| Cwenhild | |
|---|---|
| |
| Biographical information | |
| Died |
988 |
| Political information | |
| Affiliations |
Ari and Einarr's clan |
| Real-world information | |
| Appears in |
Assassin's Creed: Saga (flashbacks) |
Cwenhild (died 988) was a former English peasant before being inducted into the clan of her husband, the Viking raider Einarr. She was the mother of the Hidden One Ari Einarrson and an ancestor of the 21st century Assassin Horatio Pierce through the maternal line.
Biography[]
Cwenhild was born somewhere near the coast of the Kingdom of England, her mother died during a complicated pregnancy which left her father resentful of his newborn daughter. As a result of this, Cwenhild grew up being both mentally and physically abused by her father. Everyone in her village was aware of her father's abuse but neglected to ever do anything about it, which would lead to a fierce resentment against both her father and those in her village.
As a young woman in 980, her village was raided by Norse raiders who had returned to England to begin invading for a second time. She watched as her father was killed by a raider and was moments away from being killed herself, but she was saved by a younger raider who would go on to become her husband, Einarr. She was taken back to the raiders' settlement where she was to become a slave.
However, she was treated with kindness by the raider who saved her and he protected her from the others. Despite her hatred for the Vikings that raided her home and turned her into a slave, her relationship with Einarr began to improve. Eventually he would offer her her freedom, to return to her people but she elected to remain because the "people of England never cared for her anyway". Despite this though, Einarr still freed her and inducted her into the clan where she would have more rights than a slave would have had.
Over time, she fell in love with Einarr and the two eventually married and had a son, Ari, in 981. While Einarr took part in raids and battles across England, Cwenhild raised their son at the settlement. She raised him with love and care, what she never received growing up, to ensure Ari would be happy and grow up to be a good person. She instilled him with virtues with the request to always 'be kind' as the main one.
When Ari asked why she stayed with their clan despite her English heritage, she told him of how her father would abuse her and no one in her village cared to do anything about it. And that the most kindness she had ever received were from the invaders of her home.
In 988, Cwenhild would contract an illness where she would eventually pass away from.
Trivia[]
- Cwenhild is a name of Anglo-Saxon origin. The name composes of the elements 'cwen', meaning 'woman', and 'hild', meaning 'battle' or 'war'.