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Sleipnir

Sleipnir is Odin’s gray eight-legged horse. The horse is so fast that when it runs it looks like it is sliding through the air. The name Sleipnir derives from Old Norse, and it means slippy or the slipper.

Sleipnir is described as the best and fastest of all horses, with the marks of hell written upon it. Because of its speed, the horse can be associated with the symbol of wind.

Sleipnir was conceived with the use of shamanism during the establishment of Asgard’s fortification. According to the poem “The Building of Asgard’s Wall”, it was Loki who turned himself into a mare in order for the stallion Svaðilfari to impregnate him. This was not something Loki did because he always wanted to become the mother of a horse. It was one of Loki’s many tricks to avoid getting punished by the Aesir.