Symbol reference · Galdrastafir
Sleipnir
/ˈsleɪpnɪr/Old Norse Sleipnir, masculine noun: from sleipr 'slippery', hence 'the glider'
The short answer
Odin's eight-legged horse, borne by Loki in the shape of a mare. Grímnismál names him the best of horses, and the myths use him to cross boundaries no ordinary horse crosses: including the road down to Hel.
Sleipnir is born out of a broken contract. In Gylfaginning a builder offers to raise a wall around Asgard within one winter, asking the sun, the moon and the goddess Freyja as payment; the gods accept because the deadline looks impossible. It stops looking impossible once they see the stallion Svaðilfari hauling stone by night. Loki, who talked them into the bargain, takes the shape of a mare and lures the stallion away. The wall goes unfinished, and some time later Loki bears a grey foal with eight legs, which he gives to Odin.
The eight legs are the oldest part of the story. They are carved on the Gotland picture stones Tjängvide and Ardre VIII in the 8th and 9th centuries, well before any manuscript records the myth. What they mean is argued: extreme speed is the simple reading, while Hilda Ellis Davidson's is that eight legs are the four bearers of a funeral bier, which fits how the horse is used.
Because he is used, above all, for the journey to the dead. In Baldrs draumar Odin rides him down to Hel to wake a seeress; in Gylfaginning Hermóðr borrows him for the ride to Hel to ransom Baldr. Grímnismál puts him in the list of bests, Yggdrasil of trees, Skíðblaðnir of ships, Sleipnir of horses, and Sigrdrífumál counts his teeth among the surfaces on which victory-runes are cut.
The eight legs are the oldest part of the story. They are carved on the Gotland picture stones Tjängvide and Ardre VIII in the 8th and 9th centuries, well before any manuscript records the myth. What they mean is argued: extreme speed is the simple reading, while Hilda Ellis Davidson's is that eight legs are the four bearers of a funeral bier, which fits how the horse is used.
Because he is used, above all, for the journey to the dead. In Baldrs draumar Odin rides him down to Hel to wake a seeress; in Gylfaginning Hermóðr borrows him for the ride to Hel to ransom Baldr. Grímnismál puts him in the list of bests, Yggdrasil of trees, Skíðblaðnir of ships, Sleipnir of horses, and Sigrdrífumál counts his teeth among the surfaces on which victory-runes are cut.
Primary source Verbatim
Sleipnir er beztr hesta.
Sleipnir is the best of horses.
GRÍMNISMÁL, st. 44 · translation editorial
Etymology
sleipr
Old Norse
slippery, sliding: said of ground and of movement
-nir
Old Norse
agent suffix, giving 'the slipper', the one that glides
Not a name about legs or speed but about surface: the one that slips or glides over the ground.
Common misconceptions
Common claim
What the record says
“The eight legs are a medieval scribe's flourish.”
The eight-legged horse is carved on Gotland picture stones (Tjängvide and Ardre VIII) in the 8th and 9th centuries, generations before the Eddas were written down. The motif is old, and it is visual before it is literary.
“Loki is Sleipnir's father.”
Loki is his mother. To sabotage a builder's contract Loki took the shape of a mare, lured away the stallion Svaðilfari, and later bore the grey foal. Snorri states it plainly; it is not a modern reading.
“Sleipnir is simply the fastest horse.”
Speed is only part of it. What the sources actually use him for is crossing boundaries: Odin rides him down to Hel in Baldrs draumar, and Hermóðr borrows him for the ride to Hel to ransom Baldr. Readings of the eight legs range from sheer speed to the four bearers of a funeral bier.
Frequently asked questions
Why does Sleipnir have eight legs?
No source explains it. The simple reading is extreme speed; Hilda Ellis Davidson argued instead that eight legs are the four bearers of a funeral bier, which fits a horse used mainly for journeys to the dead. What is certain is that the motif is old - it is carved on Gotland stones centuries before the Eddas.
Who are Sleipnir's parents?
The stallion Svadilfari is the father and Loki is the mother. Loki took the shape of a mare to lure the stallion away from a builder's work and later bore the grey eight-legged foal, which he gave to Odin.
Is Sleipnir shown in real Viking-Age art?
Yes. The Tjangvide image stone and Ardre VIII, both from Gotland and both 8th to 9th century, show a rider on an eight-legged horse.
What is Sleipnir used for in the myths?
Crossing boundaries. Odin rides him down to Hel in Baldrs draumar to wake a seeress, and Hermodr borrows him for the ride to Hel to ransom Baldr. Grimnismal simply calls him the best of horses.
What does the name Sleipnir mean?
The glider, from sleipr, slippery. The name describes how he moves over ground rather than the number of his legs. His rider's spear is covered under Gungnir.
Bibliography
- 1. Snorri Sturluson, Edda (Gylfaginning 42, the master builder; Gylfaginning 49, Hermóðr's ride to Hel), c. 1220. Trans. Anthony Faulkes, Everyman, 1987.
- 2. The Poetic Edda: Grímnismál st. 44, Baldrs draumar, Sigrdrífumál st. 15, Codex Regius (GKS 2365 4to), c. 1270. Trans. Carolyne Larrington, Oxford World's Classics, rev. ed. 2014.
- 3. Tjängvide image stone (G 110) and Ardre VIII, Gotland, 8th–9th century: the Viking-Age depictions of an eight-legged horse. Swedish History Museum, Stockholm.
Cite this entry
Bjarke Gunnar. “Sleipnir.” VikingsBrand Library, reviewed 2 August 2026, vikingsbrand.co/pages/library/sleipnir.