The gods of Asgard, home to brave Thor and wise Odin, were feeling a little bit worried. Their amazing city in the sky didn't have a very good wall, and sometimes, grumpy giants or sneaky trolls would try to cause trouble. "We need a super strong wall!" declared Odin.

Just then, a mysterious stranger rode up to Asgard. He was tall and cloaked, and with him was a magnificent, strong horse. "I hear you need a wall," said the stranger. "I can build you the strongest wall imaginable, one that no giant can break."

The gods were interested. "And what would you want in return?" asked Odin.

The stranger smiled. "Not much. Just the Sun, the Moon, and the hand of the beautiful goddess Freya in marriage."

The gods gasped! That was a HUGE price! Freya definitely didn't want to marry a stranger, and who could live without the Sun and Moon?

But clever Loki, the god of mischief, whispered to Odin, "Let's agree, but tell him he has to finish it in only one winter. And he can have no help except from his horse. He'll never do it in time!"

So, Odin told the stranger the conditions. The stranger thought for a moment, then agreed. "But if I finish it, you must keep your promise."

The very next day, the stranger and his amazing horse, Svaðilfari, began to work. And oh, how they worked! Svaðilfari was no ordinary horse. He hauled enormous stones, bigger than houses, all by himself, and the stranger set them perfectly in place. Day after day, the wall grew taller and stronger.

The gods started to get nervous. This builder was TOO good! With only three days left before the end of winter, the wall was almost finished! Freya was starting to cry, and the Sun and Moon looked worried.

"Loki!" boomed Odin, his one eye glaring. "This was your clever idea! You have to fix this! If he finishes that wall, we lose everything!"

Loki, who was very good at getting out of (and into) trouble, had a sneaky idea. He knew Svaðilfari was the real secret to the builder's speed. So, Loki transformed himself into a beautiful, playful mare – a girl horse – with a lovely white coat.

As Svaðilfari was dragging the very last, giant cornerstone towards the gap in the wall, Loki, as the mare, pranced out from the nearby woods. He neighed sweetly and playfully kicked up his heels.

Svaðilfari, who had been working so hard for so long, stopped in his tracks. He’d never seen such a pretty mare! He whinnied back, forgot all about the giant stone, and galloped after the lovely mare into the forest.

"Svaðilfari! Come back!" shouted the builder. But his horse was gone, chasing the playful mare deep into the woods. Without his super-strong horse, the builder couldn't move the last few stones.

The sun rose, marking the end of winter. The wall was not quite complete.

The builder was furious! He stomped his feet and suddenly grew bigger and angrier, his disguise falling away. He was a giant! "You tricked me!" he roared.

Just then, Thor arrived, swinging his mighty hammer, Mjolnir. "No giant gets Freya, or the Sun and Moon, not while I'm around!" he boomed. And with a powerful throw of his hammer, he made sure the giant wouldn't bother Asgard again.

A little while later, Loki returned. And guess what? He wasn't alone. Trotting beside him was a new, amazing horse with eight legs! This was Sleipnir, who became Odin's very own super-fast steed, and the child of Loki and Svaðilfari.

And so, Asgard got its strong wall (mostly finished by the giant, and the rest by the gods), Freya was safe, and the Sun and Moon stayed right where they belonged in the sky, all thanks to a bit of Loki's trickery and a very distracted horse.

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