Vinland Saga: Does Thorfinn Die? Here’s What Happens

The life of a Viking is never peaceful, and that was one of the things that we learned in the storyline of Vinland Saga, which allowed us to see how Thorfinn had to live through a rocky childhood that was caused by the death of his father, as he went on a revenge quest that ended up failing. In that regard, he became a slave that found a new motivation to keep going, as this seems to be the next chapter in Thorfinn’s life. But will Thorfinn die?

Thorfinn will likely die in Vinland Saga because the real-life historical version of the character died at 27, shortly after establishing Vinland. However, there is no historical account of Thorfinn’s death, which means we don’t know how Thorfinn will die in the Vinland Saga manga.

Let’s not forget that Thorfinn is based on the real-life historical version of the character, which means that his historical counterpart inspired a good part of his story in Vinland Saga. That said, because we know that Thorfinn never lived to become an old man according to history, it is likely that he will also die during the events of the Vinland Saga. Now, let’s look at what happens to Thorfinn.

What Happens to Thorfinn?

The story of Thorfinn in the Vinland Saga manga and anime highlights how the character changed and developed into a better person. We saw in season 1 that he was a vengeful young man willing enough to kill anyone to get a duel with Askeladd, the man that killed his father, and kill him honorably. And he didn’t even care whether he needed to kill a woman or a child as long as he got his duel with Askeladd.

Nevertheless, he didn’t get his revenge because Askeladd died at the hands of Canute, a young prince at that time. Askeladd died in Thorfinn’s arms as the mercenary leader told him to become a true warrior and go farther than Thors, Thorfinn’s father, ever did. And Thorfinn ended up as a slave after he attacked and wounded Canute.

It was during his time as a slave that Thorfinn changed. While he wasn’t forced to work under harsh conditions due to how kind his master was, Thorfinn had nightmares while working on Ketil’s farm because his past continued to haunt him. The guilt of having killed countless lives finally caught up to him as the ghosts of those he killed followed him in his dreams. And when Thorfinn finally realized that he was wrong for killing those people when he was younger, he realized what Askeladd meant when he said he should become a true warrior.

As such, Thorfinn became a true warrior because he never hurt or killed anyone without a good reason. He decided to use violence as a last resort whenever issues needed to be resolved. And when he witnessed the death of a good friend named Arnheid, he and his best friend Einar decided to go on a journey to establish a country without wars or slaves.

The true Vinland Saga commenced after Thorfinn was granted his freedom and was allowed to go home to gather men that would help him go on a journey to fund his eventual quest to the west, where Leif’s mythical Vinland was located. As such, he continued encountering perils along the way, including the man that followed Gudrid, his love interest, and Garm, a powerful warrior.

Nevertheless, Thorfinn survived the peril of his journey to Greece, where he sought the funding he needed to travel to the west. He even returned to Iceland as a hero after securing the funds necessary for his grand adventure. Of course, he also discovered Vinland and established a colony there.

We know that Thorfinn will succeed in his mission to get to Vinland, where he established a haven for Norsemen who were sick of wars and violence because he is based on a real-life historical character. Thorfinn Karlsefni is a historical figure often credited for establishing a settlement in Vinland, described as the area around present-day Newfoundland and the Gulf of Saint Lawrence as far as northeastern New Brunswick.

As such, we know from the Vinland Sagas (the Saga of the Greenlanders and Erik the Red’s Saga) that Thorfinn was successful in his quest, as the character in the Vinland Saga manga and anime was inspired by the real-life version of the character.

Of course, as history also states, Thorfinn dies somewhere down the line. This means that Thorfinn in the manga and anime will eventually die, especially because he is a historical figure that lived more than a thousand years ago. But his death will likely come sometime after successfully establishing the settlement he and Einar envisioned.

How Will Thorfinn Die?

We aren’t sure how and when Thorfinn will die in the Vinland Saga manga and anime. But we know he will likely die as a man in his prime. That’s because the real-life Thorfinn Karlsefni died at the age of 27 years old. Of course, the manga and anime versions of Thorfinn might have a different story compared to the real-life version in the sense that he will die much later. But the fact is that he is unlikely to live to become an old man due to how history states that Thorfinn died while he was in his prime.

What we don’t know, however, is how Thorfinn will die because his historical version’s death was never recorded. We know that Thorfinn and his Vikings ended up clashing with the indigenous people of Vinland, as he lost many lives there. This forced him and his men to return to Iceland after abandoning their settlement in Vinland.

The problem, however, is that the records regarding Thorfinn and his life after returning to Iceland end after he went back home, and this implies that he might have died sometime after returning home.

Of course, the manga and anime versions of Thorfinn might have an entirely different story about his eventual death, as this version of the character was never meant to be a 1:1 retelling of the historical version of Thorfinn Karlsefni. As such, changes will likely be introduced to his life and how he will eventually die.