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Depiction of Sleipnir in a detail on the Tjängvide image stone. In Norse mythology, Sleipnir / ˈsleɪpnɪər / (Old Norse: [ˈslɛipnez̠]; "slippy" [1] or "the slipper" [2]) is an eight-legged horse ridden by Odin. Sleipnir is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the Prose Edda ...
- Horses in Norse Belief
- Sleipnir’S Eight Legs
- Magical Birth
- Odin’s Race
- Death of Baldr
- Ragnarök
- Conclusion
In Scandinavian culture, the stallion replaced the bull as the symbol of virility and power, but horses generally were understood as possessing supernatural abilities that placed them in communion with the gods and spirits. There was no clergy in Norse religious practice, but there was the figure of the völva (seeress), a woman who received message...
Sleipnir is first mentioned by name in 10th-century Eddic poetry which was among the sources used by the Icelandic historian and mythographer Snorri Sturluson (l. 1179-1241) for the Prose Edda, a unified narrative of Norse myths written in the 13th century. The eight-legged horse as a shamanic symbol of transformation, however, predates Sleipnir’s ...
Sleipnir is also mentioned in the various works that make up the Poetic Edda, notably Baldrs Draumar (“Baldur’s Dreams”) when Odin rides him to the realm of Hel to ask the spirit of a witch what his son’s dreams portend. His origin story comes from the Prose Edda in the tale of the construction of the walls of Asgard and Valhalla. After the gods ha...
Odin took Sleipnir as his own, as chief of the gods, and rode him throughout the Nine Realms on his various journeys. One day, he rides in Jotunheim and encounters the giant Hrungnir who admires Sleipnir. Odin boasts that his horse is the best to be found anywhere, and Hrungnir is annoyed, claiming that his own horse, Gullfaxi ("Golden Mane") is be...
Sleipnir is also featured in one of the most famous pieces from North mythology, the tale of the death of Baldr. Baldr was the son of Odin and his wife Frigg and was considered the most beautiful, the kindest, and wisest of the gods. In the poem Baldrs Draumar from the Poetic Edda, Baldr begins having nightmares of some impending doom. Odin mounts ...
Ragnarök had been foretold by the Norns – the Fateswhose visions could not be altered – and was the end of the Nine Realms and many of those who lived in them. It was the final great battle between the forces of chaos and those of order and would be heralded by Sleipnir’s half-brother, Fenrir, the great wolf. First would come a breakdown in human r...
Sleipnir is never depicted simply as Odin’s horse but rather as his companion who shares in adventures. His death with Odin in the last great battle echoes not only their relationship but also the way a Scandinavian or Icelandic audience would have understood horses: as liminal beings able to bridge the space between the land of the living and that...
- Joshua J. Mark
Sleipnir is “the shamanic horse par excellence,” [1] just as Odin is the shamanic god par excellence. Sleipnir was born when the god Loki shape-shifted into a mare and became pregnant by the stallion of a giant , as is recounted in the tale of The Fortification of Asgard .
Nov 3, 2016 · Sleipnir is a large, muscular horse with eight legs instead of four. His extra legs are coupled with his regular legs, growing from his shoulders and his haunches. In some depictions of Odin riding Sleipnir, the mighty horse’s extra legs are shackled to his regular legs at the knee. Other works of art show him using all his legs independently.
Nov 23, 2020 · Sleipnir may seem like an incredible and unique animal, but he is actually one of several eight-legged horses of the ancient world. These are not limited to folklore from the same region. Scholars have found similar animals in the legends and archaeology of India’s Gondi people, the Buryats of Siberia, and the stories of Hungary’s táltos shamans.
Jun 26, 2024 · Sleipnir’s story is woven with themes of magic, loyalty, and the supernatural, captivating those who delve into the ancient tales of the Norse gods. Here are five captivating facts about this mythical steed. 1. The Extraordinary Birth of Sleipnir. Sleipnir's origins are as extraordinary as the horse himself, weaving a tale that showcases the ...
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Dec 28, 2022 · Sleipnir: The Story of Odin’s Horse. Written by Adam in Creatures Last Updated December 28, 2022. In Norse mythology, Sleipnir was the god Odin's magical horse. This horse had eight legs and runes carved onto his teeth. He was so powerful that he could outrun any horse in the nine realms, fly through the air, and run across the sea.
