The Tjängvide image stone is thought to show Odin entering Valhalla riding on Sleipnir.

Birth

"Odin and Sleipnir" (1911) by John Bauer.

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.

Poetic Edda and Prose Edda

"Odin Rides to Hel" (1908) by W. G. Collingwood.

Multiple legs and toes

Odin rides Sleipnir in this drawing from an 18th century Icelandic manuscript

Having more toes on a horse is something that occurs naturally, and the tales of Sleipnir might be references to a real horse with three toes on its legs, a genetic manifestation called polydactyly. This condition occasionally happens when two normally-vestigial toes appear on the legs of a horse, usually without harm or interference to the mobility of the animal. The concept of multiples might have shifted from toes to legs in oral traditions.

Although rare, it has been seen, both in ancient and contemporary times. Julius Caesar raised and rode just such a horse in a number of battles after it was declared an omen of good luck.^[1]

Later traditions

Ásbyrgi (literally "Fort of the Æsir"), a distinctly horseshoe-shaped canyon in the northeast of Iceland is said to have been created when Sleipnir's hoof touched down.

A stainless steel statue of Sleipnir^[2], designed by artist Stephen Field, is a prominent feature in the United Kingdom Midlands town of Wednesbury (which means Woden [i.e. Odin]'s hill).

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, except in Iceland.

References

az:Sleypnir ca:Sleipnir cs:Sleipnir da:Sleipner de:Sleipnir et:Sleipnir es:Sleipnir fr:Sleipnir ko:?????? is:Sleipnir it:Sleipnir lv:Sleipnirs nl:Sleipnir nds-nl:Sliepnir ja:?????? no:Sleipner nn:Sleipner pl:Sleipnir pt:Sleipnir ru:???????? sr:???????? fi:Sleipnir sv:Sleipner tr:Sleipnir zh:?????