Knight of the Golden Bough

Gunnhildr, the Knight of the Golden Bough, was a historical figure from Arcadia who lived at the time of its fall.

Following the destruction of his nation and the death of his beloved, he became an exile and wandered without a heart the frozen northern lands in search of the Golden Bough, hoping to use it to restore Arcadia.^[2]

He is also the namesake of the Gunnhildr Clan, one of the founding clans of the modern Mondstadt after Barbatos became the Anemo Archon 2,600 years ago.

Story

According to a prophecy, the knight named Gunnhildr was regarded as the hero of the prophecy and the last hope of Arcadia. It was believed that only by obtaining the pure and untainted Golden Bough could the withered wood be restored and the sealed paradise endure. In his search for the Golden Bough, the knight eventually came upon another sacred grove in the frozen northern lands of Snezhnaya that had survived the calamity and housed an Irminsul tree. However, no priests or divine envoys remained to tend to it, and instead, it was guarded by a self-proclaimed king of the fae known as the Jack Frost King.^[2][1]

The knight endured the Jack Frost King's capricious trials in the hope of obtaining the Golden Bough, but the king refused to allow him access to the heart of the grove. Eventually, the two engaged in a duel, during which the knight defeated the king by striking the crown from his head. Upon his victory, the knight discovered that the Golden Bough had already lost all of its divine blessings, leaving behind only a pale and withered remnant. Realizing that the Golden Bough could no longer fulfill his hope of restoring Arcadia, the knight abandoned his quest, left his longsword beneath the withered sacred tree, and turned southward.^[1]

In the years that followed, the knight gathered the surviving Arcadians who were willing to leave their ruined capital behind. He led them to the high tower, where the wicked dragon had once been cast down, and sought refuge for them under Decarabian, the God of Storms.^[1]

His exact fate is unknown but his descendants would go on to form the Gunnhildr Clan.

Trivia

• It's possible that Gunnhildr wielded the Golden Bough of Nemorensis, the gilded longsword that was originally bestowed upon the high priest of Arcadia by a divine envoy.^[3] This is suggested by his title as the Knight of the "Golden Bough", as well as his belonging to the "hallowed lineage" of Arcadia.^[1]

Other Languages

Language	Official Name
English	Knight of the Golden Bough
Chinese (Simplified)	金枝骑士 Jīnzhī qíshì
Chinese (Traditional)	金枝骑士 Jīnzhī qíshì
Japanese	金枝の騎士 Kinshi no kishi
Korean	금빛 가지 기사 Geumbit Gaji Gisa
Spanish	Caballero de la Rama Dorada
French	Chevalier du Rameau d'or
Russian	рыцарь Золотой ветви rytsar' Zolotoy vetvi
Thai	อัศวินกิ่งทอง
Vietnamese	kỵ sĩ cành vàng
German	Ritterin des Goldzweigs
Indonesian	Knight Dahan Emas
Portuguese	Cavaleiro do Galho Dourado
Turkish	Altın Dalın Şövalyesi
Italian	Cavaliere del Ramo d'oro

Change History

References