Logi (mythology)

This article is about the being from Norse mythology. For the personal computer and mobile accessories company sometimes called Logi, see Logitech.

Logi
Jötunn of Fire
Texts	Gylfaginning, Flateyjarbók, Þorsteins saga Víkingssonar
Personal information
Parents	Fornjót,
Siblings	Hlér, Kári
Consort	Glöð
Children	Eisa, Eimyrja
Equivalents
Hinduism equivalent	Agni

Logi (also Loge; Old Norse 'fire, flame') or Hálogi ('High Flame') is a jötunn and the personification of fire in Norse mythology. He is the son of the jötunn Fornjótr and the brother of Ægir ('sea') and Kári ('wind'). Logi married fire giantess Glöð and she bore him two beautiful daughters—Eisa and Eimyrja.

Name

The Old Norse name Logi is generally translated as 'fire', 'flame', or blaze'. It was also used in poetry as a synonym of 'sword, blade'.

Logi is often confused with Loki, another deity (this could have happened when Richard Wagner wrote his Ring des Nibelungen operas, in which Loki is a fire demigod (that is, not an áss) and the pun "Loge"/"Lohe" (i.e. Loki/blaze) also appears).

Attestations

Gylfaginning

In Gylfaginning ('The Beguiling of Gylfi'), Logi appears in the tale of Thor and Loki's journey to the castle of the giant Útgarða-Loki in Jötunheimr where Loki was pitted against Logi in an eating contest. The contestants appeared to be equal in speed at eating meat from the bone, but Logi also consumed the bones and even the wooden trencher in which the meat was placed showing off his might. Útgarða-Loki afterwards explained that Logi was really wildfire itself.

Flateyjarbók

In Flateyjarbók, there is a mention of Logi's family:

There was a man called Fornjót. He had three sons; one was Hlér, another Logi, the third Kári; he ruled over winds, but Logi over fire, Hlér over the seas.

The sons of Fornjótr are given powers to rule over forces of nature. Logi rules over fire.

Þorsteins saga Víkingssonar

In Þorsteins saga Víkingssonar, Logi, also called Hálogi, is identified as a Risi who becomes the first king of Hálogaland (northern Norway), and the ancestor of its royal line, all of whom are known for their muscular physique and stunning beauty.

Legacy

One moon of planet Saturn is named Loge after Logi.

References

Bibliography

• de Vries, Jan (1962). Altnordisches Etymologisches Worterbuch (1977 ed.). Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-05436-3.
• Lindow, John (2001). Norse Mythology: A Guide to Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-983969-8.