Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is a lengthy game, but nearing three months since its release, it seems likely that many are ready to move on. Even still, there’s plenty to do in AC Valhalla after beating the game, and many may be excited for the upcoming DLC.
For the uninitiated, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla has a season pass that promises at least two big pieces of DLC: Wraith of the Druids and The Siege of Paris. The latter takes Eivor to Francia, while the former takes place in Ireland. Wrath of the Druids also introduces the Children of Danu, yet another cult risen before the Templar solidification, that serves as assassination targets in the new map. Now, with a new cult and a new “goddess” Danu seemingly being introduced, among a myriad of new other new story details and features, it seems likely that old patterns still come true. SPOILERS AHEAD FOR AC VALHALLA.
Irish mythology is somewhat complex. The Children of Danu were also seemingly known as the Tuatha De Danann, though some depict these figures themselves as gods, not followers. Other times, they are depicted as kings and queens, but it seems the appearance here will be a cult in worship of the goddess Danu. There’s not much known about her, which gives Assassin’s Creed Valhalla a lot of free room to play with her depiction, but she is generally depicted as a mother goddess (hence her “children”) and is often associated with the land and rivers.
Because there’s no surviving myths or legends and her name alone is mostly a literary recreation, she’s ripe for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla to portray in the game. Of course, there’s really no confirmation that Danu will legitimately appear as a character; after all, the Cult of Kosmos had no direct Isu relation other than a desire to control and manipulate the Tainted Ones. Danu’s ripe background, on the other hand, is a little too rich to keep so vague. And if she is going to appear in the new game, as with Odin, Tyr, Loki and Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva before them, she’ll likely be an Isu of some sort.
This begs the question as to what Danu’s role in Wrath of the Druids and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla at large could be. She wouldn’t be the first Isu introduced in DLC, as was Aletheia in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. Given the overarching narrative, though, it seems likely that Danu may not be a new Isu but an old one. Thus far, AC Odyssey and AC Valhalla have introduced a new modern-and-past storyline that connects Loki and Angrboda to Aletheia and beyond. Now, with Loki seemingly attempting to find his family and give Altheia/Angrboda a new form, it seems likely that Danu connects in such a way.
There’s no shortage of possibilities here. Danu COULD technically be a new Isu associated with Loki’s children (Hel or Jormungandr), though neither of them seem to be a fair fit. One could make the argument that Danu’s association with the land and how Jormungandr supposedly wraps around the Earth could be the connection, but that does seem out there—even for the most speculative assessments.
It could be that Danu is a new form of an Isu like Aletheia, a manifestation at this time that somehow connects back to the modern day. Perhaps the most interesting option for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, though, is for Danu to be a reincarnation of one of the Norse gods. 9 entered Yggdrasil to avoid the Great Catastrophe, and thus far, only reincarnations for Odin, Loki, Thor, Freyja, Tyr, and Heimdall have been shown (that leaves 3 unconfirmed resurrections).
Joro is a less recognizable name, but she is a “mother goddess” and one associated with the land in Norse mythology. Joro and Danu being compounded into one character would be interesting to see, though of course this is far from confirmed. Nonetheless, whoever Danu is, her associated with the land may be her most important association.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is both an AC3 prequel and sequel, drawing interesting connections to that game’s past and modern stories. With this in mind, it’s possible that Wraith of the Druids establishes a connection with AC Rogue, as the Assassin-turned-Templar protagonist of that game, Shay Patrick Cormac, has ancestors from Ireland. In AC Rogue, players are introduced to the Seismic Temples, Isu Vaults that support the Earth’s crust. Players do not get a proper history of them, nor do they really learn their purpose, as they just learn that messing with them is severely dangerous.
While it remains to be seen, it would be interesting if Wrath of the Druids managed to tie all of these together: how or why Danu is associated with the land and thus, potentially, the Seismic Temples; how Danu herself relates to the ongoing events with Aletheia and Loki; how Danu, the land, the Seismic Temples, and more tie into Earth’s unavoidable hurdle into yet another catastrophe; and how Shay’s heritage could be used to tie the old classic game into the current story.
Of course, this is all speculation and it remains to be seen, but there are enough theoretical lines here that something, somewhere has to click. For now, Wrath of the Druids is set to release this spring, and it’s probable fans learn more soon.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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