Lets Play: Assassin's Creed Valhalla Part 4: Settling Down

Описание: The Swan-Road Home

In-game:
The Raven Clan leaves Norway and sails west, finally reaching England’s eastern coast. Their destination is a supposed Ragnarsson encampment in Mercia, but instead they find it occupied by Saxons.

Real history check

The voyage itself? Absolutely real.
Vikings from Norway and Denmark routinely crossed the North Sea in the 9th century, using longships designed for both open ocean and shallow rivers. England was a prime target for settlement, not just raiding.

Saxons were real.
The “Saxons” in Valhalla represent the Anglo-Saxons, descendants of Germanic peoples who had settled England centuries earlier. By the late 800s, England was a patchwork of kingdoms like Mercia, Wessex, Northumbria, etc.

Mercia was real and important.
Mercia was one of the dominant Anglo-Saxon kingdoms during this period, though by the time Valhalla is set, it was weakening under pressure from Viking invasions.

Ragnarsson encampments? Semi-fictional.
The sons of Ragnar Lothbrok (like Ivar the Boneless and Halfdan Ragnarsson) were real historical figures tied to the Great Heathen Army. However, Ubisoft simplifies and compresses events. There wasn’t a neat, labeled “Ragnarsson camp” waiting for Eivor, but Viking armies did establish temporary bases across England.

Unwelcome

In-game:
Eivor discovers the Ragnarsson settlement abandoned and overtaken by Saxon bandits. The Raven Clan clears them out and claims the land.

Real history check

Abandoned settlements = very realistic.
Early Viking camps were often temporary. Some failed due to lack of supplies, internal conflict, or local resistance.

Bandit occupation makes sense.
Power vacuums were common. If a fortified spot was left empty, locals or outlaws would absolutely move in.

This mission reflects the chaotic nature of early medieval England: borders were unstable, authority was weak, and survival often trumped loyalty.

Ravensthorpe

Was Ravensthorpe real?
No. Ravensthorpe itself is fictional.

What it’s based on

Real Viking settlements, especially in the Danelaw (areas of England under Viking control).

Places like Repton, Jórvík (York), and riverside encampments along the Trent and Humber.

Archaeological evidence shows Vikings preferred:

River access

Defensible ground

Nearby farmland and monasteries (convenient, tragically so)

Ravensthorpe is essentially a composite settlement, designed to represent how a Viking colony might have grown from a camp into a permanent home.

Settling Down

In-game:
The Raven Clan decides to build roots. Eivor raids a monastery to gather supplies and builds a forge for Gunnar the blacksmith.

Real history check

Blacksmiths were essential.
A forge wasn’t a luxury. Weapons, tools, horseshoes, nails, and farming equipment all depended on skilled smiths. A settlement without one was doomed.

Monastery raids were very real.
Vikings targeted monasteries because:

They were wealthy

Poorly defended

Often isolated
Famous examples include Lindisfarne (793), which marked the symbolic start of the Viking Age.

Settlement-building through raiding is accurate.
Early Viking communities often relied on plunder to bootstrap permanent settlements before turning fully to farming and trade.

Big Picture (History vs Game)

Valhalla exaggerates scale and speed, but the core ideas are historically sound:

Vikings migrated, not just raided

Saxon kingdoms were fractured and vulnerable

Settlements evolved from violence into stability

England in the late 9th century was a contested, dangerous place

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