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The Name of Wigfrid's Animated Short


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Wigfrid's refresh and animated short is just around the corner and while I'm always very curious about what the short will reveal of the character's past, I'm also very interested in what the short itself will be called.

Ever since the announcement of character refreshes and the "Return of Them" update chain, animated shorts have been cleverly titled in various figures of speech or in reference to the game's lore, giving the shorts a somewhat deeper meaning or sometimes a double message. In anticipation of Wigfrid's short, I've analysed the past shorts and their titles to get a better idea of what the future animation might be titled as. 
Please note that these are my own interpretations. If I'm missing something obvious, do let me know.


Turn of Tides: An idiom meaning a change or reversal of a situation. Turn of Tides was the first major update introducing seafaring and the lunar island, a major change to gameplay overall.

Salty Dog: A nickname given to a sailor who has spent a lot of time at sea. This update introduced salt as a new resource and the Malbatross.

Hook, Line & Inker: A play on words of the phrase "Hook, Line & Sinker", meaning that someone has been tricked or deceived (in this case, the fish). The word "inker" is also a hint at the skittersquid being added to the game.

She Sells Sea Shells: A common Tongue-Twister in reference to the mechanic of trading with the Crabby Hermit.

Troubled Waters: An idiom suggesting a difficult or dangerous situation. More hostile mobs were introduced to the ocean in this update.

Forbidden Knowledge: While there's unlikely a double meaning in this title, it certainly gives the Lovecraftian atmosphere that the game represents. The "Forbidden Knowledge" refers to Maxwell offering a "Secret Knowledge" to Wilson, only to trick him into bringing himself into The Constant.

Next of Kin: A direct reference to Winona being abducted to the constant by her sister, Charlie. Kin is another word for family or relatives.

Possessions: An ambiguous use of the word possession, either the state of having/owning something or possession as in being under the control of a demon or spirit. In the short, Krampus & Wortox are stealing various possessions from the survivors and in the end, Wortox ends up being possessed by Krampus.

From the Ashes: An idiom associated with rebirth or drastic change of personhood after a traumatic or destructive event, and a very fitting title for the theme of Willow's backstory.

Lunar Roots: This is a great example of how "roots" can be used to signify someone's or something's origins, as well as plantlife in general.

Taste of Home: I don't think this title is based on a specific figure of speech, but if I were to guess I would have to say it reminds me of the phrase "There's no place like home". Other than that, the word "taste" can also be interpreted as a "glimpse" into Warly's past, or just... you know... cooking.

Tree's a crowd: A play on words of the idiom "Two's a company, three's a crowd". The original idiom is used to let people know when someone wants to be alone with another. In this case, Woodie's and Lucy's company are interrupted by a treeguard.

The Monster Marsh: A reference to the popular 60's Halloween song "Monster Mash" by Bobby Pickett. Also a play on words with the use of the "marsh" (a wetland of sorts) instead of mash.

Wish You Were Here: This phrase is commonly used when writing vacation postcards to someone you miss or long to meet again, a very fitting title for someone with a somber past.

A 1st for Everything: Likely a reference to Wes' unannounced "refresh" and short being unlike any other character update or short so far, a "one of a kind". It might just also be in reference to its release date, april 1st.

Constant Companion: Of course, a direct reference to Woby being Walter's new companion in The Constant - constantly. Simple and straight-forward.


In conclusion, it seems that naming is purely based on the theme of a setting or a character's backstory and quirks followed by a neat and appropriate idiom, phrase, pun, play on words or other figure of speech. In retrospect, I'm almost certain that the animations themselves are given clever names before they are even created. As far as I'm aware, this might be very normal in the world of filmmaking (just goes to show how much I know...).

With that in mind, my own theory of what the short will be called will have to be based on what I think the short will be about. This in particular will be tricky, since not much is known about Wigfrid other than her being a carnivorous method actress who speaks in umlauts and may possibly be involved with Maxwell's final performance. If any of the previous shorts are to be of any hint, I would guess that the short will be about how Wigfrid ended up or was abducted to The Constant, and I think this could have been a golden opportunity for Klei to integrate the Stagehand into the story, somehow. I'm aware that the Stagehand is likely a creation of Charlie from her reign on the throne but time does flow strangely in The Constant, so who knows? I myself am not a writer, so I'm afraid my train of thought ends here.

Based on all this, I theorize that the short will be called "Stage Fright". I know it may sound cliché, but it might just turn out to be true(!).
Do share your own theories, I'm very keen to know what you can come up with!

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i remember having what you might call a "head canon" for wig.

It was something about another actress poisoning wigfrid during an actual feast used for a play.

since that day wigfrid was a tad bit sickly, which explains her small stomach (that was the main point i remember).

I guess the poison was what made her fall into her Valkyrie persona hard.

i don't fully remember, this just seemed like an appropriate place to place it. back then i was still waiting for dst to be ported to xbox.

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I'm not too sure about the name, but I have a couple ideas about the short. Firstly, Wigfrid is likely adapted from Siegfried, from Die Walküre. Apparently, Sigfrid is the modern version/way of using it. Sigfrid is male, and given gender roles at the time, perhaps she was looked down upon for being a woman? 
She was probably brought into the Constant because she wanted to hone her skills, especially combat, so there's many ways you can take that; a rival actor, growing up in the shadow of her parents (heh, shadow), etc, or just wanting to get better in general. 
 

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1 hour ago, Chicken_ said:

perhaps she was looked down upon for being a woman? 

Shieldmaidens in the Viking age were actually often highly praised by society for their bravery (as seen in various literature and sagas), instead of shunned and looked down upon for not furfilling gender roles. Pretty cool if you ask me! 

As in for the name, I don't want to make this long, but I'll add that I also agree that her name is inspired by Siegfried, but is actually derived from the feminine Old Norse name Vígfríðr (víg meaning "battle" and fríðr meaning "beautiful"). 

3 hours ago, minespatch said:

ogre Fafnir

I agree, that would be a neat reference! I'll have to point out that Fáfnir is actually a dragon, though. I think you might have meant "dwarf", as he was one before he was turned into a dragon.

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18 minutes ago, Pinegrove said:

I agree, that would be a neat reference! I'll have to point out that Fáfnir is actually a dragon, though. I think you might have meant "dwarf", as he was one before he was turned into a dragon.

Fáfnir was the guy who stole the gold at the beginning of the opera and made the cursed ring that fell through history, right? I was actually wondering if Wigfrid’s rework would give her the cursed ring to use at an extreme cost; it’s very powerful, but she takes double damage, she can’t take the ring off until the durability runs out, it decreases her sanity a lot, etc. 

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1 hour ago, Blueleaf12 said:

Fáfnir was the guy who stole the gold at the beginning of the opera and made the cursed ring that fell through history, right?

Indeed! He was affected by the cursed ring made by the dwarf Andvari. I don't happen to know a lot about the opera version specifically, but I do know that Andvari cursed it so anybody who would own it would meet a harsh demise, so I wouldn't really trust it in the hands of our reworked Valkyrie. I really like the idea of giving her an item that is related to the opera or the sagas, though - mine was the idea of her own version of Tyrfing, the cursed sword of the famous shieldmaiden Hervör that, once drawn, could not be put back unless it has killed somebody. 

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45 minutes ago, Pinegrove said:

 I really like the idea of giving her an item that is related to the opera or the sagas, though - mine was the idea of her own version of Tyrfing, the cursed sword of the famous shieldmaiden Hervör that, once drawn, could not be put back unless it has killed somebody. 

So I've only seen the first part of the Wagner Ring Cycle, and the first hour or so of Die Walkure. So I haven't seen this part with that sword, but I could definitely see a reworked, cursed spear Wigfrid makes with nightmare fuel that's incredibly powerful, but cannot be put away unless she kills something. And maybe exploiting the Moose/Goose's honk to knock it out of her hands idk

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45 minutes ago, Blueleaf12 said:

So I haven't seen this part with that sword

Bad wording on my part, this sword is actually not a part of the Wagner Ring Cycle, instead it's from the saga of Hervör and Heidrek. Even though it's a cool idea, I'm not sure how much it would truly fit in, as she is her own character.. But who knows, Klei might end up surprising us tomorrow, and giving her some sort of rad new craftable! Though I am reluctant on that, since her initial perks are very solid and the songs just top it off. 

Apologies for going off topic for this long, I also believe that the title will be related to theater and performance, maybe something similar to the Forge achievement "Curtain call". 

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13 hours ago, Pinegrove said:

I agree, that would be a neat reference! I'll have to point out that Fáfnir is actually a dragon, though. I think you might have meant "dwarf", as he was one before he was turned into a dragon.

https://www.amazon.com/Fafnir-Monsters-Mythology-Bernard-Evslin/dp/1555462472

Here's the book that makes him a ogre first.

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