So I actually bought a PS4 a while ago specifically so I could play Senua’s Sacrifice. It had Viking iconography in it (CHECK), Celtic costuming (CHECK), Elder Futhark (YES!) and dealt with mental illness (WIN). I had to play. It was everything I wanted and totally worth the price of the console. You play with headphones so you can experience the sound of voices in your head because the player character Senua has schizophrenia. In fact, as the game progressed I realized that one take could be that every fight and interaction could plausibly be a hallucination. That makes the entire story even more simultaneously terrifying and sad. I don’t think I am spoiling the game by saying at the end you can interpret that Senua decides to accept her fate and accept herself and just proceed with life with the voices and hallucinations.
So I just saw the trailer for Senua 2 that is going to be only released on Xbox X (really?!). Here it is:
Okay, looks like she embraced it and decided to become a shaman or violent or maybe is just going to go on a quest for vengence for the face tattoos. Who knows? The music is from a Danish band called Heilung (German for healing); it’s one of these Old Norse groups (bands?) that recreate the old Germanic/Nordic/Celtic/Viking style and I guess celebrate (our?) Germanic/Nordic/Celtic//Viking heritage of running around smeared with mud wearing antlers and not being literate. I’m half Scottish by descent and hey, I’m all for it. In America the Scots as a folk are mostly famous for being drunks and voicing fantasy dwarves. So sure, yay for being a Viking raider and pillaging monasteries! It’s something. I’ll put on antlers and a kilt if I can join in on a heritage month I guess? I made this faux stained window to show the Viking travels west because why not.
Anyway, the lyrics for the trailer go thusly:
Tawol athodu / Ek erilaz owlthuthewaz / Niwaremariz saawilagar / Hateka harja!
*(Which is a chant meaning basically "Oh Odin, dude, help us out in battle!)
In the song, if you want to track it down, this is followed by the terrifying chanting of the Elder Futhark Alphabet. Which sounds super tough... but it is the alphabet. I find this hilarious!
If you want to sing along with Heilung (it's so catchy!) here is the Elder Futhark Alphabet: (Þ is pronounced like a hard th)
fehu / uruz / Þurisaz /ansuz / raiÞo / kaunaz / gebo / wunjo / hagalaz / nauÞiz / isa / jera / eihwaz / perÞ / algiz / sowulo / telwaz / berkana / ehwaz / mannaz / laguz / inguz / dagaz / oÞila
Singing your letters will terrify your enemies!
Elder Futhark. This image is my own and if you want to use it I christen it public domain. -Linnea Boyev