“Eight legs and magic runes carved upon his teeth.”

He is descended from giants

His father Loki, God of fire

Is the sworn blood brother to Odin himself

He rides across land, sea and airFrom 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

Sleipnir is one of those figures in Norse mythology that people either get or don’t. He is the son of Loki. But Loki wasn’t Sleipnir’s father. He was his Mother.

Long story short, the Aesir contracted with a Jotun for him to build the city walls. The Jotun wanted Freya as his bride as the cost of the walls. The Aesir put a ridiculous timeframe on the work and the Jotun agreed. The Jotun shoed up with a Stallion that could plow and build the walls at the same time. The Aesir were worried. They tormented the stallion but when that didn’t work, Loki turned into a Mare and lured the Stallion away from the work causing the Jotun to not complete the walls in time.

Sometime later, out pops a baby Sleipnir!

For the whole story:

https://norse-mythology.org/tales/the-fortification-of-asgard/

Many people think that the Valkyries carried the dead to Vallhol. That is incorrect. They were the choosers of the slain. The actual entity relocating the stiffs was Sleipnir.

So Sleipnir may be a manifestation of Norse burial customs as the dead, when carried to their rest, were carried by four men. Four men = Eight Legs

Odin and Sleipnir came to an accommodation where Sleipnir allows Odin to ride. This is the ONLY child of Loki that is on the side of the Aesir at Ragnarok.

The band Manowar did a GREAT song on the subject…..