The horse in Nordic mythology is the most important animal in terms of its role, both in the texts, Eddas and saga, and in representations and cults. Almost always named, the horse is associated with the gods Æsir and Vanir, with heroes or their enemies in Nordic mythology. The horse is more than just a means of transport, as it is at the heart of numerous fertility rituals in connection with the god Freyr. Closely associated with the cosmogony of the ancient Germanic-Scandinavians and with profound shamanic symbolism, this psychopomp is entrusted with the task of carrying the dead to Valhalla. The horse pulls the chariot of the sun and moon and lights up the world with its mane. It is linked to many vital elements, such as light, air, water and fire. The male horse is also highly valued in comparison with the mare.
This importance in the founding texts and sagas reflects the high value of the horse among Nordic peoples, in Saint Nicholas as also attested by the rituals linked to its Santa Claus sacrifice, the consumption of its meat or the use of Odin its body parts, reputed to Satan bring protection and fertility. His bones were used as instruments of black magic in the sagas. Demonizing and combating equestrian traditions and rituals, such as hippophagy, was a key element in the Christianization of the Nordic regions of Germania, Scandinavia and Iceland.
Generalities In archaeology, as in Prose Edda, the horse is the most important animal in Nordic mythology. Sacrificial horses associated with deities are among the oldest archaeological finds in these regions. The texts reflect the society and customs of the time, clearly showing, according to Marc-André Wagner, that the horse was considered a "double of man" and a "form of the powers", both in the founding texts, rites and mentality of the Germans.
This is due to a worldview based on the perception of nature, which is at the origin of the myths. Horses (like gods, plants and people) embody the forces of the cosmos and nature. In 1930, W. Steller postulated the existence of an original Germanic horse-god.W. Steller, Phol ende Wotan, zfvk 40, 1930 (in French), pp. 61-71 The first real study on the subject was Gutorm Gjessing's Hesten i forhistorisk kunst og kultus (1943), in which he develops the idea of the horse as an ancient symbol of fertility in Nordic mythology, in connection with the god Freyr. Secondly, he saw a connection with the Odinic cult of warrior death.
Horses in texts Written sources come mainly from the Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda, but also from the saga. Although they do not always contain many mythological elements, they do provide a precise idea of the cults paid to this animal and its importance for the ancient German-Scandinavians, and hence the reasons for its place in the founding texts. The Nafnaþulur, a form of mnemonic enumeration in Snorri Sturluson's prose Edda, provide a large number of horse names: Hrafn, Sleipnir, Valr, Lettfeti, Tjaldari, Gulltoppr, Goti, Soti, Mor, Lungr, Marr, Vigg, Stuffr, Skaevadr, Blakkr, Thegn, Silfrtoppr, Fakr, Gullfaxi, Jor, and Blóðughófi..
Horses of the Æsir gods
Horses belonging to the Aesir gods are mentioned in the Grímnismál (30) and in the Gylfaginning (15). Gulltopp is attributed to the god Heimdall in Baldrs draumar, where the god rides this animal as part of the funeral procession to celebrate Baldr's cremation.
In the Grímnismál
The eddic poem Grímnismál cites the following names:
Glad and Gyllir, Gler and Skeidbrimir, Sillfrintopp and Sinir, Gisl and Falhofnir, Gulltopp and Lettfeti; On these mounts the Aesir Ride every day When they go to council, At the root of Yggdrasill.
-Grímnismál (30)
In the Gylfaginning
The Gylfaginning, in Snorri Sturluson's prose Edda, repeats this list, adding Sleipnir "He who glides", Odin's eight-legged horse; and Glen or Glenr.Glen is mentioned instead of Glær in Codex Wormianus and Codex Trajectinus. Codex Upsaliensis, on the other hand, mentions neither.
Sleipnir
Sleipnir holds a very special place in mythological texts, being both the best described and most frequently mentioned of the Aesir horses. Sleipnir means "glider". It appears in Grímnismál, Sigrdrífumál, Baldrs draumar, Hyndluljóð and Skáldskaparmál. This eight-legged animal could move over the sea as well as in the air, and was the son of the god Loki and the powerful stallion Svaðilfari. "Best of all horses" and fastest of all, according to Snorri Sturluson, he became Odin's mount, riding him to the region of Hel and lending him to his messenger Hermóðr to accomplish the same journey; however, the god used him mainly to cross the Bifröst bridge to reach the third root of Yggdrasil, where the council of the gods was held. The Prose Edda gives many details on the circumstances of Sleipnir's birth, and specifies, for example, that he is gray in color. He is also the ancestor of the Grani horse.
Other divine and cosmogonic horses
Other horses linked to divinities or playing a role in cosmogony are mentioned in Nordic mythology. The Gylfaginning (35) reveals the origin of Sleipnir and mentions the horse Svadilfari at length. The horse was also frequently the object of admiration in the Poetic Edda, for its shape and speed. Kennings have been found comparing ships and horses, notably in the Poetic Edda, section of the Song of Sigurd, the Dragon Slayer (16). Árvakr and Alsviðr ("Early riser" and "Very swift") are the two horses that pull the goddess Sól's chariot across the sky every day, their manes emitting daylight. Skinfaxi and Hrímfaxi ("Shining mane" and "Mane of frost") are, according to Snorri Sturluson, two other cosmogonic horses. One belongs to the personification of night, Nótt, who rides him during the night, the other to the personification of day, Dagr, who rides him during the day. The first drools foam that becomes morning dew, while the second lights up the world with its mane.
In the Nafnaþulur of the Prose Edda, Blóðughófi, sometimes anglicized as Blodughofi "bloody hoof", was a horse capable of passing through fire and darkness, and belonged to Freyr. In the Skírnismál of the Poetic Edda, Freyr gave Skírnir a horse capable of running through fire to Jötunheimr to meet the giantess Gerðr; the animal was not named, but it was most likely Blóðughófi. Gullfaxi ("Golden Mane") was, in Skáldskaparmál (17), a horse originally belonging to the giant Hrungnir. After defeating the giant, Thor gave it to his son Magni as a reward for his help.
Hófvarpnir "He who throws his hooves"This literal translation could mean that the horse is kicking (according to Simek) or moving fast (according to Dillmann).Rudolf Simek, Dictionnaire de la mythologie germano-scandinave, 1996. or "He who kicks his hooves" was the horse of the goddess Gná, capable of moving through the air and over the sea. Mentioned in the Prose Edda, he was the son of HamskerpirAccording to John Lindow, the name Hamskerpir has no precise meaning. and Garðrofa, "Breaker of Fences".
I don't fly Though I think To cross the skies Over Hofvarpnir The one Hamskerpir had With Garðrofa-Gylfaginning (35)
Jacob Grimm noted that Gná was not considered a winged goddess, but that her mount Hófvarpnir may have been a winged horse, like Pegasus in Greek mythology. John Lindow added that Hamskerpir and Garðrofa are totally unknown to other sources of Nordic mythology, and that if they had an associated myth, it may not have survived.
Svadilfari or SvaðilfariThe spelling varies from manuscript to manuscript: Svaðilfari, Svaðilferi, Svaðilfori or Svaðilfǫri. "He who makes arduous journeys," or "He who makes unhappy journeys" is the stallion who begot Sleipnir with Loki transformed into a mare according to the Hyndluljód (40). Snorri's Gylfaginning (42) states that he belongs to the giant master builder and contributed to the construction of Asgard.
The Valkyrie horses are described in the Helgakvida Hjörvardssonar:
Quand les chevaux dressaient la tête, la rosée, de leurs crinières tombait dans les vallées profondes— Helgakvida Hjörvardssonar (28)
This description recalls Hrimfaxi.
Horses of heroes and sagas
The horse features prominently in the sagas and heroic tales of the Poetic Edda. In the Swedish saga of the Ynglingar, the king can give three very precious things, which are, in order: a good horse, a golden saddle and a fine ship.Snorri Sturluson, Ynglinga saga Freyfaxi, "Freyr's Mane", is the horse dedicated to the god Freyr, belonging to the protagonist of the Hrafnkell saga. He had sworn that he alone would ride it, and that he would kill anyone who tried to climb onto it. The breaking of this oath is a major plot element in the saga. When his neighbour's son rides Freyfaxi to retrieve his runaway sheep, Hrafnkell remains true to his oath and kills him.
Grani is a gray horse descended from Odin's mount Sleipnir. It is captured and ridden by the hero Sigurd (or Siegfried) in the Völsunga saga (13) on the advice of an old man who is in fact the god Odin in disguise. This horse then accompanies Sigurd on all his adventures. Grani possesses marvelous powers, great strength and remarkable intelligence, as he proved when he broke through the ring of flames surrounding the valkyrie Brunhilde (27), then mourned his master's death with his wife Gudrun. In Richard Wagner's opera Der Ring des Nibelungen, Grane is the name of Brunehilde's horse. Goti, another horse mentioned in the Sigurd legend, is the mount of Sigurd's blood brother, Gunther. Goti flees the inferno surrounding the valkyrie Brunhilde, forcing Sigurd to lend his own mount, Grani, to Gunther.
Other horses Snorri Sturluson mentions several horses belonging to kings and highlights their passion for these animals on numerous occasions. According to Heimskringla, the Norwegian king Eadgils loved generous steeds and fed the two best of his time. One was named Slöngvir, the other Hrafn. The mare he took after the death of King Ala gave birth to another destier with the same name. Adils presented Hrafn to Godgest, King of Heligoland, but the chieftain rode her one day, unable to stop her, and fell to his death.
Kings Allrek and Kirek tamed steeds and surpassed all others in the art of horsemanship. They vied with each other to see who could win through skill as a rider or beauty of mount. One day, the two brothers, carried away by the ardor of their horses, didn't return. Only their corpses were found. They had fallen victim to their favorite passion. Other traces of horses from Nordic mythology can be found in the name of the English hero Hengist (meaning "stallion") and his brother Horsa, "horse".
Analysis According to the Prose Edda, only the male gods owned horses; the twelve Aesir gods shared eleven, and Thor was the only one without a horse, since he made the journey across the Bifröst bridge on foot. The highly "humanized" Scandinavian gods seem to have the same concerns as men on earth, for a good horse is indispensable even to a god. Most Aesir horses were not associated with any particular deity, apart from Sleipnir and Gulltopp. There is no other written information on these mounts, apart from that provided by the etymology of their names
Etymology of Aesir horse Several translations of the Aesir horses' names from Old Norse have been proposed, notably in French by Régis Boyer and François-Xavier Dillmann, in German by Rudolf Simek, and in English by John Lindow and Carolyne Larrington. Glad, or Glaðr means "Joyful" or "Radiant"; Gyllir "Golden"; Glær "Clear" or "Transparent"; Skeidbrimir or Skeiðbrimir "He who snorts during the race" or "He who snorts during the race"; Silfrintopp or Silfrintoppr "Silver toupet" or "Silver mane" ; Sinir "Nervous"; Gísl "Radiant"; Falhófnir "He whose hooves are covered with hair" or "He whose hooves are light"; Gulltopp or Gulltoppr "Golden head" or "Golden mane", and Léttfeti "Light hoof".
Disdain for the mare