Loki

lO´kE

Norse giant (or deity) who personified evil. He hated the gods of Asgard and continually sought to overthrow them. His worst exploit was the murder of Balder, for which he was punished by Thor. It was prophesied that when Ragnarok occurs, Loki, with the aid of his monstrous children—the Fenris wolf, the Midgard serpent, and the goddess Hel—would lead the enemies of heaven.

see trickster

The Loki was an computer that Clive Sinclair was rumoured to be working on just as Sinclair Research was dying and being bought by Amstrad.

Unfortunately the project was forgotten by Amstrad who probably have no R&D department and so can only copy existing projects and make them cheaper.

The rumours say that it would have been about as powerful as an Amiga but for about a quarter of the price.

The box designed for the Loki was later used by Amstrad for their Spectrum +2, Spectrum +2A and Spectrum +3 machines.

As it was never actually built, is it a thing or an idea?.

I've always thought that Loki's evilness is a misconception. He is the "God" of mischief and a trickster, but he is not really evil. He is a son of giants (jotuns), who are considered the evil counterparts of the Aesir, but he has been accepted as a friend and advisor of Odin. On several occasions, for example when Skadi comes to Asgard for revenge (see my wu on Skadi), Loki is in fact a creative hero, finding solutions no other Aesir could think of. Personally, I think Loki's role in Norse Mythology is to show us that even those who seem evil at first glance may have good ideals.

One of the stories about Loki is the gifts to the gods.

Incidentially, the Aesir eventually gets fed up with Loki and chains him to a mountain, where a serpent drips poison in his eyes. His wife, Sigyn does not abandon him, but tries to stop the poison with a bowl. When the containter is full, she has to turn and empty it. This causes the painful venom to drip in Loki's eye, and he twists in pain, causing earthquakes.

Regardless of whether or not Loki is actually evil, he is certainly a jerk. On one occasion, Aegir had all of the gods over to his house for a party. They were sitting dowm, talking peacefully, when Loki began to seethe over compliments being given to the diligence of Aegir's servants. Loki grabbed his dagger and killed the servant Fimafeng and ran off. Naturally, there was quite an uproar over this event. Loki wisely decided to make himself scarce.

Loki returned later and demanded a cup of ale. None of the gods wanted to have anything to do with Loki, but he reminded Odin that he had once promised not to drink unless Loki had been offered a drink as well. To avoid a conflict, Vidar stood up and gave Loki his sit and a cup of ale.

After Bragi told Loki that he would pay him well if he did not cause any problems, Loki began to insult the gods and goddesses one by one. He called Bragi a bragger and a coward. Then he called Bragi's wife, Idun a wanton woman. He then told the crowd that the goddess Gefion had slept with a man because of the necklace he gave her. He then proceded to call Frigg a whore, and from this point on, he becomes truly vicious.

He told Freya that she had slept with every man in the room, and that once she slept with her own brother. He went on to say that when the gods found them in bed, she farted.

He told Njord that once Hymir's daughters straddled his head and pissed straight into his mouth.

The insults continued until Thor waltzed in with his trusty hammer Mjollnir. Loki was smart enough to fear Thor, and told Thor that he respected him enough not to insult him. Then Loki turned around and left the party.

Source: The Norse Myths by Kevin Crossley-Holland pages 162-168

Loki Entertainment Software have operated a relatively successful operation for the last number of years.

Loki Entertainment Software contracts with successful computer entertainment software companies to port their best selling titles to Linux. Gaming software is an untapped segment of the Linux market with significant potential.

Loki Entertainment Software was founded in August, 1998 with the goal of bringing a broad range of games to Linux. Loki generates revenues for game publishers by bringing proven hits to this significant, new market. Just as Hollywood studios are able to supplement profits by re-releasing movies to video, pay-per-view and international markets, the ports developed by Loki enable publishers to generate additional revenues from existing products without incurring additional costs.

For Linux users, Loki brings best selling games, fully supported and sold through traditional retail channels -- something the Linux community has been lacking until now.

From the Loki website, http://www.lokigames.com

Their catalog includes;

• Civilization: Call to Power
• Myth II: Soulblighter
• Railroad Tycoon II
• Eric's Ultimate Solitaire
• Heretic II
• Heroes III
• Quake III Arena
• Heavy Gear II
• SimCity 3000
• Soldier of Fortune
• Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri
• Descent3
• MindRover
• Unreal Tournament
• Kohan: Immortal Sovereigns
• Tribes 2
• Rune
• Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K.2

Unfortunately, in the first week of August, 2001, Loki Software filed for protection from creditors under bankruptcy laws. Apparently, Loki owed Activision USD 330,000 and Prolix USD 100,000.

As of 31st of January 2002 Loki Software is bankrupt and out of business. All sales had ceased from their website, and buyers were directed to seek software from resellers.

Lok (?), Lo"ki (?), n. [Icel. Loki, perh. akin to lokka, locka to allure, entice.] Scandinavian Myth.

The evil deity, the author of all calamities and mischief, answering to the Ahriman of the Persians.

 

© Webster 1913.