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In Norse mythology, 'Sleipnir' is Odin's magical eight-legged steed, and the greatest of all horses. His name means ''smooth'' or ''gliding'', and is related to the English word "slippery".

Contents

The birth of Sleipnir

The Eddas

Origin and interpretation

Later ideas

Familiar forms

Popular Culture

The birth of Sleipnir

Thor, the Giant-Slayer, was away from Asgard slaying giants in the north, when a hrimthurs disguised as a human stonemason appeared, offering to rebuild the wall all around Asgard in exchange for the sun, the moon, and fair Freyja. The gods agreed, thinking that it would be good, since part of the wall was crumbling, and also believing the giant would never be able to complete it in the agreed upon six month time frame. The giant asked one thing: the use of his gray stallion, Svadilfari (literally, "slave", or possibly "ill-fated"). Loki quickly agreed before any of the other gods could reply. The work began. Using the stallion, the giant began building the wall, and was well on his way to receiving the sun, the moon, and Freyja. The gods, seeing this, became furious at Loki, and said if they lost the sun, the moon, and Freyja, they would torture Loki eternally (which happened later anyway). Then, as Svadilfari was dragging the final brick to complete the wall back to Asgard, Loki transformed into a beautiful white mare, and led the stallion away, angering the giant. When the giant began tearing down the wall, Thor appeared and smashed the giant on the head with his hammer, Mjollnir. Loki later gave birth to Sleipnir, the eight-legged steed of Odin, the offspring of the gray stallion Svadilfari and Loki when "he" was the beautiful white mare.

The Eddas

According to the Prose Edda, Loki returned to Asgard and gave the eight-legged gray colt to Odin, telling him that the horse was the swiftest on earth, and could bear Odin over sea, through the air, and to and from the land of the dead. According to Sigrdrífumál in the Poetic Edda, Sleipnir had runes carved on his teeth.

Origin and interpretation

It has been suggested that Sleipnir having eight legs is symbolic of the four men who carry a coffin, i.e. a steed to carry the rider into the underworld. It might also be a reference to a real horse with three toes, a genetic manifestation called polydactyly that occasionally happens when their two normally vestigial toes appear on the legs of a horse, usually without harm or interference to the mobility of the animal. Although rare, it has been seen, both in ancient times and contemporary. Note the three toes on each part of the legs in the manuscript displayed. Julius Caesar raised and rode just such a horse in a number of battles after it was declared an omen of good luck. Reports of this animal might have worked its way into the myth or have been considered a good omen among many cultures. Similarly, the eight-legged reindeer or the eight-legged horse is often encountered as a shaman's vehicle toward the world of spirits.

Later ideas

Ásbyrgi (literally "Fort of the Æsir") in the northeast of Iceland is said to have been created when Sleipnir's hoof touched down.
A stainless steel statue of Sleipnir is a prominent feature in the United Kingdom Midlands town of Wednesbury (which means Woden [i.e. Odin]'s hill).[1]

Familiar forms

The name of Sleipnir is sometimes anglicized as "Sleipner", especially in old popular works. This form of the name is also the one most commonly used in Scandinavia.

Popular Culture

★ The Digimon Sleipmon is inspired by Sleipnir

★ In Saint Seiya the anime only character named Hagen, is the God Warrior of Merak; his robe is an 8-legged horse inspired in Sleipnir

★ Two platforms were built to extract oil from the North Sea; the first - Sleipner "A" sank when it was first launched, due to incorrect strength calculation of the reinforcement elements. Sleipner "B" is designed to operate for 40 years.

★ Heavy Metal band Manowar dedicated a song to Sleipnir in their album Gods of War (2007); this being a conceptual album on Norse mythology.

★ In the popular MMO EVE-Online, Sleipnir is a Tech 2 Minmatar Battlecruiser, commonly known as a Command Ship.