One of the most anticipated games of 2020 is none other than the latest game in the Assassin’s Creed franchise, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla. The game is set during the 9th century and explores the world of Vikings and their voyage to Europe. The clash they had with the English has long been known to show the Vikings as savage invaders, but gamers are set to see a whole new side to them.
With the game coming out in a few months, the question remains: Which historical Viking figures might be included? Here are ten Vikings that will hopefully appear in Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla.
10 Hastein
The first Viking of note that should appear in the game is the legendary Hastein, who interestingly enough was thought to be two different men with separate campaigns in Europe. While the main Hastein held successful raids across Spain and the Mediterranean, he would have been in his early 70s by the time the Hastein of England arrived to lead part of two great companies against King Alfred.
The Hastein who fought Alfred the Great led the smaller of the two companies, made a peace to have his two sons baptized after his first defeat, and led several raids across England, including Mercia and the Thames Valley.
9 Ubba Ragnarsson
The next Viking of note is a notorious one, for he is one of the Viking warriors who claimed to be one of the sons of Ragnar Lothbrok, the iconic and mysterious Viking leader who may or may not have existed. He was one of the leaders alongside Ivar the Boneless who lead the Great Heathen Army in the 9th century.
Ubba Ragnarsson not only led part of the Great Heathen Army but was vilified for possibly playing a role in the passing of King Edmund during the destruction of East Angles, although this is disputed among historians.
8 Sigurd Snake-In-The-Eye
Another of Ragnar’s sons that could appear in the game is Sigurd Snake-In-The-Eye, a man who is semi-legendary in comparison to other Vikings who claimed to be the son of the iconic Viking hero. Sigurd got his name due to being born with a unique mark on his eye that appeared as a snake eating its own tail.
After the passing of his father Ragnar, Sigurd and his brothers swore vengeance and built the Great Heathen Army to lead an invasion of Europe. This could play majorly in the game’s plot.
7 Halfdan Ragnarsson
An interesting figure for the Danes at the time the game is set to explore is yet another of Ragnar’s sons (according to legend), Halfdan Ragnarsson. While some historians speculate he and Hvitserk could be one and the same, others say they are separate individuals.
Halfdan helped lead the Great Heathen Army, and later became King of Northumbria, and claimed to be the King of Dublin. He shared the rule of the Kingdom of Denmark with Sigurd and passed away in battle fighting for his Irish claim. The battle of Viking versus Viking could be interesting to see in the game.
6 Unn The Deep-Minded
One of the interesting things to learn of this era was that there were several prominent female Viking figures during the 9th century, other than Lagertha, who held a very small and unverified role as a shieldmaiden at the time. One such figure was Unn the Deep-Minded.
The wife of Olaf the White, the King of Dublin who led successful raids in Britain, her son Thorstein the Red had a family of his own and conquered part of Scotland before being betrayed and slain by his own people. She was thought to have brought Christianity to Iceland, having been baptized years before.
5 Eric Bloodaxe
Sometimes in the game franchise, Assassin’s Creed has been known to time-jump into the future a bit during the historical part of the game, one figure who could be shown to appear after the main events of the game is Eric Bloodaxe, a legendary leader from Norway.
Having been linked to being the King of Norway in some sagas and the Jarls of Orkney in others, Eric Bloodaxe was prominently known to be featured in the 10th century, so his role would probably be discovering things in Britain after the main character’s arc.
4 Harald Fairhair
The figure who could play most prominently into the history of Valhalla’s setting is Harald Fairhair, the man known prominently as the First King of Norway. The father of Eric Bloodaxe, he featured in the late 9th century and earliest 10th century. Much like Ragnar, Harald's specific identity is up for contention amongst historians.
What makes Harald unique is his standing as the first King of Norway, as the game doesn’t just take place in Europe but in the homeland of the Vikings as well, making this a unique figure to show in the character’s travels.
3 Björn Ironside
One of the most iconic sons of Ragnar Lothbrok is none other than Björn Ironside, who historically is a famous King of Sweden who began the Swedish Munsö dynasty. Björn was a powerful warrior who helped his brother Ivar lead the Great Heathen Army after their father’s passing.
Björn himself carved out a significant portion of iconic history, having also been a major part of the raiding parties into the Mediterranean, from Italy to France and beyond. He reportedly worked with Hastein to infiltrate what they thought was Rome but instead was a small town known as Luni.
2 Ivar The Boneless
One of the most feared of Ragnar’s sons was none other than Ivar the Boneless, the leader of the Great Heathen Army who sought vengeance against King Ella of Northumbria and later conquered much of England. Ivar’s name is highly contested, however, as translations are often thought to have either mispronounced the name from “The Hated” to “The Boneless,” while others believe it to be referencing a disability.
Either way, Ivar was known for his cunning and tactical mind, and his ultimate fate is a mystery to historians.
1 Ragnar Lothbrok
The most popular Viking to date, primarily thanks to the History channel's Vikings TV show, is the mysterious Ragnar Lothbrok. What makes him so mysterious is that there are so many conflicting narratives around his story, that it is difficult to tell if Ragnar was indeed a real individual or based upon several Danish Kings and rulers during that time.
Ragnar has been linked to successful campaigns in England and France and is thought to have perished trying to conquer the former, which led his sons to avenge him and create the Great Heathen Army. There is plenty of room for interpretation for the game with this figure.