Fárbauti (Old Norse: Fárbauti, meaning ‘Dangerous Striker’ or ‘Cruel Striker’) is a giant and the father of Loki, attested in Gylfaginning and in skaldic verse. Snorri names him explicitly in Gylfaginning as the father of Loki alongside Laufey as mother, and his name appears in kennings for Loki in skaldic poetry. Beyond his role as Loki’s father, Fárbauti has no independent mythological narrative in the surviving primary sources.
Fárbauti
Fárbauti
Pronunciation
FAR-bow-tee (approximately; the 'á' is long 'aw')
Tribe
JötnarSacred Animals
No sacred animals are associated with this deity.
Sacred Symbols & Objects
No sacred symbols are recorded for this deity.
Source Quality: Directly Attested
Traditional Offerings
- No offerings to Fárbauti are described in any primary source.
Modern Offerings
This deity does not have a widely established modern following.
Primary Sources
Source Quality
Directly AttestedAdditional Notes
Notes
Fárbauti's nature as a giant is stated implicitly through his classification — Loki is described as being of giant heritage through his father — but is not elaborated with any genealogy or narrative of his own. The onomastic theory connecting his name to lightning striking a tree (producing Loki as fire) is a scholarly interpretive framework with no primary source support.Join the Community
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