13. Borrowing from the legendary classical work by Homer, the character of Hjalmar is clearly inspired by the ancient King of Ithaca, Odysseus
During The Witcher 3, Geralt is contracted to discover the fate of the lost son of Crach an Craite, Hjalmar, who, having embarked upon a voyage to Undvik, never returned. Found still attempting to complete his quest to defeat a giant, Hjalmar, having suffered a series of misfortunes, is the last surviving member of his crew. Of particular note, Hjalmar and his warriors arrived on Undvik after crashing into rocks whilst attempting to evade sirens in a similar manner to the story of Odysseus. Clogging his ears to protect himself from their singing, Hjalmar’s helmsman was unable to hear warnings concerning rocks resulting in their ship’s destruction.
Part of the legendary classical work by Homer, the Odyssey charts the return journey of Odysseus after the fall of Troy. Offending the Greek Gods, the journey takes ten years, during which time Odysseus and his crew endure immense hardships. Among these, one of the most prominent encounters is with the Sirens. Tying himself to the mast in order to safely hear their song, the remainder of his crew plugged their ears with beeswax so to successfully navigate the dangerous waters. In addition to this classical reproduction, in a previous story, Hjalmar was forced to be tied to his own mast to avoid being shipwrecked, a clear connection to the legendary King of Ithaca.