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Hermes is foolish for trying to fool his brother Apollo but as well intelligent because he made the Lyre from a turtle shell and strings.

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Hermes: Archetypal Greek God, Soul Guide, and Trickster

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Hermes was the Greek God, a trickster, messenger between realms, and a soul guide. He was the son of Zeus, brother of Apollo, and lover of Aphrodite. The Hermes archetype is a successful person.

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Br'er Rabbit outsmarts the rest of the society.

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Brer Rabbit: Brer Rabbit, trickster figure originating in African folklore and transmitted by African slaves to the New World, where it acquired attributes of similar native American tricksters (see trickster tale); Brer, or Brother, Rabbit was popularized in the United States in the stories of Joel Chandler

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"Tricksters are, of course, well known for their scheming brains. Outsmarting one of these characters is next to impossible, but brains aren’t the only weapon in their arsenal"(Geller).

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For as long as civilization has tried to impose order on its subjects, Tricksters have been thumbing their nose at the rules. These sly characters always find a way to take authority figures down a peg and turn social norms on their head. At the end of the day, they give us more than just a good laugh; they also nudge us towards a re-evaluation of everything we hold true.

What is a Trickster?

A Trickster is a character who uses wits, rather than strength or authority, to accomplish his goals. Like heroes, Tricksters usually come out of their adventures unscathed, having won the prize they desired and upset the regular social order in a way that will cause lasting effects for the people around them. Unlike heroes, Tricksters are usually morally questionable. They may lie, cheat, or steal to get what they want, and their ends don't justify their means. These slippery characters don't set out to save the world. They set out to get what they want.

Characteristics

Physical Description

Tricksters come in all forms, shapes, and sizes. They can be men, gods, magical creatures, or animals, as the qualities that unite them come from their personality, not their physical appearance.
Still, there are some norms about the appearance of these social deviants. They are usually male characters, a little bit on the small side but attractive nevertheless. What they lack in brawn, they make up for with their agility and their expressive faces. When animals appear as Tricksters, they are usually small predators like foxes or coyotes.

Special Abilities

Tricksters are, of course, well known for their scheming brains. Outsmarting one of these characters is next to impossible, but brains aren't the only weapon in their arsenal.

They are masters of disguise. If they have magical abilities, they will probably be fond of shapeshifting from one sneaky form to the next. If they don't have magic to lean on, they will probably be skilled at creative costume design.

Their wordplay is marvelous. They can find a loophole in the wording of any rule, and they can trick you into signing all your power and fortune away with one seemingly harmless agreement. With their crafty whispers, they can manipulate you by pandering to your ego or preying on your worst fears. They can send coded messages that authority figures mistake for silly songs or children's poems. And they always, always win riddle contests.

To top it all off, they are dangerously charismatic. Whether they are posing as a funny clown, a fearless hero, a pitiful innocent, or a trusted confidant, Tricksters always find a way to worm their way into the hearts of the people they need. Even when you have suspicions of a Trickster's true nature, it's difficult to tune out the pull of their charisma.

Literary Role

If you asked a Trickster what his role was, he would undoubtedly say "to have fun" or "to get what I want." While it is true that these characters are generally self-serving, their actions often ripple through their community, causing unintended changes.

One of the Trickster's most important roles is to undermine authority. These clever characters love to break rules and make leaders or social norms look silly. In doing so, they may give more serious social reformers the courage to step forward. After all, if a trickster can flout an oppressive norm or take on a corrupt ruler, why shouldn't a hero do the same?

Occasionally, Tricksters take the opposite position, creating obstacles between a hero and his noble goal. They might steal an important object, lead the hero astray from his path, or even betray the hero by posing as a friend.

And then, sometimes, the Trickster is just meant to inject a little entertainment or " comic relief " into a story. His jokes and hijinks can de-pressurize a tense situation or lighten the overall mood of a story.

Famous Tricksters

Eastern Culture

In Chinese culture, legends of the Monkey King date back to the ninth century. The crafty King was born with incredible intelligence, which allowed him to master a deck of magical tricks, including shape-shifting into 72 images and somersaulting across the clouds. Eventually, he grew so powerful that he began getting into scuffles with the Jade Emperor, the lord of heaven itself. None of heaven's warriors could lay a finger on the Monkey King.

In Indonesian and Malaysian culture, a tiny mouse deer, named Kancil, outsmarts larger animals time and time again. Usually, Kancil is backed in a tight spot-fallen into a hunter's trap or cornered by a tiger-and has to use his bright imagination and his silver tongue to talk his way out of certain death.

Greek Culture

On the outside, Hermes may seem like one of the most harmless Greek gods. He is small, youthful, and has no realm to rule over. Still, there is no end to the mischief which this boyish god brings about. He has notoriously itchy fingers, stealing Apollo's cattle, Poseidon's trident, Artemis' arrow, and Aphrodite 's girdle at various times. His way with words has earned him the position of diplomat and messenger between the gods. When he can't find a large scheme to involve himself in, he amuses himself with tricky inventions; he is responsible for inventing the game of dice, the bewitching lyre, fire, and the art of lying. Most importantly, Hermes is seen as a herald of change. Whenever he appears, the status quo is about to be shaken up.

Norse Culture

Loki, the god of chaos, is perhaps one of the most famous examples of a Trickster character. This shape-shifting, trouble-making god is constantly on the lookout for a way to undermine authority figures. His allegiance shifts between the gods enthroned on Asgard and their mortal enemies, the ice giants, so frequently that no one ever truly knows which side he belongs to; apparently, he is a side unto himself.

Loki is famous for his dangerous charisma (especially with women) and his wicked sense of humor. Using his smooth way with words, he ingratiates himself with one powerful woman after another, only to set her heart against people he doesn't like. In one story, an angry giantess threatens to destroy all of Asgard unless the gods can make her laugh. Of course, the gods elect Loki to sooth the giantess's wrath, which he does successfully.

Not only does Loki run afoul of the social rules of Viking culture, he also defies the rules of nature. In one story, he is impregnated and gives birth to an eight-legged horse. In another story, he travels to the realm of the dead and back, proving that this Trickster character truly recognizes no authority other than himself.

African Culture

In the oral tradition of west Africa, a spider named Anansi is a Trickster elevated to the status of a folk-hero. He is honored for his intelligence and his beautiful command of language, and according to one Ghanaian tale, he is the god of all stories, which he purchased from the sky god by tricking and capturing a python, a leopard, and a hornet and delivering them to the sky god's home.

As the slave trade funneled people of African descent into foreign lands, where they were oppressed by cruel authority figures, Anansi's fame spread. He became a powerful symbol of hope to slaves in the Caribbean nations and in the southern United States. They were encouraged by Anansi's craftiness and his ability to get the better of stronger, loftier characters. The Trickster's famous word-craft might even have inspired slaves to begin hiding secret messages in songs and folk tales, a brilliant decision that led to the escape of hundreds of slaves.

Native American Culture

The indigenous people of North America favored the coyote as their Trickster character. Coyote is a very powerful figure, even appearing in the creation stories of many Native American tribes, but he never seems to take anything seriously. According to the Maidu tribe in California, Coyote sat with the Creator while the world was made out of clay, and his uncontrollable laughter disfigured the world while it was still soft. In addition to a long list of small-scale hijinks, Coyote is responsible for introducing fire and the first lie to the world.

Southern United States Culture

In the southern United states, Trickster tales from European settlers, enslaved African Americans, and Native Americans gradually melded into a new generation of folk tales. The most famous character to come out of these tales was Br'er Rabbit, a resourceful rabbit with a remarkable talent for lying his way out of a pinch.

Modern Culture

Although Trickster gods and animals are mostly the stuff of history books, Trickster characters are alive and well. They are even considered to be staple characters in Joseph Campbell's theory of " the hero's journey," an acclaimed theory which claims that all works of literature follow the same plot and include the same characters, when examined on a fundamental level.

Some of today's favorite Tricksters are Tom Sawyer, a crafty southern boy who always manages to find a way out of work and into adventure, the Cheshire cat, a philosophical feline whose sage advice always seems to land people in sticky situations, and Fred and George Weasley, two twins who keep a whole castle full of wizards on their toes.

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Trickster - Mythological Intelligent Character in Folklore | Mythology.net

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A Trickster is a character who uses wits, rather than strength or authority, to accomplish his goals. Like heroes, Tricksters usually come out of their adventures unscathed, having won the prize they desired and upset the regular social order in a way that will cause lasting effects for the people around them.

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"The first and most basic of these traps is the trap of appetite, from which the trickster myth derives creative intelligence" (Hyde).

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"The trickster unites things by passing them through the senses and the imperfect reflections of his intelligence. His bodily parts and "all too human" intelligence admit no firm distinction between corporeal and spiritual existence."

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tricksters: an overview
trickster is the name given to a type of mythic figure distinguished by his skill at trickery and deceit as well as by his prodigious biological drives and exaggerated bodily parts. the myths of many cultures portray such a comic and amoral character

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who is sometimes human but is more often animal in shape

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typically an animal noted for agility and cunning: the wily coyote

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or the crafty spider. sometimes the trickster is the agent who introduces fire

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Tricksters: An Overview | Encyclopedia.com

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TRICKSTERS: AN OVERVIEW Trickster is the name given to a type of mythic figure distinguished by his skill at trickery and deceit as well as by his prodigious biological drives and exaggerated bodily parts.

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Dionysus can shape-shift to anything he wanted and he mostly like to shape-shift to a handsome young man.

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Dionysus was the Greek god of wine, comedy, and tragedy. Like all Greeks, he loved drama and contests. His special talent was that he could shape shift into looking like any living thing he wanted. For example, he could shape shift into a little mouse or a dangerous animal or a fierce pirate. His favorite shape was that of a handsome young man, dripping in jewels. He had quite sense of humor, and a great deal of fun shape shifting.

One day, when Dionysus was in the form of his favorite shape, a handsome young man, dripping with jewels, he was spotted by some pirates. They thought they had stumbled across a rich prize, someone they could sell for a lot of money as a slave. Laughing cruelly, they grabbed what they thought was a rich young man (who was really the god, Dionysus), and carried him off to their pirate ship. They tied him tightly to the mast.

Dionysus found this all rather amusing. He might have waited a bit longer to see what these stupid mortals would do next, but the rope was rubbing his skin uncomfortably. Dionysus used his magical powers to push the rope away. It landed in a heap at his feet.

One of the pirates noticed the young man was no longer tied to the mast. The pirate gasped in surprise. He strongly suspected that he and his fellow pirates had made a terrible mistake. This was no ordinary mortal. Things would not go well for them if they did not quickly return the lad to shore. He pleaded with the other pirates to turn the ship about. But they tied Dionysus to the mast even more tightly than before and headed out to sea.

Dionysus waited until the ship had reached very deep water. He pushed the ropes off his body. At the same time, he waved his arm, and thick vines surged from the sea and entangled the ship. Dionysus shape shifted into a roaring lion. He sprang on the terrified pirates. Some jumped overboard to avoid his sharp claws and teeth. Soon, the only pirate left alive on board was the pirate who had begged for his release. That pirate would have gladly jumped overboard with his mates, but Dionysus used his magic to make sure that pirate's feet were stuck firmly in place.

"Is that the island of Naxos?" Dionysus asked casually, peering ahead.

The pirate nodded, too terrified to speak.

"You can drop me off there," Dionysus decided. The vines fell away. With no one at the wheel, the ship moved smoothly forward, sailing calmly towards the island of Naxos.

When they arrived at the island, Dionysus leaped nimbly onto the seawall. He gave the pirate a friendly wave goodbye, and gave the ship a magical shove out to sea. No one knows if the pirate was able to pilot the ship alone, and no one (except the pirate of course) much cared.

It was there, on the island of Naxos, that Dionysus first saw the lovely Ariadne. (Abandoned by Theseus, Ariadne spent her days curled on the seawall, staring out to sea.) That day, she was fast asleep, worn out with weeping. She took his breath away, she was that beautiful. He waited patiently until Ariadne opened her eyes. She saw a handsome young man, gazing admiring at her. Ariadne felt better immediately. She told Dionysus about her noble efforts to save Theseus and the children of Athens.

"And look where it got me," she sniffed.

"You poor thing," Dionysus said with great sympathy. He immediately asked the lovely young Ariadne to marry him. (As often as the gods did that kind of thing, it's no wonder that so many of their marriages ended in disaster.)

Ariadne, no longer feeling forsaken or friendless, and delighted to be admired by this handsome young man, who was obviously wealthy - only look at his garments! - consented to be his wife.

Believe it or not, Ariadne and Dionysus lived happily ever after! Ariadne and Dionysus were so happy, in fact, that their love story inspired a 20th century opera, Ariadne auf Naxos, written by the famous composer, Richard Strauss.
Another myth about Ariadne: Theseus, Ariadne, and the Children of Athens Another myth about Dionysus: Dionysus, King Midas, and the Golden Touch

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Dionysus was the Greek god of wine, comedy, and tragedy. Like all Greeks, he loved drama and contests. His special talent was that he could shape shift into looking like any living thing he wanted. For example, he could shape shift into a little mouse or a dangerous animal or a fierce pirate.

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"A cunning or deceptive character appearing in various forms in the folklore of many cultures"(Merriam-Webster).

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Became a spider when he wanted to escape the African king.

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How Anansi Became a Spider | African Stories, Myths, Fables

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Short African stories on how Anansi the trickster becam a spider.

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"Tricksters are mythical creatures that are mischievous supernatural beings who take the form of animals such as the coyote, spider, ram, hare and raven."

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Discover information about the Trickster of Native American Legends. The Trickster as a clown, shape shifter and transformer. Definition of the Trickster and characteristics and attributes.

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The fox shapeshifted to trick the humans for money and food.

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In Japan people used to think that foxes, of Kitsune could change their shape anD talk. There was once an Ainu man who overheard two foxes plotting to swindle humans. One fox was above ground and the second in his set.

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Loki throughout the movies has deceived thor that he was a good guy and that he was always trying to help him out

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Maui deceives Moana by letting her believe that he wanted to help her.

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He deceives Zeus into sacrifices and steal fire for humanity.

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He deceives people to get gain wealth and power.

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Tricksters deceive there way out of situations they don't want to be a part of and as well from problems.

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The figure of the trickster is an archetype found in cultures the world over. From devious Loki to the dancing Kokopelli, most societies have had, at some point, a deity associated with mischief, deceit, betrayal and treachery. However, often these trickster gods have a purpose behind their trouble-making plans!

Elegua (Yoruba)

One of the Orishas, Elegua (sometimes spelled Eleggua) is a trickster who is known for opening the crossroads for practitioners of Santeria. He is often associated with doorways, because he will prevent trouble and danger from entering the home of those who have made him offerings - and according to the stories, Elegua seems to really like coconut, cigars and candy.

Interestingly, while Elegua is often portrayed as an old man, another incarnation is that of a young child, because he is associated with both the end and the beginning of life. He is typically dressed in red and black, and often appears in his role as warrior and protector. For many Santeros, it is important to give Elgua his due, because he plays a role in every aspect of our lives. While he offers us opportunity, he is just as likely to throw an obstacle in our way.

A goddess of chaos, Eris is often present in times of discord and strife. She loves to start trouble, just for her own sense of amusement, and perhaps one of the best known examples of this was a little dustup called the Trojan War.

It all started with the wedding of Thetis and Pelias, who would eventually have a son named Achilles. All of the gods of Olympus were invited, including Hera, Aphrodite and Athena - but Eris' name got left off the guest list, because everyone knew how much she enjoyed causing a ruckus. Eris, the original wedding crasher, showed up anyway, and decided to have a little fun. She tossed a golden apple - the Apple of Discord - into the crowd, and said it was for the most beautiful of the goddesses. Naturally, Athena, Aphrodite and Hera had to bicker over who was the rightful owner of the apple.

Zeus, trying to be helpful, chose a young man named Paris, a prince of the city of Troy, to select a winner. Aphrodite offered Paris a bribe he couldn't resist - Helen, the lovely young wife of King Menelaus of Sparta. Paris selected Aphrodite to receive the apple, and thus guaranteed that his hometown would be demolished by the end of the war.

In Norse mythology, Loki is known as a trickster. He is described in the Prose Edda as a "contriver of fraud." Although he doesn't appear often in the Eddas, he is generally described as a member of the family of Odin. His job was mostly to make trouble for other gods, men, and the rest of the world. Loki was constantly meddling in the affairs of others, mostly for his own amusement.

Loki is known for bringing about chaos and discord, but by challenging the gods, he also brings about change. Without Loki's influence, the gods may become complacent, so Loki does actually serve a worthwhile purpose, much as Coyote does in the Native American tales, or Anansi the spider in African lore.

Loki has become a bit of a pop culture icon lately, thanks to the series of Avengers movies, in which he is played by British actor Tom Hiddleston.

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9 Trickster Gods and Goddesses You Should Know

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The figure of the trickster is an archetype found in cultures the world over. From devious Loki to the dancing Kokopelli, most societies have had, at some point, a deity associated with mischief, deceit, betrayal and treachery. However, often these trickster gods have a purpose behind their trouble-making plans!