The eight-legged stallion’s name evokes the meaning of “slippery” or “the sliding one”. Hel then promised to release Badr to the land of the living provided every item – both living and dead – mourned the passing of Baldr. He told Hel about how the death of Baldr had plunged the whole of Asgard into a state of grief. Once in Hel, Hermóðr pleaded with Hel to set his brother Baldr free. Hermóðr is said to have rode Sleipnir for nine nights before arriving at the gates of Hel. Known as the “Shining One”, Baldr had been killed through the machinations of the trickster god Loki. According to the story, which is contained in the Prose Edda book Gylfaginning, Hermóðr volunteers to make a journey to the Underworld to bargain with Hel, Queen of the Underworld, to secure the release of Baldr. Hermóðr, a brother of Baldr, is seen in Norse mythology as the messenger of the gods. In one of the myths, Hermóðr, one of Odin’s sons, rides Sleipnir to Hel. Odin is not the only who has ridden Sleipnir. From the 18th century Icelandic manuscript NKS 1867 4to. Sleipnir is one of Odin’s many spiritual companions With Hrungnir dead, Gullfaxi is presented Magni, one of Thor’s sons. The god Thor defeats Hrungnir by smashing the giant’s skull. To silence the giant, the gods ask Thor to intervene. The race was a close one, with Odin wining by a hairsbreadth.Īfter losing the race, Hrungnir is given the best of hospitality in Asgard however, the giant gets extremely drunk and begins to hurl abuses and threats at the Aesir gods. The two then mount their respective horses and begin to gallop as fast as possible to Asgard. Therefore, the two beings enter their horses into a race. At that point Hrungnir begs to differ, stating that his horse Gullfaxi (“golden mane”) has greater speed and power than Sleipnir. In the course of the conversation, the Allfather makes a boastful statement that Sleipnir is the greatest horse in all the Nine Realms. Jotunheim), Odin meets a giant called Hrungnir. In one of his journeys through the realm of the giants (i.e. What this means is that Loki Is Sleipnir’s “mother”. Loki ended up giving birth to Sleipnir, which he later presented to his brother/friend Odin. The product of that deceptive union was an eight-legged horse known as Sleipnir. With respect to the builder’s horse Svaðilfari, the story goes on to say that the horse mated with the transformed Loki. The builder is ultimately killed by Thor once the gods realize that the builder was a jötunn. Ultimately, the builder failed to complete the task on time, thereby losing out on the rewards from the gods. In that form, Loki was able to lure the builder’s horse away from the construction of the wall. Loki, being a gifted shape-shifter who could change his form at will, turned himself into a very attractive mare. Sensing that the builder was on the verge completing the task right on time, the gods called on the trickster god Loki to step in and stall the progress of the builder. The gods hoped that builder would fail at the task and therefore they would not have to give Freyja away nor the moon and the sun.īefore the builder set about performing his task, he besieged the gods to let him use his stallion named Svaðilfari. The gods also insist that the builder completes the wall in three seasons. The builder is required to build the wall around Asgard all by himself. They forbid the builder from soliciting the help of anyone or creature. However, before the two sides shake hands on it, the gods insert a clause into the contract. The builder also requests for the moon and the sun. In exchange for his services, the master-builder demands that the Norse fertility goddess Freyja be given to him as wife. It begins when the Aesir gods employ the services of a renowned builder to construct strong fortifications around Asgard. The story can be found in the book Gylfaginning of the Prose Edda by 13th century Icelandic poet and statesman Snorri Sturluson. The story of Sleipnir’s birth is up there as one of the most well-known myths in Norse mythology. Epithets – “Lord of all horse”, “best of all horses”, “the sliding one”.Half-siblings – Hel, Queen of the Dead, and Jörmungandr the World Serpent.In all the nine realms, no other horse comes close to the power and speed of Sleipnir, making the stallion the most popular horse in Norse mythology. He thus symbolizes not just loyalty, but also represents strength, royalty, speed, and exploration.
The eight-legged horse, who is one of Odin’s most trusted companions, accompanies Odin on so many adventures. Most known for being Odin’s powerful stallion, Sleipnir in Norse mythology is the offspring of the Norse trickster god Loki.
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