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Is Assassin’s Creed Valhalla LGBT?
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Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is not just a game about Vikings; it’s also a story about love, loss, and redemption. In fact, it’s one of the few games that actually tackles the topic head-on.
While the story takes place during the Viking Age, the game features a diverse cast of characters including elves, orcs, and humans. And while the majority of them are heterosexual, there are several queer characters throughout the game.
One of the most prominent examples is the character of Freya, a Norse goddess who is bisexual and romantically involved with her brother Loki. She’s also the god of war and death, which makes her a bit of a dark horse in terms of sexuality. But she’s got a lot of fans because she’s a strong, independent woman who isn’t afraid to stand up for herself.
Another example is the warrior queen Hela, who is described as being “the strongest Valkyrie ever born.” While she’s clearly attracted to Odin, she’s never shown to be interested in him romantically. Instead, she seems to prefer Thor and his brothers.
But despite the inclusion of queer characters, the game still treats homosexuality very negatively. For instance, the player’s companion Freyja can be seen kissing her boyfriend, but he’s immediately killed off at the start of the game. Similarly, the player encounters a group of trolls who are openly hostile towards them until they realize they’re playing as a member of the opposite sex.
So while the game includes a number of queer characters, the developers didn’t seem to want to include any kind of positive representation of queerness.
This is especially disappointing considering that Assassin’s Creed Valhalla was developed by Ubisoft Montreal, the studio behind the critically acclaimed series.
The Story So Far
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is set during Norse mythology, where players take control of Freya, a Valkyrie who must fight alongside her brother Helgi to protect Asgard from Ragnarok. The game features a playable female protagonist, and the story includes romance options between two women.
However, there’s no official confirmation yet whether the game will feature any same-sex relationships.
The Characters
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is set during the Viking Age, when Norsemen were raiding England and Scotland. The game features several characters who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT), including two female characters named Hildrida and Lagertha.
Hildrida is a warrior woman who fights alongside her husband, Bjorn Ironside, and his brother, Ubbe. She is described as having long blonde hair and wearing armor made from animal hides. Her name means “fire-bright.”
Lagertha is a powerful leader in the Viking world. She is described as being tall, strong, and beautiful. She wears a dress made from animal skins and wields a sword called Tyrfing. Her name means “battle-hardened.”
Both women are voiced by Swedish actress Sofia Helin, who was nominated for Best Actress at this year’s Academy Awards for her role in the film Room.
The World
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is set during Norse mythology, where players take control of a Viking warrior named Hjalmar who must fight his way through Valhalla to defeat Hela, Queen of Death. The game features many characters and locations from Norse mythology, including Odin, Thor, Loki, Baldr, Freya, Heimdall, Fenrir, Hel, Nifelheim, Midgard, Asgard, Jotunheim, Svartalfheim, Vanaheim, Muspelheim, Nidavellir, Alfheim, and Valhalla.
Hela is the main antagonist of the story, and she seeks revenge against her brother Helgi, who was killed by Hjalmar at the end of the previous game. She plans to use Ragnarok to destroy the world, and she needs to be stopped.
Valhalla is a city located in the Nine Realms, ruled over by Odin. It is home to the gods of war and death, and it is here that Hjalmar must travel to stop Hela.
Hjalmar is a playable character in the game, and he is bisexual. He is attracted to women, men, and animals. However, he does not appear to have any romantic relationships with anyone in the game.
He is voiced by actor Michael Dorman.
The Gay Subtext
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is set during Viking times (10th century). The game features a gay character named Hjorvar?r who is described as “a handsome young man.” He’s not just any handsome young man though; he’s a warrior who fights alongside his brother in battle.
Hjorvar?r isn’t the only gay character in the game. There’s another male character called Sveinn who is described as “the most beautiful man in the world.” He’s also a warrior who fights alongside Hjorvar?ur.
Sveinn is bisexual, meaning he’s attracted to men and women. However, he prefers men because “he likes them better than girls.”
This is the first time we’ve seen a gay character in a video game. And this is the first time we’re seeing two gay characters fighting side-by-side in a video game. So, is there a hidden gay subtext in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla?
Well, yes and no. While the game does feature two gay characters, neither of them are explicitly identified as being gay. They’re simply two attractive warriors who fight together.
However, the fact that these two characters are gay doesn’t mean there’s a gay subtext in the game. This is especially true when you consider the history of Vikings.
Vikings were known for raiding other countries and taking slaves. Slaves were often used as sex toys for the Vikings’ pleasure.
And since Vikings were mostly heterosexual, it makes sense that they would be sexually interested in each other. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that Vikings were homosexual.
There’s nothing wrong with having two gay characters in a video game. But it’s important to remember that the game was made in 2017, and things have changed since the 10th century.
Today, many people identify themselves as LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning) and some prefer to use gender neutral pronouns instead of “she” and “her.”
But back in the 10th century, Vikings didn’t identify themselves as LGBTQ+. Instead, they identified themselves as either straight or gay.
If you want to find out whether there’s a gay subplot in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, you need to ask yourself, “What did Vikings believe about sexuality?”
In review
While we don’t know much about the game yet, what we’ve seen so far doesn’t suggest that it will feature any kind of gay subtext.