Vinland Saga Season 1 Recap & Ending Explained
The first episode of Vinland Saga aired on July 7, 2019. The first season, consisting of a total of 24 episodes, ended on December 29, 2019. The first season adapted only a small portion of the manga, so fans knew a second season would be coming, and it was ultimately announced for a January 10, 2023. The second season is set to have 24 episodes as well. While we’re waiting for the second season to actually begin, we are going to bring you a full recap of the first season of Vinland Saga and explain how it ended, i.e., where it left off and what we can expect from the upcoming season.
Vinland Saga Season 1 recap and ending
The first season of Vinland Saga adapted the first eight volumes of the manga, i.e., half of Chapter 54 and with a foreshadowing of Chapters 55 and 56; the next volume, which is going to be the beginning of the second season, starts with Chapter 57 and continues onward. At this moment, we don’t know how much the second season is going to adapt, so it could be an additional eight volumes, but it could be a couple more or less. Based on the number of episodes, it is going to be around that number for certain. Now, let us see what happened in the first season of Vinland Saga.
During his first six years, Thorfinn lived modestly with his family in a small Icelandic coastal village. It was not until a Jomsviking ship, commanded by Lord Floki, docked in his village that he discovered that his father, Thors Snorrisson, was once an illustrious warrior feared by all and a member of the Jomsvikings, nicknamed the “Troll of Joe.” The latter, although disdaining violence, saw himself forced by Floki to join the campaign of the invasion of England in which the Jomsvikings were going to participate.
With the help of his friend, the navigator Leif Erikson, Thors set sail for England, unaware that it was a trap set by Floki. On their way, they are attacked by the pirates of a certain Askeladd. The latter manages only with cunning to kill Thors, under the eyes of Thorfinn, who had secretly embarked on his father’s ship. Hungry for revenge, Thorfinn promised he would kill Askeladd, and joined his band of warriors. Years later, Thorfinn has become a cold, ruthless killer driven solely by his desire for revenge. In exchange for missions he accomplishes for Askeladd, he obtains the right to face him in a fair duel, but, each time, finds himself defeated.
Towards the end of the year 1013, Askeladd’s band found themselves embroiled in the heart of the power struggle for the throne of Denmark. A few weeks earlier, they had participated alongside the main Danish army in the siege of London, a city remarkably defended by Thorkell the Great and his men, the Jomsvikings, passed to the English enemy in order to simply face better opponents.
At Askeladd’s command, Thorfinn was tasked with taking Thorkell’s lead, but he failed completely in the face of his opponent’s monstrous strength. Faced with the repeated failures of his army, King Sven I decides to continue his journey, leaving the task of holding the siege to his inexperienced son, Prince Knut. And what had to happen happened: Thorkell ended up attacking the besiegers and capturing the prince and his retinue.
Hearing the news, Askeladd immediately saw the benefits he could derive if he managed to save the prince and planned to take Knut back from Thorkell, who had set off in pursuit of the Danish army. Thanks once again to the cunning of its leader, the band manages to save Knut. Little did Askeladd suspect, however, that he would discover a timid, frail, and harmless young man in the person of the prince, too brooded over by his protector, Ragnar, and utterly incapable of becoming king.
To sow the army of Thorkell, far superior in number to his own, Askeladd managed to get his band to Wales, his original homeland where he has allies, where they cannot be pursued. Then they take the road to Gainsborough, located in the territory controlled by Denmark. Unfortunately, winter arrives earlier than expected, forcing the small troop to take a shortcut and cut right into the heart of the enemy territory.
They stop for a while in a village where they massacre the entire population. During their stay, Askeladd will have Ragnar assassinated to force Knut to take charge and grow. But a single surviving villager will lead them to their doom, alerting Thorkell’s army to the whereabouts of this army. When they learn that Thorkell is on his way, Askeladd and his men immediately resume the march. Nevertheless, dissensions begin to appear in the troop, a majority of the warriors no longer consider the plan of their leader as beneficial.
And when Thorkell’s army catches up with them, they turn against Askeladd, demanding that the prince be delivered to their pursuers to save his life. Askeladd then entrusts Knut to the protection of Thorfinn and Björn, his faithful right-hand man, who manage to escape. But very quickly, Thorfinn turns around to look for the one he wants revenge for more than anything, leaving Björn to take care of the prince’s protection alone against a group of pursuers. He will manage to triumph over most of them but will emerge seriously injured.
When Thorfinn reunites with Askeladd, Thorkell’s army has just joined them and slaughters the band except for their leader. Thorfinn then challenges Thorkell to a duel in order to obtain Askeladd’s life. Thanks to the latter’s advice, the young man manages to seriously injure his giant opponent and win. It is then that Knut makes his reappearance to everyone’s surprise.
During his escape, witnessing Björn’s fight, thanks to the words of the priest Willibald who accompanied him, the prince had a revelation and acquired the majesty he lacked. Desiring now to take the throne from his father, King Sven, Knut succeeds in obtaining the rallying to his cause of Thorkell’s army, as well as Askeladd, who thus becomes a wise adviser in his future power struggle.
At the beginning of the year 1014, Knut finally reached Gainsborough with his new allies. During their interview, his father quickly understands that he has changed and that he now covets his crown. A game of fine strategists then settles between the two camps. Sven offers Knut to join him in York where a grand banquet to celebrate the conquest of England will be held in the presence of the most powerful Danish lords. Against all expectations, it is during this banquet that the fight between the king and his son will end.
Sven announces to his army that he plans to invade Wales, much to Askeladd’s consternation. When the latter tries to dissuade him, the king offers him to spare his country of origin if he assassinates Knut himself. Faced with this cruel dilemma, Askeladd sees only one solution, to sacrifice himself. He then kills the king to everyone’s dismay, making his act look like one man’s folly. Thorfinn, who was not attending the banquet, was alerted by the crowd leaving the palace and found out what had happened.
He attempted to join Askeladd, who had triumphed over all the guards who attacked him, but arrived too late to see Knut mortally wound Askeladd, who then breathed his last in his arms. Mad with grief seeing his only reason for living, his revenge, disappear like this, Thorfinn tries to kill Knut but is barely overpowered. And, while Knut, hailed as a hero by the audience for having killed the regicide, seizes the crown, Thorfinn is dragged out of the palace and disappears into the limbo of History.
When is Season 2 of Vinland Saga going to air?
On July 7, 2021, almost two years after the first season ended, it was officially confirmed that Vinland Saga would be getting a second season, which made the fandom of the series quite happy. It was later confirmed that the series would be premiering on January 10, 2023, and that it would also consist of 24 episodes, like the first season.
Although we don’t really know how it is going to be structured, the season is probably going to start a year and a half after the end of the first season. It is through a certain Einar, an English slave, that we will find the trace of Thorfinn. For attempting to kill Knut, he was enslaved and sold to a wealthy Danish landowner named Ketil. It is on the farm of the latter that the young man, hardly recognizable, clears the forest and cultivates the land. Haunted at night by the nightmares of his old life, he sweats the day from the toil of his new servile life.
However, if he thinks he no longer wants to live, he will very quickly discover his mistake. Thanks to the support of a few people, of Einar his first and only friend, of his benevolent master, Ketil, or of the latter’s father, Sverker, of the friendship of a slave like Arneis with whom Einar fell in love, Thorfinn goes slowly rebuild himself and take the path of redemption, swearing that he will henceforth renounce all violence. But he is then far from suspecting the turn that events will take.