Spirits of the Wild

“

The Norn do not know gods, at least not in the way humans do. But we do revere the spirits of the animals upon whom we depend for food and shelter. There are many such spirits. Bear is the mightiest of course, but Raven, Owl, Wolf, Wurm, and Ox all have their place in the world and in our hearts. While we hunt and slay these creatures, we also praise their spirit, and thank them for their sacrifice. The animals are our brethren; their spirits guide us as we live and hunt.

There are more hostile, even malicious, spirits in the world... spirits of the mountains, seasons, fire, and darkness. The animal spirits are our allies against these foes, and we thank them for their aid, singing the praises of all beasts as we hunt. This is the Norn way.

— Egil Fireteller

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The Norn revere the spirits of nature—from the wolf to the snow lynx—but the most powerful of these is the Bear Spirit, who, according to myth, blessed the Norn with the ability to change shape and “become the bear.”

— Guild Wars Eye of the North Manuscript

The Norn do not worship the Human Gods, or even worship anything. Instead, they respect and revere the beings which they call the Spirits of the Wild. These beings are spirits of nature - friendly spirits taking the form of animals and hostile spirits taking the form or aspects of nature. Each spirit has a havroun, which is the highest ranking shaman among the Norn, though only the most prominent spirits have totems dedicated to them.

Animal Spirits

Major

• The Bear Spirit is the most favored and strongest deity of the Norn. She offers the Norn power in their hunts and grants them the Bear Form. The Bear Spirit represents strength, resolve, and pride of power for the Norn which helps them overcome their challenges. Its shrine is located in Bjora Marches.

• The Wolf Spirit is one of the three most dominant deities of the Norn's culture. He often grants the Norn with aid in tracking their prey on their hunts. Beyond aid in hunting, the Wolf Spirit represents the visceral thrill of combat for the Norn and teaches the need of having others to rely upon. Its shrine is located in Drakkar Lake.

• The Raven Spirit is another of the three most dominant deities of the Norn. The Raven Spirit represents knowledge, cunning, and trickery, and is the animal spirit of the Norn that is associated with the Underworld. The Norn look towards the Raven Spirit for the wisdom to outsmart their prey and to contact the spirits of the fallen. Its shrine is located in Raven's Point.

Minor

• The Eagle Spirit is one of the lesser spirits. Outside that, not much is known.

• The Minotaur Spirit is one of the lesser spirits, representing untamed strength and savage cunning.

• The Owl Spirit is one of the lesser spirits. She represents home, family, and hearth, teaching their importance.

• The Ox Spirit, also known as Dolyak Spirit, is one of the lesser deities of the Norn. Outside that, not much is known.

• The Snow Leopard Spirit, also known as the Snow Lynx Spirit, teaches stealth, independence, and strategy in combat. It is one of the lesser spirits.

• The Wolverine Spirit is another lesser spirit. Not much is known about it.

• The Wurm Spirit is another lesser spirit. There is not much known about it, either.

Hostile Spirits

The spirits of the Mountains, Seasons, Fire and Darkness are the only known hostile spirits within the Norn belief. Some of these are malicious as well as hostile, and they are described as non-sentient challenges for the norn to overcome.

Notes

The Guild Wars 2 Wiki has an article on Spirits of the Wild.

• The Owl Spirit was originally designed to be a prominent feature in Eye of the North, the Owl Blessing was cut from the game and the Owl Spirit was relegated to the position of a lesser deity.
• The Eagle Spirit was mentioned in the Guild Wars Eye of the North pre-release lore.
• Between the time of Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2, the Snow Leopard Spirit becomes a more prominent diety, and the Owl Spirit is killed.

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