Sleipnir When the Æsir realize that the builder is a hrimthurs, they disregard their previous oaths with the builder, and call for Thor. Thor arrives, and kills the builder by smashing the builder's skull into shards with the hammer Mjöllnir. However, Loki had "such dealings" with Svaðilfari that "somewhat later" Loki gave birth to a grey foal with eight legs; the horse Sleipnir, "the best horse among gods and men." In chapter 49, High describes the death of the god Baldr. Hermóðr agrees to ride to Hel to offer a ransom for Baldr's return, and so "then Odin's horse Sleipnir was
Eight-legged essay The following is a translation of an original eight-legged essay, written by Wang Ao (1450–1524), who was considered to be a master of the form. Essay Topic: "If the people enjoy sufficiency how could the ruler suffer from insufficiency?" 1. Pòtí: When the people below are rich, the ruler at the top will naturally be rich. 2. Chéngtí: This is so because the wealth of the ruler is something kept by the people. If the people are already rich, how can it stand to reason that the ruler alone is poor? 3. Qǐjiǎng: You Ruo spoke from profundity the idea