The mythologies of the far north are always particularly exciting for me, as I feel connected to the Scandinavian and British countries through my childhood and work. Games that choose these settings are particularly dear to me. And it is precisely in these realms that are so familiar to me that Senua is also at home. Of course, much, much earlier than me or you. I would like to dive into the stories, myths and the true core of Senua's Saga: Hellblade II with you. Let's go!
Senua was a Pictish? What the helheim is that?
Let's start with the first part. Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice takes place at the end of the 8th century and tells of the young Celtic warrior Senua. Since childhood, Senua was considered cursed due to her delusions, was shunned and only narrowly escaped the fate of the funeral pyre. The warrior later falls in love with the chief's son, but the Northmen attack their village. They sacrifice their lover to his gods by brutally executing him. Senua then travels to Helheim, the realm of the dead in Nordic mythology, to find her loved one.
Senua belongs to a tribe of Picts native to Orkney, a group of islands in the northernmost part of Scotland. The peoples of northern Scotland were called Picts by the Romans of late antiquity. The name means something like “the painted ones” and can be traced back to the tattoos and paintings of the people. Today there is nothing left of their cultures and their language – except, of course, for research. Finds from the Pictish period are revealing more and more details about the life of this mysterious people.
The Picts fought in the early Middle Ages mainly with swords, spears and shields. As progressive as this all sounds, men and women like Senua, afflicted by a curse or, more likely, traumatized by loss or war, were cast out by the community.
Terms for outcasts like these were “Gealt” or, more pejoratively, “Druth.” The latter word is the name of a character in the game who takes on the role of narrator of the runestones and is thus part of Senua's delusions. The stones tell Icelandic legends. The fate of this character is based on that of a real Irish Celt named Findan, who became a slave to the Vikings but managed to escape from their clutches.
According to a podcast by Neil Oliver, there was even a devastating attack by the Norsemen on the people of the Orkney Islands. They are said to have driven out the local Picts or slaughtered the communities' men in an “act of systematic genocide”. However, whether the Picts themselves practiced human sacrifice is controversial.
Because there were hardly any writings from the Picts, researchers for a long time thought that this people were wild, primitive warriors. A misconception, as researchers have now discovered. They had their own culture with a symbol system that had not yet been researched in detail, their own language and complex social structures. There were also rune stones, as they appear in the game. The old common Germanic rune series Futhark is depicted on them. Like many other rune stones, they serve to remember the past – somewhat like our memorial plaques today.
Rune stones like these were increasingly found in Scandinavia, but researchers have also found rune stones in Great Britain and Germany. The Picts even had their own Pictstones. These emerged in northern and eastern Scotland until the middle of the ninth century. They depict either recognizable creatures and objects or abstract geometric shapes with previously unknown meaning.
The Picts knew about looms, beds, tongs, harps and are even said to have played board games. Agriculture was practiced, trade was carried out with other peoples and the Picts are also said to have believed in their own gods and burial rituals, writes the University of Aberdeen. So they didn't believe in the Nordic gods. Senua still has to face Hela, the goddess of the dead, because her lover was sacrificed to the Nordic gods and not hers.
Excursus: mythology
In Helheim, Senua meets many figures from Nordic mythology. For example, fire giant Surt, who rules over Muspelheim in Nordic mythology and later destroys Bifrost, the bridge between the world of humans and the world of the gods. There is also the supernatural raven Valravn, who can change his shape. In Hellblade, Valravn is described as a “god of illusions.”
We also meet a wolf called both Fenrir and Garm in Hellblade. Fenrir is a child of Loki and becomes so strong that the gods put him in chains. Only at Ragnarök should Fenrir free himself again and then devour Odin, but then be killed by Vidar. Garm is described as the Guardian of Helheim, which is also his role in Hellblade. The wolves share a similar story and some authors therefore use the names interchangeably.
Last but not least, Senua meets Hel, also known as Hela. She is also a daughter of Loki and rules over Helheim. However, she is not considered a goddess, but is one of the giants. The gods were also afraid of her and banished her to the underworld, where she brings to her all those who did not die in battle or at sea – like Senua's lovers. The Lake of the Dead, which Senua briefly sees, also exists in Nordic mythology and is called Náströnd. Everyone who committed murder or broke oaths during their lifetime suffers here.
Everything changed in the Viking Age
In Senua's Saga: Hellblade II we go to Iceland. For this purpose, environments in Iceland were scanned with a drone in order to implement them in Unreal Engine 5. It is now the 9th century and Senua, who is now coming to terms with the loss of her lover a little better, learns that the Vikings have a base in Iceland and trade slaves there. In order to get to the bottom of the Norsemen's activities and end slavery, Senua allows himself to be captured and is shipped to Iceland. With this initial situation the next big adventure begins and here too there are many true backgrounds.
Between the 8th and 9th centuries, the Vikings discovered the northern parts of Scotland, plundered the northern kingdoms and actually settled in Iceland. Some encounters between the Celtic and Nordic peoples were peaceful, but the raids culminated in a major battle in the middle of the 9th century. The Scots and Vikings joined forces to crush the Picts. The Picts were then incorporated into the Scots Empire. Their culture was therefore lost.
In addition, there was a major volcanic eruption in Iceland during this period, which could certainly add even more excitement to the game. Not only the Vikings, nature can also be merciless at times. Overall, a sad prognosis with which we start the second part of Senua's journey. But fortunately, Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is not a pure retelling of the events, but a fictional story based solely on historical events.
Maybe this time we'll delve into the Icelandic sagas? There are a few interesting stories to discover here. There is Reynisfjara, a black beach at the foot of a mountain from which hexagonal pillars rise. According to folklore, these were trolls who turned to stone at sunrise. Since then they have been condemned to stand just a few steps away from their home in the mountains. Apparently you can still hear them complaining of homesickness near the cliff. I immediately feel sorry for that.
A legend tells of the island of Drangey, where a demon lives. He pushed three men who were collecting eggs down the cliff. The people then called on the patron saint of Iceland, Guðmundur Arason. He spoke to the demon and granted him the small cliff area to stay there. Because even evil needs a place to live. Dimmuborgir, a rock formation born of lava, is also said to be home to a brutal woman, half troll and half ogre, who murders people. And these are just a few examples.
Who knows whether we will come into contact with the legends from Iceland and to what extent the course of history is based on real historical events. Iceland has many beautiful landscapes, exciting animals and interesting legends. In any case, I'm excited to see which mystical and wondrous worlds the second part takes us into…