Summary: Loki Causes Trouble
One day, Sif, Thor’s wife, fell asleep in their palace in thunder-world. Loki, who was
passing by, saw her and decided to do some mischief. He cut off Sif’s golden hair and
carried it away. When Sif woke up, she did not know who had done this to her. When
she told Thor, he immediately guessed who was responsible for this cruel trick. He
set off in a rage to look for Loki. When Thor found Loki, he nearly killed him. But Loki
promised that he would ask the dwarfs to make a crown of golden hair for Sif.
Loki immediately went far underground to the gloomy smithy of the dwarfs. These
dwarfs were known to be wonderful workers in gold and brass. These dwarfs gave
Loki three things. They were a spear which never misses its mark, a crown of golden
hair for Sif which restored all her beautiful hair and a marvellous ship which always
found a breeze to drive it wherever its master would go and which could be folded
up and carried in one’s pocket.
Loki was so pleased with these gifts that he boasted that no other dwarfs could make
such incredible things. Brokkr, a dwarf was standing nearby and heard Loki boasting.
He became very angry because his brother, Sindri, was a master craftsman. So Brokkr
made a bet with Loki. The bet was that if Sindri could make three such precious
things as the spear, the ship, and the golden hair, he could have Loki’s head for his
trouble.
Brokkr went straightaway and told Sindri about the bet. The dwarfs immediately
began work at their smithy. Sindri put some gold into the furnace and went out of
the smithy after telling Brokkr to blow the bellows until his return.
Brokkr kept working steadily, although a gadfly flew in and stung him so hard that he
could hardly bear the pain. After a while, Sindri came back and took a wonderful
boar and a shining ring out of the furnace. Then Sindri put iron into the fire, and
telling Brokkr to blow without ceasing, went out again. As soon as he had left, the
gadfly flew in and, settling between Brokkr’s eyes, stung him so sharply that drops of
blood ran down into his eyes. The pain was so bad that at last he raised his hand
quickly to brush the fly away. That very instant, Sindri returned took a wonderful
hammer out of the glowing furnace. Because Brokkr had been distracted, the handle
was a little short but otherwise the hammer was perfect.
Once all three gifts were ready, Brokkr took them to the palace of the gods. The gods
were waiting and when they saw him they took their places on their shining thrones.
Brokkr then gave Odin a ring. The ring would, on every ninth night, create eight other
rings as pure and heavy as itself. He then gave a boar to Freyja. The boar would run
more quickly in the air, and on the sea, by night or by day, than the swiftest horse.
No night will be so dark, no world so gloomy, that the shining of its bristles shall not
make it as bright as day. Then he gave Thor the hammer. He told Thor that the
hammer would never fail, no matter how big nor how hard that which it strikes may
be. And no matter how far it is thrown, it would always return to Thor’s hand—and
Thor could make it so small that it can be hidden in his bosom, and its only fault is
the shortness of its handle.
The gods were delighted with the hammer. Thor swung it round his head, and
lightning flashed through palace and deep peals of thunder rolled through the sky.
The gods gathered around, and passed the hammer from one to the other, saying
that it would be their greatest protection against their enemies. They were so happy
with this powerful weapon that they declared Brokkr the winner of the bet.
Then Brokkr tried to claim his prize. But Loki had tricked him. He knew that there was
no way his head could be cut off without touching his neck. So Brokkr had to give up
and return to his brother.
UNIT 12 LOKI CAUSES TROUBLE
Warm Up
Suggested answer (Accept any logical answer).
● What is the object? A stone that is embedded into her costume. It is placed over her heart.
● What does it look like? It is a bright red ruby in the shape of a heart.
● What can it do? When she deploys it, it covers her with an indestructible shield and enables her to
fly. It also gives her super strength.
● How did she come to own it? It was given to her by an ancient sage who saved her from dying
right after she became a superhero.
● Can it be destroyed? If, yes, then explain how. Yes, it can. If she gives it up willingly, the stone will
self-destruct in ten minutes.
Embedded Questions 1
● Loki had cut off Sif’s hair.
● Loki promised Thor that he would ask the dwarfs to make a crown of golden hair for Sif.
Embedded Questions 2
● Brokkr was angry when he heard Loki saying that no other dwarfs could compare to the dwarfs
who had made the crown of golden hair.
● Loki told Brokkr that if Sindri could make three such precious things as the spear, the ship, and the
golden hair, he could have Loki’s head for his trouble.
Embedded Questions 3
● They declared him the winner because they were so delighted by the hammer.
● He tried to but he could not succeed because Loki tricked him.
Embedded Questions 4
● They were grateful because although Loki had played some tricks and caused trouble, he had
made up for it by bringing them many wonderful gifts, including the most amazing gift of all—
Thor’s mighty hammer. Thor’s hammer was magic and it could bring peace to the world!
Comprehension
A. 1. He wanted to request them to make a crown of golden hair for Sif.
2. Brokkr was standing by and heard Loki boasting.
3. The bet was that if Sindri could make three such precious things as the spear, the ship, and the
golden hair, he could have Loki’s head for his trouble.
4. The ship always found a breeze to drive it wherever its master would go and which could be
folded up and carried in one’s pocket.
5. He got the dwarfs to make a crown of golden hair for Sif. The crowd did what it was supposed to
do and all of Sif’s beautiful hair grew back.
B. 1. a. He laughed because he could not believe a dwarf was challenging or correcting him.
b. It tells that he is very arrogant.
c. Brokkr went straightaway and told Sindr about the bet. The dwarfs immediately began work at
their smithy.
2. a. He tricked Brokkr. He knew that there was no way his head could be cut off without touching
his neck.
b. He probably felt very angry and humiliated.
C. 1. The dwarfs at the beginning of the text gave Loki three things. They were a spear which
never misses its mark, a crown of golden hair for Sif which restored all her beautiful hair and
a marvellous ship which always found a breeze to drive it wherever its master would go and
which could be folded up and carried in one’s pocket. Loki gave Odin the spear and Freyja the
ship.
2. Brokkr kept working steadily, although a gadfly flew in and stung him so hard that he could
hardly bear the pain. After a while, Sindri came back and took a wonderful boar and a shining
ring out of the furnace. Then Sindri put iron into the fire, and telling Brokkr to blow without
ceasing, went out again. As soon as he had left, the gadfly flew in and, settling between
Brokkr’s eyes, stung him so sharply that drops of blood ran down into his eyes. The pain was
so bad that at last he raised his hand quickly to brush the fly away. That very instant, Sindri
returned took a wonderful hammer out of the glowing furnace. Because Brokkr had been
distracted, the handle was a little short but otherwise the hammer was perfect.
3. Brokkr took the three gifts to the palace of the gods. The gods were waiting and when they saw
him they took their places on their shining thrones. Brokkr then gave Odin a ring. The ring would,
on every ninth night, create eight other rings as pure and heavy as itself. He then gave a boar to
Freyja. The boar would run more quickly in the air, and on the sea, by night or by day, than the
swiftest horse. No night will be so dark, no world so gloomy, that the shining of its bristles shall
not make it as bright as day. Then he gave Thor the hammer. He told Thor that the hammer would
never fail, no matter how big nor how hard that which it strikes may be. And no matter how far it
is thrown, it would always return to Thor’s hand—and Thor could make it so small that it can be
hidden in his bosom, and its only fault is the shortness of its handle.
4. The gods were delighted with the hammer. Thor swung it round his head, and lightning flashed
through palace and deep peals of thunder rolled through the sky. The gods gathered around,
and passed the hammer from one to the other, saying that it would be their greatest protection
against their enemies. They were so happy with this powerful weapon that they declared Brokkr
the winner of the bet.
D. It is not clear if Loki played the trick with this objective in mind. He seems to have just meant some
mischief but as events played out, he might have seen how the gifts could benefit the gods and
through them benefit the world. Loki is a clever and cunning god so he might easily have realised
how to change things for the better even though they had not started out well.
Grammar
A. 2. Tara said that she had to buy some cotton T-shirts.
3. Tarik whispered to Sam that he should not tell anyone their secret.
4. He said that his parents were going to buy a house.
5. Matthew said that Grandma was leaving soon.
6. Ajay complained that it was really very hot.
B. 2. Father instructed me to always wait for the bus in a well-lit place.
3. My mother told me to call her as soon as I got the results.
4. Shreya asked Divya to wait for her.
5. Mr Varma told his wife to telephone the fire brigade.
6. The tourist requested the taxi driver to take him to the National Museum.
Vocabulary
1. great excitement 2. strong smell 3. strong sense 4. great skill 5. strong words
6. great failure
Writing
1. a. 1990s: speaker a child living in Bangalore
b. several green frogs hopping around garden eating insects
c. grew into a life-long interest
2. a. ten years later realised how growing cities have affected these small creatures
b. today almost all the soil is covered up with concrete
c. our surroundings good for humans, but not for the little creatures that live with us
3. a. realised with great shock that it had been ten years since I had seen a frog near my house
b. frogs are in danger—run over by the traffic on our roads
c. children today do not know the joy of listening to frogs croaking together on a rainy night
Listening
Listening Text
(Music increases in volume and speed. It stops.)
Thor: (panting) Loki! Where is the Tesseract?
Loki: (laughs) I missed you too, brother.
Thor: Do I look to be in a playful mood?
Loki: Oh, you should thank me. It is because of me that you were able to return to your precious
Earth.
(Sound of mountains rumbling in the background as Thor drops Mjolnir.)
Thor: (softly) I thought you were dead! Our father…
Loki: Our father… As if he cared…
Thor: We were raised together; we played together; we fought together. Do you remember none of
that?
Loki: All I remember is living in your shadow. I was and should be king!
Thor: Not on Earth! Give up the Tesseract! You give up this poisonous dream! Come home.
Answer
(Music increases in volume and speed. It stops.)
Thor: (panting) Loki! Where is the Tesseract?
Loki: (laughs) I missed you too, brother.
Thor: Do I look to be in a playful mood?
Loki: Oh, you have to thank me. It is because of me that you were able to return to your precious
Earth.
(Sound of mountains rumbling in the background as Thor drops his hammer Mjolnir.)
Thor: (softly) I thought you were dead! Our father…
Loki: Our father… As if he cared…
Thor: We were raised together; we played together; we fought together. Do you remember none of
that?
Loki: I remember All I remember is living in your shadow. I was and should be king!
Thor: Not on Earth! Give up the Tesseract! You give up this poisonous dream! Come home.
Speaking
Suggested answer (Accept any logical answer).
Nicky: So let me understand what you’re saying. The villain turns out to be the hero in the film? But
how is that possible?
Sam: Yes. But he was never the villain. See…
Nicky: But you just said…
Sam: Nicky! Just listen. He was only pretending. It was like an undercover assignment, like you see
in cop shows. He was trying to destroy the real villains.
Nicky: I am not clear about how this can be possible. Didn’t he kill some people in the
beginning?
Sam: That was a trick! Those people knew what was happening and they played along!
Nicky: Oh, I see. So it was not only him—it was a lot of people pretending so that the real villains
would be fooled.
Sam: Yes, exactly!
Nicky: I get it now. Sam, we must watch it again!
Sam: Really? I guess if you really want to…
Nicky: I do!
LOKI CAUSES TROUBLE
A. Answer in brief.
1. Who was Loki? Why was Thor angry with him?
Ans: Loki was a god in Norse mythology who liked to play tricks on people. He was cunning and
clever and had the ability to transform himself to look like other people and animals. Thor was
angry with him because he played a cruel trick on his wife Sif by cutting off her golden hair and
carrying it away.
2. How did the dwarfs help Loki?
Ans: Loki wanted to appease the angry Thor by making a crown of golden hair for his wife Sif.
So he took the help of the dwarfs who were great workers in gold and brass. In very little time,
they made the crown of hair. In addition to that they also gave Loki a spear and an amazing
ship.
B. Answer in detail.
1. What did Brokkr get angry with Loki? How did Loki challenge him?
Ans: Loki got the crown of golden hair for Sif and a couple of more wonderful things from the
dwarf’s smithy. Loki went to the palace of gods with these treasures and boasted loudly about his
dwarfs’ expertise and said no other dwarf could match that. That boastful remark was overheard
by dwarf Brokkr who was standing close by. The remark angered Brokkr. He claimed that his
brother Sindri could make better things of gold and iron and brass than any dwarf could think
of. On hearing that Loki laughed loud and long and challenged Brokkr to ask his brother to make
precious things as the spear, the ship and the golden hair and for that trouble he could have his
head.
2. What did Sindri make for the gods? How was Brokkr disturbed during that work?
Ans: After Sindri was told about the bet between Loki and his brother Brokkr, he was hard at
work in his smithy. He took the help of Brokkr to blow the bellows until he returned. The first
time when Brokkr was busy working, a gadfly flew and stung him. Though the sting was painful,
Brokkr went on working till Sindri came back to continue the work and took a wonderful boar
and shining ring out of the furnace. The second time when Sindri left asking Brokkr to blow
without stopping, the gadfly disturbed him again by stinging him so strongly in his eyes that
he had to raise his hand to brush the fly away. As a result the handle of the hammer from the
furnace became small.
C. Read the lines and answer the questions.
1. Brokkr went straight to Sindri and told him of the wager he had made with Loki.
a. What was the wager he had made with Loki?
b. How did Sindri respond to it?
c. Did Brokkr succeed in pleasing the gods?
Ans: a. He had made a bet with Loki that his brother Sindri would make more wonderful things
in gold and iron than the other dwarfs and if he succeeded he would have Loki’s head.
b. Sindri immediately started working in his smithy.
c. Yes. The gods were impressed with Brokkr and declared that Brokkr had won the wager.
2. Brokkr was delighted to have beaten the boastful Loki. But how was he to claim his prize?
a. How did Brokkr beat Loki?
b. What was the prize?
c. Was he successful in claiming it?
Ans: a. Brokkr beat Loki by producing something which was far more attractive and wonderful
than what Loki had presented the gods.
b. The prize was Loki’s head.
c. No. He was unable to claim it as Loki cleverly managed to save his head.
D. Answer in brief. (Think and answer)
Why was Loki considered to be cunning?
Ans: It was Loki who agreed to let Brokkr have his head off in the wager he had with Brokkr. But when
the moment came, he cleverly said, Brokkr could cut his head off but he had no right to touch his
neck, knowing very well that was not possible. Loki indeed was clever and cunning.
E. Answer in detail. (Think and answer)
Loki was clever and boastful. Still the gods were grateful him. Discuss.
Ans: Loki was clever and cunning and constantly played tricks with the gods and others. But though
he was boastful and cunning, he knew how to make the gods happy. He had always made up for his
mischief by bringing them wonderful gifts. He was indirectly responsible for Brokkr bringing the most
amazing gifts for the gods. The mighty hammer for Thor which Brokkr had got was the best one as it
was magic and it could bring peace to the world. So the gods were grateful to Loki.
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