why did sleipnir have eight legs?

Question

odins horse.

Answer 1

Different theories exist.

One is that the eight legs represent a doubling of the traditional four legs of a horse. Remember that part of the Odinic Mystery is Odin's nature as the Doubled One (but also the Halved One). He is both male and female (usually we have 1 gender, but he had 2) but he has only 1 eye (usually we have 2). The doubling of things related to Odin refer to his power as the deity associated with communication, magic, lawgiving, etc., in other words to his crossroads-like, Life/Death duality. So the eight legs of his horse are a doubling of four legs.

Here's another theory: the eight legs refer to the four cardinal directions and four "cross-quarter" directions. While this directional sense was less important for the Norse than for, say, the Celts, it was one way of representing universal capacity for movement, which is Sleipnir's nature.

Here's another theory: Sleipnir is a gallows. Remember that Odin is the Lord of the Gallows and was often understood to ride a gallows between worlds (say, between Midgard & Asgard). The old Norse gallows often had--surprise--eight posts that supported them.

Hope this is helpful.

Answer 2

This is because the horses from that region had a particular gait that made them appear as if they had 8 legs.

Answer 3

Because a lot of people on this earth fears anything that had eight legs.................................................. And yes they did try to make him look as fierce as the could.....................................