The best-known trickster gods in mythology are Loki in Norse myth, Hermes in Greek myth, Anansi the spider in Akan and West African stories, Coyote and Raven in the stories of many Native American peoples, Èṣù in Yoruba religion and Māui across Polynesia. A trickster breaks rules, plays pranks and uses cunning instead of strength, and the same tricks that cause trouble often bring people fire, light or stories.
Several of these figures belong to living traditions, including Yoruba religion and the storytelling of Indigenous nations in North America and the Pacific. Their stories are told here in outline and with respect for the people who keep them.
Loki – Norse Trickster God
Loki is the trickster of Norse mythology and, like other gods, a shape-shifter: he appears as a mare, a salmon and a fly. He engineers the death of the beloved god Baldr, and for that the gods bind him, while serpent venom drips on him and his wife Sigyn catches it in a bowl. At Ragnarök he is foretold to break free and fight against the gods. By the giantess Angrboða he is the father of Hel, the wolf Fenrir and the world serpent Jörmungandr. For how the Norse story ends, see who killed Thor in Norse mythology.
Hermes – Greek Trickster and Messenger
Hermes, the son of Zeus and Maia, is the Greek messenger of the gods and the god of roads, travellers, merchants and thieves, often called “the divine trickster”. The Homeric Hymn to Hermes tells how, as a newborn, he stole the sacred cattle of his brother Apollo. He is also a psychopomp, the guide who leads souls into the afterlife. His family is mapped in our Greek gods family tree chart.
Anansi – Akan Spider Trickster
Anansi is the spider trickster of Akan folklore from present-day southern Ghana, and one of the most important characters of West African, African-American and Caribbean folklore; his tales reached the Americas through the Atlantic slave trade. In a well-known tale he wants the stories held by the sky god Nyame, and wins them by completing Nyame’s challenges, such as capturing the python Onini. More on him in Anansi, the trickster spider god of Africa.
Èṣù – Yoruba Orisha of the Crossroads
In Yoruba religion, Èṣù (Eshu) is the oriṣa of trickery, chance, crossroads, judgement, duality and languages. Practitioners understand him as the messenger and intermediary between the Oriṣa, malevolent spirits and human beings. Translation errors by nineteenth-century missionaries rendered his name as “devil”, a meaning that does not belong to the Yoruba understanding of him.
Coyote – Trickster of Native American Stories
Coyote appears in the traditions of many Native American peoples. In some stories he is a major sacred character with creative powers; in others he is a comical trickster whose schemes backfire, and some combine both. A common theme is Coyote organizing the theft of fire, or of the sun, from the beings who kept it for themselves, to benefit people.
Raven – Trickster of the Pacific Northwest
Raven is the trickster spirit of the peoples of the Pacific Northwest. Like Coyote further south, Raven is credited in many stories with stealing light or fire, from the stars, moon or sun, for the world, and is seen as a joker and prankster as well as a bringer of gifts.
Iktomi – Lakota Spider Trickster
Iktomi is the spider trickster spirit and culture hero of the Lakota people. He looks like a spider but can take any shape, including a human one, and many stories show his tricks and their consequences.
Nanabozho – Anishinaabe Trickster
Nanabozho (also Nanabush) is the trickster figure and culture hero of the Ojibwe and other Anishinaabe peoples. He figures prominently in their storytelling, including the story of the world’s creation, and can take the shape of a man or an animal.
Māui – Polynesian Trickster Hero
Māui is the demigod trickster of Polynesia. In Māori tradition he catches a giant fish with a hook made from his grandmother’s jawbone, and the fish becomes the North Island of New Zealand, Te Ika-a-Māui. His last trick was trying to win immortality for humanity from the goddess of death, Hine-nui-te-pō, which cost him his life.
Sun Wukong – The Monkey King
Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, is the trickster hero of the Chinese novel Journey to the West. Born from a stone, he gains supernatural powers, rebels against heaven and is imprisoned under a mountain by the Buddha. Five hundred years later he protects the monk Tang Sanzang on his journey to India.
Prometheus – Greek Titan Who Tricked Zeus
Prometheus is the Greek Titan of forethought who defied the Olympian gods by stealing fire and giving it to humanity; one myth also credits him with establishing the form of Greek animal sacrifice. Zeus had him bound to a rock, where an eagle ate his liver every day, and it grew back each night.
Other Tricksters at a Glance
- Kitsune (Japanese folklore): shape-shifting foxes that may trick or help humans.
- Reynard (European folklore): the trickster red fox of medieval Flemish fables.
- Huehuecoyotl (Aztec): the god of music, dance, mischief and song.
Trickster Gods FAQ
- Who is the most famous trickster god? Loki is the best known today, followed by Hermes and Anansi.
- Is Loki evil? Not simply. He travels and schemes alongside the gods in many myths, but his part in Baldr’s death makes him their enemy at Ragnarök.
- Why do so many cultures have tricksters? Trickster stories explain how things came to be, such as fire or daylight, and teach lessons by showing what happens when someone breaks the rules.
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