He thus symbolizes not just loyalty, but also represents strength, royalty, speed, and exploration. The eight-legged horse, who is one of OdinвЂ™s most trusted companions, accompanies Odin on so many adventures.

The tale of Sleipnir's birth is among the most extensively surviving written records of the horse. Most known for being Odin вЂ™s powerful stallion, Sleipnir in Norse mythology is the offspring of the Norse trickster god Loki. As neither a god nor a giant in Norse myth, Loki is outside the normative structure as a figure with female attributes, but referred to with male pronouns, Loki is uniquely positioned as a character through which to view gender constructs in the sagas and folklore. Sleipnir was conceived when Loki, sometimes considered Odin's enemy and sometimes his 'silly' little brother, transformed in a horse and mated with one of the most powerful stallions of a giant. Their tryst in the nearby woods would lead to Loki giving birth to Sleipnir. By studying the literature of the period from this angle, readers could gain not only a wider understanding of the society that created the stories, but also of the influence the stories had on shaping literature through the ages. Loki, the trickster god, famous for his mischievous antics and devious. In comparing and contrasting Loki's characterization with other portrayals of masculinity and femininity found in both of the Eddas as well as in works like Njal's Saga, Loki's unique position can be better explored. This othering is directly related to the fact that Loki is described in many tales in a way that is analogous to gender fluidity- that is displaying a male and a female identity at varying times and moments through out the stories, including displaying the ultimate feminine behavior of giving birth to such creatures as Sleipnir, Odin's eight-legged horse, while still being ultimately described with masculine terms. because Loki was the parent of Sleipnir, draws the same conclusion in regard to Loki. Sleipnir is I believe Linda Evans first book, and it is an extremely. As described in 'Old Norse Religion in Long-Term Perspectives: Origins, Changes & Interactions,' Sleipnir had the important task of carrying Odin between worlds, and bringing warriors who died in battle to Valhalla so they could spend the afterlife in Odin's hall. The Figure of Loki in Germanic Mythology - Volume 32 Issue 4. American Gods by Neil Gaiman The Gospel of Loki by Joanne M. While Loki plays a significant role in many tales, his position as the 'other' in general Norse mythology and folklore is perhaps what makes him so interesting to study. Loki gives Sleipnir to his blood-brother Odin, the king of the gods. However, it is difficult to find studies of the figures who make up the 'other' in Nordic tales, such as the trickster Loki.

A lot of scholarship has been done on Nordic myth and literature, including character studies on many figures, especially Odin and Thor. With many enigmatic characters and engaging stories, Norse literature and mythology have had a formative impact on English literature from the early Middle Ages in poetry like the Edda and many Icelandic sagas.

Sleipnir loki