tricksters
Masters of deception
Tricksters are figures who use cunning, deception, or mischief to achieve their aims.
The term appears in folklore and mythology—Coyote, Loki, Anansi—where tricksters disrupt order, expose hypocrisy, or teach through chaos.
More broadly, a trickster is anyone who deceives or plays tricks: He was a charming trickster who could talk his way out of anything.
Norse god of deception
- AnansiWest African spider deity
- CoyoteNamed trickster deity
- RavenDark-feathered namesake
- HermesOlympian messenger deity
Maui · Reynard · Puck · Eris · Br'er Rabbit · Prometheus · Legba · shapeshifter
Cunning wild canine
- jackalWild African dog
- spiderWeb-spinning arachnid
- hareLarge wild lagomorph
- tortoiseLand-dwelling shelled reptile
crow · monkey · fables · wily · outwit · peasant · underdog · clever
Person who deceives for money
- fraudsterCriminal deceiver for gain
- grifterPetty fraud perpetrator
- scammerOne who defrauds others
- confidence manFraud who gains trust
cheat · deceiver · impostor · forger · pickpocket · flimflam · racketeer · snake oil
Performer of illusions
- illusionistPerformer of visual deception
- conjurerPerformer of magic tricks
- sleight-of-handSkillful manual deception
- misdirectionIntentional focus manipulation
Houdini · card sharp · con artist · hustler · charlatan · showman · prestidigitation · escape artist
Light blocked by object
- JungAnalytical psychology founder
- unconsciousNot awake or aware
- disruptionForceful interruption of process
- catalystAgent enabling change
transformation · boundary · liminal · threshold · antiestablishment · subversion · paradox · sacred
Loki
Norse god of deception
Hermes · Maui · Reynard · Puck · Eris · Br'er Rabbit · Prometheus · Legba · shapeshifter · chaos
fox
Cunning wild canine
tortoise · crow · monkey · fables · wily · outwit · peasant · underdog · clever · tales
swindler
Person who deceives for money
confidence man · cheat · deceiver · impostor · forger · pickpocket · flimflam · racketeer · snake oil · Ponzi
magician
Performer of illusions
- illusionistPerformer of visual deception
- conjurerPerformer of magic tricks
- sleight-of-handSkillful manual deception
misdirection · Houdini · card sharp · con artist · hustler · charlatan · showman · prestidigitation · escape artist · mentalist
shadow
Light blocked by object
- JungAnalytical psychology founder
- unconsciousNot awake or aware
- disruptionForceful interruption of process
catalyst · transformation · boundary · liminal · threshold · antiestablishment · subversion · paradox · sacred · profane
- American folklorePaul Bunyan, tall tales, folk heroes, John Henry, folk narratives
- folklorefairy tales, fairytales, folktales, folk tales, folk tale
- mythologyZeus, Apollo, Athena, Poseidon, Odin
- character typesprotagonist, hero, antagonist, villain, heroes
- roguesrogue, rogues, scoundrel, scoundrels, rascal
- legendsKing Arthur, Robin Hood, Hercules, Merlin, Excalibur
tricksterstruth-tellers
Those who state facts
straight shooters · honest brokers · saints · straight arrows · square shooters
trickstersinnocents
Blameless individuals
naifs · simpletons · easy targets · babes in the woods · greenhorns
- confidence tricksterOne who defrauds through charm
- trickster taleStory where cleverness wins
- trickster storiesNarratives starring clever deceivers
- dirty trickster
- trickster figureMyth's chaos-bringing protagonist