Eivor Varinsdottir

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Eivor Varindottir (born c. 847), also known as the Wolf-Kissed, was a Viking from Norway who raided in what would become England against King Alfred the Great during the late 9th century. She was also in possession of a Hidden Blade, using it in combat against the Anglo-Saxons.

Biography

Early life

Eivor was born around 847 to Rosta and Varin in Fornburg, a small settlement in Rygjafylke. In 856, while attending a feast organized by King Styrbjorn, the settlement was raided by Kjotve the Cruel, resulting in the deaths of Eivor's parents and numerous villagers. Eivor, however, was rescued by Styrbjorn's son Sigurd. and was subsequently adopted by Styrbjorn, who raised her as his own.

Raid of Rygjafylke

In about 870, Eivor alongside her clansmen Dag and Tora witnessed Kjotve's raid on Rogaland, a settlement on the edge of Styrbjorn's territory. Seeing this as an opportunity to endear her clan to the village, Eivor rushed in to stave off the raiders, disregarding Dag's suggestions of stealthier approach. While fighting, Eivor confronted a raider who taunted her with the death of her father, claiming he died like a coward. In response Eivor cut his feet from under him and refused to kill him, depriving him of a warrior's death and entry to Valhalla at her hands. Leaving him bleeding and cursing, Eivor went to help Dag, who had been cornered by the raider Taras.

Upon the end of the skirmish, Eivor went to the head of the village and claimed the land in the name of her adopted father. Incensed, and believing Styrbjorn no better than Kjotve, the elder attempted to attack Eivor but was cut down before even managing a swing of his sword. Claiming the old man died a warrior, Eivor demanded tribute while her and her clansmen helped gather the dead. Returning to where they left the bleeding raider, Eivor found only blood. Once there, Eivor heard noise coming from a building, leading to her investigating, only to be ambushed by a pale tattooed woman whom she identified as a slave. The woman revealed herself to be Gull, one of Kjotve's slaves, and claimed she was also a slave "to Sökkvabekkr, Sága and Idun's bounty", before calling Eivor the "Slayer of the Wolf", begging to accompany her. Believing the woman mad, but intelligent, Eivor decided to take her back to Stavanger to present as a gift to Styrbjorn.

Upon their return, the praise and adulation Eivor expected from her adoptive father was nowhere to be seen, as he berated her for incurring Kjotve's wrath by taking Gull back to Stavanger.

Hunt for Kjotve

In 872, Eivor and her crew tracked down Kjotve to Heillboer in the west of Rygjafylke. While Eivor herself was captured at Heillboer, her crew members Dag, were scattered and hunted by Kjotve's men. Before leaving Eivor to be sold into slavery, Kjotve taunted her and displayed the very axe that he had used to slain her father in 856. Eivor, however, was able to free herself and locate Dag. While Dag headed off to the beach to reclaim their longship, Eivor headed towards Avaldsnes, where Kjotve departed from with Eivor's crew left behind. Within the longhouse, Eivor defeated and killed Rikiwulf, Kjotve's follower, and freed the crew members. The Vikings then eliminated the remaining of Kjotve's men while en route to their longship. Having reclaimed their ship, Eivor and her crew set sail and returned home to Fornburg. Upon returning, Eivor was greeted by Sigurd's wife Randvi, who informed her of Styrbjorn's displeasure for her raid against Kjotve. Eivor also learned of Sigurd's return from a two-year travel across Europe.

Settlement in England

In 873, Eivor and her clan of Norsemen fled from Norway in the face of endless wars and dwindling resources. They arrived in the southern part of Great Britain, establishing a new settlement. At some point, Sigurd returned from a long voyage to Constantinople and introduced Eivor to the Levantine Hidden One Basim Ibn Ishaq before gifting Eivor a Hidden Blade he had acquired during his travels. Keen that the traditionally stealth-based weaponry should be visible to her enemies, Eivor wore the blade over her forearm.

At some point Eivor traveled to Vinland where she would also be buried.

Legacy

In 2020, Eivor's memories were relived by Layla Hassan through her Animus HR-8.5. Due to the high level of Isu DNA belonging to Odin embedded in Eivor's, the Animus would, at times, represent Eivor as a male based on Odin's real appearance.

Personality and characteristics

Eivor was a devoted and confident Viking clan leader, who was not afraid of dying to protect her people. Despite her deep love for her clan, she was a lone wolf. Indeed, driven by her dream to prove her courage, she preferred to take on all tasks and risks herself. On top of being a fierce warrior, Eivor was cunning and was a great strategist, as could be proven from her alliances.

Behind the scenes

Eivor has been revealed to be the main protagonist of the upcoming main installment of the Assassin's Creed series, Assassin's Creed: Valhalla. According to Ubisoft, her gender will be customizable, a feature carried over from Valhalla's immediate predecessor, Assassin's Creed: Odyssey (2018). However, lead writer Darby McDevitt has affirmed that both gender options are considered canon in a way that will make logical sense. Conversely, the comic book Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Song of Glory and prequel novel Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Geirmund's Saga will feature Eivor as female exclusively. Eivor's appearance, including clothing, hair, and war paint, will also be customizable. Eivor's male voice will be provided by Magnus Bruun, while the female voice actor will be Cecilie Stenspil.

Name etymology

The name Eivor, Eivør or Øyvor is a female given name derived from either proto-Norse auja, believed to mean 'good luck', or *warjaʀ, meaning 'defender'. It may also come from the combination of Old Norse words ey- or øy- (meaning 'island') and -varr (meaning 'careful').

When he tweeted how the name is meant to be pronounced, Valhalla's then-Creative Director Ashraf Ismail transcribed it phonetically as "Ay-vor".

Varindóttir means just "daughter of Varin". In Scandinavia, family names (surnames) were still used together with primary patronyms (father's name plus an affix denoting relationship), which were used by all social classes. This meant that most families until modern times did not have surnames. Scandinavian patronyms were generally derived from the father's given name with the addition of a suffix meaning 'son' or 'daughter'.

Lore

In the trailer for Valhalla, Eivor, depicted as male, dons their Hidden Blade over their forearm. This unconventional way of wearing it has only been previously seen twice: with the Assassin Darius in the Legacy of the First Blade expansion to Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, and with the Templar agent Lia de Russo in the main story of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood and its multiplayer mode.

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Song of Glory (first appearance)
• Assassin's Creed: Valhalla
• Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Geirmund's Saga

References

An image gallery is available for Eivor