Welcome back to White Rose of Avalon, my Darlings. For today’s post, I am sharing my third post in a small four-part series on the children of Loki. As they all tend to be seen as monstrous, I thought this was an ideal mini-series for October! This post is about Sleipnir, Odin’s 8-Legged Steed. Sleipnir is the least monstrous of the four children of Loki, whom I am covering in this mini-series of posts, but I just could not resist writing about Sleipnir’s unusual origin story today. In fact, his origin story is all that I will cover in this post, as it is such a fascinating tale from Norse myth.
To begin this post, I want to state that Sleipnir is the only child of Loki in this series who is not also a child of Angrboða. In fact, not only is Angrboða not Sleipnir’s mother, but it is actually Loki who is the mother of Sleipnir! This goes back to one of the most iconic tales of Loki in Norse mythology.
The story begins when a Giant is tasked with building a wall around Asgard. When the Giant came and offered to build this wall, he asked for only the Goddess Freyja’s hand in marriage and protection during the process of completing the wall. Of course, Freyja did not wish to marry him, and this caused the Gods to hesitate, but Loki convinced them to take the Giant up on his offer. So, they agreed, but added in a very short time frame for the wall to be completed in order for the Giant to win Freyja’s hand in marriage. He had only one Winter to complete the wall, and the only help he could have was that of his stallion Svadilfari.
The Gods were sure that this Giant could not do all of the work that fast without any help other than that of his stallion. The Giant, however, was confident in his abilities and took the deal. The Gods were greatly distressed to see that as the Winter wore on, the Giant was quickly completing the wall. This led to a panic that Freyja would actually have to marry the Giant and that the Giant would therefore gain access to Asgard!
That is when the other Gods turned to Loki and insisted that he fix this problem, as he had given them such poor advice. Now, given that Loki is the supreme Trickster of the Norse Gods, he had a grand idea up his sleeve. Loki transformed himself into a beautiful mare and went to distract the stallion Svadilfari, knowing that without his trusty steed, the Giant would not be able to finish in time.
Of course, Loki’s clever plan worked, and the Giant failed to complete the wall in time, meaning that Freyja was safe from an unwanted marriage. But that was not all, for the stallion did catch Loki after he had given chase, which led to the conception of Sleipnir, whom Loki gave birth to not long after this story!
So, yes, Odin’s great 8-Legged Steed is the son of Loki, and his origin story came out of one of the most iconic moments of trickery from this Trickster God. I hope you have enjoyed this short post about Sleipnir. What is your favorite part of this story? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
Note on Image: The image at the top of the post is an artwork of Sleipnir. I found the art on https://www.sleipnirtours.is/sleipnir-the-eight-legged-steed-of-norse-mythology.
LINK TO AVALONIAN ROSE FAERY MYSTERIES PATREON: patreon.com/AvalonianRoseFaeryMysteries
Further Reading
- Bulfinch’s Mythology by Thomas Bulfinch
- Mythology by Edith Hamilton
- https://www.norsegarde.com/blogs/lore-and-mythology/sleipnir-the-eight-legged-horse?srsltid=AfmBOorEu7-gqpTHTl_bk_xHDbRLISp2B7vtGAtSzCPPk1MF3WLvZpIp
2 responses to “Sleipnir, Odin’s 8-Legged Steed”
You’ve chosen one of the most delightfully chaotic and clever tales from the Norse canon, and you told it with such flair.
As for my favorite part of this story? It has to be the sheer, unadulterated audacity of Loki’s solution. The other gods, in a panic, demand he “fix” the problem he created, and his answer isn’t just a simple trick—it’s a complete and total self-sacrifice of his usual form and dignity for the “greater good” (or at least, to get the Aesir out of a bind). He doesn’t just break a tool or cause a distraction; he becomes the distraction in the most fundamental way possible.
The fact that this story results in the birth of Sleipnir, the finest steed among gods or men, is the perfect Loki twist. From a act of perceived chaos and “monstrosity” (by the standards of the time, a god giving birth would be shocking) comes one of the most noble and celebrated creatures in the myths. It’s a beautiful reminder that origins and natures are complex, and that greatness can come from the most unexpected and unconventional of places.
Thank you for sharing this brilliant tale! I’m eagerly awaiting the fourth and final post in your series.
P.S. The detail that Sleipnir is the only one of these children not also born of Angrboða is such a crucial and often overlooked point. It really highlights the vast and strange spectrum of Loki’s progeny
Thank you so much for your kind words. I am so glad that you enjoyed the way I told the story. I agree that Loki’s solution is no simple trick, making it all the more profound. As alway, thank you for reading and commenting!