Hello survivors! We’re almost in November… Wait, this means there are only 2 months left in 2017? We’re SO CLOSE to the release date. We’re NOT freaking out (maybe a little, but that’s fine). So, as I was saying, it’s almost November. And you know what this means? It’s Halloween season! And we thought it was the perfect moment to reveal a new character: Gudrun the Völva!
Gudrun is a Völva (you can also say vala, wala, spákona, or spækona). It’s a female shaman and a seer in Norse religion.
They had several skills, like Seydr (chamanism), spà (overseeing), and galdr (magic). They were very powerful, and legend has it that Odin himself called upon them to foretell his future.
As they could tell the future, there are some legends that they could stop even wars. There are many myths around them. Sometimes, they were old women who weren’t tied to their families anymore, and wandered around the lands, and they could offer their services for critical matters, for they were extremely respected.
Finally, they were also known as “Peace weavers”/”War weavers” (or freothuwebbe/fríÞwebbe). This is not surprising, there are many stories that link Völvas to Freyja, the goddess of war and also of magic.
Sagamuseum Reykjavík, Iceland
Fun fact: Matthieu, the game’s director, let Jacques (the art director) choose between a beautiful young girl like Morrigan in Dragon Age, or an old hag… Guess which one Jacques chose.
 Nope |
 Oh yeah |
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As a Völva, Gudrun “saw” Eirik and his family crash on this island. She tried to contact the mystical energies on the island, but with no success… She only knew one thing: she HAD TO go on this island, whatever the price (her life?). In that, we can say that she’s the only character of the game who ended up on this island purposely.
Gudrun is also the most “fantasy” character: she dwells with magic, has visions… It’s very far from the earthly concerns of the group (aka, just surviving another day…).
In the Dead In… series, we like to mix strange/magical stuff in a realistic setting. That was one of our main direction for the atmosphere of the game. So a character like this is always interesting: is she really in contact with the gods, or is she just plain old crazy? We like the ambiguity of those kind of characters. (and the relationships other characters could have with someone like this)
Visions or not, we’re sure that Gudrun will be seen at first like a crazy old hag… She’s not your kind grandma… Her tongue bites hard. Well, that’s when she doesn’t suddenly fall asleep in the middle of the conversation…
In terms of skills, well… She will help how she can… She MAY be a real burden to the group, since she has the physical abilities of an old, cranky chair… BUT she sure can heal, a skill very rare and very important in these troubled times, so… Keep her, or leave her, that’s your choice!
In battle, she’ll be a “Mystic”, like Moira, so she’ll be able to buff her allies and debuff her enemies. This means that she won’t be very useful when it comes to attacking enemies, but her skills will help you take the advantage!
Not scary AT ALL. Oh, and she has a crow. Obviously.
So that’s a wrap for Gudrun! Don’t forget: take care of your elders, they may prove useful! Maybe. Sometimes. Just be nice to them, at least.
