The Sons of the Great North

The Sons of the Great North is the first episode in the Vikings season from Ubisoft's Echoes of History podcast series.

Description

Who are the Vikings? Share the way of life, customs and beliefs of these men of the North. Understand exactly what is going to urge them to leave their lands and magnificent landscapes to risk it all for the chance to find fame and fortune.

Transcript

• Introduction: Assassin's Creed: Valhalla and Xbox present, Echoes of Valhalla: Life of Vikings, the podcast.
• Narrator: Listen... Listen... Beware of the silence. The land still echoes with the battle cries. Listen! This is the story of my ancestors, the story of my people—the children of the great north. You may have heard it from the mouths of our enemies, or read the words written by Christian monks, but before I disappear, I, the heiress, wish to tell the tale of what really happened. This is our truth... the truth of the Vikings.
• Lucie Malbos: In the beginning, being a Viking—
• Narrator: —Lucie Malbos, lecturer in Medieval History at the University of Poitiers—
• Lucie Malbos: —didn't mean belonging to an ethnicity or to a particular population. It was a way to make a living. It wasn't about who you are, but rather, what you did.
• Alban Gautier: In Ancient Scandinavian—in Norse—"Viking" refers to the activity of going on expedition by sea to find loot.
• Narrator: Alban Gautier, professor of Medieval History at the University of Caen.
• Alban Gautier: A Viking is someone who goes viking, meaning someone who sets sail hoping to become rich.
• Narrator: This is where is all began. Imagine a majestic landscape: snow-capped mountains, rocky overhangs, green valleys, winding silver rivers. This land was the birthplace of my ancestors. Before becoming traders and warriors, they were farmers, fishermen, free men, and tireless workers. They bred pigs, cattle, and chicken. They grew oats, barley, wheat, peas, turnips, and cabbages. But the land was rough and not always giving. When this occurred, the men would dream of a land elsewhere that was milder beyond the sea.
• Norse Farmer 1: Ah, look at this soil, nothing else will grow here. The harsh winter has not been kind to us.
• Norse Farmer 2: Maybe when the sun returns and—
• Norse Farmer 1: No, listen to me, my son. If I had the choice, I would have stayed and worked the land until my last breath. But its the will of the gods. I have to accept Sven's proposition, and sail to greener lands.
• Narrator: So little is known about our people. Yet there are so many misconceptions that they were barbarians, looters, mercenaries, even. While it is true that my people can be cruel on the battlefield, easily offended to the slightest insult to the clan and quarrelsome even at home, they also enjoy sitting by the hearth in the peace of the skáli, the main area where the whole family gathers together.
• Norse Woman: See how your son looks at you, he's already proud of you.
• Norse Man 1: One day, I'll be proud of him. He'll be a great warrior just like his father, you can tell.
• Norse Woman: Let him learn to walk before putting an axe in his hands. He's so young! Put another log on the fire to keep us warm.
• Narrator: And disagreeing with her was out of the question. While men give orders on the battlefield, make no mistake: we women are the uncontested leaders of the household. We reign supreme at home!
• Lucie Malbos: The free married woman is the guardian of the household when her husband's away on an expedition. And what symbolizes her responsibilities and duties at home is the key-chain she usually has on her belt. Despite all this, she's not equal to men. She can't partake in politics and legal affairs.
• Narrator: Arts and crafts play an essential part in our culture. We sculpt wood, amber, ivory, and blow glass. We have gold at the tips of our fingers. We make unbelievably refined jewelry that turns women into goddesses, and of course, we have mastered the art of weapon-making. As worthy disciples of Völund, the god of forges, our blacksmiths are genuine masters in their domain.
• Norse Man 2: Blacksmith! Blacksmith!
• Norse Blacksmith: I am here, on the other side.
• Norse Man 2: Ah, I can't hear the sound of your hammer. Does that mean my axe is ready?
• Norse Blacksmith: Yes, I have just finished working on it. Took me all night. Here it is, look!
• Norse Man 2: By Thor! What a blade, it's beautifully finished. You outdid yourself, blacksmith!
• Norse Blacksmith: Take it, and tell me how it feels.
• Norse Man 2: Ah, haha! It's perfectly balanced, it's a joy to hold. Can I try it out on this log?
• Norse Blacksmith: Haha, that is what it's there for.
• Norse Man 2: What power! I can't wait to test it in battle.
• Norse Blacksmith: You'll soon have the chance. I hear the day of battle is drawing closer.
• Norse Man 2: Good! I'd rather split a skull than log. Hahaha!
• Narrator: His joy was far from misplaced. The blacksmith was right, a great battle was brewing. The day before, during the þing, the solemn assembly, my people had decided to ally with chief Ivarr Ragnarsson, known as Ivar the Boneless. In those days, wars between rival kingdoms were common. Each wished to extend their power over the vast lands to the south. But Ivarr was by far the most fearsome of them all. He was said to have been a berserkr, a wild warrior endowed with sacred strength just like in the sagas. He is believed to have had uncontrollable rage and caused immeasurable destruction, but above all else, he was cunning. He already ruled over a large swathe of land but wanted to assert his power at all costs, even the cost of blood.
• Ivarr Ragnarsson: I, Ivarr Ragnarsson, swear to lead you to victory! Pledge your allegiance, bow down to my rule! You shall not be disappointed! You shall swim in glory and wealth if you follow me. But be warned: whoever dares to betray me will be judged by my axe!
• Narrator: Ivarr was a man of his word. The alliance was sealed.
• Lucie Malbos: Ivarr Ragnarsson, just like his name alludes to, is the son of Ragnar, a legendary person whose journey is difficult to trace.
• Ryan Lavelle: This term "berserkergang", that a warrior might get into such a rage—
• Narrator: —Ryan Lavelle, professor of History of the Dark Ages at the University of Winchester—
• Ryan Lavelle: —that they bite the edge of their shields and froth at the mouth, tear off their clothes, or, or might be wearing the fur of a bear, this is something of a legend of late Viking Age, even of the later Middle Ages themselves, when Icelandic storytellers were sat around the fireside.
• Narrator: Dawn had just broken, and men had already gathered in the early morning light. The mist was beginning to lift over the plains, the green lands glimmered in the morning dew. Who could have thought that mere moments from then this peaceful haven would welcome such carnage?
• Ivarr Ragnarsson: Sons of the great north, my brethren! Wield your weapons, make the earth quake, and fill the skies with your cries of fury! If we are victorious, tonight we shall feast at the banquet with our wives! And if we fall we shall sit in the great company of the Valkyrie, splendor of Valhalla. We fear not death, let Odin lead us to victory!
• Narrator: It appears that Odin had heard Ivarr's declamation and that the Valkyrie had lent wings to the warriors. They descended upon their enemies like a metal whirlwind. The battle raged on until midday. Yes, the gods gave us victory, but a terrible victory it was. The plains were drenched in blood and scattered with lifeless bodies.
• Norse Man 3: My arm... I got hit with a spear. I killed my opponent... look.
• Norse Man 4: I am here, my brother. You are suffering, but without you, we may never have won this battle. Show me your wounds.
• Norse Man 3: What makes you smile?
• Norse Man 4: Ha. You remind me of the god Týr, who sacrificed his arm to conquer the wolf Fenrir. I am lucky to have you by my side.
• Norse Man 3: You think I'll lose my arm?
• Norse Man 4: No, no. We will tend to it and soon you will be wielding your axe, ready to strike down new enemies.
• Norse Man 3: Ah, that's a relief. I'd like to be as brave as Týr but keep my arms and legs, if at all possible.
• Norse Man 4: Haha! At least the pain hasn't dulled your sense of humor. Rest now and do not forget to pray for those we have lost.
• François Emion: The Scandinavians fight against themselves and steal from each other.
• Narrator: François Emion, professor of Nordic Studies at the Sorbonne University.
• François Emion: Before Norway, Sweden, and Denmark were unified, they were little principalities, small kingdoms, that waged war on each other or partnered up depending on the situation. It's a rather unstable society.
• Lucie Malbos: These clans are separated by mountains which can be very tall and covered with a lot of snow or, for example, in Norway, they're separated by dense forests, which means communication isn't easy. This explains why Scandinavian societies were organized in a divided, separated, and distinct fashion.
• Narrator: For the honor of our banner, my people were ready to sacrifice both their arms. But once again, the gods had spared them. Alas this was not the fate of some companions who had fallen on the plain. That night, their funeral was celebrated we called upon völva, our priestess and prophetess. Following the ancient traditions, the deceased's eyes and mouth were shut, their bodies were washed, their hair combed, and nails were cut. They were given their weapons to help on the arduous journey that would lead them to Valhalla. The priestess said a few final words before one of us set the funeral pyre ablaze.
• Völva: We honor our men felled in combat. May the fire cleanse their corpses. May the earth welcome their ashes. May the soaring raven lead them to the kingdom of the dead.
• François Emion: There are a certain amount of sights in the south of Norway where there are gigantic grave mounds that haven't been pillaged from, unlike those in the Egyptian pyramids that have been stolen from all through history. In these pyramids, we found boats in which an aristocrat was laid to rest. Some of these boats contained cremations and sometimes there were other bodies, too, but we don't know if they were slaves who were killed when their master died, or if they were people who were buried afterwards.
• Narrator: The men and women of the village gather to give thanks to the gods, through offerings and sacrifices. Young women formed a circle around the priestess, they chanted sacred formulas to look into the future by contacting the Norns who control our destiny. Our people still adhere to the age-old precepts of forn seiðr, our religious tradition.
• Völva: To you, Odin, king of the gods, we sacrifice this horse. To you Týr, god of war, we sacrifice this bull. May their flesh give you thanks for our victory. May their blood be evidence of our veneration.
• Lucie Malbos: The priestess is some kind of witch-prophetess, a rather marginal person in Scandinavian society. We generally call upon her services during crises, to find out the secret of the gods. This figure is feared and dreaded, even Odin calls upon this priestess to learn his destiny.
• Narrator: After the ceremonies, a great banquet was held to celebrate victory. The table was covered in vittles, the wine was flowing, the men feasted by the blazing fire. The moon was full, the sky glittered with myriad stars, as if Valhalla itself was lighting up the banquet, as if our fallen brothers were trying to feast in our company.
• Lucie Malbos: The leader who wants to show off his power, greatness, and wealth must do it in a visible and conspicuous way. One of the best ways to show off this power and wealth is to organize a big feast.
• Thierry Noël: The Vikings are players.
• Narrator: Thierry Noël, content and inspiration consultant at Ubisoft.
• Thierry Noël: They played famous verbal jousting games called flyting, and that is exactly what we see in the game.
• Narrator: In the middle of the celebration, Ivarr demanded silence. He had great news to give.
• Ivarr Ragnarsson: Listen, this victory is a sign that Odin is with us! But it is just the beginning. My friends, my brethren, will you follow me into battle across the seas? I vow that I will lead the way and we will wage war in every part of the world.
• Narrator: A rousing speech, cries of joy carried all the way to the coast. The men were anxious to take part in this conquest which promised to be extraordinary. In the event of victory it guaranteed titles, honors, and fortune. And if they were to fall in battle then they knew they would witness the glorious, the majestic, gates of Valhalla.

Cast

(By order of appearance, host indicated with italics)

• Bibi Jacob as Narrator
• Prof. Lucie Malbos as herself
• Prof. Alban Gautier as himself
• Alex Noon as Ivarr the Boneless
• Ethan Woodgates as Blacksmith
• Prof. Ryan Lavelle as himself
• Prof. François Emion as himself
• Hannah Rutherford as Völva
• Thierry Noël as himself

Behind the scenes

This episode was the only one in the Vikings season to also be posted on YouTube.

Gallery

• File:Echoes of Valhalla- Episode 1 - The Sons of the Great North