Sleipnir’s rider, in myth crossword

The All-Father of Norse myth, sits undisputed on the eight legged horse Sleipnir. The stallion sprang from a magical mating - the trickster god Loki, shifted into mare form, coupled with the work horse Svadilfari. No other horse matches Sleipnir for speed or strength. Odin's use of this mount stands for his power to cross every sphere of the cosmos - the ride mirrors his claim to boundless sight and to command over every force in existence. Yet Sleipnir is more than a swift carrier. The horse acts as a go between for mortals and gods - he bears Odin on grim trips to the land of the dead or to the crest of Asgard where the divine court meets. When people picture Odin on Sleipnir they see one bright eye full of lore plus a long cloak snapped by the wind - that picture has stirred poets and artists for hundreds of years. The crossword cue “Sleipnir's rider, in myth” keeps the pair alive in memory. Odin's rule over the stallion proclaims his sway and links him to the raw powers of nature - it points back to the deep store of wisdom but also might at the core of Norse tales. As we search for the puzzle answer we step further into those old stories and into the sharp truths they still hand down about human life. Thus the reply to the clue is not a bare word - it is a door into a realm of story that still grips the mind.