Two large bellows (ísarnkol; cold iron) were placed under the shoulders of the two horses to protect them from the immense heat of the Sun.
[6][7] Árvakr ok Alsviðr · þęir skulu upp heðan svangir sól draga.
The myth of the Sun pulled by horses is not exclusive to Norse or Germanic religion.
Many other mythologies and religions contain a solar deity or carriage of the Sun pulled by horses.
[8] The myth of Árvakr and Alsviðr is thought to have inspired English dramatist and poet James Shirley's play The Triumph of Peace (1663).