In terms of ethnic extraction, Sleipnir's first name is Norse and her last name is Irish. The same was true of Professora Foglio (her maiden name being Murphy). This suggests that Sleipnir, who is involved with the plot — where the actual "Prof. Kaja Foglio" so far is not — may function as an avatar of Kaja Foglio as well. Sleipnir is not a spark but a mechanic who likes to hang around sparks; Kaja has expressed the feeling that she is not a scientist but a fan of science.