Coyote (Máʼii) vs Loki

The disruptive Holy Person of the Diné origin story, whose theft of the Water Monster's child brings the flood of the lower world and whose impatience scatters the stars; Coyote stories are traditionally told only in winter.

Coyote stories hold a special place in Diné tradition, and many Diné people teach that they should be told only in winter. This entry summarises Coyote's role in published accounts of the origin story; readers who follow the seasonal practice may prefer to read it in winter.

A complex figure, blood brother to Odin but frequently causing trouble for the gods. A shape-shifter and trickster who fathers monstrous children including Fenrir, Jormungandr, and Hel.

Loki is not one of the Aesir by birth but a giant, the son of the giant Farbauti and the giantess Laufey (or Nal). Despite his giant heritage, he was accepted among the Aesir after becoming blood brothers with Odin in ancient times. The details of this pact are lost, but it bound Odin to never drink unless Loki was also offered a cup. Loki married the goddess Sigyn, who bore him sons Narfi and Vali. With the giantess Angrboda, he fathered three monstrous children: Fenrir the wolf, Jormungandr the World Serpent, and Hel, ruler of the dead.

Loki is a shape-shifter and the catalyst for most Norse myths. Sometimes a helpful ally, often a malicious nuisance, his actions drive the plot of the gods' lives.