Son of Farbauti and Laufey the Viking God, Loki is father to the wolf Fenrir and the world serpent Jormungandr. He is a shapeshifter who can appear in the forms of salmon, mare, seal, fly and many more animals and even an elderly woman. He is known to have spent a lot of time in the Underworld and would shapeshift to be able to squeeze through gaps, crevasses and small holes.
Norwegian tales are full of mention of Loki and his kids, as well as many stories of how he has tricked people and the Gods. He was a greedy God and collected gold and shinys from all over the lands, hoarding them in his lockbox, which was hidden deep underground and could only be reached by a shapeshifter such as himself. He did this for many years scheming and plotting until eventually he went too far and tricked a fellow God into killing another, which angered the Gods and he was captured and restrained untill Ragnarok, the Viking Armageddon.
Archaeological record shows that in 1950 a semi-circular flat stone, later identified as a hearthstone was found on a beach in Snaptun, Denmark. It is made of soapstone and depicts Loki with his lips sewn shut, it is the most beautifully carved hearthstone found to this day.
In 1889 Sophus Bugge theorized Loki to be a varient of Lucifer in Christian mythology, this was an element of her effots to find a basic form of Christianity in Norse mythology and a possible begining for its roots.
Loki has now been depicted in modern popular culture, namly the Avengers film where he is still depicted as a person not to be trusted even by his own brother, Thor, God of War.