Why Basim Was So Furious Towards Eivor in Assassin‘s Creed Valhalla
As a hardcore AC gamer who has followed every twist and turn across the epic franchise storyline, I was just as shocked as Eivor when Basim revealed his true identity as Loki and unleashed vengeance upon her. This betrayal rocked the community, but looking deeper, we can piece together why exactly Basim harbored such fury towards our beloved hero.
History of Bad Blood Between Loki and Odin
To understand Basim‘s rage, we must first delve thousands of years back into Isu history – specifically the relationship between two "gods" – Loki and Odin. Once the closest of friends, these two led the famous Aesir pantheon that ruled over ancient humans. However, that bond crumbled when Odin murdered Loki‘s beloved monstrous wolf-son Fenrir.
As the legends go, Fenrir had become too powerful and unruly for the Aesir deities, who felt he needed to be put down. As leader, Odin took it upon himself to slay the beast despite Loki‘s desperate pleas. This sparked Loki‘s vicious vengeance that carried through the ages.
Now here is where things get truly fascinating for us AC lore nerds. As Valhalla revealed, several Isu like Loki and Odin reincarnated over time into new bodies. During the 9th century AD, Loki revived as Basim – a Hidden One assassin, and Odin returned as Eivor – a Viking warrior. Talk about coming full circle!
Building Trust Only to Shatter It With Ultimate Betrayal
Despite their past, Basim (Loki) initially helped Eivor (Odin), advising her settlement and combat efforts against the Order of the Ancients. With his mysterious wisdom and combat prowess, Eivor came to see him as a valuable ally and friend.
But all along, Basim carefully hid his true identity, quietly investigating Eivor‘s connection to his arch-nemesis Odin. He even ruthlessly murdered his own protégé Hytham who discovered the truth. This cold-hearted deception still gives me chills.
Finally, Basim orchestrates traveling with Eivor to the Isu ruins of Yggdrasil, desiring to uncover ancient secrets. After defeating the monumental wolf god-beast Fenrir (an eerie recreation of Loki‘s son), Basim reveals all to a stunned Eivor.
He unleashes all his bottled fury over his son‘s murder by Odin 1,000 years prior. Imagine discovering your new friend is the reborn killer of your child! Basim understandably saw redder than a London telephone booth.
Why He Harbored Such Deep-Seated Rage Towards Eivor/Odin
While some view Basim as a cackling villain following his dramatic heel-turn, I empathize with the profound grief and pain that fueled his vengeance.
Loki already felt isolated amongst the Aesir before Odin killed Fenrir. As a shapeshifter trickster deity, Loki was seen as an outsider. Fenrir was one of the few connections Loki had, making his death all the more crushing.
Centuries buried in a reincarnation cycle also likely damaged Basim‘s psyche further. Emerging in 9th century Baghdad still haunted by vivid memories of his son‘s demise would unsettle even the most level-headed among us. Pair this trauma with a ruthless assassin skillset, and violent retribution seems inevitable.
I also wonder if Basim‘s underlying resentment towards his former Aesir comrades influenced his hatred of Eivor. Perhaps her radiant rise as a Saxon conqueror contrasted too sharply with his own isolated upbringing. He possibly blamed her glory partially for his suffering.
The Enduring Assassin‘s Creed Struggle – Poetic Echoes Across Time
Most profoundly, Basim and Eivor‘s ancient rivalry symbolizes the eternal ideological struggle at the heart of AC‘s lore. As reincarnations of Loki and Odin respectively, they represent the bitter divide between the libertarian Assassins and domineering Templars.
Within the Isu, Loki often advocated for freedom of choice in humankind. Yet the Aesir council led by Odin sought strict control and order. This philosophical dispute led to early precursors of the Assassin Brotherhood coalescing behind Loki while Odin‘s followers eventually evolved into Templars.
So in Basim and Eivor‘s intense clash, we see poetic echoes of the secret war that has persisted between ancient Hidden Ones and tyrannical Order members across history. Perhaps all the AC protagonists and antagonists over time are merely reincarnations of broader archetypes – the Odins and Lokis endlessly reborn anew.
Their final showdown leaves plenty of threads to explore in the future. With the Apple of Eden in his grasp, Basim slumbers but will assuredly resurface to haunt new generations of Assassins. As both a cunning sage and formidable warrior, I anxiously await seeing more of this fan-favorite character!
