![]() ![]() (published 1990), Gods & Myths of Northern Europe (p. However now that spring has finally come, I hope to spend more time outside riding and discovering some new trails through the Endless Mountains.įootnote: (1) Ellis Davidson, H.R. Maybe winter seeds the imagination bringing forth remarkable stories to entertain us as the dark, dismal days march past. Legend holds that Sleipnir formed the horseshoe-shaped canyon, sbyrgi, in the north of Iceland, by dragging a hoof too close to the earth. The four men carrying the casket provide the four heads and eight legs referred to in the song. Archaeologists have yet to find physical evidence for any eight-legged horses, but Sleipnir’s presence is still seen in Iceland today. The verse is really a riddle: What horse is this? The answer to the riddle: The horse of Bagri Maro, in reality, is a funeral precession. At the funeral of a Muria (distinguished man) a funeral dirge is sung which contains the following verse: ![]() Perhaps, the mythical eight-legged horse was part of the pagan beliefs which these people brought with them to Scandinavia.Īnother connection to an eight-legged horse comes from the Gondi people in India. In fact, horses were central to the structure of their society, arts and beliefs. These men brought with them a culture based on war faring, shipbuilding and horsemanship. a migration of clansmen from the Caucasus and Central Asia settled in Norway and Sweden. 95 polyester, 5 elastane (fabric composition may vary by 1) Premium knit mid-weight jersey Four-way stretch fabric that stretches and recovers on the. David Faux wrote an interesting study based on archeology, culture, history, linguistic, and DNA evidence which theorized that around the 5th Century A.D. It makes you wonder how such an unusual horse arose in the chronicles of the ancient Norse people. Can you imagine the time it would take just to clean out his hooves – all eight of them! Personally, Sleipnir sounds like just too much horse for me. I’m sure that the sight of such an animal would strike fear in the hearts of mortal men and perhaps even the gods themselves. In addition, Sleipnir could travel back and forth to the land of the dead. According to Comicvine, the remarkable horse grew to over 25 hands high (8’4” at the withers), weighed about 3500 pounds, ran at the speed of light, had human intelligence and could fly. Loki gave the grey colt to Odin as a gift. It seems that Loki, the trickster god and shape shifter, fathered the eight-legged horse. That’s right, Thor, the pagan god of thunder, with the winged helmet and the huge hammer. And as everyone knows Odin was Thor’s father. Of course, you can tell I’m not up on my comic literature or I would have realized that Sleipnir was Odin’s horse. The first time I read ‘eight-legged’ I thought it might have been a misprint, but no, the horse had eight-legs and his name was Sleipnir. One interesting myth I came across contained an eight-legged horse. During the long winter, I found time to read about horses. The weatherman promised temperatures in the 50’s, even 60! As the thermometer climbs, everyone begins to think about the start of ‘horse season’ when the days are warm and long and the riding is easy and fun. Winter has been long and so far, spring has been cool, except for this week.
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