Gave humans blood and complexion together with Odin and Hoenir. Possibly identical with Loki.
Lodurr (Old Norse Lóðurr) appears in Völuspá 17-18 as the third god in the triad that bestows the gifts of life upon the first humans, Ask and Embla. Odin gave spirit (önd), Hoenir gave understanding (óð), and Lodurr gave blood and fair complexion (lá ok litu góða). This passage is Lodurr's only certain attestation in the Poetic Edda, and his identity has been the subject of intense scholarly research and debate.
The most debated question surrounding Lodurr is whether he is identical with Loki. Scholars such as Ursula Dronke and Sigurður Nordal have argued for this identification based on parallels between the three triads Odin-Vili-Ve, Odin-Hoenir-Lodurr, and possibly Odin-Hoenir-Loki. If the identification is correct, it implies that Loki was originally a creative, benevolent deity who only later developed into a trickster figure. Other scholars, such as Jan de Vries, reject the identification and regard Lodurr as an independent, otherwise lost divinity.
Sources in the Eddas
- Völuspá 17-18
- The seeress describes how three gods found Ask and Embla and gave them life's gifts; Lodurr gave blood and complexion.
- Gylfaginning 9
- Snorri's parallel account names the triad as Odin, Vili, and Ve instead of Odin, Hoenir, and Lodurr.
- Hyndluljóð 40-44
- Contains the so-called Short Völuspá with a passage mentioning Lódurr, but the text's attribution is uncertain.
Interpretive traditions
A What we know
Lodurr is named in Völuspá 17-18 as the god who gave Ask and Embla blood and complexion.
He belongs to the triad Odin-Hoenir-Lodurr in the creation of the first humans.
B What we think we know
The identification of Lodurr with Loki is supported by structural parallels but lacks explicit confirmation in the sources.
The relationship between the triads Odin-Vili-Ve and Odin-Hoenir-Lodurr is debated.
C What we do not know
It is unknown whether Lodurr had an independent mythological tradition that has been lost.
The etymology of the name Lóðurr is disputed and has not been linked to a certain meaning.