Arvak and Alsvid pull the sun across the sky, their manes illuminating the heavens. Arvak’s name means "early awake," reflecting dawn’s arrival. In poetry, these horses serve as metaphors for time, vigilance, and the relentless passage of days, often evoked to underscore cosmic cycles.

Arvak (Árvakr, "early-awake") is the other sun-horse alongside Alsvid, mentioned in Grímnismál. The gods placed bellows under their shoulders to cool them—a detail showing divine care for cosmic machinery. Arvak’s name evokes dawn, vigilance, and anticipation. In poetic contexts, Arvak can symbolize beginnings, hope, or the first stirrings of inspiration. The pairing with Alsvid offers poets a rhythmic and thematic duo (past/anticipation vs. present/swiftness) useful in lyrical structures exploring diurnal cycles or the tension between preparation and action.