The Vikings have become a key figure in pop culture in video games, movies, manga and now comics at Black River. After a family scavenger hunt, The Forgotten Myths offers a more mythological vision of the warriors of the North from Assassin's Creed Valhalla.
Visit to the world of the gods
If the screenwriter Cavan Scott is replaced by Alexander Freed in this second volume, they are both authors for Star Wars High Republic and the goal remains: to tell the origins of the heroes of Assassin's Creed Valhalla in a complete story. Freed left the land of Norway in the ninth century for the kingdoms of the Norse gods. However, war remains at the center. Indeed, the neighboring kingdoms of Muspelheim (the Norse underworld) and Svartalfheim (the world of the dwarves) are preparing for battle. Not all gods are in favor of war. Baldr, son of Odin and god of light, wants to avoid an unnecessary bloodbath. Strangely, he asks the Loki for help. Can the god of lies really be a reliable intermediary between dwarves and Muspels? 
Conquer and love
We meet many gods known to comic book fans: Tyr, Heimdall… With such names, one can only think of Thor when reading this story. He is certainly present at the beginning and we see him handling Mjölnir but he is only a guest star. Baldr is the hero. Seeking glory, he thinks his destiny is to be an agent of peace rather than a fighter. Perceptive, he knows how to go beyond appearances and understand hidden logics. The young man then embarks on an initiatory quest to find his place in the adult world. For this, he leaves his domain, seeks its opposite and together they go through various trials to demonstrate Baldr's strength or intelligence. As in any initiatory tale, supernatural events occur. Fish talk. Baldr faces gigantic animals (an eight-hearted boar). However, this trip is not only about winning but Baldr also wants to seduce. Even though it is primarily an action series, this second volume of Assassin's Creed Valhalla is also a love story. From the first vision, Baldr is in love with Surtr's daughter. The previous trials seek to bring back unique gifts to this princess. The tale therefore has a soft moral: love creates a bond between beings and prevents violence. Conversely, lying can destroy this link. However, it is difficult to understand why Baldr determines so quickly that this love is the way to bring peace, especially since the Aesir are not concerned by this war. 
Delve into myths through text and image
Alexander Freed takes up in Assassin's Creed Valhalla the style of tales in dialogue. No insults here but beautiful words and exotic toponyms. On the other hand, the fan of the MCU or Thor comics may be surprised by the spelling of the different characters he has already met. We can think that the publisher Black River and the translator Anaïs Papillon have rightly chosen to be closer to historical reality. Moreover, the presence of storytellers shows the oral origin of Nordic tales. This difference is also in the drawing. Indeed, if the scriptwriter changes, the cartoonist and the colorist remain respectively Martin Tùnica and Michael Atiyeh. Together, they take a great liberty with the (false) historical codes of Marvel. Loki is not in green and yellow but wears an outfit of a Norman nobleman. Sutr has a wife and two children. Martin Tùnica is also very comfortable in the representation of magic. Its giants of fires are not in flames but ash-skinned humans whose muscles are incandescent lava. However, the forms are gradually more sloppy. Was Tùnica running out of time to fine-tune his boxes? The editor also incorporates the differences (and beautiful) covers of Rafael Sarmento. The Forgotten Myths is a journey into the universe of Assassin's Creed Valhalla on the side of mythology. It is also the quest of a young god to assert his identity. Like any trip, there will be surprising passages especially the ending that shows Alexander Feed's talent as a storyteller. Find on the site the chronicles on the first volume and a novel also having a viking as the main character.
