God Showdown: Loki vs. Susano

A lot of the articles and players focus on who’s a better god, based on their in-game stats and how they work in the meta. We’re not going to do that. Instead, in this God Showdown, we’re going to pit two gods against each other and have them duke it out through their mythology. In this edition, we are focusing on two ancient tricksters: Loki and Susano!

Helena: Introduction time! My name is Helena Wachhaus and I will be representing the backstabbing prankster that is Loki. Before we get started, I’d like to be super petty and just point out that Loki’s official Smite epithet is “The Trickster God”-so I hope Yvette and Susano brought their best arguments.

Yvette: And I’m one of SMITE Magazine’s new writers, Yvette Lessard! I’ll be representing our newest god, Susano. Susano-o. Susano-wo? “Susana”? Takehaya Susanoo-no-Mikoto? Kumano Ketsumiko no kami? Forget having a title, the God of the Summer Storm’s name alone is tricky enough. And sure, Loki can flaunt his rather obvious and uncreative title–but it might finally be time for him to pick a new moniker.

Helena: Ooooh ouch. Sounds like Susano might need to let off some of that summer hot air. All banter aside, we’re going to be comparing these gods based off of their shows of intellect, their disregard for the rules of society, and by the stories that make us laugh; what good is a trickster god if they can’t pull off some fantastic feats of comedy?

Yvette: That is what separates a trickster from your run-of-the-mill villain or bully. Or lunatic. As we’ll see, Susano is so much more than that.

Helena: Alright, to start things off, we’re going to look at the intelligence of these gods, how they weasel their ways out of bad situations, and still manage to get what they want.
Loki is famous for his honey tongue, which gets him both into, and out of, many ridiculous situations. Once, Loki commissioned a family of dwarves to make gifts for the gods and upon seeing the wonderful creations the dwarves made, he began to boast that no other dwarf family was as skilled as the ones who created the lovely presents. He was so confident that when another family challenged his boasts, Loki bet his own head that the gifts were unmatched in their splendor. The gods were so shocked by the majesty of the gifts, that they couldn’t decide which family was more skilled; typical diplomatic godly rulings. Anyway, when the dwarf approached Loki with a blade, preparing to cut his head off, Loki knew that he’d have to think quickly. He reminded the dwarves that he had bet his head, not his neck, and that part of him was out of bounds. The dwarf sewed Loki’s mouth shut instead of beheading him. While it’s not glamourous, and it didn’t turn out well for Loki, he didn’t die so I’d count that as a win and a clear show of brains.

Another example of Loki’s quick thinking actually happens after Loki takes a turn for the evil. The gods decided to play a game of “throw anything and everything you can at Baldur” which was something that they started doing after Frigg commanded every thing, living and unliving, to be incapable of hurting Baldur. He got special treatment because he was the god of everything wonderful and good, and because he was dreaming about his own death which, quite frankly, would scare any mother. Loki, being the clever god that he was, figured out that Frigg had overlooked one thing in her quest to save her son’s life: she’d underestimated mistletoe and hadn’t gotten the promise from the small, soft, plant. Naturally, Loki decided that he’d make a spear out of the plant and convinced Hodr, a blind god, to throw the spear at Baldur. It killed him and Hodr was blamed for the murder. Good job Loki.


Yvette: Susano has a reputation for being rough and rowdy, but tales of the God of the Summer Storm show us that he was a clever and intelligent deity, often willing to think outside the box in ways Japan’s other gods didn’t. While he isn’t the ‘god of trickery’ like Loki, Susano managed to regularly infuriate and frustrate his heavenly family–and Japan’s entire pantheon along with them.

For example, after Susano was banished from the heavens (for the first of several times) for being a pain in his family’s behind, he decided to trick his way back in by taking advantage of his sister Amaterasu’s more innocent nature. Amaterasu was nevertheless a little wary, and asked for an assurance that he meant no mischief. To ease her distrust, he claimed that he could prove his pure heart in a contest: each of them would birth new gods. If his were male, it would show he was deserving to return to the heavens. But Susano had already rigged the game. He turned away and bit down on Amaterasu’s sacred bead necklace, using his sister’s own magic to birth three male gods. That’s how Susano tricked his way back into heaven…so that he could harass and pester his family some more.

And despite his place in a society and mythology that greatly values martial feats, Susano doesn’t spend a lot of time warring or fighting like his fellow gods. When he does fight, he uses his wits: as detailed in this issue’s Who is Susano?, there is a tale of the storm god using only a clever system of traps to defeat a many-headed beast which had been terrorizing humans for years. Rather than battle the monster head on, Susano simply lured the creature and safely sliced its head off, thus winning the day–and a new wife.
By outsmarting fellow gods and mythical creatures, Susano always comes out ahead. There’s no doubt that when it comes to smarts, the storm god is easy to underestimate–at one’s own peril.

Helena: That’s the thing, you can’t underestimate Loki either, because while he’s fantastic at saving his own neck -call back puns, gotta love them- he does save the gods in incredibly creative ways. Loki is a shapeshifter and he uses his powers to save, and annoy, the gods in increasingly ridiculous ways. I say annoy because he stole one of Freya’s favorite necklaces and was only caught because a witness saw the necklace being dragged along by a flea. But that’s not to suggest that he only used his shapeshifting powers for his own gain. Loki has rescued goddesses by turning into an eagle and carrying the shrieking women, that he got kidnapped, over burning forests.

In another myth, the gods made a deal with a giant; if he built Asgard in a short span of time they would give him the sun, moon, and allow the giant to marry Freya. The deadline approached and it looked like the giant would complete his task; which the gods didn’t like because they really didn’t want to lose Freya to a giant. Loki overhears the panicked discussion and decides that he’s going to solve the problem. So on the last night while the giant is taking his horse into the woods to get more materials, they come upon the most beautiful, jaw-droppingly gorgeous mare either of them had ever seen. The mare does the horse equivalent of a come-hither gesture and the giants stallion tears off after her. By the time morning arrives, the giant is still chasing after his horse and Asgard isn’t finished. Long story short, Loki later comes out of the woods, leading an eight-legged colt. That’s right folks, Loki gave birth to a horse, he’s a mother.


Yvette: While seducing a horse is certainly outrageously outside social norms, Loki might just want to get his head checked. Perhaps his antics are just a sign he’s getting a little desperate for favor–”jumped the shark”, as they say.

Sorry not sorry, but when it comes to thumbing your nose at convention–Susano gives Loki a run for his money. Japan, and especially the Shinto faith, deeply value tradition and ritual. Especially in Ancient Japan, there are polite customs and norms that exceed what we would consider reasonable standards today. And yet, Susano’s actions violate what even we would consider acceptable. Without, you know, coming off as just wanting attention (I’m looking at you, Loki).

Susano’s the prototypical black sheep of the Japanese pantheon. Never quite able to fit in, always causing trouble…he loved messing with his big sister. In one of the many, many, many times when Susano tried to get on Amaterasu’s nerves, he decided to try ruining the lands she’d allowed him back in to–remember, the God of the Summer Storm had tricked her into un-banishing him from the heavens. So how did he decide to tease his overly venerated sister (and in the process, knock her down a few pegs)? Well, Susano started things off by squatting in the middle of her rice fields, pulling down his pants, and defecating right then and there. And then flooding said rice fields. Now that’s disregard for what society deems acceptable behavior.

He didn’t stop there, of course. Having gravely tested Amaterasu’s patience and sisterly love, Susano decided he needed to do more to annoy her. So, he found one of her ponies and skinned it–backwards, which was a ritual taboo in Japan and an affront in itself. Having given society one big middle finger, he finished things off by hurling the pony into Amaterasu’s shrine, where she was hosting a sewing circle with her closest friends. One of the maids even died of shock. Having succeeded in getting all the way under his sister’s skin, Susano was finally banished once again. No doubt becoming the patron deity of grumpy younger brothers throughout Japan in the process.
Importantly, all of his antics had a purpose. Susano might be rough and rowdy, but he doesn’t act “randomly” (like Loki seducing a horse). Susano acts out of anger, frustration, envy–and sometimes even kindness. The first time he was thrown out of the heavens was because of the havoc he caused after he was refused the right to visit his mother in Yomi, the Underworld. It might be said that the reason behind all of his antics is his very desire to defy the laws of nature.

Helena: You want to talk about antics? No one tops the antics Loki got into. Thor and Loki were virtually inseparable and their numerous adventures had a distinctly buddy cop movie feeling. Most myths would start with Loki talking his way into trouble and then demanding that Thor accompany him on his quest to save the gods from certain doom. But there is one, highly memorable myth where the formula is broken. One night, a thief breaks into Thor’s house and steals Mjolnir. When the thunder god wakes to find his hammer missing, he immediately runs to Loki’s house and megs for his help in retrieving the weapon. Loki takes off to figure out what happened to the hammer. He returns to Asgard and tells the gods that a giant named Thrym has taken and hidden Mjolnir and won’t return it unless he marries Freya. Naturally Freya refuses to marry the giant, which isn’t a surprise, so, once again, most of the gods panic.

Loki comes up with a solution. He gets the largest, and longest dress that he can find, rounds up a lot of Freya’s jewelry, and brings his haul, along with a thick wedding veil, to the gods. From there it’s only a matter of convincing the gods of his plan, finding a dress for himself, and wiggling Thor’s hulking body into a dress. After a lot of compliments, because, let’s be honest, Thor makes a gorgeous woman, the two set out to marry Thor to Thrym. The plan actually works! Thrym is enamoured by the beauty of his bride and doesn’t suspect a thing until he hands Mjolnir to Loki who hands it to the bride who promptly kills every single giant in the hall.
While Susano probably has some hysterical myths, I doubt that he has done anything as funny as convincing Thor to put on a pretty white dress and get married to an evil giant.


Yvette: Sure, Susano hasn’t convinced Thor to put on a pretty white dress yet. But hey, maybe Thor just needed a good excuse? Good on Loki for helping a friend out.

Susano has spent surprisingly little time in the realm of the gods. I mean, every time he gets up there he immediately causes havoc and distress. It’s a lot like when you reluctantly invite your brother to Christmas dinner and he spends the whole night bringing up uncomfortable family secrets in front of your new fiancé. Loki gets along with his family a little too well for my taste.
Nevertheless, while living out his days confined to Earth, Susano left many legacies as a trickster god. In Japan’s version of the “stealing fire from the gods” myth, Susano repays an impoverished old man’s kindness by teaching him how to defy the Plague God. Even today, Susano’s teaching is followed and appreciated.

Susano also went on to found a family and the powerful Izumo clan. More importantly, he passed on his trickster ways to his son and continued to encourage general mischief-making in his descendants. When his son O-Kuni Nushi wanted to elope with a girl, the boy took advantage of his father’s slumber by tying Susano’s beard to the rafters (before running off with the family jewelry). When Susano was finally able to free himself, he came roaring after his son–but rather than punish the boy, he was delighted at O-Kuni Nushi’s cleverness and rewarded him with his very own province. He would also agree to allow the two to marry, but only if they completed a dangerous test to show their worthiness and devotion to each other. The test involved involved mostly fire–lots of fire. But once again, Susano had rigged the game: he secretly knew that they could not be harmed by the fire.

Helena: It seems like a lot of the myths that we remember, especially about trickster characters have to deal with the good times, the pranks, the antics, and even the touching family moments. But that doesn’t encompass the entirety of either god. Loki’s stories get darker and darker as Ragnorok approaches and, in the end, he and Thor put their friendship aside and kill each other. The very nature of a trickster god endears them to the audience and makes them seem like much more than a fictional character. That being said, most of the time, we just want to think of Loki as a lovable prankster who is not above riding around on a goat to make someone laugh.

Yvette: You make a good point. Loki’s certainly a loveable prankster, but that’s clearly not all there is to him. At the end of the day, though, meaningful mischief isn’t about the weirdest or most random prank. Susano knew what antics would distress his fellow gods the most–and that desire to make mischief was born out of a fundamental frustration with the natural order of things. Loki might be sillier, but Susano was a true black sheep in a society where family and order was deeply, deeply valued. I think that ought to give all you Loki-lovers (horses or not…!) some pause.

Written by Helena Wachhaus & Yvette Lessard