Urd, Vor, Bragi, and Hermod

Kingdom Hearts: Dark Road (the official name of Project Xehanort) was delayed from its original spring 2020 release due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but now the official Twitter account is revealing new details, including the names of the four characters shown in the official art standing alongside Xehanort and Eraqus.

Urd

Vor

Bragi

Hermod

Nothing has been revealed about these characters so far except their names and appearances, but the Twitter account has promised back-to-back reveals between now and Dark Road’s launch.

For now, even the few details we have can provide fuel for speculation. Bragi has drawn the most attention due to the spelling of his name and the past use of acronyms in this series, leading to the question, “Is Bragi Braig?” However, since Luxu claims in his reports that he didn’t get close to Xehanort until he became Braig, it seems unlikely that Luxu was one of Xehanort’s childhood friends.

(Vor’s name has been drawing speculation for… other reasons… but it isn’t pronounced that way; it’s closer to “vehr.”)

The most interesting part about their names, however, is that they all come from Norse mythology.

Urd is one of the three Norns, who oversee destiny and fate. Curiously, one of the other Norns is named Skuld, meaning this is the second time a Kingdom Hearts character has been named after one of them.

Vör is the goddess of wisdom, although not one who comes up frequently.

Bragi is the god of poetry.

Hermod or Hermodr is a name given to both the messenger of the gods and a mortal hero. In one poem, Hermod and Bragi greet Hakon the Good together when he arrives at Valhalla.

Why have these specific mythological names been chosen for Eraqus and Xehanort’s friends? What significance might this hold for the story? Nothing is clear yet, but since all four have names drawn from Norse mythology, it’s unlikely to be a coincidence.

Urd also seems to have silver hair and golden eyes, and Bragi’s eyes might be golden as well, but we’ll need to see clearer images of them before drawing any meaning from that.

What are your expectations for these new characters? Share your thoughts and theories in the comments!

Tags: bragi, hermod, urd, vor