The most misunderstood civilization is making its way back through Pop Culture
By now, there is not a single medium of pop culture Norse Mythology has not been referred to. It makes us question why Norse Mythology and why now? Assassins Creed Valhalla, Ubisoft’s latest installment in Assassins Creed Franchise, Vikings make their way into gaming.
In Norse mythology, Valhalla is a majestic, enormous hall located in Asgard, ruled over by the god Odin. Chosen by Odin, half of those who die in combat travel to Valhalla upon death, led by valkyries, while the other half go to the goddess Freyja’s field Fólkvangr. In Valhalla, the dead warriors join the masses of those who have died in combat (known as the Einherjar) and various legendary Germanic heroes and kings, as they prepare to aid Odin during the events of Ragnarök.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla takes place during England’s Dark Ages in the 9th century. Ubisoft is taking inspiration from Norse mythology — much like the studio did with Egyptian and Greek mythology in Origins and Odyssey, respectively. If we listen closely to the trailer of AC Valhalla, they clearly showcase how misunderstood Vikings were.
Norse civilization during the Viking Age was technologically, militarily and culturally advanced. Yet popular, modern conceptions of the Vikings — the term frequently applied casually to their modern descendants and the inhabitants of modern Scandinavia — often strongly differ from the complex picture that emerges from archaeology and historical sources, namely that of the advanced civilization that Norsemen were. A romanticized picture of Vikings as noble savages began to emerge in the 18th century; this developed and became widely propagated during the 19th-century Viking revival. Perceived views of the Vikings as alternatively violent, piratical heathens or as intrepid adventurers owe much to conflicting varieties of the modern Viking myth that had taken shape by the early 20th century. Current popular representations of the Vikings are typically based on cultural clichés and stereotypes, complicating modern appreciation of the Viking legacy. These representations are rarely accurate — for example, there is no evidence that they wore horned helmets, a costuming element that first appeared in Wagnerian opera. — Wikipedia
And it’s true, Vikings were not what we assume to be and this is hoping AC Valhalla clears that misconception.
Vikings are known for being fearsome warriors, and many battles were won because of their skills as sailors, but they didn’t partake in naval combat as you’d expect. The Vikings longship will play a crucial role in traversing the map and bringing your raiding party where it needs to go. — Ashraf Ismail (Cretative Director of Ubisoft)
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will release Holiday 2020 for Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC (Epic Games Store, and Uplay), and Stadia. You can pre-order it now. It is unknown if the current global pandemic has affected its release date in any way.
God of War is an action-adventure game developed by Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE). Released on April 20, 2018, for the PlayStation 4 (PS4), it is the eighth installment in the God of War series.
Unlike previous games, which were loosely based on Greek mythology, this installment is rooted in Norse mythology, with the majority of it set in ancient Norway in the realm of Midgard. Six of the nine realms of Norse mythology can be explored. Predating the Vikings, most of the game takes place in ancient Norway in the realm of Midgard, inhabited by humans and other creatures. It is the same realm in which the Greek world had existed. As more creatures began appearing, many humans fled. Other realms visited as part of the story include Alfheim, the mystical home of the light and dark elves, Helheim, the icy land of the dead, and Jötunheim, the mountainous land of the giants. Optional explorable realms include Niflheim, a realm of poisonous fog with a maze-like structure of rewards, and the fire realm Muspelheim, featuring the six Trials of Muspelheim; completing each trial grants rewards and advances Kratos and Atreus closer to the top of a large volcano. Access to the other three realms — Asgard, home of the Æsir gods, Vanaheim, home of the Vanir gods, and Svartalfheim, home of the dwarves — has been blocked by Odin, the ruler of Asgard and the Æsir gods. At the center of the realms is the mythical tree Yggdrasil, which connects each realm together. Although each realm is a different world, they exist simultaneously in the same space. Travel to and from realms can be done by using the Bifröst from a root of Yggdrasil contained within a temple at the center of the Lake of the Nine. The temple was created by the now-dead Týr, a peaceful God of War who had traveled to other lands and learned about their mythologies; Odin had him killed as he believed Týr was secretly aiding the giants and would try to overthrow him.
The game focuses on Runestones and Runic Symbols. A runestone is typically a raised stone with a runic inscription, but the term can also be applied to inscriptions on boulders and on bedrock. The tradition began in the 4th century and lasted into the 12th century, but most of the runestones date from the late Viking Age. Although they were generally a non-literate culture that produced no literary legacy, they had an alphabet and described themselves and their world on runestones.
How to Train Your Dragon is a 2010 American computer-animated action-fantasy film loosely based on the 2003 book of the same name by British author Cressida Cowell, produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures.
The story takes place in a mythical Viking world where a young Viking teenager named Hiccup aspires to follow his tribe’s tradition of becoming a dragon slayer. After finally capturing his first dragon, and with his chance at last of gaining the tribe’s acceptance, he finds that he no longer wants to kill the dragon and instead befriends it.
The misunderstanding is common here as well. But the irony is Vikings misunderstood Dragons. The whole movie series revolves around the protagonist trying to convince his tribe regarding the misconceptions of dragons.
Norsemen is a Norwegian comedy TV series about a group of Vikings living in the village of Norheim around the year 790.
Norsemen takes place in 790s Norway, with various characters taking the leading role as the series develops. The story covers the life of Vikings in the town of Norheim and them dealing with day-to-day life and conflict of varying comedic degrees. As the series progresses, disputes with neighboring villages, including a rival tribe led by the ruthless Jarl Varg, and the efforts of a Roman slave, Rufus, to modernize Norheim’s culture result in ongoing conflicts.
This series takes a parody first approach in describing the lifestyle of Vikings.
Ragnarok is a Norwegian-language fantasy drama series inspired by Norse mythology from Netflix that premiered on 31 January 2020.
The show takes place in the fictional Norwegian town of Edda in Western Norway, which is plagued by climate change and the industrial pollution caused by the factories owned by the local Jutul family, the fifth-richest family in Norway. The Jutuls are actually four Jötunn, frost giants and giantesses posing as a family in Edda. They are challenged by Magne, a teenage boy who is surprised to learn that he is the embodiment of Thor and begins the fight against those that are destroying the planet.
It’s interesting to see Norse Mythology mixed with modern-day issues like Climate change.
Thor is a 2011 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. After reigniting a dormant war, Thor is banished from Asgard to Earth, stripped of his powers and his hammer Mjölnir. As his brother Loki plots to take the Asgardian throne, Thor must prove himself worthy.
Marvel takes Norse Mythology into an entirely different fantasy route where we see Norse Gods as mortals in their own realm fighting to conquer other realms to seek greater control.
Vikings is a historical drama television series created and written by Michael Hirst for the History channel.
Vikings is inspired by the sagas of Viking Ragnar Lothbrok, one of the best-known legendary Norse heroes and notorious as the scourge of England and France. The show portrays Ragnar as a farmer who rises to fame by successful raids into England and eventually becomes a Scandinavian King, with the support of his family and fellow warriors. In the later seasons, the series follows the fortunes of his sons and their adventures in England, Scandinavia, and the Mediterranean.
It is important to note that Vikings invaded England and were able to capture the throne of England and ascended it for two generations. They were one of the few civilizations who pulled this off apart from Germans and Romans (Romans originally invaded Celtic England and rewrote history).
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is a dark fantasy action-adventure game developed and published by the British video game development studio Ninja Theory. Inspired by Norse mythology and Celtic culture, the game follows Senua, a Pict warrior who must make her way to Helheim by defeating otherworldly entities and facing their challenges, in order to rescue the soul of her dead lover from the goddess Hela. It was released worldwide for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 4 in August 2017, Xbox One in April 2018, and Nintendo Switch in April 2019. Hellblade features support for virtual reality, which was added in a 2018 update.
Unlike the other mentions in the article, the protagonist of this game is Celtic. The main inspiration of Senua’s character was the Iceni queen Boudica, while her name came from Senuna, a Celtic goddess long lost to historians but re-discovered in 2002, whose name was at first read incorrectly as Senua.
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