Sigyn and Loki, When loyaulty takes on itself all excess Print

The etymology of Sigyn's name is uncertain but it seems to come from old Norse : sigr, "victory" and vina, "friend", meaning "friend of the victory". Sigyn is an asyn who appears little in Norse mythology : during a banquet hosted by Aegir, welcoming the gods, and during which Loki humiliates each of the guests during the last punishment of Loki Two major signs of the arrival of Ragnarök. This final fatal picture of Loki and Sigyn is the very allegory of fidelity. Sigyn is much more than fidelity : devotion and resilience. It does not take less to stay with Loki whose wife she is. This goddess is not very present in Nordic mythology, and yet she accompanies the one who, on the contrary, is there omnipresent. Her role, all the more deserving, discreet and humble, is revealed to its climax, when she saves and cares her husband, with an unconditional resilience. The name of Loki having as potential origins the Indo-European "logos" (idea) and "logber" (mischievous), the old Norse "lopr" (near) and "optr" (air, fire), is associated with speaking and malice. Therefore, known as Lódhurr, Loki takes part, among other gods, in the regeneration of the man and the woman, dispensing them one of their facets, such as excess or gossip. This god of vices at the origin of innumerable actions even fatal actions, ranging from the absurd farce to the precipitation of the chaos, - since it is his excesses which constantly endanger the harmony of a society moved by legality and the 'order', nevertheless plays a vital role both to the physical dynamics of the world and to the evolution of society : disruption disturbs, unheaval unsettles, transgression allows innovation. Thus the "Black Æsir" also sits on the Council of the Gods during examinations of conscience. Unstable and versatile, Loki can be tricky and entertaining as manipulative and malicious, hermaphrodite being also able to morph into an animal, he reels off truths as lies. Unlike his "sworn brother" - Odin -, Loki does not represent any virtue, godless and lawless, he is attached to no one or nothing. It is antithesis of fidelity. And yet … Although he was never spared through the intrigues he led, Loki, caused more and more torment to the gods, putting them in danger: Idunn's kidnapping and Thjazi's death Thor's ambush at Geirröd’s The theft of Mjöllnir The tribute of the otter and Andvar's gold The theft of the Brísingar necklace The murder of Baldr Irate by the tragic death of Baldr, the gods led an expedition against Loki who had taken refuge, turned into salmon, at the foot of a waterfall. Once the family captured, one of his two sons, Vali, was turned into a wolf and disemboweled the second, Narfi. These were his own intestines which were used to torture Loki. Captured, tied to sharp rocks, he is tortured, sentenced to die atrociously. Thus a snake is placed above his head, leting his venom flow continuously. As for Sigyn who just dreadfully lost her children : In chain saw she lyingunder spring grove,the guileful-likeLoka to perceive;sits there Sigyn,but much happinessshe don’t have. Völuspa, verse 35 With an eternal and unconditional loyalty to her husband, Sigyn, holds a bassin at arm's length over Loki's head, picking up the deadly venom before he touches it. However she must regularly empty the receptacle leaving a few moments the venom to reach Loki. It is under this torture that Loki gets back his gigantic character, his convulsions creating real earthquakes. In order to save him and to relieve him, Sigyn sacrifices herself sharing even the condemnation. While Loki has created the loss of his children, while Loki after each of his vicissitudes definitely condemns his future, tirelessly, Sigyn is there, present, alongside her husband. Every time the cup is full, Sigyn empties it, and comes back resilient and discreet. Dedicated. There is no reciprocity between Loki and Sigyn. Everything opposes them. He is vice, she is virtue. He is harmful, she relieves. He spreads himself, she is dedicated. He is exuberant, she is discreet. He is deceitful, she is loyal. He is versatile, she is constant. He is ungrateful ... she is merciful. Sigyn is a cement for a community, her qualities enable the consolidation of the links between the individuals, necessary for any social capital. She is also an ointment for the other, welcoming his pangs and assisting him against his turpitudes. Without flinching, questioning, revolting. As much as the transgressions embodied by Loki stimulate innovation, dynamics, as much the constancy of Sigyn brings harmony, without skepticism at all.