Fárbauti


Fárbauti is a jötunn in Norse mythology. In all sources, he is portrayed as the father of Loki. Fárbauti is attested in the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson, and in kennings of Viking Age skalds.

Name

The Old Norse name Fárbauti has been translated as 'dangerous striker', 'anger striker', or 'sudden-striker'. It is a compound formed with the noun fár attached to the verb bauta.

Attestations

Two 10th-century skalds call Loki "son of Fárbauti", using, however, the poetic word mögr for "son" rather than the usual sonr. The skald Úlfr Uggason is quoted referring to Loki as "Fárbauti's terribly sly son", and the skald Þjóðólfr of Hvinir mentions Loki as "Fárbauti's son".
In Gylfaginning, the enthroned figure of High states that Loki is the son of the jötunn Fárbauti, and that "Laufey or Nál is his mother".
In Skáldskaparmál, Fárbauti is mentioned among kennings referring to his son Loki.

Theories

has proposed Fárbauti's name and character may have been inspired by the observation of the natural phenomena surrounding the appearance of wildfire. If Fárbauti as "dangerous striker" refers to "lightning", the figure would appear to be part of an early nature myth alluding to wildfire being produced by lightning striking dry tinder such as leaves or pine needles.
Although only indirectly attested in a kenning of Völuspá mentioning Loki as "Byleist’s brother", some scholars have considered Loki's brothers Helblindi and Býleistr to also be sons of Fárbauti. However, their exact role in the presumably ancient mythic complex surrounding Loki's family remains largely unclear.

Popular Culture

In the 2018 video game God of War, Fárbauti appears as the father of Loki, better known as Atreus. However, unlike in Norse mythology he is not a jötunn but instead the Greek god of war Kratos, son of Zeus. Loki's mother, however, is still Laufey.