Viking Torbjorn’s shield bears a protective sigil
Vegvisir, an Icelandic protective sigil that ensures its bearer always finds their way even through a storm.
The oldest trace of Vegvisir we have is the Huld Manuscript, written in 1860, likely based on older copies of older manuscripts. We don’t know for sure that “vikings” were familiar with that sigil but we can safely assume so.
Vegvisir is a variation of another more famous sigil : Ægishjálmr aka the Helm of Awe.
Where Vegvisir helps people stay on course and reach their destination safely no matter the circumstances, Ægishjálmur strikes fear in the heart of their enemies and give them the strength to overcome anything in battle.
Apparently, Torbjörn is more worried about getting lost than about triumph in battle. Can one assume the Blizzard devs picked Vegvisir over Ægishjálmur to hint at Torbjörn’s internal struggle and fear of losing control in a storm (which he’s already done, in a way, when the omnics he helped create turned on humans)? Does Torbjörn need a compass to guide him through hard times?
I don’t know about canon Torbjörn, but Viking Torbjörn sure seems superstitious (like most “vikings”).
Maybe they just picked Vegvisir because it looked more unique and badass whereas Ægishjálmur looked cool but kinda generic?
Either way, I love this kind of attention to detail. Blizzard goes above and beyond when it comes to lil details like this one that make the worlds they build pop. It keeps people like me busy and amazed :3
EDIT : credit to reddit user u/jsnen for suggesting this could be a reference to Blizzard’s game The Lost Vikings. It absolutely is !!
The plot of that game is that 3 vikings get abducted by an alien race to be put in a zoo, they manage to escape but then get lost in time, they need to find their way home.
So, yeah, Vegvisir would come in handy if Viking Torbjörn was ever to get abducted :D
Noticing things that others (including myself) have missed, it’s truly amazing, I LIVE FOR THIS !
If you’re open minded and if you enjoy wasting time hunting for the many obscure things the devs have put in the world of Overwatch, I have an all new discord server :D
https://discord.gg/Eg8pZdn
