Pohjola's Trial

## Images

**Pohjola's Trial** (ポホヨラの試練 *Pohoyora no Shiren*?) is the 16th episode of the *Little Witch Academia* anime series.

On Netflix, the episode is titled "**Pohjola's Ordeal**".

## Overview

*While visiting Lotte’s parents, Akko wakes up to find the town's residents struck by a mysterious ailment that can only be cured by a witch.*

## Summary

Back at her dorm, Akko reveals the truth regarding the true purpose of the Shiny Rod, which baffles Lotte and Sucy. Akko is determined to unlock the remaining words but is unable to understand them. Although Ursula helps out, she remains quiet what their actual meanings are as she reminds Akko that they can truly be unlocked if Akko take the lessons to heart. Suddenly, one of the Shiny Rod's stars activate and Ursula understands that they must head to Lotte's hometown in Finland, as it will actually help Akko.

The trio arrives to the Finnish town. They go to a shop which belongs to Lotte's family, who joyfully greets their daughter and her friends. Everything seems in order, except that Akko didn't like the pie and was unable to wait in the sauna. Next morning, the girls found Lotte's family trapped in some sort of moss which is later revealed to be an ancient sickness, called the Greenman Disease, that affects the pies. Lotte's mother reveals a book that contains all the ingredients needed to create an antidote.

The journey is long as Akko is unable to wait for the ingredients to fully mature. When they return, Akko and Lotte find Sucy suffering in the moss, the same effects as Mr. and Mrs. Jansson. Soon, the disease catches up to Lotte, leaving Akko to create the antidote herself. The fourth ingredients is to be obtained from a reindeer who belongs to a man named Nicholas. Akko chases after the reindeer, which leads to the reindeer grow some contempt for Akko. After containing the reindeer's dropping, Akko learns that the final ingredient needs to be made by a yeti who lives in a snowy mountain. After meeting the yeti, who is failing to make the ingredient exactly correctly, Akko's impatience gets the best of her, leading her to have an outburst, which upsets the yeti and makes him cry and run away.

Akko eventually discovers that the yeti is upset because he was greatly insulted by anonymous people on a social website. Akko apologizes to the yeti and motivates him to let go of this, saying that he shouldn't care about what unknown people on the internet think of him, and says that he is an amazing yeti who can prepare important ingredients. The yeti gets inspired greatly and quickly returns to his hut, where he creates the final ingredient perfectly. After obtaining the final ingredient, Akko finds that the reindeer has left her. Akko begins her travel back to the town with the thoughts of her friends and idol helping her to push forward. Thankfully, Nicholas brings back the reindeer to help Akko.

Akko returns and by understanding that she has to be patient, creates the antidote carefully, and then the Fourth Lost Word is unlocked, turning the Shiny Rod into a huge mixing machine, which blows away every victim's moss covering, curing them. As the trio head back to Luna Nova Magical Academy, Ursula learns that Akko has learned how to be patient and has revived the 4th Lost Word. Lotte, Sucy and Ursula congratulate Akko but requests her to be more patient from now on.

## Order of appearances

* Atsuko Kagari
* Lotte Jansson
* Sucy Manbavaran
* Ursula
* Croix Meridies
* Mr. Jansson
* Mrs. Jansson
* Nicholas
* Jane
* Unnamed Finnish Yeti
* Shiny Rod
* Crystal Ball
* Magic Broom
* Seven Words of Arcturus
	+ Fourth Word: Mayinab Dyssivyrdd|Fourth Word: Mayinab Dyssivyrdd
* Yeti
* Reindeer

## Trivia

* The episode makes some references to Finnish culture. For example, Lotte's neighbor in Finland appears to be based on the character Mymble from the **Moomins** series, which became extremely popular in Japan in the 1990s following the release of the 1990 anime **Moomin**. The episode's title refers to Pohjola from the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala, where the heroes Väinämöinen, Lemminkäinen and Ilmarinen each complete trials for the witch Louhi in order to win her daughters' hands in marriage.
* The logo and the name of the Jansson's shop is almost identical with a real-life Finnish shop chain R-Kioski.
* In "Don't Stop Me Now", an item closely resembling the Yeti medicine base can be seen in the Magic Item Cafe.
* Hapansilakka pie, the trademark food of Jansson family bake by Jane which introduced in the episode, is obviously a variant of real-life traditional Finnish food Karelian pastry, specifically one with Surströmming added among its stuffing in addition of rice, egg, and butter. The decision to combine both foods despite the latter being more common in Sweden seemed to be a nod to the family's mixed ancestry.
* Lotte's mother looks quite different from her appearance in Terio Teri manga of *Little Witch Academia*, as she is shown to wear clothing that covers her head and does not expose her hair.
* In Netflix worldwide release, this episode's title name was changed to "**Pohjola's Ordeal**".
* Akko's reassurance to Lotte who saddened from learning her mother afflicted with Greenman Disease that witches (they and Sucy) will save the day serves as a subtle foreshadowing of them about to end a bigger crisis in the four-parter finale of the second cour.
* This episode takes place in December along with "Amanda O'Neill and the Holy Grail" and "Sky War Stanship", as stated in the chronicles book.

## References

1. ↑ https://www.netflix.com/title/80156387
3. ↑ Little Witch Academia Chronicles, Chapter 2, page 51
5. ↑ Little Witch Academia Chronicles, Chapter 2, page 50
7. ↑  https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/265265778230689793/354307531914608650/IMG\_20170904\_124940318.jpg

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