Conference Proposal: Loki and Satan Comparison (MTSU maybe?)

In the early half of the twentieth century, several scholars began to explore the connection between the Norse god Loki and the devil character of folklore. Woolf makes the argument that the similarities between Loki and Satan in Christ and Satan cannot be ignored and how the Anglo Saxons would have seen in Satan a familiar character, while Cawley explains how the role of tempter for the devil appears to have originated with Loki, which the Anglo Saxons would have carried over with them. Milton’s Satan is often viewed as a new character or at the very least, a reimagining of an old character, as Milton fused characteristics together that had never been combined before- he is charming, and seductive and intelligent.


Cawley examines how the Loki of myth can most easily be compared to Prometheus, a clever man who defies the gods in order to serve man. She also points out that Loki is characterized as sly and treacherous, known as a shape shifter, as well as a tempter who possibly heralds the end of the world, Ragnarok. Milton’s Satan defies God’s order, is sly, treacherous, changes his shape so that he won’t be recognized by the angels guarding Earth and tempting Eve in the Garden. Given that Anglo Saxons would have known these tales, despite their Germanic origins, it is important to the understand these folktales and myths in order to understand the British Literature tradition.

In the last half of the twentieth century, this comparison, and the analysis of the impact has been largely ignored. I believe that understanding the folklore characteristics that Milton drew on can only enhance a reading of Paradise Lost. Investigating the impact that Anglo Saxon myths had on the British Literature tradition, and how this culminates with Milton’s portrayal of Satan is a section of scholarship, that while incredibly valuable has been mostly ignored of late. This presentation will analyze the characteristics of Loki in Poetic Edda and compare them to Milton’s portrayal of Satan in Paradise Lost, arguing the similarities.