Magnificent Bastard/Oral Tradition


 * From Norse mythology; Loki. Not even counting his cosmic Face Heel Turn after the death of Baldur, in itself a grandiose act of Bastardry, his consistent use of clever, cunning plots and charismatic trickery combined with Thor's brute strength in the stories of their journeys together make him one of the most entertaining characters of Scandanavian myth, even when he's being a total prick. One example has him turn into a female horse to distract an ice giants horse. He ends up giving birth to one of the great horses
 * Loki is a trickster and a manipulative bastard, but he's not as smooth and forethinking as the usual magnificent bastard, and he often got caught or even tricked by giants and the like, unlike a typical magnificent bastard.
 * Also, Odin, in his Trickster guise as the one-eyed Wanderer, performs some glorious Bastardry, but outside of that his defining Bastard act is encouraging humanity to continue slaughtering itself in pointless wars so that his Valkyries can gather the souls of enough valiant warriors to bolster Odin's armies in Ragnarok.
 * From Egyptian mythology: In one story, the goddess Isis desires the true name of Ra to gain power over him and enhance her authority. Knowing only Ra's own essence can harm him, she slowly collects his sweat and mixes it with a snake she creates, arranging for it to bite Ra and nearly kill him. Isis then comes to heal Ra, tricking him into giving his true name so she may heal him entirely, allowing her to hold ultimate authority over the other gods.
 * From Akan-Ashanti folklore: Anansi the spider, desiring all stories, is given a price by the sky god. Using his wits and advice from his wife Aso, Anansi captures the great python Onini by tricking him into measuring himself on a branch before tying him there. He then tricks the Mmoboro hornets into a gourd by making them think it's raining, traps the leopard Osebo in a cleverly dug pit and finally traps the spirit Mmoatia with the use of a sticky, 'disrespectful' doll and yams, offering them all up to the Sky God Nyame to claim the stories for himself.
 * From Christian theology: Satan, the Devil, in just about every portrayal since Milton (and Marlowe, and Goethe...) has shifted from the nasty but easily-duped Trickster of early medieval times to a charming, smooth-talking soul dealer and patron saint of Magnificent Bastards. The appeal of this version has led to it becoming increasingly popular to portray the Devil as tragic, misunderstood, sympathetic or even an out-and-out AntiHero. Despite this, he's rarely given Woobie traits and usually remains unrepentant literally until Doomsday, dodging Badass Decay and making him truly Magnificent. Some fans of this interpretation take it so far as believing it's God who's the real bastard, and sometimes a Magnificent one in His own right.
 * Satan is arguably an intentional example. When religion became Serious Buisness again, the Church wanted to show just how seductive sin is. The Devil was meant to be the embodiment of sin. Cue Satan fitting this image. In short, there's a reason why he's THE villain.
 * Joab. An amoral, murderous SOB with a dash of General Ripper, who still managed to remain Token Evil Teammate of David.
 * Nearly any Trickster God worth his salt will be one of these. It's basically their role to be magnificent bastards, taking down gods and monsters in such ingenious ways that you can't help but admire in their sheer audacity.
 * Odysseus might be too much of Guile Hero for this. His possible father, Sisyphus, who twice talked his way back from the dead is not.