Eshu vs Loki

The Orisha of crossroads, communication, and unpredictability. Eshu is the divine messenger who carries prayers to Olodumare and the Orishas.

Eshu was one of the first Orishas created by Olodumare, given the crucial task of mediating between heaven and earth. He was positioned at the crossroads of existence, where all decisions are made and all prayers must pass.

Eshu is one of the most important yet most misunderstood Orishas. As the guardian of the crossroads, he stands at every point of decision. Nothing reaches the Orishas without passing through Eshu first, and no ritual can begin without his blessing.

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.