Nordic Mythology Expert REACTS to Hellblade

Welcome back to another episode of Experts React! In this installment, we have the pleasure of hosting the renowned Doctor Natalie Van Dausen as she reacts to Hellblade Senua's Sacrifice. As a scholar of Nordic history, our guest offers a unique perspective on the game's portrayal of Viking culture, mythology, and mental illness. Throughout the video, the historian provides insightful commentary on various aspects of the game, including its use of Nordic runes, its depiction of Norse gods and goddesses, and its exploration of Senua's psychological struggles. Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is a 2017 action-adventure game developed and published by the British video game development studio Ninja Theory. Set in a dark fantasy world inspired by Norse mythology and Celtic culture, the game follows Senua, a Pict warrior who must make her way to Helheim by defeating otherworldly entities and facing their challenges, in order to rescue the soul of her dead lover from the goddess Hela.
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In other exciting news, fans of the series can look forward to the upcoming release of Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2, the highly-anticipated sequel to Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. The launch trailer showcases Senua's return in a brutal journey of survival through the myth and torment of Viking Iceland. Intent on saving those who have fallen victim to the horrors of tyranny, Senua faces a battle of overcoming the darkness within and without. Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 will be available on Xbox Series X/S and PC on May 21, 2024.
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Dr Natalie Van Deusen:
/ @professornatalie
apps.ualberta.ca/directory/pe...
nvandeusen?s=20
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Thanks to PLAYGAMES for the gameplay:
/ @playgames.
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Nordic Historian REACTS to Hellblade

[@ethanbailey5636]

I like how they swapped Fenrir’s skull for a boar’s, as the boar is a symbol of power and ferocity in many Celtic myths. It really shows how Senua is interpreting this foreign mythology through her own experiences.

[@raul88.88]

The game wiki says that is Garm, not Fenrir 🤔

[@helygg8892]

Garm is the correct role of the character I think they miss labeled it Fenrir because senua is seeking hel and garm guards the gates to hels hall

[@Raurie4]

O so thats why it's a Boar's Skull, i was confused by that until now.

[@CURTSNIPER]

Senua is Pict

[@SuperTyrannical1]

I like her. Not sure if she's a gamer but it's always nice to see people who are respectful of the artform, and informative. 👍

[@ProfessorNatalie]

Thank you! I actually purchased this game after doing the react video. Haven't played it yet but looking forward to doing so soon.

[@J1ntu]

I hope you enjoy it! This game is amazing

[@josephmillich5541]

​@@ProfessorNatalie I would highly recommend playing the game with good headphones. It's almost schizophrenic how the quiet voices will tip you off to something attacking you from behind then go to almost deceiving you the next moment. Very good sound quality really opens up the game that much more.

[@emulation2369]

@@ProfessorNatalie God of War should be on your list as well 😉

[@emulation2369]

@@ProfessorNatalie God of War should be on your list as well 😉

[@MasterZeus94]

It's important to note that the narration is filtered through a Celt's perspective of what the Norse beliefs are; this is why calling Surtr a fire god or calling Svartalfeim the dwelling of 'evil elves'.

[@DontGiveUp_Skeleton]

I'm not sure if the following is a spoiler, because of how inexplicit most of Hellblade is, but I'm warning just in case. The story is confusing because the setup and the visuals suggest it's an adventure through norse mythology, when it's not at all. The "adventure" is a schizophrenic projection of the mechanism of her broken mind finding the strength to let go of her pain. Norse stories had been told to her, but it poisoned her perception of the people from across the sea. It was also the vehicle she used to find herself again. It's beautiful honestly.

[@goldenhide]

On top of this vehicle of discussing mental health. For all of it, it makes it one of the games that has absolutely meant a lot to me on a personal level.

[@raphaelperry8159]

On top of that, the ending makes perfect sense when you understand that, for the entire game you weren't playing as Senua. You were playing as the angry part of her that did not want to let go, the part that did not want to stop fighting. That part of her needed to stop existing before she could find happiness again and move on with her life.

[@scottking5555]

Yes this.. although the game is adjacent to the mythology, this game is not about the mythology itself. It's about this one broken person's ideas of the mythology

[@a-blivvy-yus]

@@scottking5555 And on top of that, it's a broken person's *outsider* perspective of the mythology, because she's not Norse herself, as mentioned, she's a Pict (and her guide teaching her about Norse mythology was also Celtic, but from a different tribe of Celts).

[@dignusdingus3709]

Yeah, it feels like they forgot to bring that part up to her

[@nicktanicosilva2582]

She seems like the professor that you'd like to have as a professor

[@ethanbailey5636]

The symbols which flash are mostly ogham, an old Celtic runic script. The one with three circles is the triskelion, which isn’t a letter but rather a symbol representing a trinity which dates back to the Neolithic, and has been used by cultures across Europe since then. The Isle of Man still has a triskelion on their flag actually!

[@raphaelperry8159]

Having the ogham show up when Senua is fighting against the runic Norse mythology makes it feel like a conflict of mythologies or ideologies as she's struggling to reconcile two conflicting world views within herself.

[@laughingmonkey8838]

The Triskelion is often seen depicted here in Brittany, west of France, though it's not used on the Gwenn ha du, our flag, it's a symbol also used to relate to our Celtic ancestry.

[@OutlawSiam21]

I would like to know, why nobody told her that Senua has schizophrenia. That this played into here views as what she saw. Why no one told her of druth being the one talking to her when she views the runes. That would have made her give us possibly more and even better insight into this at least in my opinion. She would have had the whole picture. Did love what she did give us though.

[@TheRedDevil7494]

The Professor literally states that the character is a metaphor for Psychosis and that they consulted doctors for the game. I'm pretty sure she knows

[@dontmindmeimjustpassingby4718]

⁠@@TheRedDevil7494 it‘s not a metaphor tho. The character literally has psychosys and that is what is making her see all these mythological creatures and why she was in exile in the first place

[@StillOnTrack]

Yeah they did her a disservice by not giving her enough information overall. Still interesting, but they could have prepared her better rather than just "look at this"

[@a-blivvy-yus]

It's probably worth pointing out that the Mimir reference is actually an incidental side effect of the real purpose for the head Senua is carrying. The reason she's carrying DIllion's head is related to Celtic mythology, in which the head is "the seat of the soul" (correctly referenced in the game) - it's where the soul of a person resides while they live. Senua takes his head as a vessel in which she can carry his soul out of Helheim, so he can be delivered to his proper afterlife. This is also similar to the (already mentioned in other comments) fact that those blue glowing symbols in the air during combat were Celtic runes (there's also a scene later in the game with Senua in a pit, and those symbols can be seen carved into the walls of the hole she's in). It's probably also worth noting that Celtic people had 2 separate religions with separate pantheons, and most followers of both of those pantheons believed the other group also existed. They believed in very "real" gods, who were reachable in a physical way if you could get to the right places to meet them. Extending that belief to another culture's gods, after having an encounter with another culture who perform ritual acts in honour of those gods, is just a logical extension of that belief, as is the idea that the lands these foreign gods live in can be reached and the gods themselves confronted. The game isn't really so much an exploration of Norse mythology as it is an exploration of what the Celtic peoples would have believed about Norse mythology. it gets a lot of interesting details of Norse mythology right, but also gets many things wrong, while doing so so in ways that fit with those stories being filtered through 2 layers of different Celtic beliefs.

[@raphaelperry8159]

5:49 The rune stones spell out a secret message: Seek Hela's truth in mirror. Gods betray us. Unmask fear. Not sure why the developers went with Hela instead of Hel but probably for the reason you mentioned. Senua's understanding of norse mythology is based on the version told to her by an old pict who spent many years as a viking thrall before he escaped and finally made his way home (but was badly burned during his escape). So we see it the way she imagines it based on what she was told.

[@neilcognito]

I think that's the exact reason why they went with Hela instead of Hel. It's reiterating on the point that this is a marvel that she was told, not something native to her.

[@a-blivvy-yus]

They use Hel and Helheim interchangeably to refer to the place, and Hela is used to distinguish the goddess from the realm she rules over. And it fits well with the storytelling for there to be details like this that aren't quite "done right" because Senua isn't Norse, and neither was the person who taught her their stories.

[@stangerr0267]

It's important to note that what Senua knows about Norse mythology is directly influenced what one of her Shaman told her and that was based on what he picked up on as a slave

[@BaconNationChannel]

I was today years old when I found that Senua was a Pict. I did not notice any of the gaelic/celtic symbols on my first playthrough! The blue paint on her face now makes all the sense in the world. It is just weird to see someone who believes in a totally different mythology (celtic) which end up dying and going to nordic mythological world.

[@lucidiously]

That's because Senua doesn't really die and go to the Norse Hel. The entire game is a psychotic episode she experiences, filtered through her (limited) understanding of Norse mythology as told to her by a Celtic Irishman.

[@kennyfresquez7019]

I would recommend basically anyone to play this game. It's a good game (and pretty short, too) with a lot of interesting mechanics. I really want to play the sequel; but don't have the right console. It's an interesting game that simulates mental illness (and wants you to play with headphones to hear the voices best). 11/10 for anyone looking for an interesting story without the AAA gimmicks.

[@gofucky0urself527]

The sequel doesn't release for another month (a full year after your comment).

[@SantosAl]

Spoiler for the game, and if you haven't seen any of the promotional material. The thing about this game is that Senua is someone suffering from a mental break down brought on by numerous trauma from her life. She learns about Nordic mythology by a guy in the forest and views the world from that lens, her psychosis makes it "real". This gives the developer some leeway since the mythology doesn't need to be completely accurate since this is according to Senuas belief mixed with her celtic upbringing. The interesting thing about the game is that You are one of the voices in her head guiding her through this world, and since you view this world from Senuas eyes you never know what is real and what is fake. and how her mental issues are both a curse and a "superpower" letting her survive these experiences.

[@CharlieKendale]

I hope she do a breakdown of Hellblade 2 once it is ready

[@esaedvik]

Or maybe get someone actually Scandinavian who can pronounce stuff...I'm sure she's very good at what she does though knowledge wise.

[@andtit8408]

The doctor is watching Dead Island. Severing of limbs, various types of homemade weapons. There will be somewhere to roam).

[@ImotekhtheStormlord-tx2it]

hellblade is 10/10 experience

[@amanapart1811]

Very good series. Love to hear critique from an expert on the subject while being a novice with respect to the medium of delivery.

[@aisadal2521]

HECK YEAH! Always great to see Dr. Van Dausen, especially to start off a new week and a new month!!! 💖😄💖

[@brendon4558]

This is honestly such a good game, and I can't wait for the sequal 🙌

[@IsaiasMGPalafox]

Played the first Hellblade a few years ago. Found it scrolling through GamePass n became interested after seeing the trailer/images. I had no idea it would end up being one of my favorite games. Playing it in the dark w/ headphones. The nonstop annoying voices. The visuals, the combat. Just a great experience that I wasn’t expecting to have, when I discovered it. I hope the sequel is just as good. It’s been awhile since the announcement, so I hope we get some news on it this year. 💯👏

[@adrianaslund8605]

Ive heard that a curse among the norsemen was to say "by the fires of muspelheim!" Which is equivalent to saying "ohh blazes!" Probably said after accidentally touching hot metal or cutting oneself.

[@JacksonDunnoKnows]

If it hasn't happened yet, her and Jackson Crawford should get together and talk on other norse topics in media.

[@childishgrimm9610]

I believe the Xbox achievements are miswritten, as the giant beast you fight is supposed to be Garm, not Fenrir

[@localcultist1548]

So i know the achievement says that the boar/dog boss is Fenrir but i'm fairly sure Druth refers to it as Garm before you fight it - i'm fairly sure those are two different wolves in norse myth but i don't know exactly but maybe more context for the boss' place in the game

[@rizalkhafidin1471]

You need to make the entire God of War video with her and greek myth expert. Would be awesome.

[@peterudsen3510]

Keep bringing her back, so knowledgeable, fun, wholesome and Albertian.

[@cixelsyd40]

The symbols that light up during the fights looks to be Ogham and there is some evidence that the Picts used it in their writing system.

[@Tango_Mike]

Yay she's back again!

[@ensirakor3063]

This game blew me away on my first playthrough.

[@animaloftides4739]

My favorite game. Interesting to hear a Nordic Mythology expert take on the material.

[@gregperianayagam4522]

I feel you would need both a norse mythology expert and a mental health psychologist to get the most out of a video like this

[@adrianaslund8605]

9:29 About combining mythologies though. The pagans didn't necessarily believe that other gods didn't exist. Romans were for example kind of scared of british gods. They were weird to them. And their existence wasnt discounted.

[@psychospoiler]

One of the best gaming experiences ever created!

[@adrianaslund8605]

Yeah Senua is a celt(Pict). And the celts had alot of hostile contact with the norsemen. So that's the theme I guess.

[@gammasmash1924]

I really need to go back and finish this game. It looks amazing in vr.

[@tomduke1297]

yep, if you want to see a 30 year old dude cry, just let him play hellblade. it is amazing what an actually good story and character can do. lol

[@emulation2369]

Let him play Gears of War 2... 😐

[@db2157]

I love all of this, could only make it through a bit but before I have to stop due to working while I watched (Will finish later, I promise, I love it), I wonder, or think, as I consumed this game , was didn't most of these warriors use psychedelics? I kind of thought the voices and the places she went through where induced and she was fighting this in her head. Again, just my thoughts on the game it's self, and you might cover the rest as I watch, again, I will finish and amend if needed, thanks!!!!!!!

[@Grimmtht]

Get her back to react to the second game!

[@upsetuloss]

We need her to break down Hellblade 2 now lol

[@Berg126]

This could be an amazing video if she actually played or saw a full playthrough of the game. I think she would see some things very differently

[@xSP3CTREx]

The VR edition lets you ride along and it's pretty horrifying, depressing, and exciting experience.

[@MajorSmurf]

Not a game at all but I really wonder how she would feel about and react to Vinland saga (anime). By far one of the best stories about Vikings and their culture at the moment. It's not 100% historically accurate but it's a fantastic watch so if you're interesting in Vikings than give it a watch. Just a warning S1 and S2 are very different in tone which throws a lot of people off.

[@JackRabbit002]

I loved this game but my God it's so unnerving I had to stop playing it the first time! But my Ma suffers quite badly with her mental health and I just had to stop! I will say though it's such a work of art and wish more developers were this bold and creative!

[@chazfromouterspace]

for those who don't know, this game is based on suffering from psychosis

[@johnlocsin1628]

Janitor reacts to viscera cleanup detail

[@valley_robot]

Top game , stunning visuals

[@otakubancho6655]

This is a game about her descent into madness,everything you see is a projection of her delusions.

[@lodagin]

She is great but for the love of god help her. Like how did this go? did you just send her a video of a playthrough and told her to rumble about it? It's clear to me that there was no one there with her on a voice call or something to help her digest some stuff.

[@NinjaBrutality]

Wait. Fafnir wasn't a dwarf that turned into a dragon? It was a giant?

[@VisionoftheChief]

I always imagined that Senua died somehow and that's the reason she ended up in Helheim.

[@marsveinsson2295]

Heim is not just world. Its home. Helheim, is the home of Hel.

[@Siwkann]

She's so pretty

[@KingZealotTactics]

Eh i think heim in old norse means home not "world" i can see how there might be a connection between the two though.

[@Icehso140]

"Hanging out" with all the other guys, no drinks, no snacks, no game on the telly...that would be Hell. Oh yeah. LOL Now we just have to get her a couple glasses of wine and a gamer controller in a darkened room, and we'll see a whole different take on this game. Then a week later, wearing the same clothes and orange Cheeto dust on her fingers...oh yeah. 😅🤣😂

[@sickmit3481]

if your a gamer you go to valheim when your end comes

[@zelixurama]

nice

[@jeremyhessler2641]

Whoever played for this video was getting whooped up on haha

[@theLeonizard]

I think it been one of the most video which the guest just really impressing handling the game. Many are out of context and her seem to really grasp a good chunk.

[@saivivekm.v2411]

She's doing a God of war gameplay in her channel as she promised.

[@WPKaverage]

I wonder if she is aware that Senua has psychosis, and you aren't supposed to really know what's real and what is in her head

[@janharms7487]

Can the editor of this video just PLEASE CALM DOWN and not pick a different zoom level, box size or box placement for the expert every 2 seconds?!

[@clockmaker1337]

Hmmm... let's think about it... a huge dog (or something similar) that lives in Helheim... he also runs around freely... Could this be Fenrir? He should be tied to a rock with Gleipnir, chewing on Tyr's forearm bone and waiting for Ragnarök. Then it can only be Garmr... ...which he is 😉

[@SecretLars]

She talks about Ragnarök and calls it "the gods final defeat", that's wrong. Ragnarök mean 'final fate', this does not entail defeat. FYI some gods survive Ragnarök.

[@samkaxe2488]

The monster wasn't Finrir it was Garm

[@Alastor255]

you had ONE JOB Gamology, and it was that Experts HAD to LISTEN to the game with HEADPHONE or any kind of 3D SURROUND SYSTEM

[@1millioncicades183]

Or even better, play it through with headphones ;) Plus, I really don't like the fact that they spoiled the whole story.

[@GameplayRunner]

Hey gamology we need the firearms experts react to TARKOV again … u used last time old footage of the gunsmith section.

[@MalevolentBeak]

3:58 "Heim" means "home", not "world".

[@a-blivvy-yus]

Both meanings are correct, and related. It's similar to how the noun "command" in English can refer to a person giving an order, or to mastery of a skill. Both meanings come from the same conceptual starting point, but are different applications of the concept being expressed by the word.

[@willynanney]

I mean I don’t think she could go to hel and rescue her lover?

[@Shythalia]

I thought "-heim" is pronounced "haym".

[@lefred7254]

in german the word "heim" means home not world nice video anyway !

[@XxSeedOfEvilxX]

Is it just me or does the professor not look a bit like Senua herself?

[@jaxirraywhisper741]

Great video but could go without spoiling the entire twist of the story ....

[@mustafarahimi1012]

draugr

[@loris-bismar]

She starts of by being wrong, interesting strategy.

[@ricardovakao]

The place of mist and fog it is not hel, it is Nifhelm

[@legendaryfishing4362]

Helheim is the realm not Hel....

[@DR_REDACTED]

"Expert"

[@a-blivvy-yus]

Hel and Helheim can be used interchangeably as names for the realm (similarly, Muspelheim/Muspel are the same place, and the same is true for several other realms in Norse mythology). Funnily enough, the game gets this right and is backed up by an expert in this video, as well as numerous other experts elsewhere, regardless of your opinions on the matter. Do more (or better) research.

[@AtomicEy]

i don't get why people refer to Odin as the all-father as if he's all powerful cuz that's Zeus

[@Lord_Raptor]

All father just meant he was literally the father of all aesir gods. Norse and Greek mythology are 2 different cultures. Odin was top in Norse, Zeus top in Greek.

[@revolvermoth]

Odin is the Allfather to pagans like me. Zeus is from a whole other culture.

[@jesseiles3414]

the place isnt called Hel, some history buff. its called HelHEIM, smh

[@a-blivvy-yus]

If you speak to the experts in Norse mythology consulted by the devs for the game, "Hel" and "Helheim" can be used interchangeably as names for the realm. If you ask the expert in this video, the same fact is confirmed. If you ask any other *actual* expert on the subject, they will tell you the exact same thing. The same is true for Muspel/Muspelheim (also referenced by both names in the game) and other realms in Norse mythology. You should really look deeper into this subject before trying to "correct" an expert when you aren't one yourself.

[@firethetruthmarcuscarrollE.T.R]

I think it's so sexy when women who dont play games no about them and the myth that goes with what game is being played ❤

[@TheHellMaggot]

Boy u thirsty

[@firethetruthmarcuscarrollE.T.R]

@@TheHellMaggot Ha Naw Bra I never said her I mean she dont look Bad but it's in General alot of women are not into games anime etc that what I mean

[@awesome9174]

​@@firethetruthmarcuscarrollE.T.R You got the hots for the teacher!

[@firethetruthmarcuscarrollE.T.R]

@@awesome9174 🤣😂🤣 Nooo

[@TheHellMaggot]

@@firethetruthmarcuscarrollE.T.R It's okay bro I feel the same

[@jamesprice371]

Somebody gonna tell her how to pronounce Helheim?

[@ProfessorNatalie]

I can assure you it's the correct pronunciation in Old Norse, though if I wanted to be super accurate I'd have included the -r for the nominative case ending!

[@apanapandottir205]

lmao

[@jamesprice371]

@@ProfessorNatalie I mean you say that, but then why did you mispronounce Jotunheim, and several other words? Weird word to purposely mispronounce, or randomly pronounce correctly while mispronouncing everything else.

[@ProfessorNatalie]

​@@jamesprice371 if I mispronounced something, then my bad! But I can say that Helheim isn't one of those things :). Hard to be completely consistent! It is also hard to consistently pronounce ON words the "correct" way when they are anglicized in the dialogue I'm looking at (it's not Jötunheimr, for example). Thanks for your interest in my work!

[@jamesprice371]

@@ProfessorNatalie your ton haim er o;

[@TheSunsayy]

graphic in this game i absolutly Not stuning xD

[@a-blivvy-yus]

For a game that came out in 2017, and is still better looking than 99% of games coming out today at anything less than double the price this game cost on launch (it wasn't a big AAA production, even though it came from a studio familiar with producing big name titles), calling it stunning is underselling it. The team working on this game literally invented new motion capture techniques which have since become the industry standard for motion capture in film and TV.

[@TheSunsayy]

@@a-blivvy-yus haha what .... ?

[@a-blivvy-yus]

@@TheSunsayy Look up "hellblade motion capture" or just check any news a few months either side of the game's launch date to find more information, depending which bit you're confused about.

[@user-rt7eq7cw8o]

1:24 ruled it is a nice way of saying slaughtered the natives

[@struggler2205]

I tought hellblade was celtic mythology not nordic....

[@Prof.Pwnalot]

0:58 We have some dead bodies hanging. They are impaled, not hanging. Shes hardly as good as anyone, or herself thinks she is. That alone speaks volumes.

[@ProfessorNatalie]

I only wish my opinion of myself were as high as you think it is 😂🫡

[@zemellion26]

I wonder why people like the OP feel like anyone cares about their unnecessary comment. Perhaps I’m a hypocrite but eh

[@a-blivvy-yus]

I feel like you paused the video at that point to make this comment, and didn't watch the next few seconds where she instantly corrects herself. Good job making yourself look stupid.