Bready 1

Alex Bready
GERM 282
December 2, 2002

Norse Mythological Influences in Today’s Role-Playing Games

The tales of Norse mythology were originally spread through the oral tradition.

Traveling bards would regale audiences all over Europe with accounts of Thor’s multiple

victories over the giants or of Odin’s many realms of mastery. Unfortunately, that

tradition has vanished from today’s society, where television and the internet serve as

primary sources of fiction and fact. One of the most popular types of computer software

is the video game, specifically the role-playing genre (RPG). In this category of

electronics, gamers immerse themselves in magical fictional kingdoms filled with

beautiful maidens, brave heroes, dastardly villains, and grotesque monsters. Video game

developers often turn to various mythologies for assistance in creating their exquisite

worlds. One such developer, a Japanese company called Squaresoft, has incorporated a

multitude of beings from Norse mythology to enliven their epic tales.

Squaresoft’s flagship RPG series goes by the name Final Fantasy. Originally

created as a last ditch effort for the now-defunct Nintendo Entertainment System in the

1980s, Final Fantasy has developed into an enormously successful venture, spawning

eleven sequels, a television cartoon, and even a full-length computer-generated feature

film. Final Fantasy could not have been half as successful as it has been if its developers

did not incorporate being from various mythologies for gamers to recognize and enjoy.

Characters in the Final Fantasy series have the ability to use magic, including the

capability of summoning grandiose creatures, who have included Odin, Fenrir, Ragnarok,
 Bready 2

and the Midgard Snake (Orner Summons). When Odin is summoned, he appears as an

ancient king mounted on a horse (Orner Database). In some games, the horse is normal

and has four legs, while other games correctly portray Sleipnir as having the proper eight

appendages. Odin would attack enemies using his trusty spear Gungnir, crafted for him

by the talented dwarves. Fenrir, the wolf bound by Tyr who is destined to free himself

during Ragnarok and devour Odin (Davidson 38), is another creature which can be

summoned. True to legend, Fenrir appears as a wolf, and oddly attacks the enemy party

using wind (Orner Database). Ragnarok, the term for the end of the Norse world when

monsters slay all the gods and Midgard and Asgard are completely destroyed (Davidson

236), is a term which has never been linked to a tangible object, thus leaving the creative

developers at Squaresoft with an enormous amount of latitude. When it finally appeared

in the series’ sixth installment, Ragnarok was depicted as a giant sword with the ability to

transform any enemy into a useful item (Orner Database). The name Ragnarok also

appears in Final Fantasy VIII, where it has been transformed into a spaceship. The final

creature capable of being summoned is another one of Loki’s offspring, the Midgard

Serpent. Although referred to in initial games as Terrato, the Midgard Serpent attacks the

enemy party via a devastating earthquake, appropriate seeing how the Serpent is believed

to circle the Yggdrasil. However, some form of aquatic attack might have been more

fitting, since the Midgard Serpent resided in the ocean (Branston 240). One other

summons worth noting is that of the being Tritoch in Final Fantasy VI. This sizable bird

was originally called Valigarmanda when the game was released in Japan, the odd name

most likely being a combination of Vali, Odin’s son and the best archer in the world
 Bready 3

(Munch 18); Garm, the enormous canine guarding the entrance to Hel; and Salamande, a

creature from Middle-Eastern religion (Orner Summons)

Summoning creatures is not the only method in which the Final Fantasy RPG

series incorporates ideas originating in Norse mythology; multiple playable characters

have Norse names. One such character is Siegfried, named for the legendary hero of the

Germanic saga The Ring of the Nibelung. While the original Siegfried is a classical hero

who falls in love with the valkyrie Brunhilde, the modern Siegfried claims to be an expert

swordsman but is revealed to be little more than a petty thief (Orner Characters). The

only distinguishable similarity between the two incarnations is their shared usage of a

sword. Another character directly tied in to Norse mythology is Freya, who appears in

Final Fantasy IX. Squaresoft’s Freya is a dragoon, meaning she has incredible leaping

abilities in battle; this character appears to be very different from the Norse goddess

Freya. However, both the original Freya and her namesake share the fact that they loved

a man who went off to battle and did not return. The goddess Freya was wed to Od when

he departed to fight in far off lands, never to return (Munch 27). The character Freya was

enamored with Sir Fratley the Iron-Tailed, who also left for battle (Orner Database).

Though technically not Norse in origin, the epic Beowulf spawned one final playable

character: the eponymous Beowulf himself. Squaresoft’s Beowulf suffers the ironic fate

of falling in love with the maiden Reis, who a vengeful sorceress transforms into a

monstrous dragon (Orner Characters). This fate is ironic since the original Beowulf died

at the hands of a dragon who had invaded his kingdom (Orner Characters).

Locales are another source of similarities between Final Fantasy games and Norse

mythology. The main character in Final Fantasy VII, Cloud Strife, hails from the town of
 Bready 4

Niflheim, which shares its name with the region located below the roots of Yggdrasil

(235). In ancient Norse, Niflheim could be translated as “home of the clouds”, which is

appropriate seeing as how a character named Cloud hails from the town. Another city in

Final Fantasy VII is Midgar, which was the center of all human activity. This name is

obviously derived from Midgard, the realm in Norse mythology where humans dwelled.

Final Fantasy III includes a rainbow bridge guarded by a giant, which can easily traced

back to Heimdall being the watchman for the Bifrost Bridge, the only route into Asgard

(Branston 137).

Weapons and items used by characters in Final Fantasy games are not immune

from Norse influence either. Dragoons brandish a spear in battle, a powerful one of

which was named Gungnir, after that of Odin (Orner Items). The hero of the quest is the

member of the party typically equipped with a sword. One relevant sword appeared in

Final Fantasy VI by the name of Ragnarok (Orner Items). Again, there seems to be no

rationale for connecting a sword with the destruction of the Norse gods, except maybe

that both have the potential for creating cataclysmic results. The hero also has the ability

to equip the Rune Blade, an ordinary sword whose only link to Norse mythology lies in

its name. Runes were symbols used by Nordic people as a rudimentary alphabet more

than one thousand years ago (Orner Items). These runes were believed to have magical

properties, and Davidson states that Odin created these runes by hanging himself on the

Yggdrasil (144). The burly warrior of the group has the ability to wield an axe or a

hammer, and can be equipped with the Thor Hammer, also known as Mjollnir. A bolt of

lighting is emitted whenever Mjollnir strikes an enemy, an obvious tribute to Thor, the

Norse god of thunder (Davidson 238). As far as armor is concerned, the only link
 Bready 5

appears to revolve around the superior performance of Mythril as a foundation for armor.

Mythril is not truly a Norse concept; it originally appears in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the

Rings trilogy. However, extensive research has been conducted which focuses on

Tolkien’s inspiration for his trilogy, and one of his primary sources was Norse

mythology. Therefore, Mythril, while not directly taken from Norse sagas, does have a

Nordic connection.

Various species found in the Final Fantasy franchise reflect Norse ideas as well.

Elves, Dwarves, and Berserks appear in multiple chapters of the series. The dwarves are

very similar to how they are depicted in Snorri Sturluson’s Edda. Both portray dwarves

as excellent artisans capable of creating the finest weaponry. In Final Fantasy V, the only

available means of upgrading the party’s arms is to visit the dwarf city of Kohlingen

(Orner Database). The portrayal of elves is also heavily based on Norse legend. Both

dark and light elves appeared in various games, with the dark elves as adversaries the

party has to defeat and light elves as a tranquil society residing in the forests (Orner

Database). Final Fantasy II even contains a town called Alfheim, but its residents are

humans, not elves (Orner Monsters). The idea of the Berserker can be directly traced

back to Odin, the Norse god of war. In exchange for loyalty and sacrifices, Odin would

grant certain warriors imperviousness to all wounds and an inhuman level of strength

(Davidson 66). These Berserks were often clad in animal skins and could be one basis

for the idea of the werewolf. Final Fantasy remains fairly true to the original depiction of

a Berserker, preventing the player from controlling a character while in a Berserk state.

The Berserker has increased strength and does not distinguish between friend and foe. In
 Bready 6

Final Fantasy V, the Berserker is actually clad in animal skins, a direct homage to Norse

mythology (Orner Database).

The creators of RPGs most often use their imaginations when drawing monsters.

While many descriptions of these beasts have been penned, locating a drawing of a fiend

is quite rare. Therefore, although many monsters have been selected from classical

mythologies, the burden of drawing them falls squarely on the designers’ shoulders.

Monsters that have appeared in various Final Fantasy games include the Midgar Zolom

(Midgard Serpent), Fafnir, Garm, various kinds of Giants (Frost, Fire, Earth, etc), and

even Grendel. The Midgar Zolom is accurately depicted as an enormous serpent, but is

found in a swamp, not the sea. Fafnir, the dragon slain by Siegfried in the Ring of the

Nibelung, appears in Final Fantasy X as a dragon, though he is not as intimidating as in

folklore. Garm, the canine gatekeeper to Hel, is depicted as a common dog, lacking any

supernatural aura, especially the blood reported to be smeared across his chest (Munch

38). Squaresoft’s portrayal of the various giants is by far the strongest of any of the

Norse-associated monsters. The giants are behemoths that tower over the party members

and their attacks reflect their elemental allegiance. Finally, Grendel, who also appears in

Beowulf, is drawn as a medium-sized serpent, nowhere near as fierce as the monster that

Beowulf slew (Davidson 18).

Squaresoft recently completed a merger with Enix Software, another Japan-based

software company known for their above average role-playing games. While Squaresoft

has only used Norse mythology as a source for mythic figures and places, Enix has taken

the relationship one-step further. Enix recently released the title Valkyrie Profile, an

RPG in which the player takes control of one of Odin’s valkyries as she attempts to
 Bready 7

recruit suitable souls for eternal battle in his hall of Valhalla (Valkyrie Profile).

Ragnarok is fast approaching and Odin is in dire need of suitable human souls to combat

the impending evil. Storylines such as the one in Valkyrie Profile are extremely

educational and manage to teach unsuspecting youths about the grandiose sagas of Norse

mythology while keeping the experience entertaining. Spreading tales of gods and

demons has become extremely difficult with increasingly shorter attention spans in

today’s youth and a general reluctance to pick up a book. Video games that both teach

and entertain are truly diamonds in the rough, and companies such as Squaresoft and

Enix should be applauded for passing on the stories surrounding Norse mythology to

children today.
 Bready 8

Works Cited

Branston, Brian. Gods of the North. London: Thames and Hudson, 1955.

Davidson, H. R. Ellis. Gods & Myths of Northern Europe. Baltimore: Penguin, 1964.

Munch, Peter Andreas. Norse Mythology: Legends of Gods and Heroes. New York: The

American-Scandinavian Foundation, 1926.

Orner, Daniel. Final Fantasy Database. The Final Fantasy Compendium. 4 December

2002 http://www.ffcompendium.com/h/data.shtml

---. Final Fantasy Name Origins: Characters. The Final Fantasy Compendium. 25

November 2002 http://www.ffcompendium.com/h/nchara.shtml

---. Final Fantasy Name Origins: Items. The Final Fantasy Compendium. 25 November

2002 http://www.ffcompendium.com/h/nitem.shtml

---. Final Fantasy Name Origins: Monsters. The Final Fantasy Compendium. 25

November 2002 http://www.ffcompendium.com/h/nmonst.shtml

---. Final Fantasy Name Origins: Places. The Final Fantasy Compendium. 25

November 2002 http://www.ffcompendium.com/h/nplace.shtml

---. Final Fantasy Name Origins: Summons. The Final Fantasy Compendium. 25

November 2002 http://www.ffcompendium.com/h/nsummon.shtml

Valkyrie Profile Official Website. 2002. Enix America 4 December 2002

http://www.enix.com/ea29fcd7f00b0f2e04ca98d3b0569ecb/valkyrie-

profile/main_frameset.html
Bready 9