Vinland Saga: Gardar Didn’t Kill Snake, Here’s What Happened

Episode 17 of Vinland Saga season 2 allowed us to see one of the most emotional moments in the anime. Of course, this episode also allowed us to see Thorfinn finally stepping up to the plate as a fighter who needed to fight only whenever necessary. But, at the same time, we saw Gardar finally waking up in a surprising moment for a seasoned warrior like Snake.

Even though he was badly injured and wounded, Gardar had the wherewithal to wake up and strangle Snake so that he and his wife could finally escape Ketil’s farm and live together. Of course, Thorfinn tried his best to stop Gardar, who was too strong for him. But it was only when Arnheid told her husband to let go that he finally did so as Gardar snapped back to his kind old self and escaped on a wagon with his wife. But fans should know that while Gardar did strangle Snake, he didn’t kill him, and that’s something that we are here to look at.

What Happens to Gardar in Vinland Saga?

The past few episodes of Vinland Saga allowed us to learn more about Arnheid’s past and how Gardar fits into it. Gardar was Arnheid’s husband before she was sold as a slave to Ketil. Meanwhile, Gardar went off to war years ago before his people also lost and were eventually sold off as slaves as well. However, Gardar reunited with Arnheid on Ketil’s farm when he escaped from his own master.

Of course, because of the many challenges that Gardar had to endure, he was already badly injured. Snake was quick to knock him out by taking advantage of his injuries, and that was when he was tied up before the guests on Ketil’s farm could give him up for the reward. Arnheid, however, aided in her husband’s escape that night after she tried to treat his wounds. But Gardar was still too injured to run away with Arnheid, and that was when they needed to do something else.

Unknown to Snake and the other guests, Arnheid hid Gardar in Sverkel’s house the entire time, even though Snake and his mercenaries were there. They thought that Gardar was still hiding somewhere on the farm and was waiting for the perfect time to take his wife and run away with her. Thorfinn and Einar, after hearing that Arnheid wanted to live her life with her husband, decided to help them escape.

Einar tricked Snake and the guests into thinking that he was Gardar to lure them away from the old master’s house. That was when Thorfinn placed Gardar on a wagon and was about to aid in the couple’s escape. However, Snake quickly caught on that Einar was running too fast to be Gardar, who was supposed to be slower due to his injuries. And that was why he returned to the old master’s farm to find out that Thorfinn had tricked them.

This led to a battle between Thorfinn and Snake. In this case, Thorfinn had no choice but to fight because he wanted to protect something dear to him. Despite fighting with his bare fists against the curved sword of Snake, he was still willing to defend Arnheid and Gardar. But Snake also had something to fight for because he was fighting for the honor of the men he lost to Gardar’s rampage on the farm.

While the battle between Thorfinn and Snake was close, the armed mercenary gained the advantage as he forced Thorfinn away from Gardar’s wagon. Snake stabbed Gardar despite Arnheid’s pleas. And while Snake was compassionate and honorable, he wanted to kill Gardar because of what he did to his men.

Everyone thought that Gardar was already dead after getting stabbed. However, when Snake dropped his guard, Gardar rose up from the wagon and strangled Snake from behind. The mercenary captain couldn’t do anything against Gardar’s superior physical strength as he lost consciousness. And Thorfinn even tried to get Gardar off of Snake, only for him to fail due to Gardar’s strength.

It was only when Arnheid told her husband to let go that the old Gardar returned. He suddenly snapped back into his kind self as he let go of Snake and nicely borrowed the wagon from Sverkel. Arnheid and Gardar left the premises on the wagon even though everyone there knew that Gardar would eventually die from his wounds. But Arnheid knew this was the only way for her to allow her husband to die peacefully as they both set off on a journey back home.

Gardar recalled everything that happened before he left for war years ago. He saw his family situation with Arnheid and their son, Hjalti, and realized that this was already a perfect life. He suddenly regretted ever leaving his family years ago to go off to fight a war for glory and riches. And after telling Arnheid that he didn’t want their son to become a Viking, he passed out and saw a vision of himself and Hjalti reuniting in their old home before saying, “I’m home.”

It was clear that Gardar succumbed to his injuries but died in peace. He died as his old self instead of the angry man he turned into after spending years as an abused slave. And while Arnheid was mourning her husband’s death, the mercenaries were slowly surrounding the wagon and were about to recapture Arnheid.

Snake’s Fate Explained

As mentioned, Gardar strangled Snake from behind after he woke up when the mercenary captain stabbed him. He was about to choke Snake to death, and not even Thorfinn could do anything about it. It was only when Arnheid spoke that he finally let Snake go.

Fans of Snake shouldn’t worry too much because he didn’t die in that scene. Gardar did not kill Snake because Arnheid stopped him before he could choke the life out of the mercenary. As such, Snake merely passed out from that encounter with Gardar. And that is something that the anime is yet to reveal.

In the manga, Snake survived that encounter with Gardar and even bid Thorfinn and Einar farewell when they were allowed to go as free men before Ketil’s encounter with King Canute’s invading army. As such, Snake will still appear in future episodes and even take part in the upcoming battle between Ketil’s farm and Canute’s men.