The Birth of the Holy City

[Ivar's in the stables for this broadcast, petting the horse that he usually chooses as his mount. There's a reason he's chosen this particular location as will soon become evident.]

I was told by someone I should tell you stories from my home in an attempt to help this place make more sense. So I shall tell you one, but I warn you I am a warrior first and foremost, so you must forgive me if the tale comes out poorly. I'm sure some of you have been wondering why the horses like Garpr here have eight legs. There is a reason for that in the story they tell back home.

Very long ago, Asgard needed to build a wall to defend itself against things like the giants that roamed the other realms. But how to do it? A builder came to them and offered to do the work within three seasons, asking for the sun, the moon, and the goddess Freyja in exchange. Never ones to turn down a bargain, the Aesir said he could do it, but that he had to complete the work in three seasons. He could have no help save that of his stallion Svaðilfari, a wonderous steed who could pull the mighty stones fast enough that the work would be done just before the deadline was due.

Blaming the trickster god Loki for convincing the gods to allow the horse to help with the work, they told him to solve the problem, lest a terrible punishment be wreaked upon him. The clever god knew of one way to get the work to stop.

Loki transformed himself into a mare and, ah, Svaðilfari realized what kind of a horse she was. He went crazy and tore apart his tackle to pursue her, with his owner chasing after him. The stallion was distracted and went into going into the woods with the disguised god long enough to allow the deadline to pass. [Hey, there's some kids in Asgard, so he's not about to spell everything out. He doesn't want someone yelling at him in case someone like Alice is listening in.]

The builder had to finish the work, but when the Aesir discovered he was a frost giant in disguise, the god Thor was called upon to smash his skull into a thousand pieces rather then give him any payment. [Because it ain't a Norse tale unless some bloodshed is involved.] Loki, still in the form of a mare, later gave birth to a grey foal with eight legs named Sleipnir, who is called the best horse among both mortals and gods. He is Odin's mount, and judging by the horses here, apparently has been prolific in making sure his bloodline continues on. So there you have it, a tale of how a normally male god can be the mother of a horse.

[Look, Norse stories are really weird sometimes, so you all will just have to go with this. They'll only get weirder from here on out.]