Odinsteed
When you want a horse, but not any horse will do. You don't want a Lord's horse, nor one fit for a King. You want a horse bred for a God.
Be careful of unearthing legends, however.
The Odinsteed, The Sleipnir-Kin
The origin of these bizarre horses is unknown. Though they bear resemblance to Odin's 8-legged horse, Sleipnir, there is much debate around the myth that they are actually descended from such a creature.
The only reported cases of someone riding an Odinsteed are from so long ago that they are always considered legends and children's tales. Even in these tales, however, the riders are great heroes who have performed a service for the horse in the past.
The Odinsteeds are said to be majestic and powerful, but as such, proud and hard to train. The claims average anywhere from 18 to 30 Hands in height and it is said they can easily outrun anything with less legs.
A Twisted Truth, Perhaps?
The Odinsteed are not great horses of the blood of Sleipnir. They are indeed rare and special, though not in a pleasant way. They are a breed of black-maned horses infused with the blood of Giant Spiders. With the ability to weave and crawl among large webs high above the ground, it is rare to catch an Odinsteed unawares.
Odin may have ridden a majestic eight-legged steed in Norse mythology, but the namesake Odinsteed are a vile and twisted horse-spider hybrid. With eight powerful and multi-jointed legs, eight beady little eyes sprinkled about an equine facade, internal mechanisms for creating webbing that leaves their hind quarters looking bulbous and bloated, and a set of horrible hidden mandibles that it can produce from a seemingly horse-like mouth, these horses are hardly the legendary creatures of good that Sleipnir was.
Their origin is uncertain, thought almost definitely a result of horse and spider magical cross-breeding. They now reside in the deep, dark, places of the earth much like other Giant Spiders and horrific monsters.
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? Responses (5)
Can they be tamed or befriended or do they want to eat the few humans they see?
It's fun, yes. But yes, I would kind of like to see some of what they are like interacting with people. Perhaps one of those legends or the impressions of a farrier who had to deal with one?
Oh my! this really tickles my funnybone; the spawn of horses and spiders, passed of as ancient, noble beasts. Very original!
Very nice - like to see a bit more to give them more personality. These make a nice building block.
A neat idea with solid write-up. Would be nice if it could be expanded in ways already mentioned above.