InNorse mythology,Hamskerpir andGarðrofa are a pair ofhorses who siredHófvarpnir, the horse ridden by thegoddessGná. Hamskerpir and Garðrofa are attested in theProse Edda, written in the 13th century bySnorri Sturluson.
In chapter 35 of theProse Edda bookGylfaginning,High provides brief descriptions of 16ásynjur. High lists Gná thirteenth, and in his description provides a stanza that gives Gná's horse Hófvarpnir's parents as Hamskerðir and Garðrofa:
- "I fly not
- though I fare
- and move through the air
- on Hofvarpnir
- the one whom Hamskerpir got
- with Gardrofa."[1]
John Lindow says that the nameHamskerpir does not have an obvious meaning, but thatGarðrofa may mean "fence breaker." Lindow adds that two horses are otherwise unknown from any other source, and that the myths surrounding them have not survived.[2]