Gothi is a minor character in the DreamWorks How to Train Your Dragon franchise. She's the Village Elder. 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.
Background[]
Official Description[]
- Gothi is another one of the elders on the Isle of Berk. She is a wise old woman who is revered by those in the Viking village. ... She is trusted by the tribe to make important decisions, although she rarely speaks. Rather, she communicates through gestures and writing in the ground with her trusty wooden staff, which she uses to get around.
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 (which Gobber refused to translate) 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 with a glazed look in her eye.
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. She has a short and scrawny figure and an obvious hunch. She has thick wavy gray hair held in two braids. She wears a leather vest with an old belt strapped around it and she also has padding 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 also has a scar from a Snow Wraith's bite on her left arm and a few faint, blue tattoos of dragons on her shoulders.
Appearances[]
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 Hofferson. She is also seen comforting two children when the whole tribe is preparing for the battle at the Dragon's Nest.
DreamWorks Dragons[]
In the Riders of Berk TV series, she appeared in two episodes. In episode 3-"Animal House", Stoick and Gobber go to 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.
She made a brief appearance in In Dragons We Trust when Stoick announced there would be no more dragons on Berk.
She has also appeared in episode 9-"Dragon Flower". When the dragons are falling mysteriously ill, Gobber suggests to go 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.
She also appeared in one of the Defenders of Berk TV series The Eel Effect when she is seen a few times telling Hiccup witch items to collect to make the right medicine against the eel pox.
Dawn of the Dragon Racers[]
Gothi then particpated in the first Dragon Races, signaling the start of them.
How to Train Your Dragon 2[]
Gothi then watched the dragon races next to Stoick and Spitelout at the beginning, wondering where Hiccup is.
She's been at her house, surrounded by a flock of Terrible Terrors, who fly away when the Alpha arrives at Berk, much to her confusion. Then later, when the Alpha loses Toothless's challenge and runs away, 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 so.
Trivia[]
- 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. In Eel Effect (Se, E16), Fishlegs translates Gothi's writing to English when they are on Healer's Island.
- Gothi has two tattoos, one on her right arm and on on her right hand. The one on her appears to be a Whispering Death.
- Gothi says absolutely nothing in the film, she just gestures.
- It is said that Gothi can tell when you die by looking at your tounge
- It can be questioned if Gothi is mute or not, because, In HTTYD 2, She still makes sounds, such as frustrated growls, gasps and screams, all with an elderly woman's voice. While she doesn't speak in the movie, one can't make any noise at all if they're mute. Therefore, she may have forgotten how to talk or she can't talk the language.
- 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.
