Sweden is a wonderful country, full of breathtaking sights, delicious cuisine and a very rich culture. Intel Pack4DreamHack is less than a week and I can’t wait to experience the Swedish culture again. Now, for me, the most interesting aspect of a country is its folklore. You know, mysterious creatures and unbelievable myths and legends. For example, America has myths like Bigfoot, The Jersey Devil and Wendigos. Even at the office of Duh-Events we have a myth about something that is supposedly real but no one has ever encountered. I’m talking about Jeroen’s sense of humor of course.
Sweden has a shit ton of amazing legends and myths, shared with other Scandinavian countries. They might not have the same name in each country, but the general idea is pretty much the same. You might even have heard of some these myths. Dwarves, Trolls, Elves, the Kraken. All of these are entwined in the Swedish culture. These creatures exist, and they have been hiding from us in plain sight. They disguise themselves as normal people and even come to events like DreamHack. You don’t often get the chance to spot an actual mythical being in the wild, so let me tell you how to recognize the different creatures you will encounter at DreamHack.
Dwarves
Dwarves are something we all know from fantastical tales and the Lord of the Rings movies. Across all countries depicted as short men with long beards they are the master blacksmiths for the gods. They live in an underground city in the realm of Midgard, invisible to the human eye, where they practiced magic and avoided the light of the sun. Dwarves won’t be hard to recognize at DreamHack. They will mostly be glued to their computer screen playing games with a crafting system like H1Z1 or MMO’s like WoW. Don’t expect to find them outside of the venue, as they loathe sunlight. Legend has it that after DreamHack these creatures return to their mythical underground lair (read: mom’s basement) to conjure up potions with Mountain Dew and Doritos. Don’t confuse Dwarves with Gnomes. Whereas the Dwarves are often friendly, Gnomes are smaller and are known for insulting your mother during a match of CS:GO or CoD.
Elves
Not all creatures are as ugly as the night itself. The most beautiful creatures in every tale are often the Elves. Fair and beautiful and mostly female, these beings might not necessarily be good. In Scandinavian culture Elves can be both good and evil, depending on their mood (so basically just a woman in general). I’m pretty sure you will encounter an Elf at DreamHack, standing in the middle of a group of Dwarves, Trolls and Gnomes. They use their magic to capture the attention of any helpless male victim walking by to steal their life force (or money). I don’t say all of them cant be trusted, but be careful when you approach an Elf. One misplaced remark and they will disperse like mist before the sun.
Trolls
Trolls are creatures we as gamers are all familiar with. Some tales differ about them, as in one country they are gigantic cruel giants and in another they are small and slow. The only thing the stories agree on is that they are a force to be reckoned with whenever they get angry or feel threatened. Trolls are also known for being incredibly stupid and ugly with an almost humanlike appearance, but just a tad off. Trolls can live anywhere: in castles, dark basements, deep forests or even under a bridge. I have no doubt at least one of us Packers will encounter a Troll at DreamHack. If you do, please do not anger or threaten them, or they will make your time at DreamHack a living hell. You can only defeat a Troll by outsmarting him, so use your wit! Defeat him, and your reward will be great: -Trollplayer has left the match.
Pesta
The Pesta is an embodiment of the Black Death, spreading diseases and illness among the common folk. The Plague was a disaster for Scandinavian countries, claiming thousands of victims across the lands. People got so scared of the Plague they created an entire character around it. The Pesta is often portrayed as an old ugly woman dressed in black. Everywhere she went she spread her filthy diseases and only death remained in her wake. Not a pretty creature to encounter, but as I have experienced in the past, Pesta will most definitely make an appearance at DreamHack. Not as an old woman, but as a fellow gamer coughing out his lungs. Just follow the sound of sniffles, sneezes and coughs and you’ll easily find the Pesta. Don’t get too close though, or else you might end up catching a nasty disease. We don’t want that on our bus and we WILL leave you behind if we find out. Hope you like the cold.
There are many more myths and legends hiding in the wonderful country of Sweden and at DreamHack itself. Every edition of Intel Pack4DreamHack we have stories to tell of previous trips to our family and friends, and each time we go we create even more stories. There is no doubt this upcoming edition will be the source of many amazing tales of valor and companionship and we can’t wait to hear them. So gear up for adventure and create your own legends!
See you all at Intel Pack4DreamHack Winter 2015.
– Chris (Deoquaza)
