Eivor Varinsdottir

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Eivor Varinsdottir (born 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. She is also the reincarnation of the Isu Odin, who in mythology came to be known as chief of the Norse Gods.

Biography

Early life and Raid of Fornburg

Eivor was born in 847 to Rosta and Varin in Fornburg, a small settlement in Rygjafylke. In 856, at nine years of age, Eivor attended a feast organized by King Styrbjorn in Heillboer, where she and her family and clan were to pledge allegiance to the king. Eivor presented King Styrbjorn a gift at the behest of her parents but before the celebration was finished the settlement was raided by Kjotve the Cruel. Eivor watched as her father Varin put down his axe at Kjotve's insistence that his family and clan would be spared if he gave his life willingly, leading to both his and Rosta's deaths.

Kjotve immediately broke said promise and ordered his men to kill the rest of the village. Eivor, however, was rescued by Styrbjorn's son Sigurd, who managed to clear the immediate village area on horseback before being separated from Eivor after a tumble caused by one of Kjotve's raiders. Finding herself in the middle of a frozen lake after a hard fall down a cliff, Eivor was accosted by a wolf that saw her as prey. As Eivor crawled towards a fallen axe in the middle of the lake, the wolf attacked her, eventually biting down hard on her neck, causing her to hallucinate a partial memory of Odin, and cry out in pain, calling two ravens that distracted the wolf while she reached for the axe and struck it dead. Following these events, Eivor came to be known as the "Wolf-Kissed" and was subsequently adopted by Styrbjorn, who raised her as his own.

Raid in Rygjafylke

Around 870, Eivor alongside her clansmen Dag and Tora witnessed Kjotve's raid on a settlement in Rygjafylke, on the edge of Styrbjorn's territory. Seeing this as an opportunity to endear her adopted clan to the village, Eivor rushed in to stave off the raiders, disregarding Dag's suggestions of a more measured approach. While fighting, Eivor confronted a raider named Roscoe, 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 from the remaining villagers while her and her clansmen helped gather the dead. Returning to where she left the bleeding raider, Eivor found only blood. While searching the area Eivor heard noise coming from within a building and proceeded to investigate it only to be ambushed by a pale woman in robes covered in tattoos and wearing a collar. Eivor easily fended off the woman whom she identified as a slave and skald. The woman revealed herself to be Gull, one of Kjotve's, 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 perceptive, Eivor decided to take her back to Stavanger, where her adopted father held court, 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 pursued Kjotve to the west of Rygjafylke. While Eivor herself was captured, her crew members were scattered and hunted by Kjotve's men in Avaldsnes. Before leaving Eivor to be sold into slavery, Kjotve taunted her and displayed the very axe that he had taken from, and used to kill, her father in 856. Eivor, however, was able to free herself and locate Dag, who had managed to free himself as well. While Dag headed off to the beach to reclaim their longship, Eivor headed towards Avaldsnes, where Kjotve departed from. 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 that Sigurd would be returning soon after a two-year journey across Europe and Africa.

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.

Settlement in England

In 873, Eivor and her clan of Norsemen, under the direction of Sigurd, fled from Norway in the face of its unification at the hands of Harald Fairhair. They arrived in the southern part of Great Britain, establishing a new settlement of Ravensthorpe.

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.

Eivor also had a poetic side, speaking with eloquence and often describing events in a manner that resembles skaldic verse.

Behind the scenes

Eivor is the main protagonist of Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, a main installment of the Assassin's Creed series First revealed in the reveal stream as male, according to Ubisoft, their gender is customizable, a feature carried over from Valhalla's immediate predecessor, Assassin's Creed: Odyssey (2018). However, lead writer Darby McDevitt affirmed that both gender options were considered canon in a way that made logical sense. Conversely, the comic book Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Song of Glory and prequel novel Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Geirmund's Saga featured Eivor as female exclusively. Eivor's appearance, including clothing, hair, and war paint, is also customizable. Eivor's male voice is provided by Magnus Bruun, while the female voice actor is 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".

Varinsdottir means "daughter of Varin". In Scandinavia, surnames were still used together with primary patronyms—the father's name and 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'.

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Song of Glory (first appearance)
• Assassin's Creed: Valhalla
• Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Geirmund's Saga
• Assassin's Creed: Rebellion – The Ravens' Wound

References

An image gallery is available for Eivor