Senua (Hellblade)
Pict warrior struggling with psychosis and grief.
Senua is the protagonist of the Hellblade video game series, first appearing in the 2017 title Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. She is a Pict warrior whose undiagnosed mental disorder causes hallucinations and disturbances, driving her to journey to the Norse afterlife Helheim to rescue her lover's soul from the goddess Hela. The character was created by Ninja Theory under director Tameem Antoniades and is portrayed by Melina Juergens, who had no prior acting experience.
Quick Facts
- Series
- Hellblade
- Creator
- Tameem Antoniades
- First
- Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice (2017)
- Voice
- Melina Juergens
- Origin
- Orkney
Facts from the source article.
Character development history
Senua's name originates from a misreading of Senuna, a Celtic goddess rediscovered at Ashwell End in Hertfordshire in 2002. The team modeled her as a warrior woman after the Iceni queen Boudica. Initially, Senua's mental disorder was less central to the story. While researching Celtic culture, the team learned the term "gelt" for a person driven mad by curse, grief, or battle trauma, who would go into self-imposed exile. This inspired Senua's backstory as a gelt stigmatized and isolated by her community. The Darkness, a malevolent entity in Senua's Sacrifice, represents the abuse she suffered from her father Zynbel. Antoniades noted that mental trauma is less noticeable than physical trauma. Instead of using common tropes, Ninja Theory consulted mental health experts and advocacy groups to understand psychosis. Senua's struggle with voices and hallucinations was inspired by a girl at a "recovery college." The team worked with voice hearers to make auditory hallucinations realistic. Visual hallucinations, such as flashbacks and overly bright elements, were based on descriptions from people with delusions.
Appearances
Senua is the protagonist of Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, set in the late 8th century. After returning from exile to find her lover Dillion killed via the blood eagle, she journeys to Helheim. She is guided by memories of her mentor Druth, a former Norsemen slave who told her Norse legends. Senua believes she is cursed to hear voices called "Furies." Her inner darkness manifests as visions and phantasms she must battle. Her backstory, revealed through hallucinations, includes her father Zynbel and the death of her mentally ill mother Galena. At the game's end, Senua accepts that Dillion cannot be revived and embraces her voices and hallucinations as part of herself. Senua returns in the sequel Senua's Saga: Hellblade II, set in 9th century Iceland.
Reception
Senua received widespread critical acclaim. Ninja Theory won Outstanding Achievement in Character at the 21st Annual D.I.C.E. Awards and Best Character at the 2018 Italian Video Game Awards. The studio was also nominated for Outstanding Achievement for Character Animation at the 45th Annie Awards. Melina Juergens won Best Performance at The Game Awards 2017, the Performer Award at the 14th British Academy Games Awards, and Performance in a Drama, Lead at the 2018 NAVGTR Awards, with nominations at the Golden Joystick Awards 2017. SYFY Wire named Senua "Video Game Heroine of the Month" for April 2018. VentureBeat voted her the best new gaming character of 2017. Polygon included her in their list of the 70 best video game characters of the 2010s. Researchers at Florida State University used Senua's Sacrifice in a study on video games reducing mental health stigma, calling it "one of the best representations of mental health that exists in video games." Senua has been discussed as part of a trend of shifting portrayals of female characters in video games during the 2010s.
More in Action-adventure Game Characters
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced