WEBVTT - Monstrefact Redux: Sleipnir, the Eight-Legged Horse

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind, a production of iHeartRadio.

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<v Speaker 2>Hi, my name is Robert Lamb and this is the

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<v Speaker 2>Monster Fact, a short form series from Stuff to Blow

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<v Speaker 2>Your Mind, focusing in non mythical creatures, ideas and monsters

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<v Speaker 2>in time. Given the tomorrow's core episode of Stuff to

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<v Speaker 2>Blow Your Mind focuses on the horse hoof and at

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<v Speaker 2>least one legendary account of exceptional horse anatomy, I thought

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<v Speaker 2>it fitting to discuss Sleipnir, the fabulous eight legged steed

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<v Speaker 2>of the Norse god Odin. In the Old Norse collection

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<v Speaker 2>of poems, the poetic Edda slap Near is described as

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<v Speaker 2>the best of horses, swifter than all other mortal and

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<v Speaker 2>divine steeds. The horses eight legs propelled it at great

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<v Speaker 2>speeds across water, land, air and ice, even to the

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<v Speaker 2>gates of Hell. In one account quote, then Othan rose

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<v Speaker 2>the enchanter old and the saddle he laid on Sleipner's back.

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<v Speaker 2>Thence rode he down to nithel Diek, and the hound

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<v Speaker 2>he met that came from Hell. Bloody he was on

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<v Speaker 2>his breast before at the father of magic. He howled

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<v Speaker 2>from Afar forward rode Othan the earth resounded till the

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<v Speaker 2>house so high of hell he reached. This is via

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<v Speaker 2>the Henry Adams Bellows translation of the poetic Getta nineteen

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<v Speaker 2>thirty six. As for Sleipner's parentage, well, it's a bit tricky.

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<v Speaker 2>As Carol Rose explains in Giants, Monsters and Dragons, the

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<v Speaker 2>trickster god Loki took on the form of a mare

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<v Speaker 2>and made it with the magical giant stallion Savadolfari, whose

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<v Speaker 2>giant master was tasked with building a wall around Asgard.

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<v Speaker 2>The unnamed giant agreed to finish the wall in but

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<v Speaker 2>three winters, all for the cost of well, the sun,

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<v Speaker 2>the moon, and the goddess Freya's hand in marriage. Now,

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<v Speaker 2>the Norse gods the assier, thought they should probably try

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<v Speaker 2>install completion a bit. After all, they don't want to

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<v Speaker 2>give up the sun, the moon, and the hand in

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<v Speaker 2>marriage of the goddess Freya. And so they turned to Loki,

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<v Speaker 2>who took on the form of a beautiful mare to

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<v Speaker 2>distract the giant laborer's steed, and hey, it seemed to work.

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<v Speaker 2>The giant's progress was stalled because he had to spend

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<v Speaker 2>a whole day chasing after his lusty stallion. That was

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<v Speaker 2>chasing after this beautiful mayre. As a result, he did

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<v Speaker 2>not win the Sun, the Moon, and Freya's hand in marriage,

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<v Speaker 2>and his resulting quest for vengeance only brought about his

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<v Speaker 2>own death at the hands or rather the hammer of Thor.

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<v Speaker 2>But also during all this, Loki did manage to find

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<v Speaker 2>himself impregnated in the form of a horse, and thus

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<v Speaker 2>gave birth to the miraculous steed slept near one of

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<v Speaker 2>Loki's many monstrous children. The horse became the chosen steed

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<v Speaker 2>of Odin and is a common feature in old depictions

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<v Speaker 2>of the Norse king of the Gods. As Judith tar

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<v Speaker 2>explored in a twenty eighteen post for tour dot com,

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<v Speaker 2>academics have made various interpretations of those eight legs, ranging

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<v Speaker 2>from the notion of four shadow legs then enable him

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<v Speaker 2>to move across air and water, to the interpretation that

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<v Speaker 2>the eight legs represent the legs of pallbearers carrying the dead.

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<v Speaker 2>After all, Sleipner was able to carry Odin to Nifflheim,

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<v Speaker 2>the world of Fog. Tune in for additional episodes of

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<v Speaker 2>the Monster Fact each week. As always, you can email

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<v Speaker 2>us at contact at stuffed to Bole your Mind dot com.

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