Narfi- Norse GodDeity
Also known as: Nari
Symbols
Description
Loki's son by the faithful Sigyn — torn apart by his own brother Váli, whom the gods had twisted into a wolf. His entrails became iron fetters, binding the trickster father beneath the serpent's dripping venom.
Mythology & Lore
Son of Loki and Sigyn
Narfi (Snorri writes "Nari or Narfi" in the Gylfaginning, treating both as the same figure) was the son of Loki and his Æsir wife Sigyn. Unlike Loki's monstrous children by the giantess Angrboða, Narfi and his brother Váli lived among the gods without incident. His death was not punishment for anything he had done. It was part of his father's reckoning.
The Binding of Loki
After Loki's role in Baldur's death was exposed and his bitter flyting at Ægir's feast had insulted every god present, the Æsir finally acted. They seized Loki and brought his two sons by Sigyn with them. The gods transformed Váli into a wolf. In his frenzy, Váli tore his brother apart. The gods took Narfi's entrails and used them to bind Loki across three flat stones. The intestines turned to iron.
Sigyn's Vigil
Skaði placed a venomous serpent above Loki's face to drip poison onto him. Sigyn, who had lost both sons, one killed and one made a beast, stayed beside her bound husband. She holds a bowl above his face to catch the venom. When the bowl fills and she must turn to empty it, the drops fall on Loki and his thrashing shakes the earth.
Relationships
- Family
- Slain by