What Language Loki Sings In (And What His Song Means)
Loki's upbeat drinking song is actually very sad.
The "Asgardian" in Loki's drinking song is Norwegian.
The song is called "Jeg Saler Min Ganger," and was written for Loki by author Erlend O. Nødtvedt and musician Benedicte Maurseth.
Speaking to Bergens Tidende, Nødtvedt said that the full song actually contains four verses, only one of which is sung in Loki episode 3, and that the full song will be available on the show's soundtrack.
The writer added that he was impressed by Tom Hiddleston's pronunciation of the song's Norwegian lyrics.
Here is a translation of Loki's episode 3 song:
In storm-blackened mountains I wander alone
Across glaciers I travel forth
In the apple orchard the fair maiden stands
And sings, "When will you come home?"
(Chorus in English) When she sings, she sings, "Come home."
Marvel Studios requested an Asgardian drinking song for the episode, and so Nødtvedt and Maurseth put together "a traditional folk song."
The lyrics have a particular poignancy, given that Loki learned about the destruction of Asgard in the previous episode.
The "storm-blackened mountains" bring to mind the ominous landscape of Svartalfheim, the land of the Dark Elves, which appeared in Thor: The Dark World (though this version of Loki has not lived through the events of that movie).
The "glaciers" bring to mind Jotunheim, the realm of the Frost Giants and the place of Loki's birth, and the "fair maiden" can be interpreted as a reference to Sylvie, or perhaps to Loki's fair-haired mother, Frigga.
Though the chorus of Loki's drinking song is cheerful and upbeat, the Asgardian verse is far more melancholy. The song captures Loki's self-imposed isolation and loneliness, born out of his arrogance and hatred towards Thor and his father. Loki turned his back on Asgard, and now he can't return to the only home he ever knew.
It's a moment of vulnerability that's shown only to Sylvie, since the people of Lamentis-1 don't speak Asgardian, and her response to the song suggests that she understands Loki's loneliness all too well.
I think the fair maiden is a reference to the Goddess Iðunn. In norse mythology she was the guardian of the magic apples of immortality, which the gods ate to preserve their youth.
But a full version of the song you say? If we get Tom Hiddleston singing a complete song in the soundtrack I think I'll die and go to Valhalla.
