Arvak and Alsvid
Encyclopedia
In Norse mythology
, Árvakr (Old Norse
"early awake") and Alsviðr (Old Norse "very quick") are the horse
s which pull the sun, or Sol's chariot, across the sky each day.
Norse mythology
Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
, Árvakr (Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
"early awake") and Alsviðr (Old Norse "very quick") are the horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
s which pull the sun, or Sol's chariot, across the sky each day.