The mare neighed at Svaðilfari, and "realizing what kind of horse it was," Svaðilfari became frantic, neighed, tore apart his tackle, and ran towards the mare. Like Freyr and Njörðr, Sleipnir is responsible for carrying the dead to the otherworld." Sleipnir is the incarnation of a great horse, very muscular. "[7] In chapter 41, High quotes the Grímnismál stanza that mentions Sleipnir. Hrungnir asks "what sort of person this was" wearing a golden helmet, "riding sky and sea," and says that the stranger "has a marvellously good horse." The gods convene, and figured out who was responsible, resulting in a unanimous agreement that, along with most trouble, Loki was to blame. 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 the gods in three seasons that will keep out invaders in exchange for the goddess Freyja, the sun, and the moon. In both sources, Sleipnir is Odin's steed, is the child of Loki and Svaðilfari, is described as the best of all horses, and is sometimes ridden to the location of Hel. "[6], In the Prose Edda book Gylfaginning, Sleipnir is first mentioned in chapter 15 where the enthroned figure of High says that every day the Æsir ride across the bridge Bifröst, and provides a list of the Æsir's horses. In the Prose Edda book Gylfaginning, Sleipnir is first mentioned in chapter 15 where the enthroned figure of High says that every day the Æsir ride across the bridge Bifröst, and provides a list of the Æsir's horses. The stallion Svaðilfari performs twice the deeds of strength as the builder, and hauls enormous rocks to the surprise of the gods. [13] In chapter 58, Sleipnir is mentioned among a list of horses in Þorgrímsþula: "Hrafn and Sleipnir, splendid horses [...]". In the Poetic Edda, Sleipnir appears or is mentioned in the poems Grímnismál, Sigrdrífumál, Baldrs draumar, and Hyndluljóð. [14] In addition, Sleipnir occurs twice in kennings for "ship" (once appearing in chapter 25 in a work by the skald Refr, and "sea-Sleipnir" appearing in chapter 49 in Húsdrápa, a work by the 10th century skald Úlfr Uggason).[15]. [21] The mid-7th century Eggja stone bearing the Odinic name haras (Old Norse 'army god') may be interpreted as depicting Sleipnir. The list begins with Sleipnir: "best is Sleipnir, he is Odin's, he has eight legs. Sleipnir is generally considered as appearing in a sequence of events described in book I of Gesta Danorum. "[4] In Baldrs draumar, after the Æsir convene about the god Baldr's bad dreams, Odin places a saddle on Sleipnir and the two ride to the location of Hel. Waterhouse, Fiona (2005). Both stones feature a rider sitting atop an eight-legged horse, which some scholars view as Odin. He is the son of Svaðilfari and the god/jötunn Loki, the latter of whom is actually his mother, having given birth to Sleipnir in the form of a mare.Sleipnir is described as … High expresses surprise in Gangleri's lack of knowledge about Sleipnir and its origin. Sleipnir (pronounced “SLAYP-nir”; Old Norse Sleipnir, “The Sliding One”) is the eight-legged horse of the god Odin. "[20], 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. [10], When the Æsir realize that the builder is a hrimthurs, they disregard their previous oaths with the builder, and call for Thor. An 18th century Prose Edda manuscript illustration featuring Hermóðr upon Sleipnir (left), Baldr (upper right), and Hel (lower right). In both sources, Sleipnir is Odin's steed, is the child of Loki and Svaðilfari, is described as the best of all horses, and is sometimes ridden to the location of Hel. Sleipnir is one of Odin’s many shamanic helping spirits, ranks that also include the valkyries and Hugin and Munin, and he can probably be classified as a fylgja. The Prose Edda contains extended information regarding the circumstances of Sleipnir's birth, and details that he is grey in color. [26] 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. "[20], 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. 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