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Richard Walker

Skíðblaðnir

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For many years I fantasized about a folding car. The idea, you see, was that if you came to a traffic jam, or couldn't find a parking space, you would simply fold the car up and walk off with it under your arm.

Now I find the same idea was thought of at least a thousand years ago. In Norse mythology the ship Skíðblaðnir, the "best of all ships", crafted by dwarves and the property of the god Freyr, was "made with so much cunning" that it could be folded up like a cloth and stowed away in your pocket.

In the picture Skíðblaðnir can be seen at bottom right.


The folding car doesn't exist, and Freyr has already bagged the only folding ship. But I do have a folding mobility scooter. Like Skíðblaðnir it is a marvel of intricacy and craftsmanship. It will not quite go in my pocket, but it does collapse to the size of a small wheeling suitcase, and fits easily in a car boot.

Picture credit: Wikimedia, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_third_gift_%E2%80%94_an_enormous_hammer_by_Elmer_Boyd_Smith.jpg


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