Dag Nithisson

"For many months, I have stood at your side, keeping faith in Sigurd's judgment. Because I believed in him and his vision. Do as Eivor commands, he told me. And I have. Against my better judgment, I did as you have asked me. And where has that left us? Without a jarl, without a purpose, watching you chase glory around this land like a spooked hare."

―Dag to Eivor before their holmgang, c. 875.

Dag Nithisson (died c. 875) was a Viking from the Raven Clan who lived during the 9th century. He was a childhood friend of Sigurd Styrbjornsson and, while extremely loyal to him, over time he developed a rivalry with Sigurd's adoptive sister Eivor Varinsdottir.

Dag was known among his crewmates for telling ship stories, a fact for which they mocked him, saying he had too vivid an imagination for the tales to be real.

Biography

Early life

A childhood friend of Sigurd, the son of jarl Styrbjorn Sigvaldisson of Fornburg, Dag was considered toughest and strongest amongst Sigurd's group of playmates, and it was believed that if Sigurd were to become the future jarl of the Raven Clan, Dag would be chosen to be his right-hand man.

However, this changed when Styrbjorn adopted Eivor Varinsdottir, whose parents Varin and Rosta had been killed during a raid on Heillboer by Kjotve the Cruel and the Wolf Clan. Eivor became Sigurd's adopted sister and thus his closest companion. This invoked Dag's jealousy, who believed that Eivor stole his destiny and would-be glory. Despite this, Dag kept these thoughts to himself and never told Sigurd, remaining loyal to him throughout their years together.

Raid on Rygjafylke

Dag: "So this has nothing to do with Eivor?"

Tora: "No."

Dag: "You're a terrible liar, Tora Auzoux. Fact one: No one's seen her in days. Fact two: You know something. Even the blind can see it."

—Dag questioning Tora about Eivor's whereabouts, 870.

In 870, Sigurd left Norway and embarked on a two-year voyage across Europe, leaving Dag to accompany Eivor in his stead. That year, Dag joined Eivor and fellow clan member Tora Auzoux as they traveled to the outskirts of Rygjafylke to watch a village being raided by Kjotve's clan. Before they could formulate a proper plan, Eivor charged into battle, forcing Dag and Tora to follow her.

Attacking the raiders, Dag was injured when he received a spear through his shoulder. After Eivor's attempt to sway the village leader to pledge allegiance to King Styrbjorn ended in his death, Eivor had Tora make sure Dag's wound was treated by the village healer. Afterwards, the trio traveled back to Stavanger with Eivor's captured slave, Gull, where Dag stood by and watched as Styrbjorn chastised Eivor for dooming them all.

Dag and Tora witnessing Styrbjorn be struck by arrows

Several days later, in the longhouse, Dag gave Tora a mug of beer and asked why she had been so preoccupied lately, linking that to the fact that Eivor had been gone for days. Tora denied knowing anything about Eivor's whereabouts, but Dag knew she was lying and told her that it could be read on her face. Just then, King Strybjorn burst in, warning the clan-mates of a Wolf Clan attack on Stavanger. As they started the fight against the enemies sent by Kjotve, Styrbjorn was shot down with two arrows.

Dag ordered a clan-mate to get their wounded jarl to safety while he engaged in a duel with one of the Wolf Clan warriors. Due to his injury sustained earlier, Dag struggled against his opponent but nonetheless managed to hold him off until Eivor returned to Stavanger and helped turn the tide of the battle. When Dag asked her where she had been, Eivor simply replied that she had made a choice: Stavanger. In the end, the surviving Raven Clan members were able to repel the attack, though not without suffering heavy casualties, Tora among them.

Migration to England

Dag: "Do as Eivor commands? Is he testing me?"

Eivor: "He may be. Sigurd is a wise man."

Dag: "I would sooner take orders from a louse."

—Dag and Eivor following Sigurd's departure from Ravensthorpe, 873.

Dag reuniting with Eivor following their escape

In 872, Dag joined Eivor and her crew in a botched attempt to hunt down Kjotve. The crew were captured, with Eivor to be sent to slavery in Ireland, while Dag and the rest of the crew were to be brought to Avaldsnes and sacrificed in a blood ritual. En-route, Dag was able to free himself and eliminate his captors, and was soon joined by Eivor who had freed herself as well. Dag was left to seize the beaches of Avaldsnes and recover their longship while Eivor rescued the crew within the settlement.

Following the unification of Norway under Harald Fairhair, Dag was one of many Raven Clan members who emigrated to England to escape the new king's rule. Once the clan had settled in one of Halfdan Ragnarsson's old camps in Leicestershire after clearing it of bandits, Dag accompanied Eivor in raiding the nearby Alcestre Monastery to gather resources to build a new forge for the clan's blacksmith, Gunnar.

Upon their their return to the camp, Sigurd revealed that he would be traveling northwest to forge new alliances for the clan, and left Eivor in charge of the settlement, which was given the name Ravensthorpe. Before he left, Sigurd specifically ordered Dag to follow Eivor's commands during his absence, much to his annoyance.

Dag questioning Eivor's loyalty to Sigurd

As Sigurd spent most of his time in England away from Ravensthorpe, Dag found himself forced to obey Eivor and grew increasingly frustrated with his predicament. Dag believed that Eivor only sought glory for herself rather than for their jarl, and was therefore very vocal about his disapproval of her rule. On a few occassions, he even tried to insinuate that Eivor sought to take Sigurd's place, such as during a feast prior to an attack on Ravensthorpe by a rival clan, or when he caught Eivor sitting in Sigurd's throne while trying to settle a dispute between Holger and Rowan.

Tensions between Dag and Eivor escalated after Sigurd was taken captive by Fulke in 874 and Eivor's efforts to find and rescue her brother proved unsuccessful. After more than a year had passed since his jarl's capture, Dag could not handle the situation anymore and decided to finally take action against Eivor's rule over Ravensthorpe.

Death and post-mortem

"Dag. You lived as you died, proud and defiant. I cannot begrudge you for that."

―Eivor, while visiting Dag's grave, c. 875.

Dag challenging Eivor to a holmgang

Dag woke Eivor in the middle of the night and challenged her to a holmgang for leadership of the clan, accusing Eivor of chasing personal glory and not focusing on finding Sigurd. The resulting fight was Dag's last, as he refused an offer of exile and fought to his last breath. After being mortally wounded, Dag reached for his axe in the hopes of being allowed entry into Valhalla.

Despite their rivalry, Eivor still regarded Dag as a friend after his death, as she later laid him to rest and expressed remorse regarding the way things had ended between them. Once Sigurd was eventually rescued by Eivor with the help of her allies and returned to Ravensthorpe, he learned of Dag's fate and was initially furious with Eivor, but forgave her after understanding the circumstances that had led to his friend's death.

Sigurd later reflected on Dag's fate once again during his conversation with Eivor in the Yggdrasil Chamber, specifically on Eivor's decision to grant or deny him entry into Valhalla, which contributed to Sigurd's ultimate decision of whether or not he wanted to accompany his sister back to England.

Behind the scenes

Dag Nithisson is a character in the 2020 video game Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, first introduced in its prequel comic Song of Glory. In the game, he is voiced by Norwegian actor David Menkin. His given name Dag is derived from the Norse word for "day" while his surname is derived from the Norse concept of níð denoting "envy, villainy, loss of honor, cowardice, and even effeminacy".

If players started the free Oskoreia Season event before completing the memory "A Brewing Storm", Eivor can still find Dag's name and read a one-line memorial carved into Gudmund's decorated longship in Ravensthorpe commemorating the deceased, as his death is unavoidable in the main storyline.

Gallery

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  Dag as he appears in Song of Glory
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  Close-up of Dag's face
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  Gull, Dag, Tora and Eivor returning to Stavanger
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  Dag, Sigurd and Eivor arriving in Ravensthorpe for the first time
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  Sigurd ordering Dag to follow Eivor's lead in his absence
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  Dag asking Eivor about Sigurd's whereabouts
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  Dag mortally wounded by Eivor
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  Dag's grave outside Ravensthorpe

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Song of Glory (first appearance)
• Assassin's Creed: Valhalla
  • Dawn of Ragnarök (simulation only)