A list of allusions made in the game Odin Sphere.
Princess Crow[]
Fairy Tales[]
Sleeping Beauty[]
In sleeping beauty, a princess is placed under a magical spell from which she will not awaken until she is kissed. This is paralleled in Gwendolyn's book, in which the only way to break the sleeping spell she is under is to be kissed. This however is more similar to Brunhilde in "The Ring Circle," as they both were caused by a punishment for rescuing her half sister against Odin's rules.
The Frog Prince[]
In The Frog Prince, a princess sits by a pond and accidentally drops an item of great value into it. A frog offers to fetch it for her in exchange for a kiss, which he says will turn him back into a prince. After much protest and disgust, the princess keeps her word. In Odin Sphere, Mercedes loses Riblam as she faces up to Belial, and Ingway retrieves it for her in exchange for a kiss, as a kiss from a fairy will turn him back into a human.
Swan Lake[]
In Swan Lake, the male lead follows a group of swans to a lake where he meets Odette, a mournful woman kept prisoner under a spell. He takes pity on her and vows to break the spell through selfless love.
This is similar to Oswald's book in which he falls for Gwendolyn after seeing her sadness and the way she is treated by her father, is then led to her again by the blue bird, and ultimately pledges to try to save her.
Wagner's Ring Cycle[]
In a way, Odin Sphere is a retelling of Wagner's Ring Cycle, and so many parallels between the two exist.
Titrel[]
The plot revolves around a magic ring that grants the power to rule the world, forged by the Nibelung dwarf Alberich from gold stolen from the river Rhine. Several mythic figures struggle for possession of the Ring, including Wotan (Odin), the chief of the gods. Wotan's scheme, spanning generations, to overcome his limitations, drives much of the action in the story. The hero Siegfried wins the Ring, as Wotan intended, but is eventually betrayed and slain. Finally, the Valkyrie Brünnhilde, Siegfried's lover and Wotan's estranged daughter, returns the Ring to the Rhine. In the process, the Gods are destroyed.
The ring in Odin Sphere is Titrel, though the power in the story now comes from the Psyphers, stolen away from the Netherworld.
Oswald[]
The hero of The Ring Cycle is named Siegfried. He was raised by a non-human adoptive father who intended to use him to gain power. The father has a special sword forged for Siegfried. He sends Siegfried to kill a dragon, Fafner, who, upon dying, instructs Siegfried to beware of treachery. Afterwards, his father attempts to poison him, but Siegfried slays him. He then follows a woodbird to Fafner's hoard where he finds the ring, and the woodbird's song tells him of a woman sleeping on a magic rock surrounded by fire. When he finds the woman, it is the Valkyrie Brunhilde, asleep from a magical spell. He kisses her in order to wake her and the two fall in love. He gives her the ring from Fafner's hoard as a pledge of fidelity.
Velvet & Ingway[]
In the Ring cycle, Odin fathers two children through adultery named Siegmund and Sieglinde. Siegmund is killed and in an act of treason, Odin's favoured daughter Brunhilde saves Sieglinde from suffering the same fate at Odin's hands.
Gwendolyn[]
Brunhilde is a valkyrie and the daughter of Odin. Knowing it to be his true will, she saves Sieglinde, her half-sister, from execution and commits treason in the process. Odin punishes her by putting her into a magical sleep that will cause the first man who comes across her to fall in love with her. She asks that he mitigate the spell for her and he does, placing a ring of fire around her body so that only the bravest man will be able to approach her. She is awakened by Siegfried and given the ring with the power to end the Gods. When implored by family to return the ring, she refuses.
Brom[]
A dwarf and the world's most skilled smith is banished to the Underworld. Brom takes on this role in Odin Sphere.
King Valentine[]
The legendary sorcerer Alberich is the one who creates the ring in the Ring Cycle. He is an extremely bitter man, and his role could be considered parallel to King Valentine's.
Gotterdammerung[]
The Ring Cycle culminates in the end of the Gods in an armageddon similar to the one found in Odin Sphere.
The Dragons[]
The dragon Fafner is a wise creature who is slain by Siegfried, but warns him to beware treachery with his final words. Fafner also posesses the ring. In Odin Sphere, this role is split between Hindel and Wagner, the latter named for the composer.
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Ragnarok[]
In Norse mythology, Ragnarök ("Final destiny of the gods") refers to a series of major events, including a great battle foretold to ultimately result in the death of a number of major figures (including the gods Odin, Thor, Freyr, Heimdall, and the jötunn Loki), the occurrence of various natural disasters, and the subsequent submersion of the world in water. Afterwards, the world resurfaces anew and fertile, the surviving gods meet, and the world is repopulated by two human survivors.
Leventhan[]
Leventhan is likely based on Jörmungandr, a wyrm from Norse mythology also known as the "World Serpant." It was said to have grown so big that it could circle the world and bite its own tail. In norse mythology, it rises from the ocean at the end of the world and poisons the sky.
Onyx[]
In Norse mythology, the jotunn (giant or nature spirit) Surtr inhabits a realm of flame and is said to be a major figure in the Ragnarok: He will go to war with the Aesir and his flames will engulf the earth. This parallels Onyx's role in Odin Sphere. Surtr's name means "black one," and onyx is a type of black stone.
Darkova[]
The beast of Darkova appears to be based on Cerberus, the three-headed dog who guarded the gates of hell in Greek Mythology.
Valkyrie[]
Valkyrie are warrior women from Norse mythology who ride into battle and carry the dead to Valhalla, a paradise for valiant warriors.
Pooka[]
The Pooka (puca) is a shapeshifting creature of Celtic folklore. They share a name, but otherwise bear little resemblence to the Pooka in Odin Sphere.
Yggdrasil[]
The name of the World Tree in Norse Mythology. This is Mercedes' true name.
Nidhogg[]
The serpent that chews at the roots of the world tree whose arrival is thought to herald the Ragnarok. This is Melvin's true name.
Fimbulvetr[]
The long winter that preceeds the Ragnarok. This is Queen Elfaria's true name and likely refers to the war she led with Odin.
Aesir and Vanir[]
In Norse Mythology, these are two groups of God who go to war during Ragnarok. They are represented by Odin and Queen Elfaria's troops.
Halja[]
This is another name for the Norse Goddess Hel, ruler of the Norse underworld.