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Asgard, a realm of wonders, was where 
the Norse Gods made their home.

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There Odin’s great hall of Valhalla 
towered above the mountains

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and Bifrost, the rainbow bridge, 
anchored itself.

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But though their domain was magnificent,

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it stood undefended from the giants 
and trolls of Jotunheim,

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who despised the gods and 
sought to destroy them.

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One day when Thor, strongest of the 
gods, was off fighting these foes,

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a stranger appeared, 
riding a powerful gray horse.

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The visitor made the gods 
an astonishing offer.

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He would build them the greatest 
wall they’d ever seen,

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higher than any giant could climb 
and stronger than any troll could break.

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All he asked in return was the beautiful 
goddess Freya’s hand in marriage—

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along with the sun and moon from the sky.

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The gods balked at this request 
and were ready to send him away.

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But the trickster Loki 
concocted a devious plan.

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He told the gods they should 
accept the stranger’s offer,

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but set such strict conditions that he 
would fail to complete the wall in time.

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That way, they would lose nothing, while 
getting most of the wall built for free.

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Freya didn’t like this idea at all,

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but Odin and the other 
gods were convinced

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and came to an agreement 
with the builder.

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He would only have one winter 
to complete the wall.

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If any part was unfinished by 
the first day of summer,

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he would receive no payment.

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And he could have no help 
from any other people.

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The gods sealed the deal with solemn oaths

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and swore the mason would come 
to no harm in Asgard.

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In the morning, the stranger began to dig 
the foundations at an astonishing speed,

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and at nightfall he set off towards the 
mountains to obtain the building stones.

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But it was only the next morning, 
when they saw him returning,

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that the gods began to worry.

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As agreed, no other people 
were helping the mason.

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But his horse Svadilfari was hauling 
a load of stones so massive

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it left trenches in the ground 
behind them.

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Winter came and went.

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The stranger kept building, 
Svadilfari kept hauling,

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and neither snow nor rain could 
slow their progress.

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With only three days left until summer, 
the wall stood high and impenetrable,

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with only the gate left to be built.

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Horrified, the gods realized that not 
only would they lose

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their fertility goddess forever,

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but without the sun and moon the world 
would be plunged into eternal darkness.

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They wondered why they’d made 
such a foolish wager—

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and then remembered Loki 
and his terrible advice.

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Suddenly, Loki didn’t feel so clever.

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All of his fellow gods threatened him 
with an unimaginably painful death

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if he didn’t find some way to prevent 
the builder from getting his payment.

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So Loki promised to take care of the 
situation, and dashed away.

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Outside, night had fallen,

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and the builder prepared to set off 
to retrieve the final load of stones.

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But just as he called Svadilfari to him, 
a mare appeared in the field.

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She was so beautiful that 
Svadilfari ignored his master

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and broke free of his reins.

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The mason tried to catch him,

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but the mare ran deep into the 
woods and Svadilfari followed.

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The stranger was furious.

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He knew that the gods were behind 
this and confronted them:

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no longer as a mild-mannered mason,

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but in his true form as a terrifying 
mountain giant.

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This was a big mistake.

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Thor had just returned to Asgard,

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and now that the gods knew 
a giant was in their midst,

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they disregarded their oaths.

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The only payment the 
builder would receive—

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and the last thing he would ever see—

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was the swing of Thor’s 
mighty hammer Mjolnir.

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As they set the final stones into the 
wall, the gods celebrated their victory.

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Loki was not among them, however.

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Several months would pass 
before he finally returned,

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followed by a beautiful gray 
foal with eight legs.

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The foal would grow into a magnificent 
steed named Sleipnir

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and become Odin’s mount, a horse 
that could outrun the wind itself.

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But exactly where he had come from was 
something Loki preferred not to discuss.