Origin
After the war between the Aesir and the Vanir, the walls of Asgard had been badly damaged. The gods were approached by a man (a Jotun in disguise) who claimed that he would be able to repair the walls and make them impregnable in 3 summerâs time. The gods agreed, and Loki convinced them to allow the builder the use of his enormous steed, Svadilfari. This steed could haul stones too immense for a simple man, and was responsible for the bulk of the work on the walls.
The building went on for some time and the gods checked in occasionally to see the progress⦠and seeing the quality of the craftsmanship, Odin agreed that no price would be too high for such a fortress. Hearing that, the Jotun named his price: the Sun, the Moon, and for a wife, Freyja. Being bound to honor his words, Odin agreed reluctantly, but told the Jotun that the walls must be finished by the last day of the 3rd summer.
Upon returning to Asgard, Odin informed the other gods of the price they must pay to the builder. They all agreed that they could not pay this price â the Sun, the Moon and Freyja were simply too valuable to them. Loki was responsible for allowing the Jotun the use of his mighty steed, and the gods threatened to punish Loki if they lost these treasures. Loki then traveled to the construction site and noticed the immense amount of work that Svadilfari was accomplishing, and decided that, if he could distract him, the walls would not be finished in time. There were only 3 days left before the deadline, and it seems that the builder had only one center-stone left to place, and would surely finish early.
Loki, being a shape-shifting Jotun, changed into a mare and began to taunt the mighty steed. He called him a slave and asked why he worked so hard for his âmasterâ. Soon, enraged and incensed by the words and the beauty of this mare, the Svadilfari broke his lead and gave chase. Expecting to simply help place the final stone the following morning, the Jotun-in-disguise saw that his steed was gone, and the stone has only been pulled halfway from the quarry. Angry and confused, the Jotun spent the remainder of his time searching for his horse.
The 3rd day came to pass and the gods came to the Jotun to view the walls. Finding the walls unfinished and the Jotun nowhere in sight, the Sun, Moon, and Freyja would remain theirs. Hearing the decision of the gods, the Jotun shed his disguise and revealed himself as a frost giant, swearing vengeance upon the gods. As Thor is known to do, he made quick work of the Jotun, smashing his skull with Mjolnir.
Odin was pleased that the debt need not be paid, but was also disappointed that they had to accomplish this through deceit.
Some time later, Loki returned to Asgard with an 8-legged foal, and offered it to Odin as a gift. The horse would grow to become the greatest of horses. Sleipnir would even guide Hermod on his ride to Hel to barter for the soul of Baldr.
Powers and Abilities
The eight legged Sleipnir possesses super strength, allowing the mystic horse to lift up to 2 tons as well as pull over 10 tons. Odin’s horse possesses super speed, super durability and super endurance. Sleipnir possesses the ability of flight, and has a running speed of up to light speed. Sleipnir has human level intelligence.
Physical Characteristics
Height: 8’5″
Weight: 3500 lbs
Hair: Black
Eyes: Black