Sigurd Styrbjornsson

This article is about Eivor Varinsdottir's adoptive brother. For other uses, see Sigurd.

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Sigurd Styrbjornsson
Biographical information
Born	842 Fornburg, Rygjafylke, Norway
Species	Human (reborn Isu)
Database entries	Sigurd Styrbjornson Sigurd Styrbjornsson
Political information
Affiliations	Raven Clan

Sigurd Styrbjornsson (born 842) was a Viking jarl from Norway who settled in England with his clan during the 9th century. The son of jarl Styrbjorn Sigvaldisson of Fornburg, he was the husband of Randvi and the older adoptive brother of Eivor Varinsdottir, who was taken in by Styrbjorn at the age of nine following the death of her parents, Rosta and Varin. He was also the reborn form of the Isu Týr, the Norse god of war and justice.

In 870, while his sister Eivor stayed in Norway to continue opposing her parents' killer Kjotve the Cruel and his Wolf Clan, Sigurd embarked a journey to raid the lands in the East. In Constantinople, Sigurd met and befriended the Hidden One Basim Ibn Ishaq and his apprentice Hytham, learning many of their organization's customs. In 872, Sigurd returned home along with Basim and Hytham and gifted Eivor a Hidden Blade, the signature weapon of the Hidden Ones.

That same year, the Raven Clan finally defeated Kjotve and drove his clan out of Norway with the help of Harald Fairhair's forces, allowing the latter to unify Norway's petty kingdoms under his rule. After witnessing his father pledge loyalty to the soon-to-be King Harald, Sigurd was angered by Styrbjorn's decision, which had essentially robbed Sigurd of his birthright to become jarl. Together with Eivor, Randvi and other members of the Raven Clan who were similarly dissatisfied, Sigurd then migrated to England, eventually settling in one of Halfdan Ragnarsson's old camps, which was renamed to Ravensthorpe.

After establishing the settlement, Sigurd left his sister in charge of Ravensthorpe as he set off into Leicestershire to gain allies for their clan, starting with the Sons of Ragnar. After he and Eivor helped Ivarr and Ubba Ragnarsson put the nobleman Ceolwulf on the throne of Mercia, Sigurd secured an alliance with the both the new king and the Ragnarssons.

Continuing his adventures in England, Sigurd next traveled to Oxenfordscire, this time accompanied by both Eivor and Basim, where they searched for the woman Fulke in hopes of understanding Sigurd's visions. However, Sigurd was betrayed and captured by Fulke after an encounter with King Alfred of Wessex. After over a year in captivity, Fulke was assassinated by Eivor, who rescued her brother, though not before Sigurd's mind had been unlocked. As Týr's conscience began to manifest itself inside of him, Sigurd began to view himself as a god and distanced himself from Eivor and the rest of the Raven Clan, believing that they were a hinderance to his true destiny.

In 877, Sigurd decided to seek Valhalla and thus traveled back to Norway alongside Eivor to find the Yggdrasil Chamber. After the siblings connected themselves to Yggdrasil and were seemingly transported to Valhalla, Eivor eventually realized that they had merely entered a simulation and convinced her brother to escape back to the mortal world. There, they were ambushed by Basim, who was secretly Loki reborn and sought revenge against Eivor, Odin's new form. After helping Eivor defeat Basim and trap him in the Valhalla simulation, Sigurd reflected on his leadership of the Raven Clan and his relationship with his sister. Ultimately, he made the decision to appoint Eivor as jarlskona of the Raven Clan, believing her to be a better suited leader than him.

Biography

Early life

Sigurd was born in 842 as the son of King Styrbjorn of Fornburg. In his youth, Sigurd befriended a young girl from the village of Heillboer, Eivor who was five years his junior. Her parents, Varin and Rosta, were friends with Styrbjorn and planned to pledge their village to the king. In 855, Sigurd and his father attended the feast organised in Heillboer, during which he offered to help Eivor pass a tribute to Styrbjorn. Eivor refused, as her father ordered her to past it to the king himself.

Moments after Varin's village pledged themselves to Styrbjorn with Eivor's armband, the Wolf Clan led by Kjotve the Cruel launched a raid on the village, slaughtering many residents. Following Varin and Rosta's death, Sigurd rescued Eivor from being killed and escaped with her on a horse. While being chased by Kjotve's men, Sigurd's horse was knocked down by one of Kjotve's men, causing Sigurd to lose his balance and Eivor dropped down to a large sheet of ice. Ultimately, both Sigurd and Eivor survived their encounter, with the latter received a scar from a wolf bite. Following these events, Styrbjorn adopted Eivor into his household, raising her as his own daughter and as Sigurd's sister. The two developed a close sibling relationship and stood by each other throughout their lives.

At some point, Sigurd befriended a Norse named Dag Nithisson, who remained loyal to Sigurd after learning of his dreams.

Circa 869, Sigurd married a woman named Randvi from another clan as part of a service of peace between the Raven Clan and another Norse clan in Norway. Because of these circumstances, Sigurd's relationship with Randvi was considered utilitarian.

Travels in Europe

A year after his marriage to Randvi, Sigurd embarked on a two-year voyage away from Norway, during which time he traveled through Kievan Rus'. While in Bulgar with his cousin Knud, Sigurd visited the swordsmith Tekin, looking for a blade of crucible steel. Tekin and two others then attempted to ambush him, though they were easily dealt with. The youngest attacker bartered for their life, telling the Norsemen the location of a castle of a very rich merchant.

Knud and Sigurd infiltrating the castle

Knud and Sigurd infiltrated the castle, seeing the merchant and a number of guests having a banquet. Sigurd decided to wait until the wine addled the guests' minds enough that they would have an easy time stealing what they wanted. Later, they began looting the place, but one of the guests awoke as Sigurd stole a tapestry, and he was forced to kill him. The noise caught the attention of another guest, the Hidden One Ammon, who decided to investigate. The Vikings dispatched a few guards before Ammon arrived, fatally stabbing Knud with his Hidden Blade and launching himself into a fight with Sigurd.

The Hidden One cut Sigurd's sword in two and stabbed him in the gut with his Hidden Blade before leaving. Sigurd survived the wound and made his way to Ammon, finding him holding a Shroud. Sigurd mocked him for treasuring a dirty rag, throwing Ammon into a frenzy. He attacked the Viking, only to be slain. With his dying breath, he begged Sigurd not to take the Shroud, although the Viking had no interest in it and instead used his axe to sever Ammon's right wrist to claim the Hidden Blade for himself.

Sigurd continued his journey down the Volga before setting down in Constantinople to rest and resupply. While in the city, Sigurd met and befriended two Hidden Ones from the Abbasid Caliphate, Basim and Hytham, the former of whom took a liking to Sigurd due to his charisma. He later sailed to Rome and Africa, where Basim and Hytham acted as his guides. During his time abroad, Sigurd began to miss his old homeland, and sailed for Norway with Basim and Hytham traveling with him. ^{[citation needed]}

Leaving Norway

Sigurd talking to his sister about his thoughts

In 872, Sigurd returned to Fornburg along with Basim and Hytham. Reuniting and embracing with Eivor and Randvi at the docks, Sigurd introduced his family to the two Hidden Ones before moving on to greet his father. His family organized a feast in his honor and, there, Sigurd properly introduced Basim and Hytham to Eivor and gave her the Hidden Blade he had taken from Ammon. Sigurd watched as Basim taught Eivor the technics of assassination of their Brotherhood and explained its tenets to her. As they left, Sigurd was left alone with Eivor and, as they walked towards the docks, Sigurd reminisced on their memories together and confided on her that, after years of travels around the world, he felt that their settlement was too small for him and, therefore, asked her to help him take some of Kjotve's lands the next day.

Later that night, Sigurd argued with his father, wanting to invade Kjotve's Fortress and end the tyrant, while Styrbjorn reminded him that their loss would be too much were they to be defeated. The two were interrupted by Eivor, who warned of three of Kjotve's warriors that were caught spying on Sigurd's camp. Taking action, Sigurd decided to launch an attack on Nottfall, one of Kjotve's village. While Hytham searched the village for more spies, Sigurd and Eivor, joined by Basim, raided Nottfall. After the raid, King Harald of the North and his uncle Guthorm the Wise arrived at the village, seeking an alliance with the Sigurd and his men, the Raven Clan.

Following the raid, Sigurd, Guthorm, and the Hidden Ones traveled to Florli, a Norse settlement nearby Kjotve's Fortress. After Eivor arrived, an attack was launched on the fortress. Sigurd and his friends marched to the fortress, where they witnessed Kjotve and Eivor engage in a holmgang, with the latter rising victorious. Following Kjotve's death, his son Gorm taunted the invaders before fleeing.

After the invasion, Sigurd joined King Harald at an althing, where he and his sister witnessed the departure of his friends Hjorr Halfsson and Ljufvina Bjarmarsdottir as well as the exile of Gorm, who had arrived at the party. At the end, Styrbjorn pledged an allegiance to Harald, much to Sigurd's dismay, who felt robbed of his birthright to become jarl and now saw his father as a weak and cowardly leader.

Not long after the althing, Sigurd, still angered by his father's decision, decided to leave Norway for good in hopes of a new beginning. Joined by Eivor, Randvi, Dag and other members of the Raven Clan, as well as Basim and Hytham, Sigurd boarded his longship and set sail for England.

Life in England

The Kingmaker's Saga

Sigurd and the Raven Clan arrived in England in early 873, seeking to escape the rule of Norway's new king, Harald Fairhair. They eventually settled in one of Halfdan Ragnarsson's old camps in Leicestershire, which had been taken over by Anglo Saxon bandits. After the clan killed the bandits and saved their two prisoners, Yanli and Rowan, Randvi and Eivor helped establish Ravensthorpe, while Sigurd decided to travel northwest to a town called Repton to forge new alliances, leaving Eivor in charge during his absence.

While in Repton, Sigurd met and befriended the Sons of Ragnar, Ivarr and Ubba Ragnarsson, as well as the nobleman Ceolwulf, who planned to overthrow the king of Mercia, Burgred. He was later joined by Eivor amidst an arguement between Ubba and Tonna of Tonnastadir.

Sigurd, alongside Ubba, Ivarr, Eivor, and Ceolwulf's son Ceolbert, traveled to Tamworth to confront Burgred and his thegn Leofrith. After an unfriendly confrontation, the allies conducted a raid on the fortress, only to discover that Burgred had fled with help from Tonna. Later, Sigurd and Eivor traveled to Tonnastadir to gain information from Tonna. At the cost of silver, Tonna gave them the information they needed: two possible hideouts for Burgred, Ledecestre and Templebrough.

Sigurd at Ceolwulf's coronation

While Ivarr travelled to Ledecestre, Sigurd and Ubba set up camp outside of Templebrough, where they were later joined by Eivor. The trio planned to inflitrate the fort and kidnap Burged's queen, Æthelswith. After successfully doing so, they gained intel on Burgred's hiding spot and snuffed him out, eventually sending Eivor to capture him. Sigurd attended Ceolwulf's coronation and witnissed the exiling of King Burgred. However, the ceremony was interrupted as Saxon forces marched towards Repton, led by Leofrith, who had captured Ceolbert. Sigurd joined the Sons of Ragnar in the battle against the invading forces as Eivor successfully defeated Leofrith. After the battle, Sigurd successfuly secured an alliance before welcoming Ceolbert and his horse Theobald into his clan under Ceolwulf's request.

Rebellion in Oxenfordscire

In 874, Sigurd and Basim traveled south to Oxenfordscire, where they allied with the thegn Geadric, who sought to overthrow Oxenfordscire's ealdorman, a widow named Lady Eadwyn. The three settled in Buckingham where they waited for Eivor to arrive. However, plans changed as the town was overrun by Eadwyn and her soldiers, causing Sigurd and Basim to seek refuge in a fishing house while Geadric was captured. Eventually they were found by Eivor, who had returned from her adventures in Lunden. Sigurd planned to rescue Geadric, who was held up in the longhouse.

As they arrived, Sigurd and Eivor confronted Eadwyn, who they learned had called upon King Alfred of Wessex for aid in breaking Geadric's rebellion. A small fight broke out between them and Eadwyn's soldiers, with Eadwyn herself leaving the longhouse. After defeating the soldiers and untying Geadric, the thegn told them of a woman named Fulke, who Sigurd believed would be of utmost importance. After the meeting, Sigurd, Basim, and Eivor mounted their horses and rode down to the Leah Villa Garrison where they would find a thegn named Holt, who had information on Fulke.

Sigurd, Basim, and Eivor meeting Fulke

At the Garrison, three thegns were in line for an execution, with Holt next. After Eivor disrupted an execution at the front of the Garrison, Holt, alongside any other rescued thegns, showed his gratitude to the trio before granting them the information they needed: Fulke was being held by Eadwyn in a monastery. Sigurd and Basim proceeded to travel to a camp east of Linforda. Once Eivor arrived from updating Geadric, they entered Saint Albanes Abbey, an Anglo-Saxon monastery where Fulke was being held. After infiltrating the abbey, either by raid or stealth, they searched the monastery where they found Fulke's cell guarded by a single Anglo-Saxon monk. After retrieving the key from him, Eivor opened Fulke's cell and let the woman free. After a quick conversation, Fulke led Sigurd and his friends out of the monastery. Fulke revealed that she was searching for an Isu artifact known as the Saga Stone.

Fulke led the three to the Evinghou Tower, where the Saga Stone was being held by Brother Paul, one of Fulke's acolytes. The tower, however, had been ransacked by Eadwyn's forces, and Paul was found dead. After mourning for her loss, Fulke concluded that Eadwyn had the stone. Soon after, a group of Eadwyn's soldiers were spotted approaching the tower. Sigurd met with them, with Eadwyn herself leading the group. Sigurd told her of the stone and requested a trade: the Saga Stone in exchange for peace. Eivor, angered at the fact that her brother was betraying Geadric, threw an axe at one of Eadwyn's soldiers, killing him and causing a fight. After slaying Eadwyn's forces, Sigurd had a brief argument with his sister before leaving. Eivor went to weaken Eadwyn' forces while Sigurd and Basim went to prepare for an upcoming battle on Cyne Belle Castle, Eadwyn's castle.

Before the assault, Eivor spoke with Sigurd, who had prioritized the stone over Geadric's rebellion. Sigurd mentioned visions involving the gods, much like Eivor herself has had. After the conversation, the raid was invoked, with each person fighting for a different cause: Sigurd and Fulke hunting the Saga Stone, Eivor and Geadric fighting to overthrow Eadwyn, and Basim hunting down Fulke, who was apart of the Order of the Ancients that the Hidden Ones were terminating. Eadwyn was eventually defeated and the Saga Stone was retrieved, although the battle was not yet won, as King Alfred's forces had arrived. Sigurd called for a parlay, and met with the mighty king in a tent outside of the castle. He was joined by his allies, and suggested a trade of men to secure peace. Basim offered himself, while a thegn named Wolfrich was chosen on Alfred's behalf. However, before the exchange ended, Fulke rushed into the tent, revealing that she had sided with Alfred herself. Fulke requested to take Sigurd instead, knowing of his past life. Angered at her treachery, Eivor drew her axe, but was stopped by her brother, who agreed with the deal. Alfred allowed Fulke to take Sigurd, further angering Eivor and Basim.

Captivity and Týr's awakening

Sigurd's severed arm discovered by his sister

For the next year, Sigurd was held captive under Fulke, who sought to open Sigurd's mind and reveal his past incarnation: the Norse god Týr. Fulke tortured Sigurd and cut off his right arm in an attempt to awaken the god, who himself had lost his arm to Fenrir. Sigurd's arm was later taken and hidden in a box in Cent, where Fulke taunted Eivor and Basim as they hunted down their brother and friend.

In Sigurd's wake, Randvi was left in distress and Dag was angered, finally taking action against Eivor's rule over Ravensthorpe. During a confrontation between the two, Dag accused Eivor of pursuing glory instead of focusing on finding Sigurd and challenged her to a holmgang for leadership of the clan, which led to his death.

In 875, Eivor rounded up her allies, including Basim, jarl Guthrum, Soma, Ubba, Broder and Brothir, reeves Erke and Stowe, Bishop Deorlaf, Hunwald, Birstan, and Ljufvina in Suthsexe in order to besiege the fortress of Portcestre and rescue Sigurd. After finding her brother, Eivor left him with Basim as she pursued Fulke, eventually killing her in battle and avenging the torture inflicted upon Sigurd. However, it was too late, as with her dying words Fulke claimed that she had been successful in "awakening" Sigurd.

In Ravensthorpe, a celebration was held for Sigurd's return. However, Sigurd didn't seem to be enjoying the celebration and was instead in an angry mood after learning of Dag's death at Eivor's hands. When his sister tried talking with him, Sigurd lashed out at her and accused her of seeking his throne before proclaiming himself to be a god and saying that he wouldn't let Eivor hinder his destiny. Realizing that everyone was now staring at him, Sigurd quickly excused himself and left the celebration.

After talking with Randvi, Eivor followed Sigurd outside, finding him sitting by Dag's grave. Having calmed himself down, Sigurd briefly reminisced of his childhood friend, who had died defending his honor, before trying to explain his visions to Eivor and how Fulke helped him see who he truly was. However, Eivor couldn't understand what her brother meant, so Sigurd asked her to return and enjoy the rest of the celebration as he wished to be alone.

Sometime later, Sigurd interrupted Eivor as the latter was trying to settle a dispute between Gudrun and Holger. Angry at having his authority defied, since settling disputes was the duty of the jarl, Sigurd told Eivor to stand aside before lashing out at Holger and demanding that he pay Gudrun thirty times the compensation he owed her. Eivor either commented on the harsh and unfair punishment or agreed with it out of respect for her brother's authority, but in the end both she and Randvi were left shocked by Sigurd's behavior, questioning what could have determined this sudden change in his personality.

Return to Norway

Confronting Styrbjorn and reaching Valhalla

In 877, Sigurd decided it was time to seek his "final glory," and asked Eivor to accompany him back to Norway to find the Yggdrasil, believing that it would transfer them to the eternal afterlife of Valhalla. After a long voyage, the two returned to Norway, still under Harald Fairhair's rule. The siblings arrived at Alrekstad where Sigurd first wanted to talk with his father Styrbjorn, whom he had not seen in years. Entering a cabin, Sigurd found his father drunk and depressed. Upon awakening him, Styrbjorn attempted to embrace his son, though was pushed back. Sigurd, still upset with his father for failing to rule the Raven Clan and submitting to King Harald, left angrily after a quick argument, though he did admit that, if not for Styrbjorn's failure, he would have never discovered his true destiny.

Sigurd and Eivor continued onwards to Hordafylke, where the Yggdrasil Chamber laid. After hiking the mountain and entering the cavern, the siblings finally found their grand prize: Yggdrasil, an Isu machine that was key to an eternal life in Valhalla. Already hooked to the machine was Svala, the host of Freyja's personality and mother of Ravensthorpe's healer Valka. After activating the machine, Sigurd stationed himself in the center of the chamber before being attached to one of the machine's branches.

Sigurd battling Eivor in the Valhalla simulation

In Yggdrasil's Valhalla simulation, Sigurd spoke with Svala and Eivor before entering the battlefield. After several days in Valhalla, including one where the siblings dueled each other, Eivor realized that nothing of what they were seeing was real and decided to leave the simulation. Sigurd was initially reluctant to follow her, refusing to give up his dreams of immortality and eternal glory, but eventually agreed with Eivor that it was better to live in the real world and experience true glory.

Basim's betrayal

Just then, Sigurd awoke back in the real world, as he had been detached from Yggdrasil by Basim, who had followed them from England. After Eivor also awoke following a battle against her own Isu incarnation Odin, Basim confronted her while holding Sigurd at knifepoint and goading Eivor to come face him. He then released Sigurd, who could do nothing but watch as his sister and Basim fought across the Yggdrasil Chamber, telling Eivor to kill the traitor.

Eventually, Basim returned to Sigurd and attempted to kill him for picking "the wrong side", but he was stopped by Eivor. As the battle persisted, Sigurd managed to command Yggdrasil and directed one of its branches to attach to Basim after he had been subdued by Eivor. He then pressed the glowing sphere that controlled the simulation, successfully ending the fight and imprisoning Basim, whose mind held the Norse god Loki's personality.

After the battle, Sigurd spoke with Eivor, reminiscing of their past adventures and the many disagreements that rose between him and his sister during their time in England. After a quick judgement, Sigurd made the ultimate decision of whether or not he wanted to return to his clan in England or stay in Norway. Either way, Eivor was granted complete leadership of the Raven Clan by Sigurd, and would eventually take her rightful seat as jarlskona following her return to Ravensthorpe.

Later life

By 889, Sigurd had permanently settled in Norway. When Eivor returned to Norway for three weeks in order to say goodbye to Harald Fairhair, Sigurd was reunited with his sister and took her to Alrekstad, showing her how much had changed in the years since her last visit. Entering the longhouse, the two were greeted by Harald, who revealed he was planning an expedition to Iceland to aid his friend Ingólfr Arnarson and asked the pair if they would lead it. Despite Sigurd's pleading to have one last adventure together, Eivor declined, explaining that she had only come to Norway to bid farewell to her friends, as she intended to leave England and travel further west past Iceland. That night, Sigurd, Eivor and Harald spent time sharing stories of their mutual distant pasts while drinking mead and eating roasted whale.

Personality and traits

Sigurd was charismatic and passionate, easily drawing people to his service. His family, especially his sister Eivor, held him in high regard. While he had great skill as a leader, his ego and lust for glory would many times clouded his judgment, even to the point were he would ignore the advices of those who were close to him. Sigurd was a skilled warrior and cunning tactican, leading many successful raids before his voyage to England. ^{[citation needed]}

While quite intelligent with a skill for politics and military tactics, he was easily manipulated by Basim, by playing on his desire for greatness. Although slowly, he was deceived by him to encounter Fulke, an action that triggered all the events that led to the discovery of the Yggdrasil Chamber. Following his imprisonment and torture at Fulke's hands, Sigurd became increasingly cold, short tempered and cruel to his subjects, as a result of Týr's conscience manifesting itself inside of him. Despite that, he was wise enough to, in the end, let Eivor assume the control of the Raven Clan, recognizing her as a superior leader.

Behind the scenes

Sigurd Styrbjornsson is a character appearing in Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, and introduced in the prequel comic Song of Glory. He is voiced by the Icelandic actor Gudmundur Thorvaldsson, who also voices Týr, as revealed on his Twitter. His Database entry in Valhalla inconsistently refers to him as both "Styrbjornson" and "Styrbjornsson", although the former is used in the entry title.

Gallery

Concept art of Sigurd

Concept model of Sigurd in Rebellion

Sigurd as he appears in Song of Glory

Sigurd as he appears in Rebellion

Sigurd's avatar in Rebellion's character menu

A young Sigurd

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Song of Glory (first appearance)
• Assassin's Creed: Valhalla
  • Dawn of Ragnarök
  • The Last Chapter
• Assassin's Creed: Rebellion – The Ravens' Wound
• The World of Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Journey to the North – Logs and Files of a Hidden One (mentioned only)