Asgard Walls Built By Giant Master Mason And Birth Of Magical Horse Sleipnir
A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - In the first part of Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda, "Gylfaginning" we find a story how the Aesir gods built the walls around their home, Asgard.
After the first and last war with the Vanir gods, the Aesir did not feel entirely protected so they decided to build a fortress, strong enough to resist or withstand attack.
While they were planning how this could be done, an unknown giant and architect appeared at the gates of Asgard, with an offer to undertake the construction.
It was a perfectly fitting moment for the trickster god, Loki to come up with a brilliant idea of creating a giant who could construct suitable fortifications.
The gods, armed, ran out to confront him but the giant stranger wasn’t interested in fight; he came with a proposition. He declared that construction works would be completed in 18 months but on one condition.
For his fee, the unknown builder demanded the hand of the goddess Freya and he would also additionally take the Sun and the Moon.
The gods didn’t like these demands but the giant builder didn’t change his mind. Most angry of them all was Odin, who declared he would never part with Freya or with the Sun and the Moon.
In this situation, Loki once again came up with an idea. He advised the Aesir gods not to be too hasty and rather reconsider his own plan.
Loki and Svadilfari (1909) by Dorothy Hardy.
Loki suggested that if they could get the giant to promise to build the walls during a single winter and finish before springtime, they would have nothing to fear. They could all feel much more secured because it was practically impossible for anyone to complete the works so quickly.
Surprisingly, the giant builder agreed to make the job done, with no other assistance than that of his horse Svadilfare. The support of the magical horse was invaluable and they immediately set to work hard and fast. Heavy blocks of stone were transported by night and the fortification was built during the day. The works progressed rapidly and the gods began to feel slightly anxious. At no price were they prepared to give Freya, the Sun, and the Moon to the giant.
The builder was almost ready with his job three days before the end of the period.
Once again, they ordered Loki to find a better solution because his bad advice was the cause of their trouble. They threatened him with death and Loki had to find a way out of their difficulties and he did.
Loki was not only active as the trickster but also as a shapeshifter; he could easily change his appearance to a woman, a man or an animal.
Using his extraordinary skills to lure the black stallion and distract him from the work, Loki transformed himself into a mare. He ran out from the forest at evening just as Svadilfari was at his work.
The wonderful magical Svadilfari broke loose and followed the mare into the woods, where the two horses spent the night together until the night was almost gone, and it was no longer possible to finish the construction works. The giant builder was unable to complete the job himself without his stallion.
Next day, there was the end of winter and the walls of Asgard were not entirely completed. The giant builder lost his payment and was slain by the thunder god, Thor, the goddess Freya saved herself from the marriage.
Also Loki had an experience to remember forever. While disguised as the beautiful mare, Loki became pregnant and gave birth to an eight-legged gray foal – Sleipnir - after a few months.
Sleipnir was given to the supreme god Odin and became his one and only wonderful horse.
Written by – A. Sutherland AncientPages.com Staff Writer
Copyright © AncientPages.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or part without the express written permission of AncientPages.com
More From Ancient Pages
-
Dice Existed Long Before Recorded History And Were Not Always Perfect Cubes
Archaeology | Feb 1, 2018
-
Why Didn’t The Spartans Build City Walls?
Civilizations | May 30, 2022
-
Queen Nefertari – Favorite Wife Of Ramses II The Great And Her Lavishly Decorated Tomb In The Valley Of The Queens
Featured Stories | May 22, 2020
-
Mysterious Skeletons Of A Tall Unknown Race Discovered In California – Who Were These Beings?
Featured Stories | Apr 10, 2024
-
Ancient Oil Lamp Shop Discovered In Aizanoi, The Second Ephesus
Archaeology | Nov 22, 2021
-
4,000-Year-Old Textile Mill Discovered At Beycesultan Mound In Western Turkey
Archaeology | Sep 25, 2020
-
New Large Sphinx Still Embedded In Soil Discovered In Luxor, Egypt
Archaeology | Aug 10, 2018
-
Gnomes – Fantastic Supernatural Creatures Knowing Secrets Of Earth Mountains Rivers And Rocks
Featured Stories | Nov 20, 2018
-
7,000-Year-Old Kilns From Ceramics Workshop Unearthed In Northeast Bulgaria
Archaeology | Nov 20, 2020
-
On This Day In History: The U.K.’s First Murder Case Solved By A Fingerprint – On March 27, 1905
News | Mar 27, 2017
-
Partial Skull Fossils Found In China Could Be A New Species -‘A Kind Of Unknown Or New Archaic Human’, Researcher Says
Archaeology | Mar 6, 2017
-
Mystery Of The Faceless Woman Found In A 1,000-Year-Old Royal Grave
Archaeology | Nov 7, 2023
-
Controversial Discovery : 15,000 Ancient Ebla Tablets Prove Old Testament To Be Accurate
Archaeology | Oct 5, 2015
-
York’s Thriving Medieval Jewish Community – New Study
Archaeology | Aug 22, 2023
-
Reconstructed Roman Gateway Tells The Story Of Britain’s Invasion
Featured Stories | Aug 26, 2023
-
Restoration Of Valuable 4th Century Silk Tunics Attributed To St. Ambrose Takes Place In Milan
Artifacts | Apr 12, 2017
-
Ashvins: Vedic Twin Gods Of Medicine And Healing Were Skilled Surgeons
Featured Stories | Feb 1, 2019
-
Story Of David And Goliath Linked To Horvat Qeiyafa In The Valley Of Elah, Israel
Archaeology | Feb 22, 2022
-
Uncovering The Lost Indigenous Settlement Of Sarabay, Florida
Archaeology | Jun 9, 2021
-
1,500-Year-Old Tunnel Tomb With Human Remains And Artifacts Accidentally Unearthed In Japan
Archaeology | Feb 23, 2018