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Ketil

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Ketil (ケティル Ketiru?) is a farm owner in Jutland, Denmark. Thorfinn, Einar, and Arnheid were his slaves.

Appearance[]

Ketil is a man in his mid-40s. He has a rather muscular build, but high body fat. He has long blonde hair and a bushy blonde beard. Due to his age, he is shown to have some wrinkles

Personality[]

Ketil believes that even slaves are deserving of fair treatment, and gives his own slaves a chance to work for their freedom (with the exception of Arnheid). Despite being the owner of the farm, Ketil does not look down on his subordinates and instead works alongside them. He is typically shown as a jovial, confident, easy-going man.

Ketil's father, Sverkel, believes that Ketil is greedy and short-sighted, as he greatly expanded the farm beyond his capacities after inheriting it. The expanded farm requires much more protection, causing Ketil to give large tributes to King Sweyn in exchange for his royal protection, as well as requiring the hiring of many Guests to deter and catch thieves.

Despite appearing to be a just person, Ketil can be deceitful and reluctant to do the right thing. He spent a large portion of his life pretending he had been the infamous warrior known as "Iron Fist Ketil," actually taking another man's name and feats as his own to bolster his reputation. His false reputation is at odds with his behaviour, for example when he shows sadness upon hearing of Sture and Thora's circumstances and is subsequently reluctant to punish them. He is shown to be terrified by his son Thorgil's gleeful violent ideas for their punishment, but does not speak up to prevent it. Once their sentence is lessened due to Pater's intervention, Ketil only intervenes after Thorgill has already severely injured Sture.

Ketil's typical pleasant behaviour quickly crumbles when he faces adversity or feels slighted. After his two sons murdered some of Canute's men and he learned of the King's plans to appropriate his lands, Ketil was spirited back to his farm by Leif, but refused to leave the barrel he was hiding in even while at sea. Once he learned of Arnheid's attempt to escape with her husband Gardar, he took her actions as a personal betrayal despite her enslavement and reacted with extreme violence, beating her so severely that Snake had to intervene before he killed her. Arnheid, who had become pregnant as a result of Ketil's use of her as a sex slave, lost their child due to her injuries, and later succumbed to them.

Ketil acts rashly when he is blinded by rage, as seen when he decides to go up against Canute's elite forces and Jomsvikings despite only having a small fighting force of untrained subjects himself. He is willing to risk their lives and his own to hold on to what he has left, despite his nearly impossible odds of winning the fight.

History[]

Ketil was the owner of a large farm, respected due to his reputation as a former great warrior known as "Iron Fist Ketil." He lived on the farm with his wife, his eldest son Thorgil, and his youngest son Olmar. Though he had a daughter between his two sons, she was married off and left to live with her husband.[2]

Having inherited the farm from his father, Sverkel, he acquired so much land that he began paying tribute to King Sweyn to ensure its protection. Ketil originally appeared to be a kind and empathetic slave owner, giving his slaves the opportunity to work for their freedom (with the exception of Arnheid).

In October 1018, Ketil was invited to have an audience with King Canute and looked forward to the interaction. However, Canute was merely looking for a pretense to invade Ketil’s farm in order to take his wealth and land to cover some of the country's expenses. He initiated a plan to seize his land after Ketil’s son, Olmar, disgraced himself in front of his father and Canute. Once Olmar murdered Canute’s messenger and Thorgil murdered several of his other men, Ketil was mortified and snuck back to his farm with the help of Leif Ericson, hiding in a barrel the entire time.

Upon his return, he discovered that Arnheid, his favourite slave, tried to escape with her husband Gardar, from whom she was separated when she was enslaved. Ketil found Arnheid and proceeded to beat her in a fit of range despite her truthful claims that she was pregnant with his child, nearly killing her before being stopped by Snake. Arnheid later dies of her injuries shortly after losing their unborn child.

When Canute's forces came for the farm, Ketil led a charge to fight back against him. Snake revealed to some of the Guests that Ketil was not truly Iron Fist Ketil, and had falsely claimed the real Iron Fist's name and accomplishments as his own. Ketil's charge against Canute failed, and he was knocked unconscious by one of Canute’s men.

After he awoke and recovered from his wounds in the battle, Ketil was seemingly distraught to find out that Arnheid had died and appeared to have become a broken man. Olmar subsequently took ownership of the farm and set out to repair some of his father's wrongs, giving reparations to those who had lost family members due to being roped into Ketil's fight against the King.

Appearances[]

Manga Appearances[]

Manga Appearances
Chapters in order of appearance

Slave Arc

Anime Appearances[]

Anime Appearances
Episodes in order of appearance

Season 2

References[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 VS Official Guidebook, p. 64 (Age at first appearance, height, weight)
  2. ↑ Vinland Saga Manga: Chapter 64. Volume 9 Extras (post-Chapter 64)
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