Is Askeladd Based on Someone from Real Life?

We know that Vinland Saga is actually loosely based on real historical accounts that are often called the Vinland sagas due to how they are all connected to the founding of a land called Vinland. As such, most of the main characters of Vinland Saga were loosely based on their real-life counterparts. But we have Askeladd, who was one of the main characters of season 1 of Vinland Saga. So, is Askeladd based on someone from real life?

Askeladd could have been based on a character named Ashlad (Askeladden in Norwegian), who is one of the characters in Moe’s Norwegian Folktales. That means that he isn’t a real-life historical person but is simply a character that was inspired by a figure found in folktales and legends.

Even though most of the important characters in Vinland Saga were taken from historical people, Askeladd seems to be an exception as he was taken from a Norwegian folktale. Of course, if you know the story behind Askeladd in Vinland Saga, the fact that he was inspired by a folktale character seems to make sense. Now, let’s get to know more about Askeladd and the character he was inspired by.

Who Is Askeladd In Vinland Saga?

One of the things that we know about the first season of Vinland Saga is the fact that Thorfinn was in the middle of a revenge quest. He joined the mercenary band of a Viking named Askeladd because he wanted to take revenge on this very same man for dishonorably murdering his father. And Thorfinn stayed with the band so that he could become strong enough to eventually challenge and kill Askeladd in an honorable duel.

In that regard, Askeladd was arguably second only to Thorfinn in terms of his importance to the storyline during the first season of Vinland Saga. He was Thorfinn’s sole reason for living and was the man that allowed him to train hard for more than a decade so that he could become strong enough to kill him.

During the entirety of season 1, Askeladd was the cold and cruel leader of a band of Viking mercenaries that took different jobs all over the northern part of Europe. He and his men were hired to kill Thorfinn’s father, Thors, during the earlier episodes of season 1. Then, years after Thorfinn joined his band, Askeladd and his men joined up with the Danish army in their war against England.

Askeladd and his band of mercenaries were instrumental in the war against England as they were able to take down multiple settlements and even challenge Thorkell and his men. During the latter half of season 1, Askeladd’s band was responsible for Prince Canute’s safety after the Danish lost a skirmish to the English due to Canute’s inability to command an army. Then again, near the end of the first season, the Danish were successful in their war against the English.

It was during the celebration that involved King Sweyn of Denmark that Askeladd was forced into a corner that he couldn’t escape. While he eventually revealed that he despised all of the Danish even though he was part Danish, he said that he only joined Denmark’s war against England so that he could keep his mother’s home country of Wales safe.

Askeladd was the son of a Welsh noblewoman that was taken as a slave by a Danish man years ago. His mother often told him of the tales of King Artorius, who was the man that inspired the legend of King Arthur. Askeladd was even told that he was the descendant of the great king, and that was the reason why he wanted to keep Wales safe from the Danish, as he believed that it was his responsibility to keep his country away from any invaders.

King Sweyn, however, told Askeladd that his next goal was to invade Wales, and that was when Askeladd felt that he had failed to protect his home country. In that regard, he decided to slay Sweyn himself and was killed by Prince Canute. It was his death that shattered Thorfinn’s world because the young man no longer had a reason to live now that Askeladd was dead. After all, Thorfinn’s entire purpose in life was to become strong enough to take on Askeladd and kill him in a fair duel.

Is Askeladd Based On Someone From Real Life?

The thing about Vinland Saga is that it is actually based on real-life events that happened more than a thousand years ago. In fact, the story is based on the Saga of Erik the Red and the Saga of the Greenlanders. Most of the characters in Vinland Saga were inspired by the characters in those stories. But what about Askeladd?

Unlike most of the important characters in Vinland Saga, Askeladd was not based on someone from real life. Still, his character was inspired by a character that can be found in the different literary works that come from Scandinavia. That’s because there is a good chance that Askeladd was based on a Norwegian folklore character.

The basis of Askeladd’s name is Ashlad, who is also called Askeladden in Norwegian. He can be found in the collection of Norwegian folktales and legends by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe. As such, he is a character that comes from one of the classic folktales and legends of Norway instead of from a historical figure.

In the folktales, Askeladden is the runt of his family and is the smallest and weakest of them. Nevertheless, he is described as a bold and clever man that has a knack for succeeding in different situations. In that regard, you could already see why he could be the character that inspired Vinland Saga’s Askeladd, who may be a strong character but was more known for his wit and cleverness instead of his strength.

There are numerous stories and folktales that involve Askeladden, and not a lot of those stories are similar to the Askeladd that we know of in Vinland Saga. But the fact that Askeladden is a folklore character draws parallels to Askeladd’s own view of himself as the descendant of a legendary figure in the history of Wales.