Vinland Saga: Who Is Hjalti, Arnheid’s Son? & What Happened to Him?

We learned in Vinland Saga that Arnheid was married before being sold off to Ketil as a slave. In the recent developments of the anime, we saw a man named Gardar, who was Arnheid’s husband before she started working for Ketil. However, we also learned that there was another special boy in Arnheid’s life, her son named Hjalti. So, who was he?

Hjalti was the toddler son of both Gardar and Arnheid before the two were sold off as slaves. However, when Vikings raided Arnheid’s home after Gardar and the other men of the village left to go to war, Hjalti was taken from his mother and was presumably killed because childless women fetch higher prices.

Hjalti’s death in the Vinland Saga’s storyline reflects just how brutal the Vikings were and how monstrous some men could be. Of course, the fact that Arnheid lost her son was one of the reasons why she harbored a bit of resentment toward Gardar, whose absence led the Vikings to attack their home. So, with that said, let’s learn more about Hjalti in Vinland Saga.

Arnheid’s Son Hjalti’s Background

The storyline of the Vinland Saga anime keeps on heating up as we finally get to see more of Arnheid and her background. Arnheid has always been one of the people holding Thorfinn and Einar back from looking forward to their freedom because, unlike both, she wasn’t given a chance to buy her freedom from Ketil. Instead, Ketil is looking to hold on to her as long as he can because of his attachment to her.

However, the recent episodes of Vinland Saga allowed us to see more of her background story. We learned that she was married to a man named Gardar and that they used to live a peaceful life in a simple village before they both became slaves. But there were certain disputes regarding the resources close to their village, and that was when Gardar needed to make a tough decision.

Arnheid and Gardar lived relatively peaceful and simple lives with their son Hjalti, who was still a toddler before Arnheid was sold off as a slave. Even though Arnheid’s marriage to Gardar was arranged, she loved how kind he was to her and their son. And their lives were enough for most people as they had no problems with money or food.

But when there were problems related to the resources in a place close to the village where Arnheid and Gardar lived, Gardar and the village men decided to go to war. Arnheid tried to convince her husband not to go to war because they didn’t need the iron and the resources as they were already living peacefully. But Gardar insisted that acquiring the resources would only allow them to have a brighter future as a family.

Weeks went by after Gardar and the men of the village left. The ones that were left in charge of the homes in that village were the women and children. That was when nearby Vikings raided Arnheid’s village as they learned that no men could protect their homes.

Of course, we know Arnheid is now where she is due to the events that transpired in her village. Her home was burned down, and the women of their village were sold off to slavery. Meanwhile, Gardar and the men of the villagers lost their war and were sold off to become slaves.

However, the difference was that Arnheid was sold to a nicer man who treated her properly. On the other hand, Gardar was sold to a harsh man that treated his slaves badly. That was why Gardar finally hit his boiling point and killed his master to go searching for his wife and son. 

What Happened to Hjalti?

After Gardar successfully killed his master and went to search for Arnheid, he ended up on Ketil’s farm, which was just nearby his old master’s property. That was when he met Arnheid in the oddest circumstance as he tried to convince his wife to escape with him. 

Gardar, of course, asked Arnheid about Hjalti. But we all know that Arnheid worked on Ketil’s farm without a son, and nobody even knew she was married or had a son. So, what happened to Hjalti?

As mentioned, Vikings attacked and raided the village where Arnheid and Gardar lived. Of course, the men were out to fight a war for resources that Arnheid believed they didn’t need. So, the Vikings captured the women with minimal resistance when they attacked. And they decided to sell the women off to slavery, just like how the Vikings that killed Einar’s family sold him off to slavery.

But before Arnheid was sold off, she was separated from Hjalti, a toddler who could barely talk back then. Arnheid and her son were separated because women who didn’t have children fetched higher prices in the slave market. Of course, the Vikings presumably killed Hjalti as they did not need a toddler without a mother.

The fact that Hjalti was presumably killed by the Vikings that raided their village is one of the reasons why Arnheid harbored a bit of resentment toward her husband. She hated that Gardar left them to fight a somewhat pointless war. 

That was also why Arnheid didn’t want to leave Ketil’s farm, as she realized that she and the child she was carrying in her womb would get cared for by Ketil. Arnheid wanted a child that now had a chance to live a fruitful life, as Hjalti never had a chance to live his life after Gardar left. So, unlike Thorfinn and Einar, who both wanted to buy their freedom, Arnheid didn’t want to leave the farm because she knew her child would have a better future there. And her mindset was the product of Hjalti’s untimely death.