Rán

Rán was a goddess and the personification of the sea in Norse mythology. She was the wife of the jötunn Ægir, with whom she had nine daughters who were said to represent the waves.

Legacy and influence

In 870, the Viking Geirmund Hel-hide left Avaldsnes in Norway to sail with Guthrum in the longship Wave Lover across the North Sea to seek fortune in England. The sea was quiet for the first days of the journey, allowing them to travel from Rogaland to Jutland, and Geirmund attributed the calm waves to Rán's influence. However, a storm broke over the ship two days after leaving Jutland, and the Wave Lover's antagonistic captain Rek blamed Geirmund's presence for the ill weather, proposing to sacrifice him to Ægir and Rán together.

Seeing no way to defuse the situation and keep both his oath-man Steinólfur and their companion Skjalgi alive amid rising tensions, Geirmund willingly leapt into the sea. As he began drowning, Geirmund saw bright lights in the depths and mistook them for Rán's physical manifestation coming to claim his life. When he landed alive and surprisingly unhurt in the underwater forge used by the Isu Völund, Geirmund initially thought he had been taken into Rán's domain. To his confusion, the rooms did not match their mythical descriptions as being made of coral, though the notion that he was in Rán's abode was dispelled when he met Völund moments later.

In 2020, Layla Hassan, an Assassin who relieved Eivor Varinsdottir's memories, modified her Animus and included both a sword and a spear inspired by Rán in the shieldmaiden's arsenal.

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Geirmund's Saga (first mentioned)
• Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Mastery Challenge (mentioned only)