trickster figure

A trickster figure is a character type appearing across world mythologies and folklore—a cunning, mischievous being who defies rules, disrupts order, and often brings about change through deception or chaos.

Coyote in Native American traditions, Loki in Norse mythology, and Anansi in West African stories are classic examples.

The trickster may be foolish or wise, destructive or creative, often blurring boundaries between good and evil.

In literary analysis, the term describes any character embodying these qualities: The novel's protagonist serves as a trickster figure, upending social conventions wherever he goes.