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Sleipnir is a horse of Norse mythology who was believed to belong to Odin, the god of war, poetry, knowledge, and wisdom. Slepnier, however, was no ordinary horse. Having 8 legs, his speed far exceeded that of any other horse. He was also said to be exceptionally smooth, which is where he got his name, the meaning of which is "smooth" or "gliding".
The story behind this unusual horse is quite unusual itself. It all started when Thor, the god of thunder and war, left Asgard to slay giants. While he was away, a frost giant named Hrimthurs came to Asgard disguised as a human stonemason and offered to rebuild the wall around Asgard which had recently fallen. All he asked for in return was the sun, the moon, and Freyja, the beautiful fertility goddess.
The Gods agreed to this arrangement, provided that Hrimthurs could finish in six months, something the Gods believed was impossible. The trickster god Loki, without consulting the other gods, gave Himthrus one tool to use-- a gray stallion named Svadilfari, which means either "slave" or "ill fated."
With the aid of Svadilfari, Himthrus worked very quickly, and it wasn't long before the Gods realized that he might actually finish in time. When they realized this, they became very afraid, and very furious with Loki. To fix the situation, just as Himthrus was about to replace the last brick of the wall, Loki turned into a beautiful white mare and beckoned Svadilfari to follow her. Himthrus was very angry about this and he began tearing down the wall, however, he was prevented by the return of Thor. When Thor saw Himthrus tearing down the wall, he pulled out his famous Hammer, Mjolnir, and hit the giant over the head.
Later, Loki, still in the shape of the mare, gave birth to an 8-legged foal, Sleipnir. He then offered Sleipnir as a gift to Odin. It is believed that Sleipnir was not only the fastest horse, but that he could be ridden over the sea and through the air by Odin.
Later, Odin's son Hemrod rode Sleipnir into the underworld on a mission to retrieve his dead brother Balder. Hemrod and Balder's other brother Hodur, who was blind, had been tricked by Loki into killing Balder. Hemrod rode for 9 days and 9 nights until he came to gates of the underworld, ruled by the goddess Hel (the root of the English word Hell). Sleipnir was able jump and clear the gates without a problem. Hemrod continued to ride through the underworld until he finally found Balder. However, Hel, said that she would realease Balder from the underworld on only one condition. Everyone and everything must weep for him. Loki, disguised as a giantess, refused to weep and Balder was condemned to the underworld forever.
Now that we know Sleipnir's story I would like to talk a little bit about him as a symbol. It is believed that Sleipnir's eight legs are symbolic of the four men who carry a coffin. I am afraid I have to disagree with this. While Sleipnir did carrry his rider into the underworld, he did not do so at the time of his death, and don't think that Sleipnir could in anyway be blamed for Balder's death.
Another suggestion about the reasoning behind the 8 legs is that on rare occasion a horse my be born with three toes, a genetic manifestation known as polydactyly. When this happens, two extra toes will appear on the legs of the horse. This usually does not negatively affect the horses motion. It is very rare, but has been seen both in modern and ancient times. Juilius Ceasar rode such a horse, and they became considered a token of good fortune. It is possible that this particular horse is at least partially responsible for inspiring the myth of Sleipnir.
I personally believe this is very likely. To encounter such a rare horse, would more than likely cause people to start telling stories, and we all know that the longer a story circulates, the more outlandish is becomes. The myth of slepnier is a very old myth that has had plenty of years to grow into what it is today.
The story behind this unusual horse is quite unusual itself. It all started when Thor, the god of thunder and war, left Asgard to slay giants. While he was away, a frost giant named Hrimthurs came to Asgard disguised as a human stonemason and offered to rebuild the wall around Asgard which had recently fallen. All he asked for in return was the sun, the moon, and Freyja, the beautiful fertility goddess.
The Gods agreed to this arrangement, provided that Hrimthurs could finish in six months, something the Gods believed was impossible. The trickster god Loki, without consulting the other gods, gave Himthrus one tool to use-- a gray stallion named Svadilfari, which means either "slave" or "ill fated."
With the aid of Svadilfari, Himthrus worked very quickly, and it wasn't long before the Gods realized that he might actually finish in time. When they realized this, they became very afraid, and very furious with Loki. To fix the situation, just as Himthrus was about to replace the last brick of the wall, Loki turned into a beautiful white mare and beckoned Svadilfari to follow her. Himthrus was very angry about this and he began tearing down the wall, however, he was prevented by the return of Thor. When Thor saw Himthrus tearing down the wall, he pulled out his famous Hammer, Mjolnir, and hit the giant over the head.
Later, Loki, still in the shape of the mare, gave birth to an 8-legged foal, Sleipnir. He then offered Sleipnir as a gift to Odin. It is believed that Sleipnir was not only the fastest horse, but that he could be ridden over the sea and through the air by Odin.
Later, Odin's son Hemrod rode Sleipnir into the underworld on a mission to retrieve his dead brother Balder. Hemrod and Balder's other brother Hodur, who was blind, had been tricked by Loki into killing Balder. Hemrod rode for 9 days and 9 nights until he came to gates of the underworld, ruled by the goddess Hel (the root of the English word Hell). Sleipnir was able jump and clear the gates without a problem. Hemrod continued to ride through the underworld until he finally found Balder. However, Hel, said that she would realease Balder from the underworld on only one condition. Everyone and everything must weep for him. Loki, disguised as a giantess, refused to weep and Balder was condemned to the underworld forever.
Now that we know Sleipnir's story I would like to talk a little bit about him as a symbol. It is believed that Sleipnir's eight legs are symbolic of the four men who carry a coffin. I am afraid I have to disagree with this. While Sleipnir did carrry his rider into the underworld, he did not do so at the time of his death, and don't think that Sleipnir could in anyway be blamed for Balder's death.
Another suggestion about the reasoning behind the 8 legs is that on rare occasion a horse my be born with three toes, a genetic manifestation known as polydactyly. When this happens, two extra toes will appear on the legs of the horse. This usually does not negatively affect the horses motion. It is very rare, but has been seen both in modern and ancient times. Juilius Ceasar rode such a horse, and they became considered a token of good fortune. It is possible that this particular horse is at least partially responsible for inspiring the myth of Sleipnir.
I personally believe this is very likely. To encounter such a rare horse, would more than likely cause people to start telling stories, and we all know that the longer a story circulates, the more outlandish is becomes. The myth of slepnier is a very old myth that has had plenty of years to grow into what it is today.
