Every culture apparently needed one of these. A being clever enough to outsmart gods, dumb enough to get caught doing it, and just charming enough to talk their way out of the consequences. We call them tricksters now, but really they were just the original people who couldn’t leave a good opportunity alone.
Loki got chaos and a flair for drama. Anansi got a mouth that could talk a spider out of a web. Coyote got enthusiasm and famously bad judgment. Hermes got speed and an address book full of favors. Kitsune got patience most of us gave up on around age 30. Br’er Rabbit got underestimated, which, it turns out, is its own kind of superpower.
You’ve probably got a little of all of them in you, but one of them is doing most of the driving. Maybe it’s the one who talks first and thinks later. Maybe it’s the one quietly playing a longer game than anyone around you realizes.
