Justin Zhou, Period 7, 3/26/23

A Tale of Two Brothers

They knew not to draw the Valknut in front of others – but they were just kids. And they just wanted to know. They drew it on rocks and in the dirt, watching as the symbol’s bitter presence collapsed whatever it was drawn upon. It would tarnish everything. Glass, silver, gold. It was the symbol of death. And when his brother wasn’t watching, Loki would put worms on top of it. Only when his brother wasn’t watching. 

Thor loved worms. It would’ve made him sad. But Loki didn’t care much about them. He wanted to see what would happen. What it would do to them. He was curious. 

But one time, his brother was watching. And his brother loved frogs. 

An unknown amount of time later… 

Loki knew about Aurgelmir and the Ginnungagap. He admired the endless intricacy Odin had put into creating Asgard and the nine realms. But he too understood the compounds that drove reality here. Tasked with creating much fickler forms of life, he sought his brother’s advice. 

“Look at our creation. It has mass! It is no longer featureless. I can create angles and intent. It is given my design. Now it’s your job to give it soul. Give it a lifeline. Blood. But not mine or yours; our blood is sharp and radiant. There is blood all around us for you to use. It’s your turn now brother! I’ve simply constructed templates. It is your job to give them soul.” 

Loki realized that he loved to design. So he designed, and Thor created. Together, they began to construct the inhabitants of Midgard, those who roamed aimlessly abroad the giant plane, and who soon became the first inhabitants of Helheim. 

They discussed how Midgard’s design would help their creation’s feeble bodies. It would be populated with sustenance and compounds, made with Asgard’s beauty in mind. 

“What about trees?” Thor asked. 

“Trees? Yes. They are beautiful. We will give them trees inferior in design to Yggdrasil, but still fruitful and sound…” 

The beings they constructed together were empty shells. Thor noted the designs Loki created lacked soul. His intention was to create servants, faithfully loyal but weak-minded followers. Loki had designed the creatures to be molded in the shape of the Gods. Anthropomorphic and hollow, the templates were soulless, so Thor deviated from his brother’s vision. He weaved in much more soul, and gave the creatures will. Something Thor loved. 

“Brother, what have you created? It is misshapen and ill. Was there an error in my design?” 

“...” 

“I see. These aren’t the correct ratios. You cannot weave into the constructs so much soul. It becomes frail and unstable. I’ve told you this before yet you’ve wasted the materials I have gathered on this mistake and miscreation.” 

Thor retorted, “It can act upon its own will. To live for what it believes in, not what we tell it. They are not vermin. I have fabricated purity from nothing.” 

“But you’ve created something that can betray us. Something capable of Ragnarok. We cannot keep them here. You’ve given them too much power, and such little control.”

In spite of his brother’s protests, Thor opted to keep them. He called them humans. 

“Thor, I should be responsible for creating the creatures. By my hand. They will be weak, but at least they will be loyal.” 

Loki wanted to punish the humans for their instability. They were weak. Helheim would serve them well he thought, a fiery cage where they would serve their eternal sentence. 

Thor believed they should be given the chance to reach Valhalla. Through… something. Martyrdom? Glory? The humans were far too complex for now. He needed to observe them. He did not allow Loki to banish them to Hel. 

Loki, in his spite, saw the beings with soul as frail and volatile. They were lesser than him. Vermin. Unable to be controlled. He shared his vision of what the creatures inhabiting Midgard should be, much to Thor’s dismay: 

“We can begin with stone, fire and silver. The ratios are simple. They are streamlined and loyal. What should we call them? Automatons? Guardians? They’re simple creatures. No dance, no will. These creatures do not need soul.”  

But Thor loved soul. 

Over time, Loki’s desire to create and design only grew. He despised Thor’s love for the humans and lamented over his brother’s baseless pity. Thor wished to create similar creatures. Ones weaved together with soul, who could think for themselves. 

His brother’s disdain and disregard for the life on Midgard had become far too evident. Loki thought that the creatures were not worth saving. Thor began to despise Loki for his lack of empathy, but Loki remained undeterred. He hoped his brother would eventually share his vision of creating servants.

 “Only your hands could have realized my designs brother. It is done! Come, see. There is no gap in its sequence. We can travel through these gates to Midgard instantaneously.” Thor claimed as he designed a gateway to Midgard. 

“There is truly no force nor obstacle we cannot overcome together brother – with my designs and your creations. Yet I see your somber gaze will not lift. Please, let us take this gate and step foot into another world…”

Loki continued, “If you insist brother, I will go first. Forget about those creatures and do not dawdle. I want to see joy on your face.”

 

This was no primordial teleporter. To the inhabitants of Midgard, they were gates. But Thor’s sorrow was not for the dying planets or the lesser beings among them. He knew his brother would be angry if he gave the creatures gifts from the Gods. But despite his heavy heart, Thor wearily carved the Valknut across the teleporter’s sigil as Loki went through.  

The brothers never learned what it meant to truly build. The designs and creations were mere extensions; eyes where they couldn’t see. Feet where they couldn’t stride. Hands where they couldn’t reach. But slowly, Thor’s frustration slowly dissipated into his creation’s proud smiles. And so he left them alone to grow on Midgard, with delusions of freedom, living in blissful ignorance of the sacrifice and tale the two brothers left behind.