 Written by: Markuz, May 16, 2021 Our analysis of the story of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is almost getting to its end with its second to last episode dedicated to the historical ending of the game! In this article we are going to analyze all the events concerning Eivor’s and Sigurd’s journey to the Yggdrasil Vault, with the access to the Valhalla simulation, the final confrontation between Eivor and Odin and our interpretation of it, and finally we are going to discuss Basim attempting his revenge on Eivor and the meaning this had for him. We are going to also point out several little details you might have missed from the historical ending, ranging from what seems to be the carving of Kassandra’s Spear to several dialogue lines that are actually connected to other events in the game and lastly a potential reference to Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag! And with that out of the way, let’s dive into the historical ending of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. We finished the last episode of this series with Eivor finally and reluctantly deciding to follow Sigurd to Norway, in order to achieve his presumed destiny, even though she really did not understand what he meant. A sad feeling, to be honest as she is a main character that almost throughout the entire story does not get the hang of who the Isu are, what their relics are capable of and what their vaults were built for… or at least doesn’t comment significantly on them, as we’ll see. After a brief pit stop to see Sigurd’s father Styrbjorn and to have closure about him, Eivor and Sigurd finally decide to move on to what Sigurd calls “the end of his road”. Before jumping on the longship, though, Sigurd mentions his visions are stronger and more present than ever and,if asked about them, he does mention a door embedded in ice, with the Saga stone placed at the top of it. That’s the door that we’re going to see soon, but this
Sigurd continues mentioning more memories / visions, featuring the door opening, the Yggdrasil device, here called life tree, and the golden fields of Valhalla, that is the Valhalla simulation shown in the game’s ending. Again, these are Tyr’s memories, meaning that Tyr either experienced or helped programming the Valhalla simulation, and this will show later, as we’ll see he’s even able to control it. Lastly Sigurd mentions seeing the faces of “our gods” and being called friend, brother and warrior by them. It’s interesting because by saying “our gods”, Sigurd is cryptically telling Eivor that he’s had memories about the people that the Norse considered to be gods, but alas, she doesn’t get what he means. On the contrary though, she does finally share she has had visions of her own, mentioning Odin, the Nornir, Fenrir and the World Tree too and interestingly enough, she says she saw a man with… and doesn’t finish her sentence. Judging from the camera work, she is about to say “a man with one arm”, a direct reference to Tyr… and again, at least at this point, Eivor isn’t able to make a connection. It’s interesting to see how Eivor’s and Sigurd’s visions differ significantly. In fact, while Sigurd’s ones seem to depict the actual events, characters and locations from the Isu Era, as we’ll see later, Eivor saw everything through a Mythological veil, which practically is very likely to be there because fans have been used to and asked about this kind of content since Assassin’s Creed Origins was released, but in-lore showcases that the Isu memories within Sages can present themselves in different ways, based on the various reincarnations. The two then moved on to get closer to the destination fixed in Sigurd’s mind and eventually found the cave where the Yggdrasil Vault was located. Sigurd pressed on to reach the gate but, at least in our playthrough, Eivor took another route in the cave, amidst the First Civ
Strangely enough, in this particular occasion Eivor seems to recognize the spear as Gungnir, and we believe that she recognizes it because in a few occasions during the memory corridor scenes,Eivor did see Odin wielding the exact same spear. Too bad she never mentioned it again afterwards, at least for what we know. After this detour, Eivor reached her Brother at the Gate of the Yggdrasil Vault and finally saw the slot where the Saga stone was originally laying, as he mentioned earlier and as she herself had somewhat envisioned during the Oxenefordscire arc, as we showed in the previous article. That’s where Sigurd pronounces the exact same words written on the Saga Stone, in the Isu Language of course, in order to open the gate. This means that the text placed over the Saga Stone, and thus, over the Gate, was the password for the gate itself, but that’s not all. The password itself, as mentioned in the files in Layla’s laptop, means “When destruction and death lay before us, and the solar flare is reaching, to the calculator of futures we run”, which isn’t a random sentence, considering where the Saga Stone was originally placed. In fact, as it was located right before the entrance to the Yggdrasil Chamber, it means, at least in our opinion, that faced with the known threat (here called destruction and death) of the upcoming solar flare, known as the Toba Catastrophe, the Asgardian Isu actually did run to the Yggdrasil supercomputer (here called calculator of futures) in order to find ways to avert the catastrophe. So yeah, not just a foreboding sentence but a very real one connected to what the Isu would have found, had they crossed those gates during the Isu Era.
Now the Yggdrasil supercomputer is a device that, based on what we see in the game, is capable of multiple tasks, like preserving the body and psyche of its users over time, and simulating potential futures, alternate realities and counterfactual stories, as mentioned in the game’s database and as we’ll see soon enough. Thus the two walked from the elevator to a bridge leading to the supercomputer, as Eivor once again asked Sigurd how he knew about everything they had in front of their eyes.They passed another tower-like elevator, which is where the fight with Basim would later take place, and finally reached the base of the device, with the several claw-like branches that very much remind of the Animus ones from the Assassin’s Creed Movie. This is where Eivor saw Svala, already hooked up to the machine. As we mentioned in the previous episode in this series, when getting to Ravensthorpe Valka mentioned that her mother had found her peace, walking through a world
Another interesting notion about Svala, based on the recent Valhalla ending interview with former Narrative Director Darby McDevitt, is that it’s likely that she was the one that activated the simulation that Eivor and Sigurd would have subsequently joined and not only that. Darby did mention that possibly Svala was the only Asgardian sage that properly used the Yggdrasil device as it was intended: in fact, the Isu Freyja lived her whole life during the Isu era, then used the Seventh Method before possibly dying during the Toba Catastrophe, then she was reborn in the 9th century AD, then she lived her whole life in her new human vessel and at the end of her life just before dying, she hooked herself up to the Yggdrasil device so she could live in its simulations forever. Eventually Eivor reached Sigurd at the base of the super computer, in front of a Spherical Biometric Device similar to the Global Aurora Borealis Device that Desmond touched when he sacrificed his life on December 21st, 2012.
Interestingly enough, in front of the spherical device we can see a carving in the wall with a very familiar shape, which is that of the original Spear of Eden or Spear of Leonidas from Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. The very same slot could be found in the Forge of Hephaistos
Is this hinting at a future appearance by Kassandra in Valhalla’s DLCs? Maybe in the unannounced Meteor expansion? Or was it part of a scrapped Kassandra bit in the main game?It might not mean anything, but Valhalla’s Character Concept Artist Yelim Kim recently tweeted “Malaka” so… After seeing the spherical device, Sigurd states he remembers that it’s indeed *that* metal sphere that activates the Yggdrasil, which indeed seems to turn on as he speaks, although the Yggdrasil was already active and glowing before that. The sphere itself is also very important for the Modern Day ending, so keep it in mind as we’ll discuss this in our next and final article of this series Sigurd also explains to Eivor how the Yggdrasil works, with the branches allowing them to reach Valhalla (or a simulation of that anyway), and Eivor seems hesitant, somewhat accepting that these are quote and quote “tools of the gods” but still not understanding why Sigurd knows all that, even if he is basically telling her. So Sigurd went on first, and Eivor right after him. But before being taken by one of the AC Movie – like claws, she pronounced “Hail, you givers… a guest has come”, which is a sentence taken directly from the Havamal or “The Song of Havi”, that is a collection of Old Norse poems from the Viking Age aimed at presenting advice for living, proper conduct and wisdom. When Eivor comes to her senses, she finally finds herself in Valhalla, or better yet in the simulation of Valhalla generated by the Yggdrasil device. After waking up from a bed, she joins the simulation’s version of Odin’s Hall where she sees a lot of Viking warriors feasting before a battle and where she’s even welcomed as Havi – and those are the same words pronounced by other NPCs in the Asgard Arc when Odin reaches that version of the Hall of the Slain, hinting at how the simulation is also build upon its users’memories. Amidst the crowd Eivor finds Svala, much younger and dressed up as the Norse Mythology veil version of Freyja, another nod at which Isu she is the reincarnation of. Eivor sees Sigurd too, noticing he has both of his arms again, of course another strong hint at this not being real.
Eivor and Sigurd partake in the battle and the forces on the field are dressed up as Vikings and Saxons, another hint at this being a simulation also based on Eivor’s, Sigurd’s and Svala’s perception and memories. Exhilarated by the battle Sigurd asks Eivor to fight him and tells her to not hold back as they shouldn’t fear any harm in there, hinting at the fact he himself knows that what is happening there is not properly real. Interestingly enough the fight ends up with Sigurd losing his arm, which plays very nicely around the themes of inevitability and fate that the entire narrative of the game is based on, and hints at Tyr’s true essence within Sigurd, an effect that the Valhalla simulation will have on Eivor too. In fact, in a later sceneshe is hit by an arrow, making her lose her left eye, a hint at the essence of Odin living within her. In any case, at the end of the battle, a horn resounds and the day in the simulation is over, which leads to Eivor waking up once again at the start of the simulation. As the days in the simulation go by, she notices similar behaviours compared to her first “day” within it, seeing every time Sigurd with
This goes on until one day Eivor is woken up by Sigurd, who actually brings Varin to her. Her father tries to compliment her but she has none of it and immediately kills him because she is strongly convinced that it’s not really him, as he is not meant to partake in Valhalla. In fact, to her Varin should not be in Valhalla because in her opinion he died a coward and according to the Norse belief, only those who died honorably in combat, with their weapon in their hand, could access Odin’s hall. This is very important, as mentioned by former Narrative Director Darby McDevitt, as Varin’s presence in the Valhalla simulation *is* the catalyst that makes Eivor realize the Valhalla program isn’t real, prompting her to decide to get out of it. Sigurd states that Varin was his gift to Eivor because he has power within Valhalla, that is within the simulation, and he can do as he pleases, showing how the Tyr part of him is kicking in and allows him to control the simulation from within. Varin even disappears in front of their eyes, and it seems like the simulation is about to run normally again, but Eivor becomes more inquisitive, even with Svala. Svala herself tells her not to worry because they can bring all the people she loves in there, showing many
Seeing all those people in the hall is the straw that breaks the camel’s back for Eivor as she knows that most of these people are still alive and breathing. Maybe she herself is able to make them disappear as she is believing less and less in what she sees in front of her. Svala confronts her, comparing the empty death taking place in the real world with the infinite life within the simulation, with no death, no pain, no loss, and no betrayal. That’s the choice that Svala made, not having much time to live in the world anyway, but as Eivor says, that kind of life is not for her, leading her to bid Svala her final goodbye. Right after that, Eivor confronts Sigurd too, suggesting both of them to leave, but Sigurd says he enjoys Valhalla even if it’s a lie because he is someone in there, because he has power, and especially he will never die.
This is another sentence taken from the Havamal collection of poems, and it’s even more interesting as this is the actual sentence written in runes in the starting screen of the game, as discovered by Cristophorus at La Red De Erudito back in May. Eivor then tries to convince Sigurd to leave the simulation by suggesting that the real glory and reputation can only be found in the real world, but when Sigurd finally agrees to leave, the personification of Odin, as seen in the memory corridor confessions appears, forcing Eivor to faint and to stay in the simulation. Now this is interesting as we believe that this version of Odin, that we have seen at the start of the game when Eivor picked Varin’s axe, the one we saw in all the confession killrooms trying to steer Eivor into a quest for power, glory and personal gain and the one we are seeing here, all of that is representing the essence of the original Isu Odin within Eivor’s blood and mind, trying to take control of her body in the real world, as it happened for Loki and Basim. When Eivor comes back to her senses she finds herself in a new environment, the same that appears in the memory corridor killrooms, which in this occasion we can also interpret as a new simulation generated by the Yggdrasill and controlled by Odin, as he is still asking why she wants to leave that place, meaning that she hasn’t yet. Odin has Eivor walk with him through some of the main events of her story and the reputation she gained from them and even in this occasion he seems to be wielding Gungnir. He’s trying to prove that she has already earned her reputation and glory and thus her place in Valhalla and the simulation and because of that he’s trying to convince her and Sigurd to not leave. Of course we can imagine an ulterior motivation by Odin here, as within the Yggdrasill it’s very likely that his conscience might have way more control over Eivor (and everyone else).
Eventually Odin – or in our interpretation, Odin’s conscience within Eivor – confronts her, telling her he always guided her into what she has now, while she denies it, stating that all of that came from herself. This ends up in a fight between the two, with Eivor always trying everything she can to exit the simulation and Odin bringing her back, trying to finally take over. Every time Eivor falls, a hologram appears, showcasing an axe as a hint for the players to understand what they have to do, but also, every time a member of Eivor’s friends and family appears next to the gates to exit the simulation, cheering on her and telling her to stand. Within the simulation, we can interpret them as Eivor thinking about the people that she cares about and that she wants to protect if she manages to leave the simulation. Moreover, if Eivor tries to flee the fight with Odin to rejoin her friends and family, it is through the axe itself that Odin is able to draw her back on the battlefield, through the use of Gungnir.
The axe prompt means that the player and Eivor have to unequip the axe and that is not just some axe, that’sVarin’s Axe and of course that’s symbolic. In fact, Odin’s visions started appearing and then getting hold of Eivor on the day when Varin was killed and then especially when she picked up his axe in Norway and so, by dropping it, she’s also dropping or shall we say leaving behind Odin, thus effectively slowly taking full control of her own body. A confirmation of that is that she doesn’t have any other Odin visions after exiting the simulation… but then again Odin’s conscience *is* in her DNA, so we still wouldn’t rule out any new Odin appeareances in the future DLCs… Eventually Eivor tries to flee by holding Sigurd’s hand, and is able to fend off Odin through the use of her Hidden Blade causing him to manifest his wrath, hitting her and all her allies as they keep trying to get her back, which can be interpreted as Eivor dragging
That can really be seen in one of the best moments of the game, where Odin asks what more she needs beside the power and glory he gave her and of course she answers with the cathartic “Everything Else” which allows her to finally exit the simulation. Basim’s Attempt at his Millennial Revenge. When she finally finds herself on the ground in the real world, she states “Sigurd, are you with me?”, of course looking out for her brother, but this specific line is interesting as it is the same line pronounced by Basim towards Aletheia when *he* is finally released from the Yggdrasil device. Sadly Eivor doesn’t find Sigurd with her as – plot twist – he’s been captured by Basim who has trailed them all the way back to Norway and now is finally showing his true colors as the reincarnation of Loki who wants to get revenge on Odin’s reincarnation after all the events that took place in the Isu Era which we analyzed in the early articles of this series.And speaking of our previous articles, we have to rectify a mistake from our last one. In fact Basim orders Eivor to get close to him so he can have a proper look at her and says that he was blinded to the truth for so long and finally, as a lot of you pointed out in our comments, and only at this point, he recognizes her to be Odin’s reincarnation. At last then, after waiting literally for ages, Loki, who has full control of Basim, can have his final revenge and fight with the reincarnation of his former friend who imprisoned his son for life, on the First Civ elevator we saw earlier… Too bad that even here Eivor has no idea whatsoever about what is really happening, even if Basim himself hints at the grudge and fight being about his son and suggesting her to look into her memories. During the fight Basim pins Eivor down and forces her to show him her neck to have confirmation that she really is a reincarnation produced by the Seventh Method and ironically laughs at the fact that he did not recognize it was her specifically because the Wolf had
Once again, even after 75.000 years, Eivor bested Basim, who decided to flee to attack Sigurd. After a sequence of parkour amidst the First Civilization buildings and ruins,Eivor reaches them and funnily enough they are both talking to each other as their Isu counterparts. Sigurd calls Basim Oath-Breaker as Loki broke his oath to Odin and to Asgard by smuggling his son while also enabling a battle with the Greco-Roman Isu which caused so many casualties, while Basim calls him Justice Bringer because, well, Tyr was the lord of justice. Basim even says that he was always so kind, a reference to the fact that Tyr was the only one that cared for his son Fenrir in Asgard, but eventually he chose Odin’s side, the wrong one according to Basim, which mirrorsthe threats by Fenrir that we saw at the end of the Asgard arc when he said that Tyr’s kind words would have not saved him. Eivor saves her brother in the nick of time, prompting Basim to fight her, as Sigurd runs towards the spherical device that controls the Yggdrasil.
And that was it for this analysis and we’re so happy we finally managed to tackle the historical ending of the game, after so much time! Join us in our next and final article of this series, where we’ll have a look at the Modern Day ending of the game as a consequence of what happened in the 9th century AD and Basim’s potential plans for the future! Go to the ELEVENTH CHAPTER of this series, go back to the NINTH CHAPTER of the series or go back to the HUB.
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