Before reading this article, I strongly recommend starting with the one about Odin, the god of gods. Well yes, you don’t read an article about a guy’s mount without knowing the guy in question!
SLEIPNIR, AN EIGHT-LEGGED HORSE
Odin is a warrior god, so when he goes to war, it is on the back of his eight-legged horse, Sleipnir (The origin of the name "Sleipnir" comes from Old Norse meaning "the one who glides," due to his power allowing him to travel between the 9 worlds carried by Yggdrasil).
Sleipnir is a son of Loki, the trickster god who lived among the Asgardian gods. But, surprisingly, Loki is not the father, but actually the mother of Sleipnir. Don’t worry, I will explain why!
The birth of Sleipnir
Traveling north, to the land of the Vikings, Iceland, we encounter this winged horse who does not simply belong to a hero, but to the main deity of the Icelandic pantheon, the father of gods and humans, Odin.
The myth says that the Scandinavian gods reside in the sky, in a castle called "Asgard". To build the castle, the gods sought a skilled craftsman, whom they found in the form of a giant. The gods promised the giant that if he finished the work in three winters, they would give him the Sun, the Moon, and the goddess of love Freya.
But the gods, seeing that the giant used the magical horse Svadilfari to transport huge amounts of rocks at incredible speed, changed their minds so that the giant could not meet the terms of the agreement and therefore did not have to fulfill their promise. They then devised a trick. The god Loki transformed into a beautiful mare, lured the giant’s magical horse into a forest, and led it away. From the meeting of the two horses was born Sleipnir, an eight-legged winged horse. Sleipnir was the famous horse of the god Odin, the father of fathers, with whom he descended from the sky to the earth and led fallen heroes to Asgard. It seems that for the Nordic peoples, this winged horse embodied the hope that heroes fallen in battle would ultimately be led to the residence of the gods.
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Just like the Valkyries who also come on their winged horses.
I’ll let you pause your reading for a moment to watch this video.
The appearance of Sleipnir
Sleipnir is the embodiment of a great powerful and muscular horse. His coat is gray, while his tail and mane are a deep dark gray. According to a myth, his teeth were engraved with runes as requested by the Valkyries.
Sleipnir has each leg doubled, making 8 legs in total. Sometimes, he is shown with a division of hips and shoulders, like two distinct and joined legs, while often the focus is on the knee where the leg is divided. He has been used many times in video games such as Final Fantasy, Ragnarok, and others.
It seems that Sleipnir also had his own offspring, as according to a riddle described in a 13th-century text, Sleipnir is an ancestor of Grani, a horse belonging to the hero Sigurd, and probably given to him by Odin himself.
The strength and speed of Sleipnir are highlighted in many stories of Norse mythology. In the story of the death of Balder, a son of Odin, Hermodr rides Sleipnir to Helheim to negotiate with the goddess Hel for his return. Only Sleipnir has the strength to jump over the gates blocking the entrance to the realm of the dead.
In another story, Odin rides Sleipnir to Jotunheim, the realm of the giants, where he meets the giant Hrungnir, who compliments Odin on the quality of his horse.
This prompts Odin to boast, challenging the giant to find a horse in Jotunheim equal to Sleipnir. Hrungnir’s own horse, Gullfaxi, is furious and Hrungnir mounts his horse to attack Odin.
Find these illustrations of Sleipnir on Pinterest.
SLEIPNIR'S ABILITIES
Magical powers
Sleipnir is "the best of horses". He gallops faster, jumps higher, kicks more powerfully, and neighs louder than any other horse, whether grazing on the grass of Midgard or feasting in the rich stables of Asgard. His strength is unmatched, and his heart knows no fear.
In addition to running on the ground, Odin’s powerful steed can also fly through the air and swim in water. None of the elements slow him down. He is even capable of safely carrying Odin in and out of Hel, the realm of the dead.
How did Sleipnir become Odin’s horse?
After several months, Sleipnir had become a very large and powerful horse, perhaps the most powerful, enduring, and fast of the nine worlds.
Gullfaxi, the horse Thor took from the giant Hrungnir as a conquest tribute before giving it to his son Magni, was also an extremely fast and enduring horse, but he did not dethrone Sleipnir.
One day, Loki came to Asgard to offer Sleipnir to Odin, the chief god of the Aesir. This extraordinary horse would allow him to travel through the 9 realms with unmatched speed. The eight-legged horse is at least as fearless as his master and accompanies Odin the grandfather in all his battles.
While Loki’s other children were bound and banished to prevent them from wreaking havoc in the nine worlds of the Norse cosmos, Sleipnir, on the other hand, became not only Odin’s steed, the king of the Aesir gods, but also one of his most recognizable and reliable companions.
Sleipnir was probably born before Loki’s other children, although this is not explicitly mentioned anywhere. Sleipnir dates back to the early days of Asgard. Otherwise, it would seem strange that Loki would give his child to Odin as a gift, given the treatment the Aesir gods reserved for his other children.
In one story, Odin is described as riding Sleipnir to the land of the giants, while in another story, Odin lets his son Hermodr ride Sleipnir to Helheim, the realm of the dead. It is also believed that Sleipnir left his mark on the world of men, with Icelandic folklore attributing to him the creation of Asbyrgi, a horseshoe-shaped glacial canyon located in northern Iceland.
And if we listened to some music about Sleipnir?
To conclude...
Thank you for reading, it is a pleasure to write for Odin's Hall, the reference brand in accessories inspired by Norse mythology.
You can visit our collections to find a piece of jewelry representing the horse of the king of Asgard.
You can continue your reading with other Viking stories, discover the Norse gods for example.
SKOOOLL! Glory to Odin!
