How Vinland Saga Can Change Your Life – It Did Change Mine

0 comments

Written by Daniel

A nerd from day one, who will talk about his love for fiction and printed stories for hours!

A few days ago, I watched the amazing movie Thunderbolts* by Marvel Studios. It deals heavily with themes of mental health and past trauma, which were handled in a respectful way without becoming too cheesy. No worries, no spoilers here!

It’s the perfect time for this kind of movie – not only because mental health is finally getting more attention each day, but also because it’s Mental Health Awareness Month.

To celebrate this topic and this important month, I wanted to talk about a manga that really helped me through a difficult time in my life: Vinland Saga.

What Is Vinland Saga About?

In 1013 AD, the Danish King and Viking Sweyn Forkbeard, son of the legendary Viking uniter Harald Bluetooth (yes, the one our wireless communication technology is named after), conquered a large part of England, paving the way to become the first Viking King of England. However, due to a developing illness, it becomes clear that he won't hold the throne for long, creating tension among the Danish people over which of his sons should be the next king.

Meanwhile, the Vikings are conquering more and more territory across England.
One of these Vikings is our protagonist, Thorfinn, a seventeen-year-old boy who is part of a crew led by the Viking Askeladd. Thorfinn stands out from his crew not only because of his young age but also because of his incredible fighting skills and deep rage.
While most of his fellow Vikings are fighting for money, fame, or a place in Valhalla, Thorfinn fights for revenge – to avenge the death of someone close to him, killed by none other than his leader, Askeladd.

Thorfinn wasn’t always a violent Viking seeking revenge. He comes from a small village in Iceland, where he grew up with his father, mother, and sister. Although Iceland brings cold winters and creates a harsh environment for agriculture, its people found joy and warmth within their strong community.

During Thorfinn’s childhood, most people stayed in Iceland, and only a few ventured out to trade goods. One of these merchants was Leif, who told the children stories about a land he had discovered far to the west, which he called Vinland. It was the complete opposite of the land Thorfinn knew – warm, green, and so distant that neither war nor slavery could reach it.
Some would say it was heaven on earth.

Thorfinn always dreamed of finding this land by becoming a Viking and fighting in the ongoing war. However, his father, Thors, tried to teach him that fighting is pointless and only brings pain. Thorfinn didn’t understand this and thought his father must be a coward for thinking that way.

Many years have passed, and Thorfinn’s dreams and memories are now clouded with rage and violence as he pursues his revenge.
However, killing Askeladd in his sleep would be too easy and without honor. Thorfinn wants to defeat him in a fair battle. But ten years ago, when he first chased down Askeladd and left his home at just six years old, he was still too weak.

So, for the past ten years, Thorfinn has traveled alongside his sworn enemy to become stronger. Meanwhile, Askeladd kept Thorfinn close, using his strength for his own purposes, always promising him a duel once they reached a certain goal.

This story will take you not only on a journey through Viking history with incredible battles, but also on a deep journey of revenge and the cycle of hate. Although it’s still ongoing, the story is nearly complete, with only a few chapters left.

Vinland Saga Is One of the Most Historically Accurate Manga Out There!

Before I dive into the topic of why Vinland Saga changed my life, I want to shed light on its historical accuracy. I'm a big history nerd, so whenever something takes inspiration from the past, I immediately start researching how accurate it is. This will be a recurring segment whenever I present you with a new historical manga! :P

While we don’t have many sources from the time of the Vikings, there are three important texts that document major events and figures from around 1000 AD (also known as the final years of the Viking Age): The Flateyjarbók, The Saga of the Greenlanders, and The Saga of Erik the Red.

The last two are often grouped together as the Vinland Sagas, as they focus on the Vikings’ discovery of a land to the west, which they called Vinland.
Today, we know that this land is North America, and based on the texts, it’s likely that the area referred to as Vinland is what we now call Newfoundland.

However, these texts do have to be taken with a grain of salt. They are retellings of the past, passed down over a few generations. Thus, the authors of these texts did not personally know anyone who participated in these events. Additionally, the texts regularly contradict each other, which makes it difficult to find the truth. It must be somewhere in between, but we will never really know. Nonetheless, it is still awesome to have a partial retelling of these events!

Now, back to the manga. Vinland Saga is definitely not an accurate retelling of the sagas, but it can be seen as a beautiful love letter to them. Makoto Yukimura, the mangaka of Vinland Saga, does an incredibly clever job of weaving together the different sagas and filling in the gaps with his own twists and theories.
What really blew my mind was that even the smallest moments or events from the sagas can be found in various scenes, moments, or characters throughout the manga. This just proves to me that he did read the sagas before writing his story, which makes this feel even more like a passionate project by Yukimura.

What is even more impressive is how skillfully and intelligently he writes when he does divert from the sagas. He brings events forward in time or slightly adjusts characters’ lifespans to create a new narrative. These changes make it less historically accurate, of course, but the characters still follow their general life paths in a believable way – just stretched out or set in a different time period.
For example, the two characters Thorfinn and Leif Erikson are depicted as a young boy and an elderly man in the manga. In the sagas, they are almost the same age. However, this does not make it any less enjoyable.

This is not the only time Yukimura takes creative freedom, though. Throughout the story, he blends some events into a single event or even merges several characters from the sagas into one. However, he does this in a way that doesn’t stray too far from the source, which makes it still feel accurate and logical.
Askeladd, for example, is a blend of three different historical figures, which could have ended in a narrative disaster. However, the character of Askeladd is so well written that he has become a fan favourite, proving how well Yukimura uses his creative freedom.

Although Yukimura takes some creative freedom and alters the source material, he still manages to establish a solid level of trust in the broader political and historical plot. Thus, if you are a fan of the sagas or Viking history, and you bring some knowledge, you will be satisfied.
The creative freedom also allows Yukimura to tell a story beyond the historical focus – a story about revenge and overcoming hardships.

(Oh yeah, the immense strength of the character is also not really historically accurate – duh!)

Vinland Saga Is Not Your Regular Story About Revenge – It Is Far More Than That!

I do not want to spoil too much about this amazing story that changed my life, but I do want to dive a bit into its themes and give a rather vague idea of how the story develops.

Vinland Saga, at first glance, seems to be a regular story about revenge and how it may corrupt someone within a badass Viking setting. But it is far more than that.
Although the Viking setting is really badass and interesting, Vinland Saga at its core explores the psychological depths of trauma and what happens when someone tries to solve it through violence or avoidance, especially in a time that cherishes these approaches.

Thorfinn acts as the main focus of this theme. He follows his journey of revenge and violence without taking care of himself or his soul. He only survives to get revenge, but he doesn’t really live. In contrast to that stand both the philosophy his father tried to teach him before Thorfinn went on his journey and the idea of Vinland. This conflict within Thorfinn grows even larger as the story progresses and he experiences more of a world filled with war and violence.

If you love stories about revenge, it may seem predictable what will happen – but trust me, all expectations are thrown overboard, which allows for a rich experience.
This whole inner conflict becomes deeply philosophical and draws inspiration from real philosophies and different religions, which makes the story not only feel realistic, but also valuable for one’s own philosophical journey.

Thorfinn proves to be the perfect protagonist to tell this kind of story for two reasons.
Firstly, he is a very important character in the Vinland sagas and serves as a great connection point to the Danish conquest of England, which allows the historical aspects of the story to be centered around him.

Secondly, and more importantly, due to his immense trauma clashing with the innocence of a child and the peaceful philosophy he was taught, he perfectly represents trauma and the fight against it. This doesn’t mean the story claims his father's philosophy is completely right and everyone else is wrong. Every philosophy presented is challenged and brought to its knees to truly test how well it holds up in dire situations.

Although Thorfinn is the protagonist, he is not the only character we explore in this regard. Different characters in the series have different kinds of trauma and different ways of living with it. All of these approaches represent real feelings and real responses some people may have. It is always interesting to see how each approach is challenged and resolved, especially when they clash with Thorfinn’s journey of revenge or his inner conflict.

Everyone Should Take This Journey With Thorfinn!

I would love to dive into a complete analysis of why Thorfinn and Vinland Saga changed my life. However, it is something one should experience themselves and see with their own eyes.

For me, this journey helped me find my way back to who I wanted to be. The different philosophies and morals that were presented not only broadened my view of the world, but some also resonated with me and reminded me of my own during times when I had lost sight of who I was. Additionally, these same philosophies were challenged, which helped me rethink my own morals and beliefs, ultimately enabling me to grow as a person.
And while going on this deep philosophical journey, I also had a lot of fun learning more about Viking history and admiring the amazing fights and panels.

What I find truly astonishing about the mangaka’s writing skills, beyond how he handled his source material, is how he seemed to predict how his audience would feel while reading this.
The story becomes heavy and confronts you on a deeply personal level. So it's refreshing that he takes the time to include some wholesome or even funny moments.
It really showed me that life, although difficult – especially during times of self-reflection – still holds moments of joy, even in the darkest times. These funny or wholesome moments stuck with me because they feel so warm in contrast to the cold atmosphere of Vinland Saga.

Vinland Saga is not only my favorite manga of all time, but it is also considered part of the "Big Three" of seinen manga (manga for older male audiences), alongside Vagabond and Berserk. As such, Vinland Saga is regarded as one of the best stories across all manga and is highly praised by most readers.
If you enjoy deep philosophical stories with great action and a well-written, compelling protagonist set in historically accurate settings – or if you’ve read Vagabond or Berserk – you have to check out this masterpiece!

You can collect Vinland Saga in the standard hardcover 2-in-1 edition.
Each of these beautiful editions, as the name suggests, combines two standard manga volumes into one at a fair price. They also make your collection look mythical and colorful!

(This is my own collection, and I just love these beautiful spines!)

If you're more into collecting beautiful deluxe editions, or if you're an omni-collector looking to dive into manga, you may find the Deluxe Edition of Vinland Saga more appealing. These hardcovers are even more stunning, with a design that resembles the feel of Nordic mythology books you might find in a library – the perfect fit for this historical setting.
Each volume is a 3-in-1 edition and also larger than the standard 2-in-1 version, which definitely gives the art more room to shine!

And if you get the Vinland Saga Deluxe 1–6 HC Bundle, you can not only read this amazing story back to back, but you also save some money! How cool is that?

Tags: By daniel, Daniel, Vinland saga

Previous article Next article