Why Did Canute Want Ketil’s Farm in Vinland Saga? Explained

Ever since he woke up to the reality of the world in Vinland Saga, Canute has become a force to be reckoned with and is now a more ambitious king than even his own father. King Canute, of course, still had his hand in the entire Slavery arc of Thorfinn’s life when he was involved in the takeover of Ketil’s abundant farm. The events of this takeover were crucial to the future of Thorfinn and Einar because they were able to become free men once more. So, why did Canute want Ketil’s farm in Vinland Saga?

King Canute wanted Ketil’s farm because of how vast and wealthy it was and how he believed the farm could benefit the entire country, especially because it could produce food for the people at no extra cost. Of course, he also wanted it because he knew the true reason behind Ketil’s wealth.

While he may be a shrewd and cunning man with great ambition, let’s not forget that King Canute is still a somewhat lawful man with lofty goals for his people. In that regard, he is someone who doesn’t stop at anything until he is able to build a paradise on Earth for Vikings. And Ketil simply became one of the people he wasn’t afraid of getting rid of as long as he could get what he wanted.

Why Did Canute Want Ketil’s Farm?

When we first met Canute back in the events of season 1 of Vinland Saga, he was a very timid prince that lacked any sort of courage or ambition. He didn’t have the skills to lead, as his men were already losing to the English forces. However, it was his experiences during the war against England and the time he spent under Thorfinn, who was ordered by Askeladd to protect him, that he was finally able to break out of his shell and become a more courageous man with dreams and ambitions.

After King Sweyn’s death and Canute’s rise to the throne as the new king of Denmark, he became even more cunning and ambitious. His ultimate goal was to create a paradise on Earth for all of his people, and he would stop at nothing to achieve this dream of his. In fact, he would go as far as poisoning people and assassinating names that he believed could be threats to his dreams.

During the Slavery arc of the Vinland Saga manga, we saw that Thorfinn and Einar, among others, were slaves that were working on the bountiful and vast farm of a wealthy man named Ketil. It was during this arc that Canute decided to set his sights on his new goal, which was to take over the farm. So, why did Canute want Ketil’s farm?

It is important to take note that King Canute believes that everything he does is for the betterment of Denmark and the creation of a paradise on Earth for his people. That means that he believes that his actions are for the good of all the Vikings. And the fact that Ketil’s farm has abundant yields and is quite vast means that it would allow Denmark to produce crops and feed them to Canute’s people at no extra cost because the crown itself is the on producing food for the people instead of a businessman that’s looking to make profits.

This is similar to how some governments in today’s world would want to take over certain public utilities so that they become more affordable due to the fact that they exist not for profit but to provide services to the people. So, if Canute had control over a huge farm, that would allow him to produce food without having to pay extra for the profiteering of Ketil.

We also know that Canute learned of the secret behind Ketil’s success. During the entire time, he ran his businesses, Ketil made more money out of selling himself as the legendary warrior known as Iron Fist Ketil. He understood that people are more likely to do business and respect a legendary warrior. However, he was not Iron Fist Ketil, and this was something that Canute found out.

For the king, the fact that Ketil was profiteering off of a legendary warrior’s name was shameful and deceitful. In a sense, Ketil made his wealth by using the name of another person. And that only gave him more reasons to want to take over Ketil’s vast farmland.

How Did Canute Acquire Ketil’s Farm?

The thing about Canute was that, as scheming and conniving as he may be, he still wanted to do things with as little bloodshed as possible because he hated wars and weapons. That’s why he often resorted to poisoning or assassinating any threat to his goals instead of launching all-out skirmishes against them. And he could have actually used force to take over Ketil’s farm but chose not to do so.

During a meeting with King Canute, Ketil and his sons tried to win his favor. However, Olmar, one of Ketil’s sons, believed himself to be a strong warrior that deserved a post as one of Canute’s personal guards. This only allowed Canute to take the opportunity to bait Ketil’s family into committing treason against the crown so that he could have a legitimate reason to take over his farmland.

Canute staged a situation that forced Olmar into killing the king’s messenger. Of course, because the older brother, Thorgil, wanted to protect Olmar, he killed some of King Canute’s men as well. This was treason to the crown, as Canute now had a reason to attack and take over Ketil’s farm. And Olmar, being the lawful heir to his father’s lands, surrendered to Canute to save the lives of the people that were on the farm.

Of course, Ketil never had any plans of giving his farm up to Canute. But because he was knocked unconscious by one of the king’s men during the fight against Ketil’s men, the farmland owner had no choice but to retire after he found out that he had lost everything dear to him in the aftermath of the battle.

In a sense, Canute used his wits and cunning mind to make sure that he had every right to take over Ketil’s farm without upsetting the Danish people, who might not like the idea of their monarch taking over private farmland without any justification. And the fact that Canute is a master manipulator is what gave him the advantage over Ketil and his sons in the matter involving their vast farmland.