Compare how the trickster differs from the hero.

The archetype of the trickster is one we find many times in mythology. In this module, we meet the trickster Loki from Norse mythology in our readings of the Prose Edda and in the film, Thor. The trickster is a much different character than the archetype of our previous focus, the hero.In your initial post, explain the purpose of Loki in the Prose Edda and in the film, Thor. Why is he important? Discuss how the myths would be different without him. Compare how the trickster differs from the hero.We have spent the first three modules of the course growing in our understanding of the archetype of the hero. Now, as we study Norse mythology through the Prose Edda, we are introduced to a new archetype, the trickster, and find a different version of the hero in the character of Thor.Image of an illustration of Thor from an Icelandic 18th century manuscriptAn illustration of Thor from an Icelandic 18th century manuscript. Date: 1760. Author: Ólafur Brynjúlfsson. Public domain. Retrieved from Wikimedia Commons (Links to an external site.).What do we do with a character who possesses some of the powers of a god, but who is always making trouble, playing tricks, doing foolish things, and generally making a nuisance of himself?We cannot place such characters in the same category as the hero, even though their actions are often responsible for many human benefits. Tricksters are situated somewhere on the boundary between human and divine, and being able to straddle this line between what is acceptable and what is not gives tricksters their power.As Webster (2005) notes, “Tricksters represent a certain flexibility of mind and spirit, a willingness to defy authority and invent clever solutions that keep culture (and stories) from becoming too stagnant.”While you move through this module, think about the following:- What makes the trickster so likeable for many of us? Why do we need the trickster?In some images, Loki is bound, suggesting his more malignant, less engaging status, compared to some other mythological tricksters (think back to the Raven from Module 1). In some versions of the myths about Loki, he is bound as punishment for having been the only person who did not cry for Balder, which prevented him from being brought back to life. Loki will eventually break free from his bonds and start the final battle of Ragnarok, when the giants fight the gods and cause the end of the world. Note that Loki is able to shape shift (metamorphose) like Zeus from classical Greek mythology. Loki seems to embody the potential of destruction created by chaos. Norse mythology tends to be rather grim, and it follows a cyclical pattern, which hopefully sounds familiar, as this is the pattern followed by The Epic of Gilgamesh discussed in Module 3.Image of bound Loki. Published in 1908.Image of bound Loki. Published in 1908. Author: W.G. Collingwood. Public domain. Retrieved from Wikimedia Commons (Links to an external site.).We see the fallibility of the gods and goddesses, with the best of them, Balder, being lost to the gods until the battle begins for the end of the world. The tone of Norse mythology differs from that of Greek mythology and from the epic myth from Mesopotamia. The hero, Thor, in Norse mythology, also differs from the hero we find in Joseph Campbell’s theory of the Hero’s Journey. Thor is also a different sort of hero than Gilgamesh, Achilles, and Luke Skywalker.In the Prose Edda, we find a fallible hero and a likeable trickster. If Thor is not the same as heroes previously studied, what makes him a hero at all?Think too of the villains we have encountered, Darth Vader in particular. Does Loki share any traits with him? If you were to classify and define Thor and Loki, how would you do so? Where would they fit? These are all questions to consider as you complete the reading for this week.Resources:Webster, M. (2005, January 11). Tricksters. Retrieved September 30, 2014, from http://faculty.gvsu.edu/websterm/Tricksters.htmhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_wy4I8EPWYWatch the 2011 movie ” THOR ” on Disney +http://www.othroerirkindred.com/resources/Lindow,%20John%20-%20Norse%20Mythology%20-%20A%20Guide%20to%20the%20Gods,%20Heroes,%20Rituals%20and%20Beliefs.pdf