The real history behind Vinland Saga
NetflixEveryone knows that Vinland Saga is set in the Viking Age. But do you know how much real history inspires the series?
Vinland Saga is seeped in history. Taking place at the height of the Viking Age, it follows the story of a young warrior Thorfinn on his quest for revenge.
As you’ll know, the series unfolds during the Viking conquest of the British Isles during the early 1000s. And, some of the characters like King Canute and Leif Ericson are based on actual historical figures. However, you might be surprised to discover that the history books directly inspire much of this popular anime.
So, from characters to plot points, here is just how much of Vinland Saga draws inspiration from real historical events.
The true story of Vinland Saga
To start with, it’s important to understand where Vinland Saga actually comes from.
The anime draws inspiration from two historical Icelandic texts known as the Vinland Sagas: The Saga of the Greenlanders and The Saga of Eric the Red.
Written between 1220 and 1280AD, and describing events which occurred around 970 and 1030AD, these texts contain different accounts of the Norse voyages to Vinland.
As you’ll know from the anime, Vinland – which means Wineland due to Leif Eriksson’s discovery of grapevines in North America – refers to what we now believe to be eastern Canada. In fact, Viking ruins found in the L’Anse aux Meadows are speculated to have been made by Leif and Thorfinn on their travels.
The Vinland Sagas represent the most complete and accurate information about the Norse exploration of the Americas, and the anime draws inspiration from the texts including its characters and events.
Vinland Saga characters in history
The characters in Vinland Saga are part of what makes this series so fascinating. Especially considering that many are based on real-life historical individuals.
While many of the characters in Vinland Saga come from history, including Sweyn Forkbeard, Thorkell, Askeladd, Wulf and Gudrid, we’ll only cover a few in-depth in this article.
1. Thorfinn
Studio MAPPAThorfinn is the main protagonist of the series. Season 1 introduces him as a boisterous young boy who wants to become a great hero like his father. However, after Askeladd brutally murders his father, he’s conscripted into Askeladd’s crew, where he is forced to partake in unspeakable violence.
The character is loosely based on Thorfinn Karlsefni, an Icelandic-born explorer known for his expeditions to Vinland. In the history books, Thorfinn is the great-grandson of a Viking called Thord Bjarnson, who travels to Vinland in around 1010AD after hearing stories from another explorer called Leif the Lucky.
While Makoto Yukimura’s version of Thorfinn has some similar traits to his namesake, including being a passionate explorer, one key difference is that the only thing we know about real-life Thorfinn’s childhood is that his father was a wealthy merchant.
2. King Canute
Studio MAPPAIn the anime, we first see King Canute as a young prince who eventually grows into a great leader. Just like his historical counterpart, Canute conquers England and makes it the first of many lands under his rule.
The Viking King Cnut (known as Cnut the Great) was a legendary ruler, who became King of England, Demark and Norway. While Vinland Saga hasn’t reached that stage of his life yet, it appears he will follow the same path.
3. Thors Snorreson
WIT StudioIn the anime, Thorfinn’s father Thors Snorreson, also known as the Troll of Jom, is formidable warrior among the Jomsvikings. Despite his fierce reputation, he becomes a more peaceful man after the birth of his children and ultimately sacrifices himself to protect his family.
In historical accounts, Thorfinn’s real father lacks the legendary status depicted in the anime. Little is known about him, except that he raised Thorfinn in Iceland. However, considering the real Vinland sagas, there’s a possibility that he might have been a former warrior, as they claim that Thors’ lineage descends from the great Viking and son of Ragnar Bjorn Ironside.
The portrayal of Vikings in Vinland Saga
Just like Michael Hirst’s extremely popular History channel series Vikings, Makoto Yukimura’s Vinland Saga chooses to accurately portray the Vikings as we know them to be from historical texts.
Today, many people mistake the Vikings as blood-thirsty, seafaring warriors that originated from Scandinavia who managed to colonize Europe from the 9th-11th century.
This may be a version of the truth. However, Vinland Saga provides a more nuanced approach to portraying Vikings and emphasizes their origin as farmers in their native homeland. And while the anime also dilutes their violent tendencies, it doesn’t shy away from portraying them as pillaging warriors either.
The England-Denmark conflict
Another key detail in the anime is the little-known Jomsvikings. Despite their legendary status as Viking conquerors in the 10th and 11th centuries, the Jomsviking chieftains, including Sigvaldi Strut-Haraldsson and Thorkell the High, have largely remained overlooked compared to other great leaders like Ragnar Lothbrok and Erik the Red.
Vinland Saga draws from the real-life sagas to depict the Jomsvikings as they are in the historical texts. Driven by their love of money and war first, over their belief in the gods, in the anime the Jomsvikings serves as mercenaries for the King of England.
However, of course, the mangaka takes some creative liberties so there are some key differences. Like the fact that Thorkell the Tall was the leader of the Jomsvikings, not Thorfinn’s father Thors.
While Canute and Thorfinn were also powerful individuals that feature in the history books today. In the anime we see that they have a complicated relationship that resembles a sort of friendship as they both work towards peace in Europe. Whereas, in real life, the two never actually met. Although, the anime definitely helps us to imagine what could have happened if they did.
As you can see, Makoto Yukimura’s Vinland Saga is one of the most historically accurate anime out there. But of course, it is a work of fiction. And therefore, weaves historical events with creative liberties to create a compelling storyline that’s just as exciting as the history books.
While you’re here, make sure to check out our other anime coverage below: