Brave is a title conferred upon adult members of the Nora tribe who have successfully completed the Proving and become key members of the tribe’s defense and hunters.

Overview

Braves are skilled hunters who provide protection to the tribe and the Sacred Lands by staving off dangerous machines and hostile outlanders. Their duties include hunting for food, escorting parties of gatherers, and defending the Sacred Lands. The leader among the Braves is known as the War-Chief.

There are small lodges scattered throughout the Sacred Lands that are used by Braves on the hunt who need a place to rest, consistent with the communal spaces seen in Nora villages. Additionally, Brave trails have been erected throughout the world to help navigate the mountainous terrain as well as train. Such trails consist of handholds, zip lines, and other climbing mechanisms and can be identified by the brightly colored yellow ropes used to create them. These trails provide an elevated position that is advantageous in a fight and commonly house small caches of supplies that are free to use.

Braves may hold other responsibilities in addition to their Brave responsibilities, such as being a scout or a Seeker.

In Horizon Zero Dawn, there is a face paint known as the Nora Brave. However, the same face paint appears in Horizon Forbidden West under the name of the Nora Warrior, with the description not mentioning any association with Braves.^[2] The fact that it was worn by Vala before she became a Brave and most Braves seen don't wear it further indicates that the Nora Brave/Warrior face paint is not a face paint specifically for Braves.

Braves are predominantly, but not exclusively, male.^[3]

History

While the exact origin of the position of Brave is unknown, the name may have been inspired by the multiservitor that released those born within ELEUTHIA-9 when they asked what will happen to them, as the multiservitor told them that they would be brave.^[4]

Horizon Zero Dawn

After the Proving Massacre, a war party lead by War-Chief Sona pursued the Eclipse that attacked the Proving; an ambush by corrupted machines led to over half of the Braves in the war party being slaughtered and most of the others being wounded.^[5] The remaining Braves regrouped and successfully attacked several cultist camps,^[6] including the main base inside the Ring of Metal, with the aid of the Seeker Aloy.^[7]

Despite eliminating the cultists from the Sacred Land, the Eclipse returned later with the intent to exterminate the Nora and raze their territory with extremely dangerous machines. Because of the previous attacks, very few Braves were capable of fighting. They were forced to take refuge in All-Mother Mountain, barely defending themselves until Aloy returned. Together, the Braves and Aloy destroyed the attacking machines and cultists.^[8]

Under Aloy's request, War-Chief Sona led the last of the Braves and other Nora capable of fighting to Meridian, part of a multi-tribal alliance assembled by Aloy,^[1] and were successful in defeating HADES and the Eclipse.^[9] After the battle, Sona led the Nora back to the Sacred Lands, save for Varl as he wanted to follow after Aloy after she disappeared.^[10]

Known Braves

Deceased Braves

Former Braves

Trivia

• The term "Brave" has been criticized by some. Historically, the term "Brave" commonly referred to indigenous American warriors, although the word is European in origin. Other terms used by other tribes to refer to members of the Nora, such as savage, have come under similar criticism.
  • Narrative designer John Gonzales has responded to the criticism, stating that his team researched offensive and otherwise inappropriate terminology and took into consideration the historical use of "Brave" and debated whether to use the word, not intending to be insensitive or cause any offence to any player. Gonzales said the term "Brave" in Horizon is not referring to any people of any real world culture, but the adjective associated with a class of warriors, thus, they decided to use it.^[11]
• Nora Braves can sometimes be found in the Sundom long before the events of The Heart of the Nora. When spoken to, they may note their continued loyalty to All-Mother and desire to never leave the Sacred Lands.^[12] Their ability to spawn outside the Sacred Lands is most likely a mistake by the developers.

References

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} The Looming Shadow
2. ↑ Description of the Nora Warrior face paint.
3. ↑ Page 607 of Horizon Zero Dawn Collector's Edition Guide.
4. ↑ E9B1 Incident Log C
5. ↑ As mentioned by Teersa during The Womb of the Mountain.
6. ↑ The War-Chief's Trail
7. ↑ Revenge of the Nora
8. ↑ The Heart of the Nora
9. ↑ The Face of Extinction
10. ↑ As mentioned by Varl during Reach For The Stars.
11. ↑ 2017-03-03, Horizon Zero Dawn designer responds to appropriation criticisms, Polygon.
12. ↑ Video of Nora Braves being found outside the Sundom

Wiki Navigation

Nora Lore
Deities	All-Mother
Positions/ Ranks	Brave - Death-Seeker - High Matriarch - Matriarch - Outcast - Seeker
Rituals	Death-Seeker ritual - Mate Blessing - Naming Ritual - Proving

Nora
High Matriarchs	Jezza - Lansra - Teersa
Braves	Sona (War-Chief) - Aloy - Bast - Den - Dran - Ferl - Jarg - Jarm - Marea - Muns - Resh - Teb's father - Vala - Varl
Seekers	Aloy - Marea - Sona - Teb - Varl
Outcasts	Brom - Cren - Fens - Grata - Jom - Kam - Kurnst - Nora Keeper - Outcast Boy - Rost - Yun
Other members	Alana - Arana - Dral - Enara - Fia - Grist - Jun - Karst - Loha - Lut - Nakoa - Olara - Orn - Rem - Solai - Taim - Thira - Thok - Yan