The Vikings had all kinds of cool cultural traditions, from democratic councils and formal duelling rites to one of the earliest known forms of what we’d now call the rap battle: Flyting. See, the Vikings had rhyming insult-fights attested to in both historical record, myth, and semi-historical records like the Icelandic Sagas. There are flytings between the gods Odin and Thor, for example, or between Loki and literally every other god because nobody really likes Loki very much. (If you’re like me, you know this practice from the old english word flite via Beowulf.)
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will include this rhythmic poetry in the form of flyting between game protagonist Eivor and other warriors. These are boasting competitions where warriors, often around the table at the mead hall, would playfully insult each other to a rhythmic scheme. Here’s Assassin’s Creed Valhalla creative director Ashraf Alsmail with the details:
Viking rap battles, you say? @AshrafAIsmail will get you up to speed on how this all-new feature works in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.#AssassinsCreed #ACFacts pic.twitter.com/WB9BEYO0yCMay 22, 2020
So brush up on your rhyme schemes and poetic license, people. You’ve got sea-raider rap battles to win. Me? I’m just hoping for some good kennings out of this whole thing.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will be this year’s release in the historical series, set in 9th Century England and releasing “Holiday 2020.” It deals with the Viking Invasions of late antiquity, when peoples from Scandinavia conquered much of the British isles. It’ll see the new protagonist, Eivor, doing much of the same RPG-like gameplay we’ve come to expect from the last two games in the series. You can learn more about Assassin’s Creed Valhalla on our extensive roundup of the details.