 Written by: Markuz, May 16, 2021 In the new episode of our analysis dedicated to the context and story of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla we are going to discuss the final calculation that Odin witnessed in Asgard after stealing the Seventh Method of Salvation and we are going to compare it to the actual events shown in The Hidden Truth final video that can be obtained by completing all the Animus Anomalies. In the article we’ll show what Odin was foretold would happen during the activation of the Seventh Method and also after that, and of course we are going to analyze bit by bit the Hidden Truth Video and especially the part that Odin’s calculation did not take into account, all the while finding some easter eggs and connections along the way. As usual we have a lot to discuss so let’s dive right in and have a look at all the secrets hidden behind Odin’s Calculation and the Hidden Truth Video. As usual we start where we left off. In the previous article of this analysis we saw how Odin stole the technology for the Seventh Method from the Greco Roman Isu and how he went back to Asgard to fight and imprison Fenrir once and for all, at the expense of his good friend Tyr. All of this was supposedly carried out by Odin in order to secure his future and be able to escape the destiny foretold to him by the past calculations he experienced, which involved being killed by Fenrir himself during the Toba Catastrophe. After some time, the leader of the Asgardian Isu decided to go back and re-launch the calculations about his destiny and the video that is shown as the final reward for the Asgard arc in the game, which we’ll call Ragnarok video from now on for the sake of brevity, that video is the new calculation that Odin experienced in order to see if his foretold destiny had been changed. It is important that we have a look at this one first and then at the Hidden Truth video because of timeline reasons, as this is a calculation taking place before the actual events surrounding the Seventh Method process, and also because, as we’ll see later, the calculation witnessed by Odin did not feature an important element that lays at the core, or shall we say root, of the game’s ending. So once again we see the Nornir, representing the calculations, showing Odin his potential future, future here being the keyword, as you have to consider that these calculations are taking place after the six methods of salvation failed and before the Asgardian Isu – and Juno – created their respective version of the Sages, as mentioned in our previous article. The Nornir mention that Odin was very arrogant to believe he could challenge the fate that he was meant to experience and yet, what is defined as a single strand escaping the fray and clinging to the weave is theone actual possibility that Odin had to change his foretold destiny through the Seventh method. The calculation still confirms that the Asgardian Isu and the Isu group corresponding to the Vanir will find their doom with the Toba
As the calculation is being delivered, we start seeing elements which we’ll then see in the Hidden Truth Video, which showcases how the events actually ended up to be. For example we have the 8 Asgardian Isu lined up, the table with the 8 seats, and the Isu themselves are looking at the great fires of Ragnarok hitting Asgard – remember this as it will lead to a discrepancy with its Hidden Truth video equivalent. Speaking of the table with the 8 seats, as a side note, apparently during the concept phase of the game they weren’t always thought to be 8. In fact, two early Valhalla artworks by Senior Concept Artist Gilles Beloeil do show the Seventh Method device both in its Norse Mythology visuals and in its First Civilization ones with 12 seats at the table, which might have accounted for 12 Isu in Odin’s Asgardian group. Then again, the concepts might have just been designed to show the environment rather than the actual number of characters… but still…
Back to the Ragnarok video, curiously enough the calculation seems to confirm that eventually Fenrir would have "feasted on Odin’s blood", meaning that potentially, after he used the Seventh Method, he did eventually have his final fight with Fenrir and was killed by him. It’s interesting to see that in the Ragnarok video Fenrir is shown with the unbreakable cord still hanging from his neck as he’s about to bite and kill Odin, which is basically another proof showing that this was actually bound to happen and maybe *did* happen. But, as the calculation said, Odin did find a way to live beyond his fight and death at the hands of Fenrir, that is the Seventh Method,and this is where we can find more similar elements between the Ragnarok video and the Hidden Truth one, with Odin saying let it flow, a direct order to activate the Seventh Method and the act of drinking the Mead – which again represents using the method but also a more practical action as we’ll see later. Another element in common is an additional sentence pronounced by Odin, the one about going and then coming back from the life-tree, a reference, as we’ll see, to both the Yggdrasil and the Seventh Method device, the latter of which is even represented as a tree in the Ragnarok video.
The calculation goes on to tell Odin that his mind and spirit will go on to a time far beyond his own – almost 76.000 years beyond it to be precise – where, after being carried over through the Human DNA, they will reappear, allowing him to be reborn, or more precisely, reincarnated. In the meantime we can see that the room is getting burnt by the fires of Ragnarok, with dust and pieces of the ceiling falling off, which we’ll see in the Hidden Truth video as well. Finally, we see Odin stating that none may follow using the Seventh Method, another hint at Odin’s selfishness, as the method was supposedly reserved only to him and his friends and no other Asgardian, Greco Roman or any other Isu. Loki least of all, of course, both because of the clashes the two of them had, but also because by this time, as we already saw in our previous articles, Loki had killed Odin’s son Baldr too, in retaliation for imprisoning Fenrir. So we see Odin crashing the cup where he drank the mead, which as we’ll see later, beyond the mythological veil, is mirrored by him crashing his visor and symbolizing that no one else should use the Seventh Method. Right after that, Odin states that it is done, the classic Isu sentence used when a process is complete, and he subsequently says, or we should say, orders the other Isu that it’s time to face their end, represented by the Toba catastrophe, and possibly not only by that. In fact, most if not all the Asgardian Isu that took part in using the Seventh Method are wielding weapons, meaning they are not getting out of the room just to face the Toba catastrophe, as we’ll see when discussing the Hidden Truth video.
As the Asgardian Isu leave the room, all the weapons they are wielding are not simple weapons, they are in fact Pieces of Eden and more specifically we can spot 4 Swords of Eden, shaped as Excalibur in the game, and the Mjollnir of course wielded by Thor. And lastly we see a shot of the Asgardian Isu directly walking towards the exit of the room, filled with fire, again to symbolize Ragnarok and the impending Toba Catastrophe. And that’s the end of the calculation witnessed by Odin who, after seeing it, woke up and commented that the day where he experienced the calculation was not his day to die, possibly with a hint of satisfaction at what he had just seen. In fact through this calculation he finally got to know that the Seventh Method would have worked and that somehow he would have actually survived his own fate. Little did he know that the calculation did not show *everything* and that’s possibly because by the time Odin watched this calculation Aletheia and Loki had not concocted their plan of killing Heimdall and having Loki use the Seventh Method yet. That’s the last we know of Odin and the Asgardian Isu up until the very day the Toba Catastrophe hit the Earth… or rather… a few seconds before that. That is where the Hidden Truth video, which can be obtained by completing all the Animus Anomalies in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, takes place, so let’s have a look at it and delve in all its details. We start in a dark setting with an all dressed up Isu walking towards a door. He or she is part of what we’re going to call “the staff” as in, the supporting Isu that we’ll see multiple times in the video, dressed in a way that very loosely reminds of the First Civilization outfit from Assassin’s Creed Origins, and always all intent on making sure that the Seventh Method works. The… staffer approaches a circular door that is the very same kind of door shown in the Truth Video of Assassin’s Creed II –and not only the main part but also the smaller circular part as well, so kudos for the Easter Egg there. On the other side of the door we have Loki and just to recap in case you missed our previous analyses, he had previously found out about Odin gathering his trusted friends and family in his so-called “secret hall” and so he had to finally carry out his and Aletheia’s plan with precision, following a series of calculations of their own.
What’s even stranger is that Loki is also already dressed like the other Isu that are going to attempt to use the Seventh Method, so he should stand out even more as that specific outfit seems to have some sort of role in making the method succeed. Instead he’s able to freely walk in as well. Of course all the staffers are very busy with their tasks and it would have also been… impractical to have Loki bide his time while changing his outfit to use the Seventh Method as the catastrophe raged on… but still. So he enters the Seventh Method Chamber holding a tablet trying not to get noticed and the tablet does bear the same circular button and readings that we’ll see later in the other machinery screens. The Room opens up and we already see a lot of interesting details – in the foreground all the member of the staff are quickly doing their tasks as time is of the essence as the Toba Catastrophe is already happening as we’ll see. In the middle ground we can already see the three human fetuses ready to be injected with the DNA and minds of the Asgardian Isu, a bit further we can see what seems to be an Isu Codex, that is a First Civ stelae containing information, that appeared in the Fate of Atlantis DLC of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, and in the background we can see the 8 Asgardian Isu almost ready for the Seventh Method who are actually watching a live feed of the catastrophe happening somewhere else in the world, with several glass-like walls on the side of the screen and all around the room. More specifically, as it’ll be more visible later, they are actually watching the final cutscene from the ending of Assassin’s Creed Revelations, which showed the Toba Catastrophe hitting the huge Isu city atop the Grand Temple, close to modern day Turin, New York, as we established in the previous articles of this series.
Five members of the staff are adjusting the suits of some of Odin’s friends and this means that those specific suits are somewhat required in order to make the Seventh Method work, otherwise that probably wouldn’t be the best thing to waste their time on, with the catastrophe looming over them, especially judging by how worried they are and how much they’re hurrying up in order to have everything ready. This is where see much clearly the video of the Catastrophe already hitting the Isu city shown in Revelations, a major homage to longtime fans which, as we mentioned earlier, bears sort of an inconsistency with its counterpart in the Ragnarok video. In fact, as mentioned by TwinsOfDestructions in the comments of one of our past videos, the Ragnarok calculation showcases Asgard in flames, while the Hidden Truth video shows the city atop the Grand Temple in Turin, which as we mentioned earlier are not supposed to be the same city. For those of you who might have missed it from our previous videos, the 8 members of Odin’s group have already been identified and they are, respectively, Sif, Thor, Odin himself, Tyr, Heimdall, Freyja, Freyr and Idun, or at least those are their mythological names, with Odin – and, well, Loki – being the only confirmed Isu names for them.
Eventually Odin decides it’s finally time to activate the device, so the 8 Asgardian Isu move to sit on the 8 chairs with several of the staff members hurrying up to the table to unlock the visors for each of the 8 Isu as the device powers up, allowing us to better see the pods with the babies that will carry on their conscience. After that we get to see a clearer view of a few screens that other members of the staff are monitoring in order to make it so that the Seventh Method works. On this one we can see what seems to be data related to the 8 Isu, which is maybe transmitted through the suits themselves and also what seems to be a screen monitoring the device itself, colored in green, possibly to show that everything is working fine for now and again to visually look like a tree. And of course, we can see the big Abstergo Logo which also appears in other occasions throughout the video. The Abstergo logo also somewhat makes sense in there at least visually as in two other occasions the same logo was used in association with First Civilization imagery.
Back to the Hidden Truth video, a member of the staff does seem to realize Loki has entered the chamber but is stopped from reacting by the Catastrophe finally hitting this side of the world as well, physically isolating the main installation of the Seventh Method from all its monitoring devices while also breaking some of the glass-like walls. The lights within the room also turn red, showcasing that the main installation is in an emergency situation as the outer walls start cracking down. We then get to see a closer view of the monitoring device and of the Abstergo logo as the staff now hurries up even more in order to collect 8 cilindrical objects and place them in the back of each seat in order to power the entire Seventh Method device for each of the 8 Asgardian Isu (that is the chairs, the table and the vertical structure containing the foetuses. Interestingly enough, behind the vertical structure we see that there’s a door that is very similar or at least has some very similar elements to the door of the Yggdrasil Vault shown at the end of the game. This does not mean that it is the same place as the two locations are widely different in size and in what they contain, but it does show that it’s the same architecture which kind of implies that the locations could be close to each other, or at least in the territory controlled by the Asgardian Isu – and of course in practical terms it also shows that the same assets were used for both locations which in this case makes sense.
The staff moves on to give the Asgardian Isuthe visors and again it’s Odin who calls the shots of course. That’s where he says “Let it flow”, as all the Asgardian Isu put the visors on their face and by that he means that it’s time for the serum and the catalyst to be used, to flow, and thus for the Method to actually enter its crucial phase. In that moment a needle hits the right side of the neck of the Asgardian Isu and that’s likely where the DNA and a copy of the Asgardian Isu conscience is downloaded before being uploaded on the foetuses. This is also a clear reference to the sign on the neck that the reincarnations of the Asgardian Isu would have during their lives. Odin then pronounces the sentence “From the life-tree we go, to the life-tree we shall one day return” which is interesting to interpret. Of course the life-tree mention is a reference to the Yggdrasil, the sacred tree from the Norse Mythology and in this case, outside of the mythology veil and within the First Civilization narrative, in our opinion it is potentially a reference both to the Seventh Method device and to the actual Yggdrasil device found in Norway, which are also both identified as trees. In fact while it’s clear that the two devices are different in function, shape and size, they might be connected to each other or might be part of same location or complex, with the Seventh Method room being part of the wider Yggdrasil Vault - possibly hidden in some of the areas that aren’t accessible in-game or maybe *inside* the Yggdrasil device? In any case what Odin means by saying that sentence is that by using the Seventh Method the Asgardian Isu are *going* from the life-tree, meaning both that they know they will die soon and more practically that they will physically leave the Seventh Method hall and the Yggdrasill complex to face their end, as we’ll see later, and that after the Seventh Method works and their conscience is transferred in the human DNA, they will at some point be brought back to life and again more practically will actually return to the Yggdrasill complex, which is what their reincarnations are drawn to because of their memories, like in Sigurd’s case, or where they intentionally go to if their Isu conscience has fully taken over them, like in Basim or Svala’s case.
Once the DNA and conscience of the Asgardian Isu has been transferred to the fetuses, and only then, the needle is removed from their necks, signaling the Seventh Method has completed its course, hence why Odin removes his visor. This is where he states that no other Isu may follow the 8 Asgardian ones that attempted to use the Seventh Method, which again kinda looks selfish in that Odin seems to have decided on his own that only he and his relatives and friends could use the Method while the other Isu would not, especially Loki, as we mentioned earlier. This also shows how Odin kept having a grudge against Loki even at the time of the catastrophe and was worried about him– and of course he was right about it but as we saw in the Ragnarok video, his calculation didn’t take Loki’s plan in consideration leading to a whole different story taking place in the 9th century A.D. Just in case, to remark that none may follow, he throws the visor, which, remember, is apparently fundamental to the Seventh Method to succeed, to the ground, making it clear that no one else should use the device. After that Odin lifts himself, looking at the device and the fetuses, stating the classic Isu sentence “It is done” before prompting the other Asgardian Isu to get out of the room and finally face their end with the Toba Catastrophe and that’s what they do, as Tyr and at least three more of them brandish a Sword of Eden, with the same shape as that of Excalibur, while Thor wields his hammer. As mentioned earlier, the Asgardian Isu bearing their weapons with them is possibly connected to how they are still potentially in war with the Greco Roman ones or at least they have to fight them in the Asgardian territory even during the Toba Catastrophe, considering that the calculation mentioned “Jotnar will stalk your streets as fire rains upon your heads”. Again following the calculation, this may have even lead to the fated final fight between Odin and Fenrir but alas, we can’t know for sure, at least for now.
Of course this was the element in Loki’s calculations that he had to take advantage of in order to be able to use the Seventh Method and carry on his and Aletheia’s plan to survive the catastrophe – so he did kill Heimdall with another Sword of Eden and was very careful to not have his visor crash to the ground. It has to be said that while it feels strange that no-one noticed Heimdall staying behind, leaving him to his death, in the Norse Mythology, because of their rivalry and antagonistic relationship, Heimdall and Loki were foretold to kill one another during the events of Ragnarök so this could be a partial representation of that. At the same time though, this event has also some roots in the actual lore of the game, both because their unfriendly relationship was portrayed in some of the documents in the Asgardian arc, as we showed in our previous analyses, with Heimdall even jokingly saying that Loki would be the death of him, and also from a dialogue from the Rigsogur documents, where Rig Reidarasson, Heimdall’s reincarnation, hears a message possibly related to the Isu Era which stated “You will be betrayed by the last curtain”, possibly meaning that Heimdall was betrayed by Loki at the very last moment as the Toba Catastrophe hit the Earth.
After that Loki hurries to one of the free seats, puts the visor on as the device is powered on once again and he swears he will find and get his revenge on the Mad One, that is Odin, on the far side of their doom, that is when they will both be reincarnated, in the 9th century A.D. This IS the turning point of the story of the Asgardian Isu, which has repercussions on the entire narrative of the game. In fact this is the element that Odin did not calculate:one actually *did* follow and it was Loki above all. The video does show how Loki is hit by the needle and his DNA is transferred to one of the fetuses, meaning that his plan did follow through as intended. So that’s where Loki transferred his conscience to the Human genome and made it so that he could be reincarnated as Basim ibn Ishaq in the 9th Century AD and have his revenge on Odin, while also planning to be reunited with Aletheia, who was trapped in the Staff of Eden and finally looking for his children and especially Fenrir. And that was it for this analysis… and for our look at the Mythological Arcs of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, but our analysis of the game is far from over! Join us in our next article where we’ll have a look at the repercussions of the use of the Seventh Method by the Asgardian Isu in the 9th Century AD and we finally try and have a shot at analyzing the early stages of the game’s ending! Go to the NINTH CHAPTER of this series, go back to the SEVENTH CHAPTER of the series or go back to the HUB.
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