"Assassin's Creed Valhalla" - Background Info Quiz

Answer: 9th century AD

The beginning of the Viking Age is typically viewed as being 793 when they raided and annihilated the abbey on the Holy Island of Lindesfarne. While there is a written record that suggests that they had landed nearby earlier, there isn't very much known about that excursion. Vikings continued to raid locations all over Europe for almost 300 years. William the Conqueror's 1066 raid on England marks the end of the Viking Age.

The game begins in modern times when Assassin Layla Hassan helps to uncover the grave of a Viking king. With hopes of finding information that will change the future, she uses the Animus, or data fragment, to go back to the 9th century and read the dead king's memories. Most of the game is set in the 870s.

Answer: Eivor Varinsdottir

The Isu were an ancient super race of people who lived 77,000 years ago. They created the Pieces of Eden, powerful artifacts, and formed the human race, although they were not a unified group; there were four main groups that were spread across the world. The Æsir were the Isu who lived in Scandinavia. Over time they became the main gods in Norse mythology.

Eivor Varinsdottir, born in 847, is believed to be the reincarnation of Odin, who was chief of the Æsir. After witnessing the death of their family, Evior was adopted by King Styrbjorn of the Raven Clan and raised with his son, Sigurd. In the game Eivor can be either male or female, and players may customize the appearance of the character they choose.

Answer: Politics

Many theories have been proposed to explain why the Viking Age took place. Resources were scarce in the North, and, as the population grew, food was in short supply. In addition, shortages of women, due to the Viking practice of the leader taking more than one wife, regularly occurred. Due to the use of the law of primogeniture, where the oldest son inherited the family wealth, younger sons had to leave Scandinavia in search of their own wealth and power.

In "Assassin's Creed Valhalla" the migration is politically motivated. The unification of Norway in 872 leaves many of the Viking jarls (chiefs) without land to rule. And after King Styrbjorn pledges his land and loyalty to the new King of Norway, Sigurd is angry because it takes away his claim to rule the Raven Clan one day.

Answer: Harald Fairhair

Historically, many Viking sagas credit Harald Fairhair with being the first king of Norway from c. 872-930. Some modern historians, however, believe that Harald Fairhair might be a legendary king, due to the fact that the sagas were written three hundred years after Harald was said to be king. In spite of the uncertainty, Harald Fairhair is seen as a national hero in Norway today.

In "Assassin's Creed Valhalla", King Styrbjorn of the Raven Clan asks for Harald's assistance in settling the dispute between his clan and the Wolf Clan, led by Kjotve. With Harald's support, the Raven Clan is able to defeat Kjotve; when the battle is over, however, Harald makes it clear that King Styrbjorn's children will have to serve him if they decide to stay in Norway. That is when Sijurd and his sibling decide to leave.

Answer: England

While there were many European lands available for conquest, and the Vikings definitely took advantage of that, Britain was a good choice for resettlement. It was relatively close to Scandinavia and had good farmland. There were good seaports for peaceful trade. And - perhaps most importantly - the people who already lived on the island were divided and constantly at war against each other, easy prey for a Viking takeover.

In "Assassin's Creed Valhalla", members of the Raven Clan leave Norway and sail to Britain, looking for a fresh start. It is a land that some Vikings already inhabit; in fact, Sigurd's group believes they are headed to Halfdan Ragnarsson's camp in southern England. The camp they find, however, is abandoned, except for some Anglo-Saxon bandits. They decide to stay there, but first they must defeat the bandits.

Answer: Ravensthorpe

Ravensthorpe is a village in West Northamptonshire, England, that had a population of 646 in 2011. There is evidence that habitation of the area could date back to the Roman conquest of England. It is certain, however, that the village existed in some form by the time the Domesday Book was recorded during William the Conqueror's survey of his land and people.

This makes sense, doesn't it, knowing that the group left the Raven Clan? When they first reach the settlement, it consists of a dilapidated long house and a few tents. When Sigurd leaves to make contact with other Vikings in the area, he puts his wife and sibling in charge. It isn't long before the settlement boasts all sorts of buildings, including a blacksmith, stable, trading post, brewery, bakery, and military barracks.

It has been written that when the name was chosen for Sigurd's settlement, the creators of the game did not know that a village called Ravensthorpe was a real location. The two villages are not in the same area in England.

Answer: Ragnar Lodbrok

The sons of Ragnar Lodbrok (some are listed in the incorrect choices) formed the Great Heathen Army and invaded England in 865 in retaliation for the death of their father, Ragnar Lodbrok. According to Norse sagas, Ragnar was captured by Ælla of Northumbria, and thrown into a snake pit. Some historians today doubt that Ragnar Lodbrok died in this manner, but his sons, as leaders of the Great Heathen Army, did invade England in 865, presumably to seek vengeance for their father's death. While some may say that Ragnar Lodbrok is a mythological character, there is certainty that his sons were not. They are credited with the deaths of both Edmund the Martyr and King Ælla. Eventually the agreement the group made with Alfred of Wessex paved the way for the Danelaw, the areas of Viking confinement in north and eastern England.

By the time Sigurd leaves his wife and sibling in charge of his new settlement, the Great Heathen Army is located at Repton. Sigurd is interested in making an alliance with its leaders. Just because there are several Viking settlements in the area, it doesn't mean that they all get along well.

Answer: False

In Norse culture, a skald is a poet or storyteller. Valka was a seeress, or Völva. The Völva was a respected member of the community; she contacted the spirits in order to be able to answer questions about the future, practiced magic, and helped people by curing illness or controlling the weather. She mixed concoctions that gave people a glimpse of Valhalla. At times she could also delve into what would be considered black magic, by putting a curse on someone. She could make warriors virtually ineffective by using her power. But even with all of her magical connections, the seeress could be killed by the clan if her prophesies fell short or she was blamed for a mishap.

Valka is the seeress for the Raven Clan in Norway. When some of the clan members decide to break away and resettle, she stays behind to take care of her mother. When players reach a certain level of the game, however, Valka will come to the new settlement and work can begin on her Seer's Hut. If players can find the right herbs, Valka will send them to Asgard, the realm of the gods.

Answer: Poetic insulting

All of the incorrect choices are activities in which the Vikings liked to participate. Flyting, however, was also a favorite pastime that involved two parties trading insults with each other - but the insults were typically hurled by the opponents in poetic verse! There is a poem called "Hárbarðsljóð" from the "Poetic Edda" that tells of Odin and Thor engaging in such an contest. Flyting dates back to ancient times and was popular in Scotland in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Examples of flyting can even be found in Shakespeare's works!

Well, the members of the Raven Clan who left Norway need something to do to pass the time, right? In "Assassin's Creed Valhalla" players can participate in flyting contests in order to win rewards. There are also other activities, such as dice games (Orlog), drinking challenges, and the more tame hunting and fishing that players may choose in order to pass the time when they are not fighting.

Answer: False

Actually, the Assassins and Templars do not yet exist in this game. There is a conflict between the Hidden Ones, who become the Assassins, and the Order of the Ancients, who become the Templars. Surprisingly, in "Assassin's Creed Valhalla", sides are not actually taken.

While Sigurd involves his group in the activities of the Hidden Ones, and seems to be friendly with some of the group's members, their fight is more for revenge for what has happened before the unification of Norway than it is in taking a side of one of the two groups.

The producer of the game, Julien Laferrière, has stated that the protagonist of the game belongs to neither side, and the creators of the game are attempting to give players more flexibility than in other "Assassin's Creed" games.