Loki is the father of a world-encircling serpent, a monstrous wolf, and the half-dead ruler of the underworld, and the mother of an eight-legged horse. This episode sets aside comic-book interpretations to build a chronological biography from the Poetic and Prose Eddas, runestones, and Scandinavian folklore, beginning with his birth to the giant Farbauti and his mixed heritage in a world divided between gods and giants. It examines his shape-shifting fluidity, the linguistic roots of his name in loops, knots, and cobwebs, and his early role as the gods' chaotic fixer.

The discussion walks through the wall-builder bargain that ends with Loki as a mare giving birth to Sleipnir, the theft of Thor's hammer and the bridal-gown ruse, and the eating contest against wildfire in the hall of Utgard-Loki. It then turns to his monstrous children with t ...