The Witch's Heart

“It doesn’t really matter where we came from, does it? We’re here now. We’re ourselves. What more can we be?”

Speaking to Angrboda, who is troubled by her lack of memory, Loki dismisses the importance of the past. This statement reveals a core aspect of his character: a reliance on present-moment maneuvering and a deliberate avoidance of origins, and his mindset contrasts sharply with Angrboda’s own burgeoning, instinctual need to reconnect with her own history. Loki’s rhetorical question underscores the philosophical split between them, highlighting the fact that his fluid, self-serving identity does not align with the deeper, more essential version of herself that Angrboda has yet to uncover.

“I would rather be considered disgusting and shameful among the rest than be alone like you.”

After giving birth to Sleipnir and facing the gods’ scorn, Loki utters this cruel comment and reveals his deepest fear to Angrboda. This line of dialogue exposes the central conflict in his character, making it clear that his desperate need for societal inclusion, even if it is toxic, outweighs his desire for genuine connection in solitude. The author uses this moment of vulnerability to foreshadow Loki’s ultimate inability to fully abandon Asgard, and the scene establishes the psychological motivation for his future betrayals, complicating the love he professes for Angrboda.

“‘This Loki is going on my list of men whose throats I’ll slit if I ever come across them,’ said Skadi. She turned to Angrboda and added, ‘Along with your useless husband.’”

Following the news of her father’s death, Skadi makes this vow to Angrboda, unaware that her friend’s husband and Loki are the same person. The author employs dramatic irony to create significant tension, placing Angrboda at the center of an irreconcilable conflict between her closest friend and her lover. This moment illustrates The Complexities of Love and Betrayal, as Skadi’s righteous anger forces Angrboda into a position of secrecy that compromises both relationships.

“She would do anything for him, she realized then, with a sudden fierceness that made her heart race. Anything for him—anything for the child inside her, pressed between them and evidently incensed by her mother’s quickened pulse. Anything for them. Anything. And for some reason, this scared her, as if the thought itself were a promise she knew that she couldn’t hope to keep.”

This passage of internal monologue marks a pivotal shift in Angrboda’s character, solidifying her maternal identity as a primary force. The repetition of the word “anything” emphasizes the unconditional nature of her devotion, while the physical sensation of her racing pulse links this emotional realization directly to the novel’s symbolic treatment of her heart. The final sentence uses foreshadowing to frame her fierce love as a tragic, impossible burden, hinting at the sacrifices to come.

“Is it not backward that a mother who is reborn time and time again should bear a daughter who is half-dead? Did I keep all the life for myself, instead of passing it on as I should have? Or did I not have enough to give?”

After giving birth to Hel, who has lifeless legs, Angrboda’s internal monologue takes the form of rhetorical questions that reveal her immediate assumption of guilt. This passage connects her past trauma—being “reborn time and time again”—to her present identity as a mother, framing her daughter’s condition as a potential consequence of her own unnatural survival. The self-blame illustrates a central aspect of The Fiercely Protective Nature of Motherhood, showing that her love is intertwined with a defining sense of responsibility and fear for her child’s well-being.

“We’re odd. She’s odd. She fits right in, does she not?”

Upon seeing his daughter’s half-dead legs, Loki offers this observation, which serves as a moment of calm acceptance that contrasts with Angrboda’s fear. His simple, declarative statement suggests that Hel’s condition is merely a feature of his and Angrboda’s shared identity as lovers and parents. Just as he has the ability to transform himself into different shapes, he accepts his daughter’s unusual form. This moment defines Loki’s initial role as a comforter who subverts conventional notions of normalcy and belonging, temporarily easing Angrboda’s anxieties about her daughter.

“Is he truly your husband, or are you just his plaything?”

During an argument, Skadi confronts Angrboda with this pointed question about Loki’s frequent absences. The word “plaything” crystallizes the external perception of their relationship, forcing Angrboda to confront how her dynamic with Loki appears to others. This line of dialogue is a critical examination of The Complexities of Love and Betrayal, highlighting the tension between Angrboda’s private understanding of her marriage and the objective evidence of Loki’s unreliability.

“‘I’ve seen how the end begins.’ Her voice was a hoarse whisper as the words tumbled out. ‘I saw everything in the Nine Worlds. […] I saw a wolf so big that his jaws could swallow armies whole, and a great serpent rearing out of the water, and I saw the sun and moon go dark […] and I saw a ship crewed by dead souls.’”

This passage describes Angrboda’s prophetic vision of Ragnarok, which Odin forces her to uncover. The prose employs polysyndeton, listing a series of catastrophic images linked by the conjunction “and,” which creates an emphatic, relentless pace that mirrors her psychological state. The specific images of the wolf and serpent function as explicit foreshadowing, directly implicating her future children in the world’s end and establishing the central conflict driven by the motif of seid and prophecy.

“‘First a half-dead baby girl, then a wolf, now a snake,’ Loki said. ‘It seems as though our children are getting progressively less normal. The next one will just be a quivering blob with eyes at this rate.’”

Following the birth of their serpent-shaped son Jormungand, Loki’s remark uses dark humor to summarize the increasingly inhuman nature of their children. His flippant tone and hyperbolic conclusion—in which he imagines a hypothetical fourth child as a “quivering blob”—highlight his trickster attributes while solidifying the family’s identity as “other.”

“They will know you only as my wife and the mother of monsters, because you choose to be nothing more.”

In this rash, accusatory statement, Loki projects his own fear of obscurity onto Angrboda, reducing her identity to a reflection of himself and their children. The epithet “mother of monsters” is a cruel, dismissive label that denies her agency and foreshadows the Aesir’s violent judgment. This line of dialogue crystallizes also the central theme of Reclaiming Identity in the Face of Imposed Roles, for Loki’s unthinking judgment forces Angrboda to confront the world’s perceptions of her and her children.

“It was at that point Angrboda realized, with complete and utter dismay, that her children had taken their father’s words to heart. And she felt as though the age-old wound of her heart had broken open, engulfing her in darkness.”

This moment of internal realization connects her children’s psychological suffering directly to the central symbol of Angrboda’s heart. The author employs a metaphor in which emotional trauma manifests as a physical sensation, equating her children’s emotional pain with the reopening of the physical wound from her own violent past. This moment illustrates that her maternal role compels her to experience threats against her children as a physical form of harm.

“‘I’m sorry, Boda,’ he whispered, brushing her nose with his as he always did…‘I’m so, so sorry,’ he said again. And that was when she heard Hel scream.”

This quote captures the climax of Loki’s betrayal, for he pairs a familiar, tender gesture with the devastating confession of his self-serving actions. The author builds suspense by withholding the reason for his apology until the final, impactful sentence, which reveals that the Aesir’s attack on the children is already underway, facilitated by none other than Loki himself. The scene exemplifies The Complexities of Love and Betrayal, for Loki essentially sues affection as a tool of misdirection.

“A fellow witch had cursed these bonds of hers—she could feel the magic, so familiar to her somehow, almost like she knew the person who had wrought the spells. […] To negate her magic. And there was naught she could do to fight it.”

Following her capture by the gods, Angrboda’s internal monologue reveals that her powerlessness is not from a lack of skill, but from a specifically crafted counter-spell. The assertion that the magic feels “familiar” reveals a personal betrayal by a “fellow witch,” (Freyja), who turns the shared craft of seid into an intimate weapon. The author uses this moment to demonstrate that the deepest betrayals come from those who understand one’s specific strengths and vulnerabilities.

“‘Rise, Seeress,’ she was commanded, ‘and tell me what you know.’ […] His words pushed her over the edge and dragged her down, screaming, into the void.”

In the space between life and death, Odin addresses Angrboda by the title “Seeress,” reducing her identity to her prophetic function. The author uses the violent metaphor of being dragged “screaming, into the void” to represent the psychic trauma that Angrboda feels upon having her knowledge forcibly extracted. This passage portrays the seid as a resource that makes Angrboda vulnerable to exploitation.

“You were a sacrifice, too. What did you learn while you were tied to your tree, Mother Witch? What did you bring back with you that you didn’t have before?”

Following her near-death experience, a mysterious inner voice reframes Angrboda’s trauma by drawing a parallel between her ordeal and Odin’s decision to gain prophetic knowledge by sacrificing himself on the world-tree, Yggdrasil. The rhetorical questions posed by the voice, which names her “Mother Witch” for the first time, grant the bereft Angrboda a measure of empowerment as she searches for ways to reconstitute her identity.

“The first is that presence of yours—the one who brought you back when you sank too far down—is you. You, as you were. As you were meant to be. As Mother Witch. It seems to me that she’s the part of you that you brought back into the light.”

The ancient she-wolf provides a pivotal revelation, explicitly identifying the guiding voice in Angrboda’s mind as a lost part of her own self. The phrase “You, as you were. As you were meant to be” emphasizes the authenticity and power of her reclaimed identity, contrasting it with the names and roles that were imposed on her by others. This dialogue highlights Angrboda’s internal journey, confirming that her true quest is to integrate the fragmented pieces of her own being.

“For one joyous moment, her spell held up. She felt the heat, but it was distant; the flames licked her hand but didn’t burn. Her eyes snapped open and—for the first time in possibly her entire existence—she grinned with triumph. ‘And to think,’ came Loki’s words suddenly to her mind, ‘you were once a powerful witch who did interesting things.’”

This passage captures a moment of burgeoning agency as Angrboda begins to master the element of fire, which had previously been an instrument of her torture. The sensory details contrast the dangerous heat with her successful protection, culminating in a rare expression of pure triumph. However, the sudden intrusion of Loki’s memory immediately breaks her concentration, demonstrating that psychological trauma and the lingering wounds of betrayal can actively impede the path to recovering personal power.

“‘Such things we women are made to endure,’ Freyja said quietly, and with such feeling that Angrboda almost felt a twinge of feminine kinship with her.”

During their tense reunion, Freyja’s unexpected expression of empathy creates a brief but significant moment of connection between the two rival witches. This line of dialogue momentarily transcends their animosity, suggesting a shared experience of suffering within a patriarchal system where women are repeatedly used and abused. The phrase “feminine kinship” highlights their unlikely point of solidarity, complicating Freyja’s character and adding nuance to the novel’s exploration of power dynamics.

“‘You should have come for me, Mother,’ said Hel loudly, and she stood and glared down at Angrboda from the dais.”

In this confrontation, Hel’s accusation serves subverts the tearful reunion that Angrboda expects to have, replacing it with a raw expression of childhood abandonment. Hel’s use of the formal address “Mother” instead of the warmer, more familiar “Mama” signifies the emotional chasm that has grown between them over the long years of separation and suffering. The quote illustrates The Fiercely Protective Nature of Motherhood from the child’s perspective, revealing the disparity between a parent’s sacrifice and a child’s perception of it.

“‘And if you ever held any love for me,’ she said coldly, ‘you would understand why I cannot and will not help you. And you would leave.’”

In this confrontation, Angrboda adopts Loki’s own manipulative words, which he used the night their children were taken, and turns them against him. In this moment, she now possesses the emotional clarity and strength to reject his plea for sanctuary, decisively cutting ties with him. This crucial turning point in their relationship compels her to prioritize her children’s memory and her own safety over a complex love that was always defined by betrayal.

“‘I told him, “This is for Angrboda, and for your children,”’ Skadi continued. ‘Then he spoke, for the first time since he was caught. He whispered to me, so no one else could hear, that it can’t be for you because you would never add to his suffering this way. And I told him, “That’s why I must.”’”

Skadi admits to Angrboda that she was the one who placed the venomous snake above the bound Loki, indulging in an act of vengeance on Angrboda’s behalf. Skadi’s reasoning highlights a central contrast in the theme of The Complexities of Love and Betrayal, for unlike Loki’s often self-serving actions, Skadi’s love is fiercely protective, and she is even willing to enact a cruelty that Angrboda would not ever conceive of inflicting. The dialogue reveals that Skadi’s devotion is based on a deep understanding of Angrboda’s pain and an equally deep desire to shield her from the cruelties of the world.

“Tell Hel to come to me. Tell her I can save her. Make her believe you. Her life depends on it. Swear to me you’ll find your way to her and you’ll tell her.”

Having just freed Loki and triggered the start of Ragnarok, Angrboda gives him a final, desperate command. The use of short, imperative sentences creates a tone of extreme urgency, underscoring her singular focus on her daughter’s survival. This quote exemplifies The Fiercely Protective Nature of Motherhood, as Angrboda subverts the prophecy of Ragnarok by using one of its key players, Loki, to serve her own maternal purpose.

“My heart is so much more than it once was, even if it now beats outside my chest. And I will burn not for the gods’ will, but for my own.”

Preparing to sacrifice herself in Surt’s world-ending fire, Angrboda reflects on her journey. The statement connects the novel’s two primary symbols, her heart and fire, recasting them as symbols of her agency rather than past trauma. This internal monologue marks the completion of her development in the process of Reclaiming Identity in the Face of Imposed Roles, for the experience of being burned—once a punishment from the gods—now becomes a conscious act of maternal sacrifice.