Short answer: in Norse mythology, Laufey is Loki's mother — probably a giantess — married to the giant Fárbauti. Her name means "leafy island" or "full of leaves." And she hides a huge anomaly: Loki is Loki Laufeyjarson — son of Laufey. He carries his mother's name, in a culture where everyone carried their father's.
The little the sources say
Laufey is barely mentioned in Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda: Loki's mother, wife of Fárbauti ("dangerous striker" — possibly lightning). One tradition also calls her Nál, "needle," for being slender and frail. That's it — two names and a marriage. The surviving Norse myths are fragments, and Laufey lives in the gaps.
There's a beautiful poetic reading: if Fárbauti is lightning and Laufey the leafy island, then Loki — fire — is born when lightning strikes the foliage.
The detail that matters: Laufeyjarson
In the Norse world you were your father's child: Thor is Odinson. That Loki is Laufeyjarson is a deliberate oddity. Explanations range from the practical (his mother may have been of divine lineage while his father was a giant — better to claim her name) to the symbolic: Loki, the god who breaks every category, breaks this one too.
Laufey in myth vs. Laufey in Marvel
| Norse mythology | Marvel | |
|---|---|---|
| Who is she/he? | Loki's mother | Loki's father |
| Species | Giantess (possibly goddess) | King of the Frost Giants |
| Character | Tender, barely-described figure | Villain of Thor (2011) |
| Bond with Loki | Gives him her name | Abandons him at birth |
Marvel flipped the gender, the species and the bond. The only survivor is the name.
Why is everyone searching "Laufey" right now?
Because of the Grammy-winning Icelandic-Chinese singer Laufey (Laufey Lín Jónsdóttir). Her name is a real, ordinary Icelandic given name — taken directly from the giantess. So every time her music goes viral, thousands of people accidentally discover Loki's mother. Myths always find their way back.
Quick questions
What does the name Laufey mean?
From Old Norse lauf (leaf): "leafy island" or "full of leaves." A name of nature and growth — in contrast with her storm-striker husband.
Is Laufey a goddess or a giantess?
The sources never settle it. Fárbauti is certainly a giant; some readings treat Laufey as a minor goddess — which would explain why Loki claims her lineage and is counted among the Æsir.
Who is Loki's father?
The giant Fárbauti, "the dangerous striker." From the collision of the two — lightning and leaves — fire is born: Loki. We tell the rest of his story in Ragnarök explained.
Loki's full story — from Odin's companion to final enemy — is told as an audio drama in MythologyNow.
