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Description

“HE RIDES ACROSS LAND, SEA AND AIR
FROM THE LAND OF THE LIVING, TO THE LAND OF THE DEAD.

THIS EIGHT LEGGED STEED CROSSES EIGHT POINTS OF THE COMPASS,

FROM EIGHT DIRECTIONS INTO EIGHT DIMENSIONS.

HE IS THE BRINGER OF THE VALIANT DEAD

FROM THE BATTLEFIELD TO VALHALLA!

[…]
HE WAS BORN OF GIANTS
HIS ICY COAT IS GREY
AT NIGHT HE RIDES INTO THE WORLD OF DEATH
THE LIVING BY DAY

[…]

FASTER THEN THE FASTEST HORSE ALIVE
THE LIVING SON OF FIRE RIDES
FROM THE HALLS OF ASGARD ACROSS THE SKY
TO THE WORLD OF GODS AND MEN

EIGHT LEGS AND MAGIC RUNES
CARVED UPON HIS TEETH
THUNDER AND LIGHTNING
SOUND BENEATH HIS FEET
ON HIS BACK THE WAR GOD ODIN RIDES
SWORD AND MAGIC SPEAR HELD HIGH

RIDE DOWN FROM ASGARD
TO THE BATTLEFIELD
BRINGER OF THE VALIANT DEAD
WHO DIED BUT NEVER YIELDED

CARRY WE WHO DIE IN BATTLE
OVER LAND AND SEA
ACROSS THE RAINBOW BRIDGE TO VALHALLA
ODIN’S WAITING FOR ME”

(Manowar – Sleipnir)

Sleipnir, Odin’s horse with eight legs. This time without Odin.
Part of the series about norse mythology I am working on from time to time.

See also this picture: Hold the Heathen Hammer High

***********************************************************************************************

A litte note to the origins of Sleipnir:

The common things we know about Sleipnir are mainly newer myths by Snorri Sturlusons Prose Edda (written, or at least compiled, around the year 1220), partly based on older myths. We don’t now exactly because the sources are scarce.

However, Sleipnir is rarely mentioned in the Skaldic poetry, but depicted on two 8th century Gotlandic image stones; the Tjängvide image stone and the Ardre VIII image stone.

But in visual arts the eight legs of Sleipnir could be interpreted as an indication of great speed and we cannot be certain if the rider on the mentioned stones is Odin actually.

Possibly because of those depictions medival authors invented the “eight-legged steed”

(the above mentioned things are partly from Wikipedia and are theories of John Lindow and Hilda Ellis Davidsonà en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleipnir, furthermore from a book by and Rudolf Simek)
***********************************************************************************************

- - -
Pencil on paper (B3, B4, B6 – no blending with cotton swab except for the background pattern)
A3 – 29,7 x 42,0 cm (11.69 x 16.53 inches)

Description

“HE RIDES ACROSS LAND, SEA AND AIR
FROM THE LAND OF THE LIVING, TO THE LAND OF THE DEAD.

THIS EIGHT LEGGED STEED CROSSES EIGHT POINTS OF THE COMPASS,

FROM EIGHT DIRECTIONS INTO EIGHT DIMENSIONS.

HE IS THE BRINGER OF THE VALIANT DEAD

FROM THE BATTLEFIELD TO VALHALLA!

[…]
HE WAS BORN OF GIANTS
HIS ICY COAT IS GREY
AT NIGHT HE RIDES INTO THE WORLD OF DEATH
THE LIVING BY DAY

[…]

FASTER THEN THE FASTEST HORSE ALIVE
THE LIVING SON OF FIRE RIDES
FROM THE HALLS OF ASGARD ACROSS THE SKY
TO THE WORLD OF GODS AND MEN

EIGHT LEGS AND MAGIC RUNES
CARVED UPON HIS TEETH
THUNDER AND LIGHTNING
SOUND BENEATH HIS FEET
ON HIS BACK THE WAR GOD ODIN RIDES
SWORD AND MAGIC SPEAR HELD HIGH

RIDE DOWN FROM ASGARD
TO THE BATTLEFIELD
BRINGER OF THE VALIANT DEAD
WHO DIED BUT NEVER YIELDED

CARRY WE WHO DIE IN BATTLE
OVER LAND AND SEA
ACROSS THE RAINBOW BRIDGE TO VALHALLA
ODIN’S WAITING FOR ME”

(Manowar – Sleipnir)

Sleipnir, Odin’s horse with eight legs. This time without Odin.
Part of the series about norse mythology I am working on from time to time.

See also this picture: Hold the Heathen Hammer High

***********************************************************************************************

A litte note to the origins of Sleipnir:

The common things we know about Sleipnir are mainly newer myths by Snorri Sturlusons Prose Edda (written, or at least compiled, around the year 1220), partly based on older myths. We don’t now exactly because the sources are scarce.

However, Sleipnir is rarely mentioned in the Skaldic poetry, but depicted on two 8th century Gotlandic image stones; the Tjängvide image stone and the Ardre VIII image stone.

But in visual arts the eight legs of Sleipnir could be interpreted as an indication of great speed and we cannot be certain if the rider on the mentioned stones is Odin actually.

Possibly because of those depictions medival authors invented the “eight-legged steed”

(the above mentioned things are partly from Wikipedia and are theories of John Lindow and Hilda Ellis Davidsonà en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleipnir, furthermore from a book by and Rudolf Simek)
***********************************************************************************************

- - -
Pencil on paper (B3, B4, B6 – no blending with cotton swab except for the background pattern)
A3 – 29,7 x 42,0 cm (11.69 x 16.53 inches)