It’s time to start your journey and collect your Medals for Life,
Every challenge will bring you further on your path.
Become the writer of your own Strong Viking Saga,
And let the Sleipnir guide you on your quest.
The first honour metal in the Medals for Life series is the legendary Sleipnir Axe. This axe consists of four medal parts, each part represents two medal points. You therefore need eight medal points to obtain the full axe. You can earn the points by participating in Strong Viking editions, with every edition you earn one medal point. Also the new Virtual Editions are included in the Medals for Life, so there is always a possibility to earn new points!
The Sleipnir Axe is, of course, not just any axe. The final piece of this medal portrays Sleipnir. Sleipnir is a character from Nordic mythology and not just any character. Sleipnir is the eight-legged horse of Viking supreme god Odin. Odin is often shown on his throne, together with his ravens and his two wolves. Odin is the God of War and when he goes to war it is always together with his eight-legged horse Sleipnir.
THE HISTORY OF SLEIPNIR
The story begins in Asgard, the place where the Gods lived. This city was surrounded by a great wall, which had to protect all the inhabiting Gods. In addition to the protection of this wall, the God Thor was responsible for guarding Asgard. However, Thor was busier killing giants than guarding the city. In his absence, the city was attacked and the wall destroyed. The city could not exist without this great wall and soon an unknown builder came to Asgard. This builder promised to rebuild the wall without any help! Moreover, he would do the job in a time that no one could beat, even if they had all the help in the world. Of course, the gods were interested in this plan, but it came at a high price...
In return for a new wall, the master builder requested the sun, the moon and Goddess Freya. Even before the Gods could discuss this demand, someone had already agreed, it was Loki, the God of fire. He set only one condition: the construction of the wall had to be completed within six months. The master builder then agreed with the added condition that he could use his stallion Svadilfari.
Loki was satisfied with his trick, building the wall in such a short time was impossible. The sun, the moon and Freya were safe. However, Loki was not the only one with a trick. The unknown builder was in fact no stranger to the gods, it was the giant Hrimthur. His stallion Svadilfari was stronger than any other horse. Building the wall together was no problem for them.
To the great astonishment of the Gods, the construction of the wall proceeded smoothly. The Gods of Asgard feared that they would have to pay the promised reward. Loki no longer felt safe and came up with a new trick. He transformed himself into a beautiful white mare and lured Svadilfari away from the wall. This trick eventually led to the birth of an eight-legged horse. Loki returned to Asgard and gave the horse to Odin, who named him Sleipnir. Here began the story of Sleipnir, who grew into a large and muscular horse, the fastest horse in existence! His coat is grey like a stormy sky, his manes a darker grey. Legend has it that runes were engraved in Sleipnir's teeth. After he had grown into an adult horse, he could not only move on land, but could even walk over the sea and through the air. On top of that Sleipnir could also transport Odin between the worlds of heaven and earth.
The present
Modern Vikings look to Sleipnir as an inspiration for the foundation of their existence. The ability to go through life confidently and for the way we all cross different worlds through the various roles we play in life.
Let the Sleipnir Axe guide you between the world of everyday life and our Viking world and take the next step in your Viking adventure.
Have you earned the entire Sleipnir Axe?! Then give it the place it deserves with the unique medal showcase!!
