Gothi

Gothi is a character seen in How to Train Your Dragon. Gothi is the Village Elder. Her roles include appointing Vikings for important events and roles, such as being the chief and slaying a Monstrous Nightmare, healing the Village of deadly diseases and marking a chief with a crest. She is very small and does not speak in the final, on-screen product, although she had a much larger part in the earliest film concepts, when there was a lot of magic and things of that nature. Gothi 'speaks' by writing in the ground with her staff, in perhaps an old writing that few Vikings can read.

Though Gothi does not appear in the original series, she was said by Bonnie Arnold in The Art of How to Train Your Dragon to be based on Old Wrinkly from the books.

Official Description
"Not much is known about Gothi . . . mostly because she's never actually been able to tell anyone about her past. All the people of Berk know is that Gothi's been on the island since before they were born, and she'll probably still be there long after they've left. Recently, Hiccup and the other Dragon Riders learned that Gothi was part of a doomed Arctic expedition that ended prematurely due to a Snow Wraith attack. Gothi hadn't left Berk since that fateful experience, even staying behind when the rest of the Vikings faced off against the Red Death on Dragon Island. Solemn, trustworthy, and spry, Gothi serves many important functions on Berk, but perhaps her greatest role is that of a listener. Everyone on the island comes to Gothi with their problems, and everyone leaves her hut feeling much better, even though she didn't say a thing! Stoick and Gobber often look to her for counsel and support. Just a look from this old woman could help decide the chief's next act and shape Berk's future. Despite her grudge against the Snow Wraith, Gothi loves all dragons, especially her flock of Terrible Terrors. Now, if she could only get them to stop singing from the rooftops!"

- Viking Guide

Early life
As told in "Dragon Eye of the Beholder, Part 2", when Gothi was a teenager, She and two other Vikings went to Glacier Island to look for its healing water. However, Gothi and her party then came under attack by the Snow Wraith. Gothi survived its attack by hiding in a snow drift.

Final Months of the Dragon War
In How to Train Your Dragon, it is her job to choose the most promising young Viking to fight the Monstrous Nightmare in the arena for the Final Exam, and if the child wins, he/she becomes a full Viking in the society. She's the one who chooses Hiccup for the graduation ceremony in the movie over Astrid. She is also seen comforting two children when the whole tribe is preparing for the battle at the Dragon Island.

Thors'day Thursday
In the game, How to Train Your Dragon Gothi is seen on Dragon Tooth Mountain and requests help of either Astrid or Hiccup in getting firewood to cook her meager meal of grass and vegetables. There is text on the Nintendo DS version as if she is talking, but because many characters don't have sound, it is possible she is writing and not speaking in this game.

"Without fire for my cooking pot, I am living on grass and raw vegetables now. My old teeth can't chew such tough food anymore. My old stomach can't digest it. But I am too old and weak from hunger to carry all that wood so far. Could you help me gather some, please?"

- Gothi

Later in the game, Gobber reveals to Hiccup or Astrid that the Berk elders planted people asking for help on Dragon Tooth Mountain as a test for the Thors'day Thursday contestants. It is possible Gothi didn't need help after all.

Integrating Dragons into Berk Society
When Stoick and Gobber go to her for her expertise to predict a major storm, she says that there will be a storm, referencing to Bucket's bucket, which is said to predict bad weather in "Animal House".

She made a brief appearance in the episode, "In Dragons We Trust" when Stoick announced there would be no more dragons on Berk.

When the dragons are falling mysteriously ill in the "Dragon Flower", Gobber suggests going to Gothi. She says (by writing with her staff) that the dragons are allergic to something new that has just come to the island, and tells them to get rid of everything that was new.

War with the Berserkers
Gothi then went with Hiccup and the others to Healer's Island to collect ingredients and make the right medicine against Eel Pox in "The Eel Effect".

The Original Dragon Eye
Three years after the end of the war with the Berserkers, Gothi, despite her fear, went with Hiccup and the other riders to Glacier Island to get a Snow Wraith's tooth. Despite its ferocious attacks, Gothi was able to use her staff to get a tooth from the Snow Wraith in "Dragon Eye of the Beholder, Part 2".

In "Big Man on Berk", Gothi tried to hypnotize Fishlegs into believing that he was not allergic to Meatlug. Unfortunately, Fishlegs became Thor Bonecrusher and broke Gothi's staff in half and tossed it into the ocean. Fortunately, she was able to repair it.

Becoming an Auxiliary Rider
Gothi then trained with her Gronckle and became a member of Astrid's Auxiliary Team in the episode, "Team Astrid". As part of the Auxiliary, she participates in battles, such as fighting the Skrill in "A Time to Skrill", the siege on Viggo's base in "Shell Shocked, Part 1", and against the Dragon Flyers to win back Dragon's Edge in "The Wings of War, Part 2".

War with Drago's Army
In How to Train Your Dragon 2, Gothi watched the dragon races next to Stoick, Spitelout, and Gobber. She is later seen petting one of her Terrible Terrors before they were scared off by the passing Dragon Riders, much to her annoyance.

When sleeping with her Terrible Terrors, they flew away when the Alpha arrives at Berk, waking her. Later, when the Alpha loses Toothless' challenge and leaves, she welcomes the return of her flock of Terrible Terrors, who quickly smother her. Finally, when Hiccup accepts taking over the role of Chief from his father, Gothi uses soot to draw the crest on Hiccup's forehead to officially name him as the new Chief.

Dragonvine
While Valka, Fishlegs and Skulder are trying to learn more about the Silkspanners, Gothi is trying to help Snotlout in overcoming the trauma he gained during the attack. Gothi’s method caused Valka commented on how the former always creeped her out.

Personality
Gothi is a woman of little words but is wise and highly respected. Most Vikings approach her for help when in urgent need. Gothi is very fond of Terrible Terrors and she has plenty in her hut. This is familiar to a "Cat Widow" stereotype in which old women or widows own numerous cats to keep them company.

Gothi also has a mischievous side, such as whacking people with her staff. She also uses quite a bit of bad language in her writing when mad and even made Fishlegs, as Thor Bonecrusher, drink spiced yak bladder as payback for breaking her staff. In her youth, Gothi was quite adventurous and always looking for something new, a quality not unlike Hiccup's.

Despite her size and age, Gothi is surprisingly strong and athletic. She is able to hit others hard with her staff as a form of defense and hike up the mountains of Glacier Island. She has also been shown to be very brave, as she ran up to a Snow Wraith and continued to smash its face with her staff.

According to the episode "The Longest Day", when subjected to long periods of sleeplessness such as during the 'Midnight Sun', Gothi will 'babble', i.e., scribble cryptic and nonsensical patterns in the dirt with her cane.

Gothi enjoys eating Gobber's home-made Yak Noodle Soup. According to School of Dragons she also "likes her soup simple and exotic", such as made with truffles and cabbage.

Physical Appearance
Gothi is an elderly lady possibly between the eighties and nineties. She has a short and scrawny figure and an obvious hunch. She has thick wavy gray hair. She wears a leather vest with an old belt strapped around it and she also has paddings over the wrist. Most of the time, she is seen with a small, rather flat helmet and an old staff made of bones. She uses her staff mainly to execute healing practices such as hypnosis and defending herself. She has a scar from a Snow Wraith's bite on her left arm too and a few faint, blue tattoos of dragons on her shoulders.

Abilities and Skills
For an old woman who is mute, she has proven to be reliable for her village.


 * Intelligence and Communication skills: Animal House-GothiWriting-36.JPGe or unwilling to speak, she is able to write messages on the ground to translate but mostly Gobber and Fishlegs are able to understand. She is shown to be relied on for advice and information as a village elder, with much stock placed on her intelligence, demonstrated in "Animal House".  Gobber is able to read Gothi's writing, as he was the only person who could translate Gothi's scribbles in her two Riders of Berk appearances. Fishlegs is another Viking who can read Gothi's writing. Fishlegs translates Gothi's writing to English when they are on Healer's Island in "The Eel Effect". As revealed in Race to the Edge, it is possible that Hiccup is able to read Gothi's writing as well. However, when speaking, Hiccup does not pay attention to her writings, so it is possible that Hiccup was guessing what she was saying, however, Hiccup did remark about an obscenity that Gothi had written in "Crushing It".


 * Strength and Fighting Skills: She has shown to be able to hit the Snow Wraith and her skills are mostly used by her staff as her main weapon in "Dragon Eye of the Beholder, Part 2".


 * Doctor: She is the village healer as she able to come ideas to cure horrible sickness or know what causes the problems as proven to know that something new came to the island that makes the dragons to get very sick to death in "Dragon Flower", and knowing the cure of the eel pox in "The Eel Effect" In a December 2017 Gauntlet event in the game, Dragons: Riders of Berk, Hiccup indicates that Gothi makes the antidote to Dragon Root poisoning of dragons. Unfortunately, she can only make it in small batches.


 * Dragon Trainer and Rider: She was able to ride on Gronckle from Astrid's teaching skills. She was having a bit hard time from the harsh training she was given, but she had proven to be much greater to save the other riders in "Team Astrid".


 * Wise Woman: Gothi also serves as something like a village wise woman or shaman. Though Hooligan spirituality or religious beliefs are barely touched upon in the Franchise, Gothi is known to do soothsaying with runes and other items. She also predicts the weather and oversees village rituals such as the coming-of-age ritual of the village youth in which they much kill a dragon (as seen in How to Train Your Dragon). She also performs the ritual for installing a new chief for the tribe, as seen in How to Train Your Dragon 2."Okay, so there's this creepy old lady named Gothi who never talks and always hits me with her stick. She throws these special stones called runes on the ground because she thinks they can tell her what'll happen in the future!"

- Snotlout in To Berk and Beyond

Race to the Edge
"Hmm. I'll make him my man someday."

- in Fishlegs' dream

Trivia

 * Gothi has two tattoos, one on her right arm and on her right hand. The one on her appears to be a Whispering Death.
 * It is said that Gothi can tell when you will die by looking at your tongue.
 * Gothi was the Viking who discovered the Snow Wraith.
 * It can be questioned if Gothi is mute or not, because, in the sequel, she still makes sounds, such as frustrated growls, gasps, and screams, all with an elderly woman's voice. It is possible she may have forgotten how to talk or she can't talk the language.
 * As revealed in a DreamWorks Download video, 100 HTTYD Facts Only True Fans Know, Gothi is Berk's age (more than 400 years).
 * With the release of her Terrible Terrors, it is revealed in Dragons: Rise of Berk, that Gothi can in fact speak. However, she chooses to speak Dragonese and not Norse.
 * She loves Gobber's Yak Noodle Stew.
 * Though not appearing in person in the game, School of Dragons, her hut atop the high peak of Berk is the focal point in several player Quests.