Sword of Summer[]

After Magnus Chase had managed to escape Hotel Valhalla he ran into Utgard-Loki at Fadlan's Falafel, transformed a pigeon. He uses magic to close the falafel shop in order to strike a deal with Magnus. He says that he will get them their food and give them information about Sumarbrander, as long as he gets first bite of the food and that they do him a favor. They reluctantly agree, the shop reopens, and he fetches them their food. After devouring all of it, Magnus attacks him which provokes the eagle to pick him up at drag him through the city. As he drags Magnus through the city, he convinces Magnus to swear by his troth to retrieve an apple for him in exchange for information about the sword. Magnus agrees and the eagle tells him the sword ended up with the sea goddess Ran. He also tells him the apple he want's is an Idun apple of immortality, which Ran usually keeps. To retrieve both, the eagle sends Magnus and Sam to go fishing with a giant named Harald, where they attract Ran's attention by catching the World Serpent.

After successfully acquiring both the sword and apple, Magnus gives the apple to the eagle who eats it and reveals himself as Utgard-Loki, king of the Mountain Giants. He tells Magnus although they will eventually be enemies, he wishes to delay Ragnarök as long as possible and that Surt's minions and the warriors of Valhalla will soon be after him. He then disappears into the shadows.

The Hammer of Thor[]

Utgard-Loki first appears as a figure in black with a wolf faceplate, who kills Otis before he can give Magnus more information regarding the supposed whereabouts of Thor's hammer. As Magnus chases him, he warns Magnus not to go to Provincetown, where the hammer supposedly is in a wight's barrow, or he will play into the enemy's hand and lose his friends before disappearing. Soon after Magnus, Sam, Blitz and Hearth go to the barrow but find that its a trap by Loki to retrieve the Skofnung Sword and Blitz is wounded by the blade as a result, causing the group to fly to Alfheim to heal him. While on the plane, Utgard-Loki speaks through Sam's flying instructor Barry Al-Jabbar, yells at them for falling into Loki's trap and tells them to seek out Heimdall to find him in the Jotunheim to discuss thwarting Loki's plan. They find Heimdall and get to know that the goat killer as called by Magnus was actually Utgard-Loki in disguise. When Magnus, Sam, Alex, Blitz and Hearth travel to the Jotunheim, they come across Utgard-Loki at his palace, Utgard Lanes. He explains that before he gives them the information they need to beat Loki, he must have them prove themselves in challenges against the giants, lest he be overthrown by his subjects for being too friendly with mortals. They all manage to win their challenges, which grants Utgard-Loki five minutes to give them their information before the other giants try to kill the group for embarrassing them. He explains that Loki manipulated the events surrounding Mjolnir's theft in order to led the group to the wight's barrow and acquire the Skofnung Sword, as it is the only blade that can free him of his bonds. In addition Loki has set the sword as the bride price, which, by old Norse and Jotunn tradition, allows him to keep the blade.They then realize that Utgard-Loki arranged the challenges to test if the group had a chance to beat Loki and to arrange humiliation for them to gain the respect of his followers. As the five minutes run out, Utgard-Loki tells them to give the information to Thor before his liege men catch them.

9 from the Nine Worlds[]

Just Another Decapitated Head[]

While Odin is looking for a new captain of the Valkyries, the king of the jotunns sneaks into Valhalla disguised as Hladgunnr, daughter of Hel, and reveals himself to the All-father. Soon after Odin pins him to a wall he vanishes.

Appearance[]

In his regular giant form, he is first described as a huge old man with gray hair and a weathered face, dressed in iron-shod boots, leather britches, a tunic of eagle feathers and a gold bracer on one forearm encrusted with bloodstones. As a result of eating Idun's apple he changes into a younger form, with a handsome angular face and straight coal black hair. Being a Jotunn and a sorcerer, Utgard-Loki can shapeshift into many different forms.

In The Hammer of Thor, he first appears as a figure in black with fur leggings and tunic, a soot-smeared chain mail coat and a black iron helmet with a faceplate resembling a snarling wolf. Later on, when Magnus meets him again in the Jotunheim, he again takes his younger form. He is also described wearing a bowling shirt made from eagle feathers and brown polyester slacks.

Personality[]

Despite his dislike of being compared to Loki, Utgard-Loki has a very similar personality to him in that both are intelligent, manipulative, humorous and mischievous. The giant values his rank as king highly, along with his respect among other giants. Utgard-Loki is shown to value opponents who are creative and can think on their feet as opposed to headstrong enemies like Thor and his children. Unlike other giants, such as Surt, he has no desire to hasten the coming of Ragnarok, claiming that he is having fun with how things are now. Utgard-Loki also prefers for people to figure out answers for themselves, such as when he was giving information to Magnus and his friends about how to stop Loki, only to later claim that stopping him would be something they themselves would need to figure out.

Abilities[]

  • Jotunn Strength: As a Jotunn, Utgard-Loki was immensely strong.
  • Mystiokinesis: As the most powerful sorcerer in Jotunheim, Utgard-Loki is feared and respected among even the gods.
  • Shapeshifting: Utgard-Loki can transform into animals (more commonly eagles and pigeons) at his will.
  • Hallucikinesis: Utgard-Loki, like all giants, lives and breathes illusions. He is famously skilled at manipulating people through delusions during contests.

Trivia[]

  • Utgard-Loki is frequently equated with "the famous Loki", as the name happens to be common among Jotnar. He is annoyed when this happens, claiming he does not favor the trickster god much.
  • His Greco-Roman counterpart may be Hecate seeing that they are sometimes more of primordial beings (Jotunn/Titaness) than gods.
Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard
Core Series: The Sword of Summer | The Hammer of Thor | The Ship of the Dead
Main Characters: Magnus Chase | Alex Fierro | Blitzen | Halfborn Gunderson | Hearthstone | Loki | Mallory Keen | Samirah al-Abbas | Sumarbrander | Thomas Jefferson Jr.
Secondary Characters: Randolph Chase | Gunilla | Natalie Chase | Amir Fadlan | Alderman
Minor Characters: Annabeth Chase | Frederick Chase | Helgi | Hunding | Vala | Junior | Lars Alhstrom | Stanley | Inge | Percy Jackson | Stan | Alviss | Miles | Wildflower | Sunspot | John Henry
Norse Gods: Freya | Thor | Balder | Ullr | Frey | Odin | Heimdall | Vidar | Sif | Frigg | Tyr
Minor Gods: Skírnir | Mimir | Ran | Hod | Hel | Sigyn | Aegir | Nine Billow Maidens | Njord | Kvasir | Holler | Forseti | Glum | Lofn | Sól | Idunn
Jotnar: Surt | Gerd | Norns | Utgard-Loki | Harald | Ymir | Geirrod | Gjalp | Greip | Thrym | Thrynga | Tiny | Little Billy | Hrungnir | Red | Tattoo | Gunlod | Suttung | Baugi | Skadi | Hrym | Eggther | Norns
Monsters: Jormungand | Ratatosk | Vedrfolnir | Nidhogg | Fenris Wolf | Lindworm | Wight | Brunnmigi | Siersgrunnr | Garm
Magical Creatures: Dwarf | Elf | Sleipnir | Stanley | Marvin | Otis | Hulder | Nøkks | Vatnavaettir | Nisser | Troll | Raven | Hugin and Munin
Related Content: Rick Riordan | Hotel Valhalla Guide to the Norse Worlds | 9 from the Nine Worlds
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