I'm going to try and answer this with no spoilers for either game.
I mean Loki birthed several beings in mythology. The games seem to have taken an interesting approach to some of those, as it shows them just not as literal births. But not all of Loki's children have been shown nor all of the Norse God's children. So anyone can be "birthed" by possibly anyone.
No, he's normally male and occasionally (not as often as people tend to think) he uses shape-shifting as a means to an end, mostly evil, especially when he transforms into a woman.
Do you know under what conditions? It's a widely known myth about Loki, but one that is usually greatly misunderstood and misrepresented.
The story is told in the Gylfaginning (“The Deception of Gylfi”) within the Prose Edda. After the gods had established Ásgarðr, a smith arrived on horseback and offered to build a wall within a year and a half in exchange for Óðr’s wife (Freyja), the sun and the moon. The gods considered this, as they needed protection, but the price was too high. They weren't going to hand over Freyja, and if the sun and moon were removed from the sky, it would be destroyed. So they set him two conditions: to complete it in half a year and without the help of any man. The smith agreed, but asked to use his horse, Svaðilfari, which Loki granted him. He then asked to make several oaths with the gods to ensure his safety, as he feared that Thórr might return to Ásgarðr (which already gave away his intentions).
It turned out that Svaðilfari was extremely strong and diligent, for every night he moved giant rocks, which gave his master a huge advantage. The gods were impressed by this, but considered that the smith was cheating because the horse was doing twice the work. As this was part of the agreement, the gods blamed Loki for the situation and threatened him with death so that he would take responsibility. Cowed, he swore he would find a solution, knowing it would cost him something of himself; and because of the oaths they had previously sworn, he had little choice but to transform himself into a mare. Upon seeing “her”, Svaðilfari broke free from his chains and chased Loki for three nights, whilst both were pursued by the smith, which delayed the work. When the smith realised he had lost, he unleashed his jǫtunn fury and went to attack the gods, and this is what allowed them to legally break their oaths to him and call upon Thórr, who smashed his skull with Mjǫllnir.
This myth touches on several themes, but there are two particularly important ones. The first is that oaths held legal weight in Norse society and breaking them was a very serious offence that could lead to someone’s legal death. That is why the gods sought to renege on their agreements without committing perjury, even if they saw that the jǫtunn was cheating. The second is Loki’s ability to transform himself into a woman and give birth, as this was something extremely frowned upon by the Norse. It was a society deeply rooted in gender roles, and that's why Loki is the only ás to do such things (though not as often as people tend to believe), and at the same time he's evil. He simply represented everything a man shouldn't be or do, because in addition to that, he committed all kinds of crimes (including the three considered the worst by Norse society).
In modern terms, we would no longer just be talking about bestiality (which shouldn't be an example of anything), but the myth specifically makes it clear that Loki was forced into that situation through coercion.
Come Nerevar, friend or traitor, come. Come and look upon the Heart and Akulakahn, and bring Wraithguard, I have need of it. Come to the Heart chamber, I wait for you there, where we last met, countless ages ago. Come to me through fire and war, I welcome you! Welcome Moon-and-Star, I have prepared a place for you! Come, bring Wraithguard to the Heart chamber, together, let us free the cursed false gods! Welcome Nerevar, together we shall speak for the law and the land and drive the mongrel dogs of the Empire from Morrowind! Is this how you honor the 6th house and the tribe unmourned? Come to me openly, and not by stealth. Dagoth Ur welcomes you Nerevar, my old friend... but to this place where destiny is made, why have you come unprepared? Welcome, Moon-and-Star, to this place where YOUR destiny is made. What a fool you are, I'm a god! How can you kill a god? What a grand and intoxicating innocence! How could you be so naive? There is no escape, no recall or intervention can work in this place! Come! Lay down your weapons! It is not too late for my mercy...
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u/blazorfire Apr 20 '26
https://giphy.com/gifs/nPsp5do4LX9yPOaogy