The giant master builder’s stallion, Svadilfari (Old Norse: Svailfari), is a character in Norse mythology. It is mentioned in the Hyndluljóð and its story is detailed in the Gylfaginning. According to this account, Svadilfari assists his master in constructing the fortress of Ásgard as part of a wager with the Aesir gods regarding the possibility of completing it within a single season. Due to its immense strength, the horse hauls an incredible amount of materials every night. As the giant is on track to finish the fortress on time, the Aesir gods compel the god Loki to find a solution to thwart him. Loki transforms into a mare, seduces Svadilfari, diverts him from his work, and subsequently gives birth to the eight-legged horse, Sleipnir.
Various theories have been proposed to decipher the symbolism of this nocturnal horse endowed with magical abilities and its connection to the god Loki. These theories establish links between its myth and other Indo-European myths.
Horses in Norse mythology are often symbols of strength, speed, and other virtues. They are important companions to several gods, aiding them in their quests and journeys.
Etymology
In Old Norse, Svaðilfari (pronounced), also spelled as Svaðilferi, Svaðilfori, or Svaðilfǫri in manuscripts, means “he who makes arduous journeys,” or “he who makes unhappy journeys.” The name /SVaÐiL-fari/ can also be etymologically related to the Vedic god Savitṛ /SaViTḶ/. The final reconstruction of /-tḹ/ is based on the Slavic and Hittite arrangements of /-tal/, closely related to the name of the horse.
Mythological References
The Prose Edda, which the Icelandic diplomat Snorri Sturluson wrote around 1220, contains an excerpt from Gylfaginning that contains the myth involving Svadilfari. There are conflicting opinions about whether this episode is genuinely part of Norse mythology. It is possible that Snorri Sturluson embellished the legend of the giant master-builder by incorporating the story of the horse Svadilfari, which begat Odin’s horse Sleipnir with Loki.
Alternatively, he may have transmitted the entire myth of Sleipnir’s birth and the construction of Ásgard from beliefs not preserved elsewhere. In 1976, Joseph Harris suggested that Snorri invented this episode to clarify stanzas 25 and 26 of the Völuspa, drawing inspiration from an Icelandic oral legend featuring two berserkers building a road.
Ursula Dronke opposes this idea and proposes the existence of a lost lay of Svadilfari, serving as a source for stanzas 25 and 26 of the Völuspa. Even considering Snorri’s potential rewriting or invention of certain passages, this myth remains consistent with the knowledge of medieval Icelandic society.
Hyndluljóð
The Hyndluljóð (40) mentions Svadilfari as the stallion who sired Sleipnir with Loki, but does not detail any story about him. This extract is taken from a short version of the Völuspa.
| Icelandic | English |
| Ol vlf Loki vid Angrbodu, enn Sleipni gat vid Suadilfara; | Loki gave birth to the wolf with Angrboda, and had Sleipnir with Svadilfari ; |
Gylfaginning
In the Gylfaginning (42), derived from the Prose Edda by Snorri Sturluson, Hár recounts a story that unfolds “at the beginning of the gods,” when they establish themselves in Midgard and build Valhalla. They receive a visit from an unknown builder who proposes constructing an impregnable divine fortress in three seasons to protect them from all invasions. In exchange for this service, the stranger requests the Sun, the Moon, and Freya.
After some debate, the gods agree that he completes the task in only one season and without assistance. The builder has one condition: the right to be aided by his horse, Svadilfari. This request is granted, thanks to the influence of the deceitful and trickster god Loki. To the astonishment of the gods, the stallion Svadilfari performs colossal work, transporting massive rocks every night with its immense strength. With the help of his horse, the builder progresses rapidly, so that three days before the imposed deadline, he only has to build the gate.
The discontented gods conclude that Loki is the cause of his success. They threaten Loki with the most horrendous torments unless he finds a way to prevent the builder from completing his work on time and thus securing the payment. They prepare to punish him when Loki, frightened, promises to devise a scheme.
During the night, the builder goes to fetch the final stones with his horse Svadilfari when, in a wooded area, he encounters a mare. The mare neighs softly towards Svadilfari. The horse becomes frenzied, whinnies, breaks his harness, and pursues the mare, who flees into the woods. The builder tries to catch up with his horse, but the two animals run throughout the night. Construction work cannot progress during the remaining three nights. The builder, furious to see his payment slip away, enters a giant’s rage, as it is his true nature. When the gods realize this, they disregard their previous oaths and call upon Thor. He slays the giant with his hammer, Mjöllnir. However, Loki has been “impregnated” by the stallion Svadilfari, and he gives birth to an eight-legged grey foal named Sleipnir, which later becomes Odin’s mount.
Theories
Comparative Mythology
The myth of the construction of Asgard has numerous equivalents among Indo-European peoples. It appears to stem from a common tradition, with variations where the horse-builder may not always be present. In the Bulgarian epic, for instance, the hero Marko pledges to marry a “strange widow” if he can build a tower. However, he fails to complete the construction because an African man appears and sabotages the process, leading to a confrontation.
The Personification of the North Wind
According to the philologist Frédéric-Guillaume Bergmann in his treatise on Scandinavian mythology written in 1861, Svadilfari would be a transformed giant, whose name would mean “Flight-over-Ice” (a translation invalidated by more recent studies). Svadilfari and the giant master builder would collaborate in disguise to prevent the forces of light and summer from reigning over the world. Additionally, they work at night and rest during the day, signifying their embodiment of nocturnal and winter forces. Following this logic, Svadilfari would be a personification of Boreas, the north wind, which flies over the ice it has formed.
In this interpretation, the stallion brings more ice in one night than his master can pile and arrange during the following day for the construction. When Loki takes the form of a mare, it is seen as a symbol of the cold northern wind uniting with Boreas. This ancient theory is echoed in a historical-linguistic study from 1888, noting that most horses in Indo-European myths are compared to lightning, wind, and storms.
This theory, dating back to 1888, was revisited in 1988 by Jean Haudry, who interpreted Sleipnir’s birth within the framework of the mythology of fire. According to this interpretation, Svadilfari (the breeze) impregnates Loki (the fire) with an eight-legged horse, which is Loki himself “pregnant” with fire: “for the fire, fanned by the wind, is born of itself.” The relationship between Loki and fire is emphasized in a 2000 study, highlighting that Loki “ignites the flame of passion” in Svadilfari, who then fails in his building endeavor.
Dr. Marc-André Wagner, a Germanic studies scholar, dismisses this interpretation as arbitrary due to the lack of a clear connection between a personification of the wind and Svadilfari. He observes that the direct association between a horse and the wind is marginal in the Germanic sphere, and linking Sleipnir and Svadilfari in this manner would be artificial. Wagner does not establish any connection between Sleipnir and the element of fire, asserting instead that “the fire horse is the embodiment of hostile powers.”
Physical Deformation and Sexual Perversion
Edna Edith Sayers, writing under the pseudonym Loïs Bragg, attempts to find commonalities between heroes and mythic figures, such as physical deformations linked to sexual perversions and supernatural powers. Sayers suggests, though not explicitly stated in the Prose Edda, that Loki was violated by the horse Svadilfari while in the form of a mare. This act represents significant humiliation and punishment for Loki’s misdeeds, as having sexual relations with a large mammal was considered a perversion and abomination in ancient Norse society. However, it’s through this violation that the gods obtain the fortress of Asgard. It’s crucial to note that this interpretation has not been validated by Norse mythology specialists.
