Utgard-Loki, also known as Skrýmir, is a powerful Jötunn from Norse mythology and an opponent of the Norse gods, he is famous for his cunning and magic - which he used to torment Thor and Loki to test the might of the gods without their knowledge, as a result of Thor's deeds during these tests Utgard-Loki came to the conclusion the gods were too powerful to safely battle and thus made a hasty escape while decreeing he never wished to make contact with the gods again.
He is one of the few opponents in the Norse myths who not only challenged the gods but outwitted them and lived to tell the tale (indeed he is not even punished, simply fleeing due to becoming worried on how powerful his opponents were and thus deciding waging actual war against them would led to his destruction).
History[]
Utgard-Loki wished to test the strengths of the gods but was much more intelligent than most giants, deciding to use powerful magic and trickery rather than brute strength - in doing so he was able to achieve considerable victories over Thor and Loki but grew increasingly fearful as he watched them apparently "fail" at each task given, only to reveal how even their failures were feats of immense power.
For example he had Thor drink from a horn, while Thor could only drink three large gulps before giving up he had in reality been drinking the ocean itself and had drunk so much of the ocean that he formed the tides.
He also had Thor lift a cat, yet the god could only achieve lifting a single paw of the feline, again this secretly terrified Utgard-Loki as Thor had in reality been lifting the Midgard Serpent - a snake so vast it was said to circle the entire world.
Finally he had Thor wrestle a servant, whom Thor ultimately lost to despite a great struggle - this was revealed as Thor fighting Old Age itself, the god only being defeated because none (not even the aesir) can truly defeat Old Age.
After observing these and other feats of strength by Thor and Loki Utgard-Loki revealed himself and told them of what they had achieved, furious at being tricked Thor tried to use his hammer to kill Utgard-Loki but the giant disappeared and thus evaded the thunder-god's wrath, though his interaction with the two gods left such an impression upon him that he decided not to trouble them again.
Characteristics[]
- Jötunn Physiology: As a Jötunn, Utgard-Loki possesses all of the conventional abilities of a Jötunn. These include shapeshifting abilities, immortality, elemental abilities and proficiency with magic. However, unlike most Jötnar, Utgard-Loki possesses an incredibly high intelligence and cunning.
- Immortality: As with his fellow Jötunn, Utgard-Loki can live forever, provided he is not killed by beings with sufficient power, such as Thor. This is why Utgard-Loki chose to use deception and magic to counter Thor instead of direct combat. The fact that Utgard-Loki chose to use teleportation to flee from Thor instead of face him after telling him the truth about Utgard-Loki's "tests", proves that while Utgard-Loki is immortal, he is not invulnerable nor unkillable and is aware of this.
- Enhanced Intelligence: Utgard-Loki's most powerful asset was his superior intellect and cunning. Rather than face Thor and his allies, Utgard-Loki used his mastery of deception to gain Thor's trust before luring him to Utgard under the guise of hospitality. He even manufactured the tests specifically to test the true might of the Aesir visitors so that he can judge whether it was wise to go to war with the Aesir-Vanir pantheon or not.
- Magic:
- Shapeshifting: Utgard-Loki had shapeshifted into the giant Skrýmir during his initial encounter with Thor and his allies in the forests outside Utgard. By his own accounts, Skrýmir was massive in size, while Utgard-Loki was about the size of Thor, and both Jötunn were different in appearance.
- Illusion Manipulation: Utgard-Loki's most powerful ability was his power to cast tangible illusions. He used this power to to cast delusions upon Thor and his allies, making them believe that their terrifying feats of their incredible supernatural powers were actually humiliating losses which had negatively affected their self-esteem and somewhat demoralized them. He had even used this power to make Thor believe that he had struck a sleeping Skrýmir's head instead of a flat-topped mountain.
- Elemental Manipulation: Utgard-Loki used his magical power over the elements to move flat-topped mountains beneath Thor's attempts to attack the sleeping Skrýmir's head. Thor's blows were so immense that he managed to form three deep valleys within those flat-topped mountains.
- Transmutation: Utgard-Loki had used his powers to enchant Thor's drinking horn to be connected to the sea outside Utgard. Thor's three gulps had managed to create tides and a beach around the sea.
- Sentient Life Creation: Utgard-Loki also used his power over the element of fire to create, Logi, a physical manifestation of wildfire to go up against Loki in an eating contest. Utgard-Loki then used this power to create Hugi, a manifestation of the speed of thought itself to race against Thjalfi, a servant of Thor and one of his allies. Utgard-Loki had also used his powers to created a manifestation of Old Age called Elli to combat Thor in a wrestling match.
- Teleportation: After Utgard-Loki had revealed the true nature of the contests to Thor and his allies, he immediately teleported away along with Utgard, leaving behind a broad, beautiful plain.
