Asgeir Dragonrender

From Guild Wars 2 Wiki
Jump to navigationJump to search
Disambig icon.png This article is about the lore figure. For the statue object, see Asgeir Dragonrender (statue).

Asgeir Dragonrender

Image(s)

Asgeir Dragonrender without helm.jpg

Asgeir without his helm.

Asgeir Dragonrender. Battle Master, Favored of the Spirits of the Wild, Builder of Hoelbrak. May his legend live forever.

Eir Stegalkin

Asgeir Dragonrender was the grandfather of Knut Whitebear. He is renowned for severing one of the Elder Dragon Jormag's fangs from its maw, earning the name Dragonrender, and for leading the norn south to found Hoelbrak during the norn exodus.

Biography[edit]

Early years[edit]

Asgeir was a norn hero who lived during the rise of the Elder Dragon Jormag and their push south into the Far Shiverpeaks after 1165 AE. When the norn were on the brink of annihilation by the Elder Dragon, Asgeir was given the aid of the Spirits of the Wild to fight them. In addition, he had a powerful jotun scroll with him as well; the scroll has been lost since, though believed to be somewhere in the Shiverpeaks.[1][2]

Asgeir slew the greatest of Jormag's champions, Frostfang, with a single blow and proceeded to battle Jormag directly.[3] Tales describe how Asgeir gathered a hunting party and headed north to confront Jormag although the stories do not say whether this happened before or after the slaying of Frostfang; however, what is known is that Asgeir was the only one to return many weeks later and refused to tell anyone what had happened to the rest of the hunting party.[4] Though Asgeir had failed to kill Jormag during his hunt, he had rent one of its teeth from its maw as a trophy and proof that the Ice Dragon can be harmed, being the first to do so.[5] This act earned him the name Dragonrender.

During the battle with Jormag, Asgeir's bravery began to falter after witnessing the demise of Owl and his fellow norn, and it was then that he was struck with a vision. Stories say that the four Great Spirits of the Wild called Bear, Raven, Snow Leopard, and Wolf revealed themselves over the field of battle and spoke to him of a sanctuary in the Southern Shiverpeaks. Asgeir rallied all norn still alive and told them of his vision. He spoke of the Spirits giving all norn shelter, telling them that their fight against Jormag would come another day.[6]

With the guidance of the four Great Spirits, Asgeir led the norn south through blinding snow and around deep chasms while the Spirits of Ox, Eagle, and Wolverine stayed behind to distract and battle Jormag.[7] Unbeknownst to his fellow norn, however, Asgeir had written and left behind a personal journal with his thoughts on the battle against Jormag and what had actually transpired during it.[8]

In the southern valleys, Asgeir established Hoelbrak which he named after the lowlands there, carved new shrines to honor many of the surviving and lost Spirits of the Wild who had aided the norn, and placed the Fang of the Serpent in the Great Lodge.[5] During Hoelbrak's creation, an iceberg was threatening to crush the new settlement, so Asgeir sent Hrothbeir to break it, creating Lake Mourn.[9] Asgeir had changed since his confrontation with Jormag although details of this change are not elaborated on either in tales or eyewitness accounts.[4] Elder Ulf suggests that Asgeir died to Jormag, though left it ambiguous as to how.[10]

Legacy[edit]

Asgeir left behind a family and a legacy as one of the greatest norn heroes to have ever lived. His grandson, Knut Whitebear, would continue to keep Hoelbrak a safe haven for all norn. Eir Stegalkin would honor Asgeir by carving a statue in his honor, placing it in Stonewright's Steading. Asgeir's legend inspired generations of norn, including Eir and her son Braham, to attempt to damage the Fang of the Serpent. According to a prophecy, the one who can damage the fang will be destined to lead the norn north to reclaim their fallen homelands and end the threat of Jormag once and for all.[11][12]

Location[edit]

Shiverpeak Mountains

Combat abilities[edit]

Effects

DefianceDefiance bar teal.png

Gallery[edit]

Notes[edit]

Trivia[edit]

  • Asgeir is likely referring to the old Norse name, Ásgeirr, derived from the roots áss meaning 'god' and geirr meaning 'spear'. It is also a current Icelandic and Norwegian name, and the name 'Oscar' is derived from the same bases.
  • Asgeir has earned many names during the course of his life, including Dragonrender, Battle Master, Favored of the Spirits of the Wild, and Builder of Hoelbrak.[13]
  • At an unknown time after the release of Whisper in the Dark, the model of Asgeir's memory was updated with the Dragonrender Helm, and his armor dye changed from red to orange-brown. The change was not listed in the patch notes.

See also[edit]

Associated items

References[edit]

  1. ^ Frozen Out
    Braham: This is similar to the scroll Aesgir[sic] used in his great victory, so now I test the bow on the tooth in the Great Hall.
  2. ^ Talon Bladedancer
  3. ^ Frostfang III: Tooth of Frostfang
  4. ^ a b Veteran Relief Crew Scout
  5. ^ a b Thyrie Bylund
  6. ^ Skaald Stjarna
  7. ^ A Spirit of Legend
  8. ^ a b A Burden
  9. ^ Ottar
  10. ^ Journey to Bitterfrost Frontier
    Elder Ulf: I didn't want to say it too loudly, but the tooth... It's really something we use to keep the young from getting themselves killed trying to hunt Jormag.
    <Character name>: You don't believe the stories?
    Elder Ulf: Some do, some don't. Asgeir rent it from Jormag's mouth, it is true, but if he could do that and still be killed by the dragon... what good would scratching this tooth do?
  11. ^ Andil Mjelde
  12. ^ Beigarth the Smith
  13. ^ Asgeir Dragonrender (statue)