The mighty Sleipnir
Eight-legged reið of Odin
King among horses
The ᚱ rune makes a r sound and is named Reið or Raidō, meaning ‘ride’ or ‘journey’. It is associated with horses and travelling.
In the Norse religion, the most famous horse is Sleipnir. He was conceived when the shape-shifting God Loki turned Himself into a mare and seduced the stallion Svaðilfari. The reason for this is detailed in chapter 42 of Gylfaginning.
It’s unclear what the eight-legged Sleipnir represented to the ancient Norse but since he is the ride Odin uses to travel between worlds, it is theorised that he was associated with shamanic practices.
Son Of Freya 