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There is a lot of influence from non-Christian myths on Christian myths. There are numerous examples of syncretism, especially revolving around the various saints and what they might have done. However, when researching on how Loki might have influenced Christian myths, there is a dearth of information. He seems to have been completely neglected. Did Loki influence any Christian characters? Did any actions he might have done influence the actions of any Christian figure?

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It is typically assumed that when similarities are found between Christianity and another religion, whether in myth, dogma, or practice, the flow of influence is syncretism into Christianity. This tendency is largely due to the many instances of Catholic hagiology (mythology about the Saints) appearing much like myths from earlier pagan times before Christianity had heavy influence over the area.

There is very likely some level of influence, however, it is Christianity that influenced myths about Loki.

The earliest Norse myths involving Loki portray a character that is certainly a trickster, but not malicious. There are many instances of Loki engaging in a good deal of intentional mischief, but also resourceful and helpful, giving inventions to humans, and eventually resolving his mostly harmless mischief. However, by the 10th century, after nearly 200 years of significant Christian influence, Loki's myths make him out to be a much darker character. In a myth involving a character named Baldr (who was certainly influenced by Christian depictions of Jesus), Loki is an evil specimen that murders Baldr out of jealousy.

When they capture Loki, he is held in a prison until Ragnarok (the Norse apocalypse that was also likely influenced by Christianity) and tortured by having a perpetual stream of snake venom drip into is face.

Loki's evil nature and jealousy (of a Christ like image especially) and his ultimate tortuous imprisonment was undoubtedly influenced by Christian perceptions of Satan. In Christian mythology, Satan is evil. And the eschatology (apocalyptic theology) revolving around him involves an eternity of torment, which is undoubtedly because of his heinous misdeeds against God, humanity, and the rest of creation.

This progression for trickster gods to take on a darker persona as the centuries pass is actually quite common (Satan in Job, for example, is not necessarily evil, but is certainly an accuser and adversary, but by Revelation he is patently evil). It is therefore expected that Loki would become more like Satan as Christianity influenced the Norse mythos, because Satan had already progressed into a personification of evil centuries earlier. Without Christian influence, Loki still likely would have become more evil and less trickster, so the rising influence of Christianity in Norse areas and Loki's conversion to an evil character may have been coincidental, however it does seem likely that Christianity at least hastened the process.

SOURCES

  1. Lucifer: The Devil in the Middle Ages - "The parallels between Loki and Satan are striking but are for the most part Christian coloring of paganism rather than the opposite."
  2. The Trickster, the Devil, and an Ambiguous World - The Anthropik Network [Web Archive] - "It’s fairly easy to divide stories about Loki into two historical categories: pre-Christianity, and post-Christianity."
  3. A Brief History of the Vikings - "By the [10th century], Loki had perhaps been influenced by several centuries of Christian lore, and was now seen as a far more devilish figure that he may originally have been."
  4. Archetypes and Motifs in Folklore and Literature - "Tales of Loki's evil and binding are clearly influenced by the later Christian identification of Loki and the Devil (tricksters, perhaps because of their profane character, are often equated with the Devil if their original culture is converted to Christianity)."
  5. Völuspá - New Advent - "Balder, the innocent god, is treacherously slain through the machinations of the wicked Loki." and "Christian influence is not only possible, but certain."
  6. Viking Religion - BBC History

NOTES

  1. A New Place for Loki, Part II on Polytheist.com states that "since Loki was a deity who I believe was originally responsible for carrying burnt sacrifices to the gods and freeing the souls of the dead via cremation, it is only natural that the Catholic Church would have found him particularly deplorable." There are many sources for the article, but I have not looked through them. There is a certain level of sense to the claim, but without vetting it, the source finds itself in the notes section instead.
  2. Christmas in Germany: A Cultural History states "The Norse God Loki [et al.] ... contributed to Elm's syncretic descriptions of Christmas custom." A different topic, but interesting.
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    Very good answer. – rpax Jun 14 '15 at 12:57
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    To add, there is also the differences between the interpretations of "good" vs "evil" before and after the adoption of Christianity. Before it, "evil" was generally defined as "that which harms the community," and "good" was "that which benefits the community" (We Are Our Deeds). With the shift in definition from pertaining to acts vs pertaining to moral alignment, Loki also shifts toward morally evil. – Shauna Aug 31 '15 at 16:13
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    @Shauna Yes, we see this stark difference when comparing Judaism and Christianity. Judaism is far more interested in what you do, while Christianity is far more interested in your moral alignment. Christianity at its advent and for at least a millennium was novel in this approach to personal moral responsibility. Christianity even posited that actions that harm no one and even thoughts can be wrong while nearly no others do such a thing. My impression of Vikings is that they were quite immoral by Christian standards. –  Aug 31 '15 at 18:13
  • The question was if Loki influenced any Christian myths, but the answer is all about how Loki is supposed to have been influenced by the Devil. There is really no reason why influence can not have gone in both directions. (And I really do not like the reasoning about how Loki is supposed to have changed over time: there is really very little material to use as support for any theory about the development of the mythology, and for Loki it is even more scarce than for other major characters) – andejons Jan 04 '17 at 09:17
  • @andejons If you think Loki influenced Christianity more than the other way around, then provide an answer to that effect. As to your second complaint that Loki changing is an assumption, please refer to sources two, three, and four. –  Jan 04 '17 at 16:19
  • @fredsbend The question as written is not "who influenced who most?" It's "how did myths involving Loki influence Christian myths?" That Christian myths might have influenced Loki is not an answer to that question. Source 2 is a dead link, 3 is unavailable through Google books (but seems to be a popular history by a non-expert), and 4 also has this to say: "it is unclear how much of [Loki's] evil was rewritten by Christians and how much was part of pagan Norse tradition". – andejons Jan 04 '17 at 16:31
  • @andejons When it comes to Christianity, the assumption is often that other myths influences Christianity. The question is reasonable as is, and so is my answer. If you have a better answer to offer then do it. I'll work on reviving the dead link. –  Jan 04 '17 at 17:48
  • @andejons Source three loads for me ... It seems Jonathan Clements, the author of source three, is indeed not educated in history, however, his resume indicates a long list of non-fiction research. Source three itself, as you said, is a popular resource and well referenced itself. I believe it stands as a quality source. –  Jan 04 '17 at 18:00
  • @andejons You're complaint on source four is a classic cherry pick. –  Jan 04 '17 at 18:03
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    Minor point, but always worth mentioning the binding and torment of Loki is a close parallel of the binding of Prometheus, a similar trickster figure. So while the demonization of Loki may be Christian in origin, this particular aspect of his story almost certainly has earlier roots. – DukeZhou Jan 04 '17 at 18:54
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    @Duke I recall one of the sources saying as much. I can update to that effect later. –  Jan 04 '17 at 20:31
  • @fredsbend Now I got source 3 to load. It says "Loki had perhaps been influenced by several centuries of Christian lore" - i.e. this is speculation, not something claimed as fact. And as for source four, I find it quite insulting that first you pick one quote which supports your claim, and then accuse me of cherry-picking when I quote the very next sentence which modifies this claim. Either way, neither of these two sources claims that it is possible to clearly separate "early" from "late" stories. – andejons Jan 04 '17 at 20:52
  • @andejons Okay. You've aired your complaints, presumably down voted, and I've rejected your complaints as worth addressing. I hope to see your own answer soon. –  Jan 04 '17 at 21:36