Vanaheim

"Vanaheim, it's so full of mysteries and mythology! This is just a thread in the tapestry of its deep, rich history."

- Fishlegs

Vanaheim is an island first introduced in the Dragons: Race to the Edge, Season 5 episode, "A Matter of Perspective", and appears later on in the Franchise games.

Official Description
"A remote dragon graveyard with frigid foundations, Vanaheim brings peace to ailing dragons — and danger to all others. Protected by towering ice spires and flocks of Sentinel dragons, the Isle of Vanaheim welcomes all sick and elderly dragons who make their final pilgrimage to this sacred land. Vanaheim’s jagged coastline and foreboding atmosphere keep all but the most intrepid of explorers at bay. But those who manage to get past the unblinking guardians will find a treasure trove of diverse remains and a lasting testament to the mystery and grandeur of dragons."

- Hiccup's Race to the Edge Map

"A remote dragon graveyard with frigid foundations, Vanaheim brings peace to ailing dragons - and danger to all others."

- Dragons: Rise of Berk

Geography
Vanaheim contains peaks and plateaus of light-colored rock, grass, and trees. It is home to the edible Vanaheim Fruit. It is surrounded by ice spires and a jagged coastline. It also contains dragon tombs organized by species, tended to by the resident Sentinel dragons.

Viewing the island from afar, the topography strongly resembles the skeleton of an enormous deceased dragon, specifically a Bewilderbeast.

In School of Dragons, Vanaheim is developed further as the resting place of Luminous Krayfins, only under water at its shores. The immediate underwater environment is filled with seaweed and giant clams and some crabs.

History
Vanaheim is an Old Norse world where the Vanir tribe of gods live, and is associated with nature. Its character is believed to be chaotic, and wild as it is outside the fortified worlds of humanity.

Dragons: Race to the Edge, Season 5
In "A Matter of Perspective", Vanaheim is told by Mala to be the retirement home and final resting place of dragons when the Great Protector starts showing inability to protect their island any longer. It's also said to be sacred and untouched ever by humans. The twins curiosity however gets the best of them, and they secretly follow the dragon to the secret site. Hiccup and the other Riders catch up to them before they could cause any harm, and plan to bring them home, but some Sentinel dragons, who guard over the aging dragons living there and take care of the island, refuse to let them leave. They soon learn about some of the death and burial rituals of wild dragons, and that each different species has its own part of the island. But there's no Night Fury area, giving Hiccup the idea that he might be able to escape the guard of the Sentinels and get help. However, discovering that the dragons are blind and love a certain fruit that grows on site, the Riders disguise themselves with the scent of the fruit to make their escape, and leave the island unharmed, and the Great Protector to enter peacefully into the next life. Toothless then destroys the note book the Twins had been using to write all about the island because Hiccup insisted no other humans should even know about the place.

The Dragon Riders visit Vanaheim again in the episode, "Searching for Oswald... and Chicken". Oswald's diary leads Hiccup, Dagur, and Fishlegs back to Vanaheim, after some sketches inside suggest Oswald had been there, and might even possibly still be there. Despite Hiccup's discomfort at humans being on the island again, they stumble upon an old shack, only to find a dead body inside. They soon learn that it was Oswald, and he had lived on the island for many years after being shipwrecked. And now he had also died on the island. Hiccup, Fishlegs, and Dagur bury Oswald in front of his shack, and Dagur mourns over the loss of his father whom he had been searching for for so long.

Dragons: Race to the Edge, Season 6
"Vanaheim has been attacked by the Dragon Flyers."

- Heather

The Dragon Riders revisit Vanaheim in the episode "Guardians of Vanaheim". Heather had been visiting Vanaheim to get some closure with her father, Oswald. However, she was followed by some Dragon Flyer scouts, leading to Vanaheim's discovery. Heather is able to make it to Berk to ask for help from the Riders. The Riders go to Vanaheim and discover that the Flyers had bombarded the island with fiery blasts from their Singetails and appeared to "kill" the Sentinels. The Riders go after the scouts to stop them from telling Krogan its whereabouts, while Fishlegs stays behind to tend to Meatlug and the Sentinels, as she does not want to leave them. The Twins stay behind to watch a Flyer who was left behind. Spurred by Meatlug's insistence at tending to the Sentinels, Fishlegs discovers that the Sentinels aren't dead,; they only appear to be so and need to recuperate. Heat speeds the process. Ultimately, Hiccup, Astrid and Snotlout are able to take down the Flyer scouts, thus preserving Vanaheim's sacredness.

School of Dragons
Vanaheim was introduced in March 2018 at the release of the "Wrath of Stormheart" Expansion. Nikora Stormheart finds the island and ransacks the dragon bones after immobilizing the Sentinel dragons with pepper gas. Underneath the sea surrounding Vanaheim is a graveyard for Luminous Krayfin dragons. An ancient artifact Nikora wants is located there. Skulder the Archaeologist also visits Vanaheim during the Expansion.

Trivia

 * A Bewilderbeast appears to have rested on Vanaheim and it might be that the Bewilderbeast was the first dragon to make other dragons use this island as their final resting place.

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