There’s a whole lot of history behind the valley that isn’t outright said. Fortunately, I’ve taken the liberty to compile it into one, easy to read article. For more detailed information, check out the Stardew Valley Wiki.
Religion
Some of the inhabitants of Pelican Town worship Yoba, who is referenced in several different places. The sigil of Yoba is an Anglo-Saxon rune meaning “earth” or “grave.” In game, it’s referred to as “the sign of the vessel.” The altar is in Pierre’s General Store, but the family there doesn’t actually believe. On Sundays, Caroline says “It was the previous owners who built the altar room. We aren’t religious, but we let the other townsfolk use it if they want.” A handful of people go there on Sundays, but they aren’t the only ones who believe. Krobus is silent on Fridays out of respect for Yoba, and the dwarves are similarly religious, with the sigil showing up above the Forge on Ginger Island. There’s also a Lost Book called “Highlights from The Book of Yoba” detailing how the world came to be. Below is the sigil from Grandpa’s wall in the openings cutscene.
Magic
There is magic in Stardew Valley, which is part of what sets the game apart from other farming simulators. However, the general populace of Pelican Town doesn’t know magic exists. Alongside the typical wizard-y magic that immediately comes to mind, the player gets imbibed with Forest Magic. Upon reading the bundle scroll in the Community Center, the player receives a letter from the wizard asking them to visit his tower. He then gives the player a potion which allows them to communicate with the local Junimos. Much later in the game, the farmer can obtain trinkets and the Return Scepter. Trinkets are special accessories that have a variety of different uses. For example, the Basilisk Paw makes the player immune to debuffs, while the Parrot Egg has the chance to get the player money for every monster slain. The Return Scepter teleports you from wherever you are to your front door, at the low cost of two million gold. Expensive? Yes. Worth it? Also yes.
Non-Human History
There’s a few other species that live in the Valley, however not all of them get along. Junimos, of course, but we’ve already covered them and they get along with everybody except Joja Mart. The Dwarves however, do not get along with everybody. There’s direct dialogue from both Krobus and the cave dwarf saying their species just ended a 1,000 year war. You’ll trigger their cutscene after having both purchased the Stardrop from Krobus and reaching 50 hearts with the dwarf. The dwarves were driven underground and only relics remain, while the Shadow People live in the caves. There’s only a few mentions of them, but at some point elves also existed. There’s an elven sword and an elvish jewelry artifact, and that’s it. Some fun facts about the dwarves: they call themselves Smoluanu, or “Sky People.” They used to have advanced technology, and archaeologist M. Jasper believes them to be an alien race. You can find his musings in the Lost Book “Mysteries of the Dwarves.”
Skull Caverns
You unlock the late-game dungeon Skull Caverns after you’ve both finished the regular mines and paid for the bus stop. It’s quite a bit more dangerous than its predecessor, but absolutely necessary for completing the game. In it, you’ll find harder versions of the mine’s enemies alongside new ones, like the Pepper Rex and Serpent. You’ll also find coded plaques on the walls. Once decoded, they read “we are cursed too much iridium” and “wizard sealed us in this prison until the day a hero puts us to rest.” Fan theories abound as to what these could mean. I’ll let you decide for yourself. Below is a picture from a blog discussing the plaques.
So there you go, folks! This was some of the more hidden lore surrounding Stardew Valley and its inhabitants. Stay tuned for more articles later!
