Bears full of tricks Lokis or the mystery of origins

Lokis sources its depiction of the bear-man from a much broader medieval folkloric background than its Lithuania setting would suggest, a true trompe-l’oeil. When reread in light of the story’s complex narrative architecture, its intertextual ties with Froissart reveal the story’s montage-like quality; under the guise of a farcical tale intended for the ladies of Compiègne, it brings together several of the author’s recurring concerns through Mérimée’s investigation of the mystery of beginnings.