Yeeeeeah... See, I try to keep the original context and understanding of the myths in the back of my mind, and balance it out with some understanding of how the gods were perceived by their worshipers, but at the end of the day...I'm still left thinking they're mostly douches. :( Except for Loki (ironically), whose jerkishness I find for the most part more understandable. (And also I think he's actually a lot less of a jerk than pop culture makes him out to be, but then I also have a marked tendency to sympathize with Jotun interests, so.)

Odin and Loki's bloodbrotherhood is creepy in it's own way, although possibly less so than movie!Odin's plan of stealing a kid and teaching him to hate himself. But yeah, their relationship just...never seemed balanced to me. They're supposed to be brothers, but with the exception of the story about Otter's ransom (and possibly the creation story, if you think Loki and Lodur are one and the same), Loki tends to act more as Odin's servant/messenger/whipping boy than his brother. It's easy to see what Odin gets out of the relationship, and hard to see what Loki gets (unless you're of the opinion that "getting" to be numbered among the Aesir is a big enough thing on it's own, but I find that problematic itself, so!).

Um, wow, sorry for totally derailing your comments with discussion of Norse myth! It is a problem I have sometimes. :(