Though he’s often introduced as a trickster figure, the reality of Loki’s role in the Norse pantheon is less obvious and more complicated than just being the trouble causing Bugs Bunny of Scandinavia. Of course, he is indeed a mythological figure who seems to delight in playing tricks both large and small, as Smithsonian Magazine reports. And that’s very clearly a mythical role that’s proven important in a great variety of cultures and belief systems across the globe, from Native American trickster figures to the storm god Susanoo in Japanese Shinto belief.

But, while there are plenty of popular retellings of Norse myths that basically paint Loki as a cartoon devil dancing around and gleefully waving a pitchfork, that’s not all there is to his character. In fact, the Aesir (the gods who inhabit Asgard, though it’s worth noting that they aren’t the only gods around in the pantheon) actually owe Loki a debt.

The Aesir may not want to admit it, but Loki saved their butts on multiple occasions. “Norse Mythology: A Guide to Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs” notes that he saved the Aesir from themselves, helping distract a contentious wall-builder and dressing up as a handmaiden to help Thor regain his magical hammer, Mjölnir. And, sure, some problems were Loki’s doing (like when he oddly decided to cut off one goddess’ hair), but he has at least demonstrated a willingness to often fix his own misdeeds.

Undeniably, Hel are her underworld realm are plenty spooky. But like so many fearsome beings in world myth, she serves a purpose, both within the Norse cosmos and as a mythical character. So, too, do her equally intimidating brothers, Fenrir and Jörmungandr.

The siblings have a significant role in bringing about Ragnarök, or the end of the world as the gods know it. According to one version of the “binding of Fenrir,” the gods, frightened by a prophecy that says Loki’s children will be bad news later on, challenge the increasingly large wolf to a game of strength (via the World History Encyclopedia). It’s a trick, of course, and Fenrir is chained to a large rock. He will break loose at Ragnarök, however, and will gobble up Odin before meeting his own end at the hands of Vidarr, Odin’s son.

Jörmungandr, also known as the Midgard Serpent, is another of Loki’s stupendously huge sons. Per the World History Encyclopedia, he’s also taken away by the gods and tossed into the ocean. There, Jörmungandr grows ever larger, until he can encircle the entire world. Eventually, at Ragnarök, and perhaps nursing a serious grudge, he’ll also make it to the battlefield, where he faces off against Thor. The god of thunder is victorious against the Midgard Serpent, but is so covered in the snake’s venom that he drops dead on the spot, too.

While Loki often comes off as an annoying but still occasionally fun trickster or even helper in Norse myth, there’s one tale in which he comes across as an outright villain. And, for one unfortunate god, the tale turns out very poorly indeed.

The sad sack in question is Balder (also known as Baldr). According to ThoughtCo, he was the most beautiful of the gods and also the son of Frigg and Odin. He was also beloved by just about everything and everyone, meaning that Balder was probably invited to all the parties and warmly welcomed every single time. Frigg, however, wanted to make sure that Balder would be fine, so she went around and asked any harmful thing in the world, from stones to Thor’s various deadly weapons, if they would agree to leave Balder alone. They did, and Frigga returned home, relieved, and held a party in celebration.

The gods, apparently never having heard of the concept of hubris, fling deadly things at Balder and delight when nothing hurts him. But Loki can’t stand a good time. Doing some investigating, he discovers that Frigg hadn’t bothered to ask the seemingly harmless mistletoe to lay off Balder. So, Loki gathers a sprig of mistletoe and, in an especially evil twist, gets Balder’s blind brother, Hod, to throw the fatal chunk of wood. Balder dies right away and, despite attempts by the Aesir, can’t be retrieved from the underworld.

Though Loki had proven to be helpful, the time still came when he became a liability. After all, Loki had engineered the death of Balder, and he had produced those three ominous kids. His increasingly evil nature seems to be more the product of later works, and may even be an attempt to link him to the Christian devil, per the World History Encyclopedia. Regardless, the Aesir concluded that it was better to keep Loki contained.

According to “Norse Mythology: A Guide to Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs,” Sturluson’s version of the myth has it that the capture and binding of Loki happened some time relatively soon after the flyting incident. After the events outlined in the “Lokasenna,” Loki stays bound to the rock with venom dripping above until Ragnarök, presumably ruminating on all the wrongs done to him and nursing a serious grudge the whole time.

Though it may be easy to fall into the trap of thinking that the Norse were strictly heterosexual and highly patriarchal, don’t fall for it. In reality, the love lives and sexuality of Norse people were more diverse than you may initially think. And, if you were to take a closer look at some of the details of Loki’s story, you could find some hints to just that effect.

First, as “Norse Mythology: A Guide to Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs” points out, there’s the matter of Loki easily changing his shape to become a mare in the story of Svaðilfari. And, what’s more, he bears a foal from that encounter. In another story, Loki and Thor both dress in women’s clothing to trick an opponent. Loki wouldn’t be alone in this gender ambiguity either, as chief god Odin practices a type of magic known as seiðr or seid. According to Viking Archaeology, seiðr is traditionally associated with women and focuses on illusions and prophecy.

As for real-world Norse people, they clearly understood the concept of same-sex relationships, though Fordham University notes that their agricultural society apparently pushed many into opposite-sex reproductive partnerships out of necessity. That said, it’s worth remembering yet again that much of our information about Norse life comes filtered through medieval Christianity, which was not shy about its homophobia. It’s quite possible that earlier notions of sexuality were quite a bit more accepting.