Loki Escapes as a Salmon

Why was Loki caught after burning his net?

In Gylfaginning, Loki builds a house in the mountains and hides there. He gives it 4 doorways so that he can keep watch in every direction. During the day, he often takes the shape of a salmon and hides in a waterfall.

Loki thinks about how the gods might catch him. At home, he knots flax thread into a net. When the gods approach, he throws the net into the fire and leaps into the river. From the ashes of the burned net, Kvasir realizes that it was a device for catching fish. The gods copy its shape and make a net of their own.

As the gods drag the net through the river, Loki escapes by lying between rocks. Next, they add weights to the net. Unable to slip underneath, Loki leaps over it and returns to the waterfall. The gods drag the net again. This time, Thor walks in the middle of the river.

Loki leaps over the net once more, and Thor reaches out. The salmon's body slips through his hand, but his grip holds at the tail. At last, Loki is caught. This, the story tells us, is why salmon are narrow near their tails.

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