Loki Woman Black Tank

Grey print of the Old-Norse blazon on neck and "Loki" design on front.

Loki, the shapeshifting trickster god of Norse mythology, is a figure of contradiction, by turns mischievous and malevolent, helper and betrayer. Among his many transformations, one of the most symbolic and evocative is his donning of the Valshamr, the falcon cloak or feathered dress. This magical garment, often associated with the goddess Freyja, allowed the wearer to take on the form of a bird and fly between worlds. When Loki takes the falcon form, it is more than a disguise, its an expression of his liminality, his movement between gods and giants, order and chaos.

There is also a subtle irony in Loki’s use of Freyja’s cloak. Freyja is a goddess of love, beauty, and sorcery (seiðr), and her valshamr is likely linked to shamanic flight and spiritual vision. Loki, borrowing this garment, appropriates the power of the feminine divine, an act consistent with his boundarycrossing behavior, including genderbending transformations. In another myth, he even gives birth to the eight legged horse Sleipner after taking the form of a mare and having intercourse with Svadilfari, a giant stallion.

Thus, Loki in the falcon dress is more than jast a god in disguise. He is a symbol of transformation itself of identity that is not fixed, of roles that can be inverted, of power that lies not in brute force but in cunning, movement, and adaptability. In the feathers of the falcon, Loki becomes the shamanic traveller between worlds.

Original design by Kai Uwe Faust.
Printed in France.