Vampire Survivors
Release Year: 2022
Genres: Action, Roguelike, Shoot 'Em Up
Developer: Poncle
Publisher: Poncle
Platforms: Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Welsh References: Folklore, Mythical Creature, Mythical Figure, Mythology
Welsh Mythology Figure: Gwenhwyfar
Welsh Mythology Creature: Mari Lwyd
Featured Welsh Content
There are enemies in Vampire Survivors based on Mari Lwyd, a Welsh folk creature made by decorating a horse skull and white sheet. The Mari Lwyd custom is historically performed around Christmas and New Year in Wales, usually in parts of the south and along the border with England, and involves a group of people carrying her to houses, singing Welsh songs in exchange for entry, and wishing good luck if they are let inside.
An enemy called Maronna is designed after the Mari Lwyd, and a joke is made within the creature’s bestiary log entry as to whether or not the tradition predates Christianity – a genuine debate among Mari Lwyd historians, but the commonly accepted stance is that it does.
One meaning of Mari Lwyd’s name is that it means “Grey Mare”, while others suggest it refers to Jesus’ mother Mary.
With a number of Italian puns within Vampire Survivors, Maronna’s name is also a southern Italian variant of “Madonna”, referring to the Virgin Mary. These Welsh and Italian Mary references come together to create this enemy’s design.
Maronna Meea is another Mari Lwyd-like pun-based enemy, pulling from a popular Italian phrase: “Maronna mia!” (“Madonna mia!”). This could effectively translate to “My mother Mary!”, with equivalent English-language expressions of surprise perhaps being along the lines of “Oh my god!”
Additionally, there are references to Arthurian legends in the Tides of the Foscari expansion DLC, including a character named Luminaire, who is the Lady of the Lake. The character Genevieve, sealed within the abyss by Luminaire, may reference Gwenhwyfar, interpreted as King Arthur’s wife in legends.
Also introduced in this DLC is the weapon Eskizzibur, referencing the mythical sword Excalibur, and known as Caledfwlch in early Welsh Arthurian tales.
