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So I finally took the time to explore the Bitterfrost Frontier on my Norn ranger and between working on achievements, I couldn't help but listen to some of the information that the Kodan NPCs have to share. There's a little bit of story concerning the great creator "Koda", but there's also some interesting details from the Kodan origin story that stood out to me. In particular were these two exchanges with Kodan Snowcallers.
At the Black Ice Pass
Kodan Snowcaller: You've proven yourself a strong and loyal ally to the kodan. How may I reciprocate?
PC: I'm curious about the origins of the Kodan. What can you tell me?
Kodan Snowcaller: Long ago, Koda, the Ancient One, Founder of the Earth, Keeper of the Sky, formed the world.
Kodan Snowcaller: In the beginning, the spirits of the world were wild and untamed.
Kodan Snowcaller: Then one day, a bear stood up on two legs and saw that the spirits of the world were restless and chaotic.
Kodan Snowcaller: The bear could not understand the endless cycles of creation and destruction.
Kodan Snowcaller: And so the bear was the first creature to speak, and with her first words, she asked Koda, "Why is this so?"
Kodan Snowcaller: Koda was pleased and made an offer to the bear. "If you would watch and learn, then watch and learn."
Kodan Snowcaller: "One day, your offspring will protect and guide this world's spirits."
The last bolded bit caught my eye. Koda is probably referring to the Kodan progenitor's children ( cubs? ) , but two things of note. First, the "bear who talks and stands on two legs" is referred to as she. Could it be possible that this particular bear is somehow related to the spirit Bear? Of the four spirits revered by the Norn, she features the most prominently and according to the guide to Norn religion on the Guild Wars 2 wiki page;
The Great Spirit is Bear, who is seen as the strongest of all the spirits and is said to have granted the norn with the ability to 'become the bear'.
Second, to protect and guide the world's spirits is a tenet frequently touted and practiced by Norn culture at large. It's even one of the three qualities a player can choose to imbue their Norn PC with during the character creation phase, where it's rendered as:
Protect the Spirits ("cunning to protect the Spirits") — It is my duty to protect the Spirits of the Wild, and it requires cunning to keep them safe from the Ice Dragon.
Food for thought! The second Snowcaller conversation is even more intriguing.
At the lower level of Sorrow's Eclipse Sanctuary
Kodan Snowcaller: What can I do to assist you, friend?
PC: You and the norn have similar beliefs. Don't you find that interesting?
Kodan Snowcaller: In the beginning, the Kodan tribes spread across the land. Their journeys were bounded only by the seashore.
Kodan Snowcaller: And everywhere they went, they brought balance. They watched, learned, and hunted, and so served the will of Koda.
Kodan Snowcaller: Time passed. All things grow and all things die, even the glacier is not unchanging.
Kodan Snowcaller: There came the dragonstorm, and it did not end though season after season, generation after generation, passed.
Kodan Snowcaller: Our seers, the Voices of Koda, said it was again time to wait, watch, and learn, but not act.
Kodan Snowcaller: With their thick white fur, my ancestors would be safe. Waiting, however, was not easy. They could not hunt.
Kodan Snowcaller: In the sanctuary halls, the rumbling of bellies echoed like the roaring of bears.
Kodan Snowcaller: In answer to your question, which I have not forgotten, I will tell you a story.
Kodan Snowcaller: It's the tale of a Claw who lost his Voice to the dragonstorm and subsequently refused to stay safely hidden.
Kodan Snowcaller: He said that fur or no fur, storm or no storm, a hunter hunts.
Kodan Snowcaller: He and several others went out into the storm to seek hunting grounds in the dry southern lands, where the snow fell gently.
Kodan Snowcaller: And they were never seen again.
According to this Snowcaller's tale, a terrible "dragonstorm" struck the Kodan that lasted for centuries, during which time they were unable to adequately hunt. I think it's safe to assume this great storm was caused by none other than our big frosty Elder Dragon Jormag, and it was hellish enough to drive a small handful of Kodan Southward in search of food.
Could this be the true beginnings of the Norn? Could traveling to the lands of the South have changed these hunters from ursine beings equipped with thick cold-resistant pelts, to something furless--and better suited to a warmer climate?
A Beary Intriguing Mystery
Perhaps this group of desperate Kodan, lead by the Claw who lost his Voice, became the forerunners of the hearty, powerful, and individualistic Norn we know and love today!
This wouldn't necessarily contradict Norn history as described by Thruln the Lost, who mentions Jotunn and Norn both establishing highly advanced kingdoms concurrently at one point ( The Norn would have long diverged from the Kodan by the time of the events he speaks of ).
I'm curious to what your thoughts are on this! As a Norn lover I really can't help but delve into this sort of thing.
Lore Sources
Character Biographies ( Norn Backgrounds are near the bottom of the page )
The Bear Spirit in Norn Religion
The Wisdom and Power of the Kodan: Lost Tribes
External link →