"the flying, eight-legged steed Sleipnir across the sky and into the underworld. Odin is the son of Bestla and Borr and has two brothers, Vili and Vé. Odin is attested as having many sons, most famously the gods Thor (with ) and (with ), and is known by hundreds of names. In these texts, he frequently seeks greater knowledge, at times in disguise (most famously by obtaining the Mead of Poetry), makes wagers with his wife Frigg over the outcome of exploits, and takes part in both the creation of the world by way of slaying the primordial being and"
"distinguished Muria dies, and provides a verse: Davidson adds that the representation of Odin's steed as eight-legged could arise naturally out of such an image, and that ""this is in accordance with the picture of Sleipnir as a horse that could bear its rider to the land of the dead."" Ulla Loumand cites Sleipnir and the flying horse Hófvarpnir as ""prime examples"" of horses in Norse mythology as being able to ""mediate between earth and sky, between Ásgarðr, Miðgarðr and Útgarðr and between the world of mortal men and the underworld."" The ""Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture"" theorizes that Sleipnir's eight"
"Frigg, howsoever he be covered in his white shield, and guide his tall steed, he shall in no way go safe out of Leire; it is lawful to lay low in war the war-waging god."" Two of the 8th century picture stones from the island of Gotland, Sweden depict eight-legged horses, which are thought by most scholars to depict Sleipnir: the Tjängvide image stone and the Ardre VIII image stone. Both stones feature a rider sitting atop an eight-legged horse, which some scholars view as Odin. Above the rider on the Tjängvide image stone is a horizontal figure holding a"
"Germanic peoples, including the Langobards. Forms of his name appear frequently throughout the Germanic record, though narratives regarding Odin are mainly found in Old Norse works recorded in Iceland, primarily around the 13th century. These texts make up the bulk of modern understanding of Norse mythology. In Old Norse texts, Odin is depicted as one-eyed and long-bearded, frequently wielding a spear named Gungnir, and wearing a cloak and a broad hat. He is often accompanied by his animal companions and familiars—the wolves Geri and Freki and the ravens Huginn and Muninn, who bring him information from all over —and rides"
"a rider sitting atop an eight-legged horse, which some scholars view as Odin. Above the rider on the image stone is a horizontal figure holding a spear, which may be a valkyrie, and a female figure greets the rider with a cup. The scene has been interpreted as a rider arriving at the world of the dead. The mid-7th century stone bearing the Odinic name (Old Norse 'army god') may be interpreted as depicting . A pair of identical Germanic Iron Age bird-shaped brooches from in northern Denmark may be depictions of and . The back of each bird features"
"continues that ""his use of Sleipnir in the kenning may show that Sleipnir's role in the failed recovery of Baldr was known at that time and place in Iceland; it certainly indicates that Sleipnir was an active participant in the mythology of the last decades of paganism."" Lindow adds that the eight legs of Sleipnir ""have been interpreted as an indication of great speed or as being connected in some unclear way with cult activity."" Hilda Ellis Davidson says that ""the eight-legged horse of Odin is the typical steed of the shaman"" and that in the shaman's journeys to the"
"birds were originally not simply his battlefield companions but also ""Odin's helpers in his veterinary function."" Vendel Period helmet plates (from the 6th or 7th century) found in a grave in Sweden depict a helmeted figure holding a spear and a shield while riding a horse, flanked by two birds. The plate has been interpreted as Odin accompanied by two birds; his ravens. Two of the 8th century picture stones from the island of Gotland, Sweden depict eight-legged horses, which are thought by most scholars to depict : the image stone and the Ardre VIII image stone. Both stones feature"
"ridden by Gná (""Gylfaginning"", ). Horses of the Æsir The horses of the Æsir are listed twice. The Eddic poem ""Grímnismál"" gives the following names: Snorri Sturluson paraphrases this stanza in his ""Gylfaginning"": Apart from Sleipnir, Odin's eight-legged horse, and Gulltoppr, who belongs to Heimdallr according to the ""Prose Edda"", nothing is known about these horses, especially their owner. These names are yet listed in the ""þulur"". Other horses are mentioned elsewhere: Gullfaxi, which originally belonged to Hrungnir, but who was given by Thor to his son Magni after he killed the giant (""Skáldskaparmál"", ), Blóðughófi, which belongs to Freyr"
"Horses of the Æsir The horses of the Æsir are listed twice. The Eddic poem ""Grímnismál"" gives the following names: Snorri Sturluson paraphrases this stanza in his ""Gylfaginning"": Apart from Sleipnir, Odin's eight-legged horse, and Gulltoppr, who belongs to Heimdallr according to the ""Prose Edda"", nothing is known about these horses, especially their owner. These names are yet listed in the ""þulur"". Other horses are mentioned elsewhere: Gullfaxi, which originally belonged to Hrungnir, but who was given by Thor to his son Magni after he killed the giant (""Skáldskaparmál"", ), Blóðughófi, which belongs to Freyr (""Kálfsvísa"") and Hófvarpnir, which is"
"and knotted into a ponytail, sometimes bearing drinking horns, have been discovered throughout Scandinavia. These figures are commonly considered to represent valkyries or dísir. According to Mindy MacLeod and Bernard Mees, the amulets appear in Viking Age graves, and were presumably placed there because ""they were thought to have protective powers"". The Tjängvide image stone from the Baltic island of Gotland, Sweden features a rider on an eight-legged horse, which may be Odin's eight-legged horse Sleipnir, being greeted by a female, which may be a valkyrie at Valhalla. The 11th century runestone U 1163 features a carving of a female"
"the Vanir and Gná ""strange"" and points out that it's unclear why it should specifically be the Vanir that witness Gná flying through the air. Ulla Loumand cites Hófvarpnir and the eight-legged horse Sleipnir as ""prime examples"" of horses in Norse mythology as being able to ""mediate between earth and sky, between Ásgarðr, Miðgarðr and Útgarðr and between the world of mortal men and the underworld."" In the 19th century, Jacob Grimm proposed a cognate in the personified rumor in Roman mythology; Fama. However, Grimm notes that unlike Fama, Gná is not described as winged but rather that Hófvarpnir, like"
"of red gold. High notes that Freyja has many names, and explains that this is because Freyja adopted them when looking for Óðr and traveling ""among strange peoples"". These names include ""Gefn"", ""Hörn"", ""Mardöll"", ""Sýr"", and ""Vanadís"". Freyja plays a part in the events leading to the birth of Sleipnir, the eight-legged horse. In chapter 42, High recounts that, soon after the gods built the hall Valhalla, a builder (unnamed) came to them and offered to build for them in three seasons a fortification so solid that no jötunn would be able to come in over from Midgard. In exchange,"
"English and included in the ""Crimson Fairy Book"" (1903) compiled by Andrew Lang. Gullfaxi Gullfaxi is a horse in Norse mythology. Its name means ""Golden mane"". It was originally owned by Hrungnir, and was later given to Magni by Thor as a reward for lifting off the leg of Hrungnir, which lay over the unconscious Thor and strangled him: Guldfaxe is equally fast on land, in the air and on the water, but not quite as fast as Sleipnir, Odin's horse. Gullfaxi is also the name of a horse in the modern Icelandic folk-tale ""The Horse Gullfaxi and the Sword"
"of the names of Odin. Yggdrasil (""Yggr's horse"") was the yew or ash tree from which Odin sacrificed himself, and which connected the nine worlds. Jakob Grimm connects the name ""Irmin"" with Old Norse terms like ""iörmungrund"" (""great ground"", i.e. the Earth) or ""iörmungandr"" (""great snake"", i.e. the Midgard serpent). According to the Royal Frankish Annals (772 AD), during the Saxon wars, Charlemagne is repeatedly described as ordering the destruction of the chief seat of their religion, an Irminsul. The Irminsul is described as not being far from Heresburg (now Obermarsberg), Germany. Jacob Grimm states that ""strong reasons"" point to"
"Gullfaxi Gullfaxi is a horse in Norse mythology. Its name means ""Golden mane"". It was originally owned by Hrungnir, and was later given to Magni by Thor as a reward for lifting off the leg of Hrungnir, which lay over the unconscious Thor and strangled him: Guldfaxe is equally fast on land, in the air and on the water, but not quite as fast as Sleipnir, Odin's horse. Gullfaxi is also the name of a horse in the modern Icelandic folk-tale ""The Horse Gullfaxi and the Sword Gunnfoder"" collected by Jón Árnason, translated into German by , then rendered into"
"him many languages as well as sports, chess, and runes. Reginn had all wisdom and deftness of hand. Of his two brothers, he has the ability to work iron as well as silver and gold and he makes many beautiful and useful things. While Sigurd is living with Reginn, Reginn challenges Sigurd's respect in the kingdom. He tells Sigurd to ask for a horse. Sigurd asks the advice of an old man in the forest, and the old man shows him how to get a horse that is descended from Sleipnir, the eight legged horse of Odin. Reginn continues to"
"divine horse. Grani In Norse mythology, Grani is a horse owned by the hero Sigurd. He is the horse that Sigurd receives through advice from the Norse god (Odin). Grani is a descendant of Odin's own steed, Sleipnir. In chapter 13 of ""Völsunga saga"", the hero Sigurðr is on his way to a wood when he meets a long-bearded old man he had never seen before. Sigurd tells the old man that he is going to choose a horse, and asks the old man to come with him to help him decide. The old man says that they should drive"
"god Odin, flanked by Huginn and Muninn. Like Snorri's ""Prose Edda"" description of the ravens, a bird is sometimes depicted at the ear of the human, or at the ear of the horse. Bracteates have been found in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and, in smaller numbers, England and areas south of Denmark. Austrian Germanist Rudolf Simek states that these bracteates may depict Odin and his ravens healing a horse and may indicate that the birds were originally not simply his battlefield companions but also ""Odin's helpers in his veterinary function."" Vendel era helmet plates (from the 6th or 7th century) found"
"of the 10th or 11th century may depict Odin with one of the ravens. Huginn and Muninn's role as Odin's messengers has been linked to shamanic practices, the Norse raven banner, general raven symbolism among the Germanic peoples, and the Norse concepts of the fylgja and the hamingja. In the ""Poetic Edda"" poem ""Grímnismál"", the god Odin (disguised as ""Grímnir"") provides the young Agnarr with information about Odin's companions. He tells the prince about Odin's wolves Geri and Freki, and, in the next stanza of the poem, states that Huginn and Muninn fly daily across the entire world, Midgard. Grímnir"
"the winged-horse Pegasus, may have been. Gná and Hófvarpnir In Norse mythology, Gná is a goddess who runs errands in other worlds for the goddess Frigg and rides the flying, sea-treading horse Hófvarpnir (Old Norse ""he who throws his hoofs about"", ""hoof-thrower"" or ""hoof kicker""). Gná and Hófvarpnir are attested in the ""Prose Edda"", written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson. Scholarly theories have been proposed about Gná as a ""goddess of fullness"" and as potentially cognate to Fama from Roman mythology. Hófvarpnir and the eight-legged steed Sleipnir have been cited examples of transcendent horses in Norse mythology. In"
"Saxon and two Norman stone windows are built into the current church walls. In the north aisle is an extraordinary stone relief originally thought to be a Norman knight on horseback apparently protecting a lady from two birds shown above her shoulder, is in fact of much earlier Viking or even pagan Anglian origin; the figure depicted on the left is clearly Odin, shown here in classic representation as cloaked and hooded with his two raven companions Huginn (Thought) and Muninn (Memory) on either shoulder. The creature depicted on the right is Odin's eight-legged horse (Sleipnir). The weathered nature of"
"of builders. According to Icelandic folklore, the horseshoe-shaped canyon Ásbyrgi located in Jökulsárgljúfur National Park, northern Iceland was formed by Sleipnir's hoof. Sleipnir is depicted with Odin on Dagfin Werenskiold's wooden relief ""Odin på Sleipnir"" (1945–1950) on the exterior of the Oslo City Hall in Oslo, Norway. Sleipnir has been and remains a popular name for ships in northern Europe, and Rudyard Kipling's short story entitled ""Sleipnir, late Thurinda"" (1888) features a horse named Sleipnir. A statue of Sleipnir (1998) stands in Wednesbury, England, a town which takes its name from the Anglo-Saxon version of Odin, Wōden. Sleipnir In Norse"
"is Sleipnir, he is Odin's, he has eight legs."" In chapter 41, High quotes the ""Grímnismál"" stanza that mentions Sleipnir. In chapter 42, Sleipnir's origins are described. Gangleri (described earlier in the book as King Gylfi in disguise) asks High who the horse Sleipnir belongs to and what there is to tell about it. High expresses surprise in Gangleri's lack of knowledge about Sleipnir and its origin. High tells a story set ""right at the beginning of the gods' settlement, when the gods established Midgard and built Val-Hall"" about an unnamed builder who has offered to build a fortification for"
"Grani In Norse mythology, Grani is a horse owned by the hero Sigurd. He is the horse that Sigurd receives through advice from the Norse god (Odin). Grani is a descendant of Odin's own steed, Sleipnir. In chapter 13 of ""Völsunga saga"", the hero Sigurðr is on his way to a wood when he meets a long-bearded old man he had never seen before. Sigurd tells the old man that he is going to choose a horse, and asks the old man to come with him to help him decide. The old man says that they should drive the horses"
"When the Æsir realize that the builder is a hrimthurs, they disregard their previous oaths with the builder, and call for Thor. Thor arrives, and kills the builder by smashing the builder's skull into shards with the hammer Mjöllnir. However, Loki had ""such dealings"" with Svaðilfari that ""somewhat later"" Loki gave birth to a grey foal with eight legs; the horse Sleipnir, ""the best horse among gods and men."" In chapter 49, High describes the death of the god Baldr. Hermóðr agrees to ride to Hel to offer a ransom for Baldr's return, and so ""then Odin's horse Sleipnir was"
"enemies by invoking the power of Odin. As one scholar notes regarding encounters between the Christian Anglo-Saxons and the invading pagan Scandinavians: The raven is a common iconic figure in Norse mythology. The highest god Odin had two ravens named Huginn and Muninn (""thought"" and ""memory"" respectively) who flew around the world bringing back tidings to their master. Therefore, one of Odin's many names was the ""raven god"" (""Hrafnaguð""). In ""Gylfaginning"" (c. 1220), the medieval Icelandic historian Snorri Sturluson explains: Odin was also closely linked to ravens because in Norse myths he received the fallen warriors at Valhalla, and ravens"
"Huginn and Muninn In Norse mythology, Huginn (from Old Norse ""thought"") and Muninn (Old Norse ""memory"" or ""mind"") are a pair of ravens that fly all over the world, Midgard, and bring information to the god Odin. Huginn and Muninn are attested in the ""Poetic Edda"", compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources: the ""Prose Edda"" and ""Heimskringla"", written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson; in the ""Third Grammatical Treatise"", compiled in the 13th century by Óláfr Þórðarson; and in the poetry of skalds. The names of the ravens are sometimes modernly anglicized as Hugin and Munin."
"Once a year, during the Asgardian winter, Odin must undertake the Odinsleep for 24 hours to regenerate (and is closely guarded as he is vulnerable during this period), although he can be wakened by potent spells, such as those of Karnilla the Norn Queen. Odin is also a master tactician and schemer, and has prevented Ragnarok, and planned for centuries for the coming of the Celestial Fourth Host. The character also on occasion uses the eight-legged steed ""Sleipnirthe"" and the enchanted ship Skipbladnir, which can navigate the ""sea of space"" and be shrunk to the size of a toy. In"
"Svaðilfari In Norse mythology, Svaðilfari (Old Norse perhaps ""unlucky traveler""; derived from Old Norse 'svað': 'slippery' - cf. Norwegian 'svaberg' 'slippery rock'; '-il': footwear, protection for the feet; '-fari': 'someoneone who usually goes somewhere specific', 'a traveller'. Possible meaning ""the one that like to go where it is slippery') is a stallion that fathered the eight-legged horse Sleipnir with Loki (in the form of a mare). Svaðilfari was owned by the disguised and unnamed hrimthurs who built the walls of Asgard. In chapter 42 of the ""Prose Edda"" book ""Gylfaginning"", High tells a story set ""right at the beginning of"
"In the ""Poetic Edda"", a disguised Odin expresses that he fears that they may not return from their daily flights. The ""Prose Edda"" explains that Odin is referred to as ""raven-god"" due to his association with Huginn and Muninn. In the ""Prose Edda"" and the ""Third Grammatical Treatise"", the two ravens are described as perching on Odin's shoulders. ""Heimskringla"" details that Odin gave Huginn and Muninn the ability to speak. Migration Period golden bracteates, Vendel era helmet plates, a pair of identical Germanic Iron Age bird-shaped brooches, Viking Age objects depicting a moustached man wearing a helmet, and a portion"
"the dipygus condition. Many mythological creatures like dragons, winged horses, and griffins have six limbs: four legs and two wings. The dragon's science is discussed in ""Dragons: A Fantasy Made Real"". In Greek Mythology, the Hekatonkheires were said to each have one hundred hands. The Gegenees were a race of giants with six arms. Sleipnir, Odin's horse in Norse mythology, has eight normal horse legs, and is usually depicted with limbs twinned at the shoulder or hip. Several Hindu deities are depicted with multiple arms and sometimes also multiple legs. Polymelia Polymelia (from Greek πολυ- ""many"", μέλεα ""limbs""), also known"
"elements has been found on the inscription. The stone is decorated with several figures in an upper and a lower field, which are separated by a braided pattern that resembles valknuts. In the upper field, there is a large eight-footed horse and a small rider who is offered a drinking horn by a woman, and there are also some other figures, such as a quadruped animal and some less discernible images. The rider on his horse is usually identified with Odin on his eight-legged horse Sleipnir, or a dead man who is arriving at Valhalla on Odin's horse. The female"
"God Odin riding on his fabled octopedal horse Sleipnir in a depiction borrowed from the Tjängvide image stone. The background depicts the Valknut, a symbol whose meaning is uncertain, though archeological evidence suggests it to be associated with Odin. Letters of the Runic alphabet can be seen on the edges of the triangles forming the Valknut. The Runes on top spell out ""With Oden on our Side"", whereas the bottom right runes spell ""Amon Amarth"" using characters from the Elder Futhark. Since its release, ""With Oden on Our Side"" has received favorable reviews. Greg Prato of AllMusic gave the album"