Gull was a thrall to the Viking warlord Kjotve of the Wolf Clan before her willing capture at the hands of Eivor Varinsdottir of the Raven Clan. She was also the reincarnation of the Isu Iðunn.[1]
After tempting Eivor with stories of treasure within the Feiknstafir mountains, the two embarked on a journey to the Temple of Heimdall. Upon arriving at their destination, Gull betrayed Eivor to members of the Wolf Clan seeking the same treasure, and after coming into contact with an Apple of Eden, regained her previous incarnation's memory.
This was short-lived, however, as Eivor killed the Wolf Clan members and the temple began to collapse around them. After dropping the Apple, which Eivor sought to claim for her own clan, Gull offered the Viking two choices: return to her currently under-attack village, or risk her life for a bauble. Eivor ultimately chose the former, and Gull was left to her fate.
Biography[]
Capture by Eivor[]
- Eivor: "You're mad."
- Gull: "Maybe... maybe not. Gull's head is full. Full of stories. Stories of the Æsir and Vanir... of Kjotve the Cruel. And maybe now... stories of Eivor, Lady of Ravens, slayer of the wolf? Take Gull with you and she will sing songs to set you among the gods."
- —Eivor and Gull's initial meeting, 870.[src]-[m]
In 870, Gull was present during a raid on a Rygjafylke village by Kjotve's clan. This raid was a failure due to the efforts of Eivor Varinsdottir, Tora Auzoux and Dag NIthisson, who decided to defend the village. Once the battle was over, Eivor discovered Gull hiding inside a building. Gull attempted a feeble attack with a broom, which was quickly avoided. Though her grasp on sanity was tenuous at best, she revealed her name and position: Gull, slave to Kjotve.[2]
Gull, Dag, Tora and Eivor arriving at Stavanger
Gull claimed her head was full of stories of the Æsir and the Vanir and offered to add stories of Eivor, Lady of Ravens, to her repertoire if only she would take Gull with her. Eivor was intrigued by the prospect and decided to take Gull as a gift to her adoptive father, King Styrbjorn. After arriving back at Stavanger and presenting Gull to Styrbjorn, the king took note of Gull's collar and robes and realized she was a prized slave and would be missed, meaning that Eivor had unwittingly brought disaster and death to Stavanger.[2]
News of Gull's capture soon reached Kjotve, after the Wolf Clan members Roscoe and Taras returned from their failed raid at Rygjafylke and arrived at Kjotve's longhouse in Agder. The jarl ordered his champion Viggo to be recalled, claiming that Gull was the "key" and had to be recovered at all costs.[3]
Search for the Apple[]
At Stavanger, Gull watched Eivor and Tora train. Following Tora's defeat, Gull spoke, telling the pair she could lead them "to bounty beyond the dreams of Njörðr himself", like she had for Kjotve. Tora did not believe the slave, but Eivor saw no harm in listening to her, though she did order Gull to stop talking in riddles. Gull would not stop with her riddles, for that was how "they" spoke to her, from across the rainbow bridge. She spoke of a hoard, ready for the taking, "high on Feiknstafir's peak". Eivor decided she would go there, and asked Tora to keep her trip a secret from Styrbjorn.[3]
Eivor and Gull climbing the Feiknstafir mountains
Eivor and Gull made their way to the top of the Feiknstafir mountains, arriving at the Temple of Heimdall. Inside, they found a group of Kjotve's thugs also looking for the riches. Gull then yelled, calling attention to their location. Eivor engaged the thugs in combat before being stabbed in the back by Gull. Bjarke Broadside then took the time to boast about the Wolf Clan attacking Stavanger at that very moment.[3]
Eivor witnessed Bjarke beat Gull into submission and taunted him, saying that Gull would not be able to lead the way to the treasure if she was dead. Gull revealed that "The King's desire lies at Himinbjörg, where Heimdall dwells". When Bjarke had enough of her rambling, he went to beat her again, before Eivor tackled him to the ground to rescue her. Bjarke was dumbfounded that Eivor would protect the one who betrayed her, but easily tossed her off.[4]
Eivor managed to sneak up behind Bjarke and stab him through the back of the head with a sword while Gull watched from a hiding spot. However, she was soon found and thrown to the ground by another thug. Discovering a painting of Himinbjörg on the wall, Eivor recalled Gull's phrase and kicked in the wall.[4]
Behind the wall was Heimdall's treasure: a mountain of gold coins and other riches, and among these, a pedestal with an Apple of Eden. As Eivor reached for it, she was thrown to the ground again by Erland, who claimed the treasure belonged to Kjotve. Eivor remarked that Kjotve was nowhere to be seen and kicked Erland off the treasure pile, sending him and the other thugs through the weakened floorboards and to their deaths.[4]
Final fate[]
Once the fighting ended, Gull grabbed the Apple and stood up, no longer the cowering slave she was before. Calling out to her, Gull's response to Eivor was "That is not my name. And this is not my life." and tore off her slave collar to reveal a marking on her neck. Eivor, still dazed and confused, had no idea what Gull was talking about. She demanded that Gull hand over the treasure that rightfully belonged to her father, just as she did. Gull refused to be owned by anyone, and Eivor resolved to take the Apple from her dead body and attacked. Gull commanded her to stop and with the power of the Apple, Eivor could not move.[4]
Eivor trying to save Gull
As the temple continued to crumble around them, Eivor pleaded with Gull to release her from the stasis or they would both die. Gull was not afraid of death, but accidentally dropped the Apple, canceling the stasis. Eivor, now free, realized the power the Apple held and wanted to claim it for her father. Gull warned Eivor that she did not understand that the world was not as it seemed and scrambled to get back the Apple while the floor below them broke apart. Eivor held out her hand for the Apple promising to help, but Gull refused to allow the artifact to fall into Styrbjorn or anyone else's hands.[4]
Gull, no longer mind-addled, recalled what Bjarke had said about Eivor's village being under attack and asked the Viking if she would abandon Styrbjorn, the man who took her in and raised her. With the ledge as weak as it was, any attempt to take the Apple would definitely kill them both, so Gull gave Eivor two choices, to either "Risk everything for glory, or save [her] people". Eivor chose the latter and left Gull to her fate.[4]
Personality and traits[]
Gull was a meek individual due to her life of servitude and spoke in riddles,[2] which were mainly plagued by memories of Iðunn's life during the Isu Era.[4] After regaining her memories, she stood up straighter and spoke more clearly and with eloquence.[4]
Gull was covered in blue-inked Norse tattoos on every part of her body, including her face.[2]
Skills and equipment[]
Gull wielding the Apple of Eden
Adorned in a thrall's rags, Gull also wore a fur half-cloak upon her shoulders. Extremely weak, the thrall could not even manage to attack Eivor with a broom handle.[2] Instead, she resorted to tricks and manipulation tactics to achieve her goals, luring Eivor to the Temple of Heimdall and stabbing her in the back with a knife.[4]
While wielding the Apple of Eden, Gull used it without struggling against it. After regaining Iðunn's memories, she obtained the knowledge necessary to effectively use the Apple.[4]
Behind the scenes[]
Gull is a character appearing in the comic limited series, Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Song of Glory, written by Cavan Scott. In January 2021, Darby McDevitt, the Narrative Director for Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, confirmed on Twitter that Gull was a reincarnation of Iðunn.[1] When Cavan Scott was asked on Twitter if Gull had died, he replied that leaving her fate ambiguous was done on purpose in case Ubisoft wanted to further explore the character in the future.[5]
Appearances[]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1
Il Salotto degli Assassini (@AC_ISDA) on Twitter "@DarbyMcDevitt this is our bet! pic.twitter.com/qZ8tRqQZMj" (screenshot) Darby McDevitt (@DarbyMcDevitt) on Twitter "@AC_ISDA @69guacamole69 @KurdishOnes I think you got it!" (screenshot)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Song of Glory – Issue #1
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Song of Glory – Issue #2
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Song of Glory – Issue #3
- ↑ Cavan Scott (@cavanscott) on Twitter "Well, I never want to say never, just in case another writer wants to pick up the story!" (screenshot)
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