Horses of the Æsir Horses of the Æsir The horses of the Æsir are listed twice. The Eddic poem "Grímnismál" gives the following names: Snorri Sturluson paraphrases this stanza in his "Gylfaginning": Apart from Sleipnir, Odin's eight-legged horse, and Gulltoppr, who belongs to Heimdallr according to the "Prose Edda", nothing is known about these horses, especially their owner. These names are yet listed in the "þulur". Other horses are mentioned elsewhere: Gullfaxi, which originally belonged to Hrungnir, but who was given by Thor to his son Magni after he killed the giant ("Skáldskaparmál", ), Blóðughófi, which belongs to Freyr ("Kálfsvísa") and Hófvarpnir, which is
Eight-legged essay well defined and easy to follow. For the purpose of administering a large group of exam-takers, this structure allowed convenient regulation as the exam-takers were not likely to deviate from the requirements. Thus, this format contributed to ensuring standard and fairness in the civil service examination system. The examiners could reduce the amount of time spent in grading exams by being accustomed to this format, and uncertainties in the grading schemes were reduced. A scholar named Tian Qilin defended the eight-legged essay by arguing that it embodies the complex Chinese cultural and literary tradition. As early as the 17th century,