I have no enemies, none at all.— Thorfinn
Thorfinn (トルフィン Torufin?) Thorsson, also nicknamed Karlsefni, is the main protagonist of Vinland Saga. He is a former warrior of Askeladd's band as well as a former slave on Ketil’s farm who earned his freedom. Afterwards he became a trader and adventurer attempting to settle in Vinland.
He was born in Iceland as the only son of Helga and the late Thors Snorresson, the most famous Jomsviking warrior until his defection. He is also the younger brother to Ylva and is related to the leadership of the Jomsvikings through his mother, who is daughter of the third Chief, Sigvaldi.
He spent more than a decade attempting to take revenge on Askeladd, the man who killed his father, even following him into battle to stay close to him, and grew cold and merciless, killing countless people. After he attacked Canute in a moment of shock and rage for killing Askeladd, the death of whom was Thorfinn's goal for most of his life, Thorfinn was enslaved as a punishment. Four years later he gained his freedom and changed his life.
He vowed to make good of his life and create peace and a land free of slavery in Vinland, which he heard from Leif Ericson’s tales as a child. After leaving Ketil’s farm with a new friend, Einar, he then journeyed to Greece in order to get money to be able to make the trip to Vinland, and after three years he had enough money and people to finally make his journey to Vinland. He created and founded the Arnheid Village on Vinland.
Appearance
Thorfinn's appearance is consistent throughout the story. He has choppy and messy hair, old clothes and two knives. He is also short, as stated by multiple characters in the story.
When Thorfinn was a child, he had a happier face, round with bright, curious eyes, and well-kept hair.
He has a somewhat slight build that belies his strength.
Thorfinn's entire body is littered with scars, most of which were caused by blades. His face remains unmarred until he gains several obvious scars on his face in adulthood, mostly because he refuses to fight with weapons and tries his best to defend himself and neutralize his opponents without causing any lasting harm.
In 1015, an apathetic Thorfinn does not budge when one of Ketil's guests, Fox, goes at him with a sword to try to make him fear for his life, slicing off the tip of his left ear. In 1018, when him and Snake are fighting over Arnheid’s husband, Gardar, he slashes Thorfinn's face with his blade, resulting in a long scar starting at his right temple, extending across his right cheek and ending at his jaw, next to his chin.
In May 1019, Thorfinn gets another piece of his left ear cut off when Garm slashes him with his spear. In June 1021, Thorfinn returns to Iceland from Greece with a scar across the bridge of his nose and above his cheek.
Before setting off to Vinland, he started slicking his hair back, which he still does while in Vinland at 27 years old.
Personality
When the series begins, Thorfinn is shown as an innocent and friendly boy who is searching for adventure. He shared a very good relationship with his family and enjoyed stories told by Leif about his adventures. He has a good relationship with his father and looked up to him immensely, shown when he decides to follow Thors by sneaking on his boat to follow him. This would become the foundation of Thorfinn's drive to avenge his father.
However, by the time he joins Askeladd's band, he is a cold-blooded individual, hellbent on his goal to avenge his father. He becomes aloof toward others, unmoved by and uninterested in what they do or thinks of him, choosing instead to keep to himself. This is seen when Thorfinn ignores the invitations from his fellow Vikings to join in on the fun and his refusing to eat dinner with the rest of them.
His flaws lie in his temper and impulsive nature. This is seen when he ignores Askeladd's input despite the benefits it may be able to bring him, which leads to him losing fights against Askeladd. Frequently throughout the series, Thorfinn's reckless nature leads to his own suffering and failure. Even if he does possess talent far beyond the norm for his age, his hot-headedness is easily his biggest weakness. This weakness also unfolds with an inability to learn from mistakes, and several times, Thorfinn has hallucinations with his late father, asking him if this is really the right way to go, and he just ignores it all. This is probably a metaphor to show that the difference between the old Thorfinn and the current one is not much big, and inside his iron fortress, he is just a wrong-headed boy.
He also showed a great lack of empathy, as he did not seem to care when Askeladd's gang murdered civilians and raped women, he just walked away with disgust. Although he sometimes told his possible victims to run when he was not in the mood to kill them, but he didn't really care anyway.
However, Askeladd's death caused him to lose his purpose and become an empty shell after being sold as a slave. During that time, Thorfinn became totally depressed, melancholy, stoic and unwilling to live, living a deplorable life being mistreated by his merchants, with none of the exuberance of his childhood, the pride and belligerence of his adolescence, or even the will to stand up for himself. Fortunately, he began to regain his will and courage with the help of Einar, Snake and Sverkel, who helped him to realize that he is still capable of a meaningful life.
Thorfinn slowly begins to recover and then takes on a more kind and pacifist attitude. He seems to have become more like Thors and seeks to become a merchant to become a better person and forget his dark past as a murderer. His time as a slave also appears to have affected his behavior. For a while, he refrained from fighting and always tried to resolve the situations in the conversation, but even then this attitude backfired several times, and so he saw that sometimes it was necessary to use force to resolve conflicts. He also seems to have few social skills and doesn't seem to know much about the female body, as seen when after adopting Karli, he tells Gudrid to breastfeed Karli, not knowing that she would need to be pregnant for this to be possible.
Thorfinn has also become more empathic with people who have suffered the consequences of war suffering multiple attacks to their villages, he felt horrible when he found out that he alongside Askeladd's crew attacked and murdered Hild's family, giving her all the right to kill him to avenge her family, even being prepared to be killed by her. He is very protective with those he cares about. When he involuntarily gets involved in the Baltic war due to his lineage and thus becoming the target of many claimants to become the leader of the jomsvikings, Thorfinn forces his friends, with the exception of Hild, to leave and stay away.
History
Background
Thorfinn was born in Iceland in the winter of 996, where his family had fled after Thors decided to abandon his warrior lifestyle, and by virtue the Jomsvikings as well. He grew up not knowing about his father's past as a warrior, or his connection to the Jomsvikings.
War Arc
Flashback
He lived with his family and was a happy, lively boy. He played with the children in the village especially in mock combat with a wooden sword and shield, even though he was always one of the first to lose. One day Floki, and his Jomsviking crew, come to Iceland to get aid from his father, Thors. When his father was going out to a battle, Thorfinn hid in a barrel on his father's ship. A mercenary called Askeladd, who was hired by Floki to take down Thors, came and dueled Thorfinn's father. Thors took down half of Askeladd's men, including his second in command, and then the two faced off. Thors won the battle, but in exchange for Thorfinn's life, he was killed by many arrows from Askeladd's men. After his father died, Thorfinn vowed to seek vengeance for his father, by becoming one of Askeladd's men in order to kill him in a duel, so he can avenge his father's death in a fair battle.
Present
Thorfinn then spent the next 11 years going to war with Askeladd’s band in England. He became a very strong warrior, killing a great deal of men in order to get a duel from Askeladd, in order to kill him. He became numb to these horrible acts that he witnessed daily, and became cold and distant of others, never so much as smiling. He still said that warriors are all madmen to himself after he fights Thorkell. He helps escort Prince Canute to Askeladd, after the prince had been taken prisoner by Thorkell, and left in a burning forest with his retainer, Ragnar. This was part of Askeladd’s plan to take Canute back to the king and get favor, and Thorfinn went along with his plan as usual.
Canute would then accompany Askeladd’s band until his own band decided to revolt against Askeladd, and kill him, after thinking that they were too weak to defeat Thorkell, who was chasing them down across all of England the whole time. Thorkell was right on their heels, and immediately caught up to them when they stopped in order to kill Askeladd. The entire band was slaughtered by Askeladd, or Thorkell, who killed anyone who left Askeladd’s band in order to join himself, as he saw them as weak and didn’t want weak men in his group. Askeladd then became a retainer to Canute, and so Thorfinn joined The Princes personal Guard in order to stay close to Askeladd.
After King Sweyn announces an invasion of Wales, Askeladd murders the king, deciding to save both Canute and Wales. Canute then stabs Askeladd as part of Askeladd’s plan after he slaughters dozens in the banquet hall. Askeladd then dies in Thorfinn’s hands, who rushed in after hearing noise from outside, where he was waiting. Canute then offers Thorfinn the chance to go wherever he wanted, even back home to Iceland, but Thorfinn was shocked and dumbfounded by this revelation, and instead he slashed Canute in retaliation on instinct, only managing to cut his cheek. As punishment for attacking the Prince, he is sold as a slave, as Canute didn’t want to have anyone else killed.
Slave Arc
Thorfinn has now mellowed out and become empty and emotionless after being sold as a slave to Ketil, a landowner in Denmark, as he now has no purpose in life after Askeladd died. He is constantly haunted by nightmares of the many people he has killed, but never remembers what happens at the end of the nightmares, and he always wakes up screaming in agony, sweating profusely.
After being on Ketil’s Farm for over a year, he finds a friend in Einar, another slave Ketil buys to help on his farm. Einar doesn’t like Thorfinn’s lack of enthusiasm or energy initially, and calls him lazy. After an incident with Olmar and Fox, where fox tries to get Olmar to kill Thorfinn and Einar, the two started to get closer. One day after Thorfinn wakes up screaming, Einar says he was screaming about “Askeladd” and “father”. Later that day, Thorfinn told Einar about Askeladd, and Einar then realizes that this was the reason Thorfinn had no energy, he had no ambition after his only goal in life, to kill Askeladd, was taken from him. He was completely empty. The next day, when Thorfinn and Einar are going back to their wheat farm, they discover some workers have destroyed all their crops. Einar becomes enraged. They approach the workers, but once they say that slaves couldn’t grow good wheat anyway, and Thorfinn gets furious and punches one of the men, knocking him out. Einar then starts to fight them, and Thorfinn tries to stop him but as he does, he gets distracted and gets hit on the head with some wood by one of the other men, and loses consciousness. He sees images of a woman who cared for him when he was younger-when he invaded East Anglia, and his father Thors. This is where he remembers the nightmares where he is haunted by all the people he has killed. After awakening from the nightmare, he starts crying asking for forgiveness from Einar and the people he has killed, and so claims he will never hurt another person again. Over the next couple of years, Thorfinn continues to grow as a person, becoming kind and empathetic towards others, and finding meaning in life for himself and the others around him. He attempts to find the “first resort” in every situation, but sometimes this is greatly difficult.
Thorfinn makes friends with other people around the farm, such as Snake, one of Ketil’s guests and guards along with Sverkel, Ketil’s elderly father and Arnheid, Ketil’s personal maid and concubine. Snake lounges around in Sverkel’s house a lot of the time, and the two seem close but pretend they don’t like each other. Sverkel lends Thorfinn and Einar a horse in exchange for helping around his house, as he seems to have taken a liking to the two. After years helping each other, they have gotten very close. One day, Snake notices that Sverkel has still not come home even though it’s dinner time, and Snake along with Thorfinn and Einar find him collapsed in his field. He is forced to stop farming, as he can no longer walk, and Ketil sends Arnheid to help Sverkel now. Snake keeps on staying around Sverkel’s house as well.
Soon after, Arnheid’s husband, Gardar escapes from another farm close by and tries finding Arnheid in Ketil’s farm, Thorfinn tries to help Arnheid and Gardar by letting them both escape, but Snake doesn’t want that to happen. Thorfinn fights with the decision of having to fight Snake with a vision of Askeladd, and ultimately starts a fight with Snake. During their fight, Thorfinn trips over a rock and leaves Snake next to Gardar, and Snake then stabs him through the chest. Gardar choked out Snaked, but stopped from killing him due to Arnheid, who told him they should leave, which they did, and Gardar died in the carriage they sat in. Arnheid was tied up and left in a barn as punishment, and when a disgraced Ketil returned from his meeting with Canute in Denmark and he found out that Arnheid tried to escape, he beat her with a stick. She tried to say she was pregnant with his child but he didn’t listen and continued. He beat Arnheid so badly that she ultimately succumbed to her injuries, to the horror of Thorfinn and especially Einar. Thorfinn and Einar both agree over Arnheid’s grave to journey to Vinland together and create a life of peace, away from violence and slavery, for people like Arnheid. They also call each other brothers.
Meanwhile, Canute makes preparations to attack Ketil’s Farm to take his land, and Thorfinn initially is going to escape with Einar, Leif and Bug-Eyes, but decides that he can’t just abandon Snake and Sverkel and let them die after they took care of them and helped them out. Thorfinn goes to Canute in order to try and negotiate, but Drott refuses to let him see the King. Thorfinn gets them to agree that he can see the king if he withstands 100 hits from Drott, which he ultimately does, despite being incredibly beaten and bruised. Once he gets to speak to Canute he simply asks him to leave the Farm alone, but Canute refuses. Thorfinn says he has no other than to run away then, to which Canute bursts out in laughter. He says that it was the funniest negotiation he had ever been apart of, and decides to leave soon after, because as he says later on to himself on his ship, they have the same goals.
After saying farewell to Snake, Sverkel, Olmar and the rest of Ketil’s farm, other than Ketil himself, Thorfinn leaves with Einar, Leif and Bug-Eyes. Leif suggest they should make a stop in Iceland to see Thorfinn’s mother, Helga, and sister, Ylva, after all this time away from them. Thorfinn and friends arrive in Iceland, and Thorfinn struggled to remember how many years he’s been gone. He’s worried about seeing his mother and sister after so many years. They meet his sister, Ylva, first, but she doesn’t even recognize Thorfinn anymore. They go to meet his mother, Helga, next and when she opens the door and sees Thorfinn, she immediately recognizes him and says he has eyes just like his father, and starts crying. Thorfinn then takes her hand and says he’s so sorry for everything and for being a terrible son. They then go inside and spend the evening and night there. Helga welcomes Einar as a son, as he is Thorfinn’s brother now. Ari, who is now Ylva’s husband, comes back and remembers Thorfinn from back when he lived there, and welcomed him. Then Ylva came back home, but yet again doesn’t recognize him or believe he is her brother. Then Helga tells her that is really is their Thorfinn, and then starts to beat Thorfinn in comical anger, before being held back by Ari.
Eastern Expedition Arc
Vinland Arc
Relationships
Family
Thors
- Thors is Thorfinn's father. Thorfinn looks up to him and respects him, but knows nothing of his past as a warrior. His death drives Thorfinn do grow as a warrior strong enough to put an end to his killer.
Helga
- Helga is Thorfinn's mother. Sixteen years after leaving Iceland, Thorfinn returns and apologizes for leaving him. She accepts and comments that he looks like his father.
Ylva
- Ylva is Thorfinn's sister, 9 years his elder. As children, she liked teasing him for being small and for daydreaming about fighting like their father. She believed him dead after he left Iceland on Thors' ship, and at first did not recognize him when he returned to Iceland as an adult sixteen years later.
Gudrid
- Gudrid becomes Thorfinn's travelling companion when he sets off for Greece to secure funding for his expedition to Vinland. They later marry at some point during their travels to or back from Greece. Gudrid travels with Thorfinn to found Vinland, along with their friends and their adopted son, Karli.
Karli
- Thorfinn finds Karli and his mother in the wreckage of a massacred village shortly after setting leaving Iceland. He and his crew take on Karli with the intent of finding him a family, but grow to care for him so much that they are later unable to part from him. Sometime during the crew's expedition to Greece, Thorfinn and Gudrid marry and officially adopt Karli, who henceforth refers to them as his mother and father. Thorfinn and Gudrid do not specify that Karli is adopted when they introduce him to others.
Thorkell
- Thorkell is Thorfinn's maternal great-uncle.
Friends
Einar
- Einar is Thorfinn's best friend and steadfast companion. They are so close that they refer to each other as "brother", both privately and in public. Meeting and befriending Einar was a significant catalyst for positive change in Thorfinn's life. It is Einar's optimism, hope, positivity, compassion and unwavering support and assurances that slowly coax Thorfinn out of the apathetic state he had been in in the years following Askeladd's death. This leads to Thorfinn thinking about how to make amends, move on from his past and find alternatives to violence, as well as his life's purpose. Einar unwaveringly believes in Thorfinn, supporting him even when he does not completely understand what Thorfinn is thinking or striving for. He shows great concern for Thorfinn's life even when Thorfinn does not value his own survival, risking his life for him multiple times with no hesitation. He embraces Thorfinn's goal of creating a peaceful colony in Vinland as his own - he travels to Iceland with him, travels with him to Greece to secure funding for the project, assists him in getting candidates, and finally travels to Vinland with him to found the colony. They essentially do not leave each other's side after first meeting on Ketil's Farm in June 1015.
- Einar is the first friend Thorfinn makes since he was a child in Iceland. They meet in June 1015, when the newly enslaved Einar is bought for Ketil's farm and assigned to the same field as Thorfinn, leading them to spending all of their time together (working all day, sharing meals and sleeping in the same barn). Thorfinn is at first surprised Einar tries to protect him when the guests threaten them, and does not hesitate to offer himself to the guests in return for Einar's safety, as he holds no value for his own life at the time. At Einar's prompting after he gets a glimpse of his fighting abilities, Thorfinn admits that he was at war from age 5-6 onward, participated in the Danish invasion of England, and killed more people than he can remember, clearly distressing Einar, who was himself a victim of the Danish raids and dislikes warriors. Thorfinn later shows confusion when Einar keeps waking him from his nightmares (which lead him to thrash, moan and often even scream in his sleep) — Einar says he does so because they're friends. Thorfinn is confused by his answer, flustering Einar. He however thanks him.
- The hopeful and enthusiastic Einar lightly chides Thorfinn for being unambitious and lethargic. Thorfinn starts to liven up when they gain use of a horse and start making quick progress on the land they'd been assigned on Ketil's farm. He asks a lot of questions about farming, which Einar is knowledgeable about and happy to discuss, jokingly calling Thorfinn a "great big baby" since everything is fresh and new to him. Thorfinn, becoming a little more himself, starts acting more outwardly friendly, for example being considerate and making himself scarce to leave Einar to talk to the object of his affections (Arnheid) alone. In October 1015, Thorfinn and Einar are able to plant their first wheat crops. Thorfinn is amazed by the growth of the plants and Einar convinces him to loudly pray with him for a good crop. Thorfinn starts opening up to Einar more, telling him of Askeladd and his quest for vengeance, as well as as how he feels empty, has no desires now that his hatred is gone, and feels like "a man without substance" since he knows nothing but how to wage war. Einar comforts him, telling him no one who looks at him now would believe him to a warrior, and assuring him people can indeed can change and that Thorfinn has in fact already begun to change for the better.
- After the farmhands destroy their crops, Einar is incensed and does not understand why Thorfinn is so calm. Thorfinn urges him not to seek revenge. He explains that he was always on the side of the plunderers and destroyers before, has no right to be angry himself, and that if Einar is going to "kill the farmhands", he ought to also kill Thorfinn 100 times over. Einar calms down long enough to tell Pater about the incident, but Thorfinn and Einar unfortunately run into the farmhands on the road. Thorfinn once again tries to hold Einar back, but when the farmhands insult them and Einar goes in for the punch, Thorfinn steps in and punches their tormentor first, breaking his jaw in one blow before he even realizes what he's doing. Thorfinn keeps trying to calm Einar down, but is knocked unconscious after a blow to the head. Upon waking, having had another bad dream (which he remembers this time), Thorfinn tearfully tells Einar that he has led a life of violence and swears he will never be violent or harm another person again; that he will be "reborn", make amends, and "lead the true battle". Einar admits he doesn't quite know what Thorfinn means, but is nevertheless on board and says they will be reborn together.
Leif Ericson
Bug-Eyes
Others
Askeladd
Canute
Sigurd
Garm
Hild
Abilities
No he is the real thing, for sure. A fighter that agile is rare to come across....— --Garm
Thorfinn grew up on the battlefield, having experienced over countless battles and raids following his father's death since the age of six. As such, he has a wealth of fighting experience. He quickly grew into a highly skilled warrior capable of swiftly killing warriors at least twice his age during his years with Askeladd's band. His fighting style plays focus on striking vital points instead of clashing with blades directly, he developed a nimble style that emphasizes speed after losing his knives and letting go of his thirst for killing. Thorfinn's strength is recognized by some of the greatest amongst both the vikings and mercenaries such as his great-uncle Thorkell the Tall, stating he was capable of becoming the next head of the Jomsvikings.
Expert Combatant: Thorfinn is a highly skilled combatant. He can wield daggers and swords with great lethality and is shown to be incredibly skilled in martial arts. His skill in combat has been acknowledged by other powerful fighters like Snake, Garm, and most notably Thorkell, the strongest Viking warrior of his time. Thorfinn is also able to effectively use throwing knives, although they are not his primary weapons.
Enhanced Strength: Thanks to years of manual labor as a slave on a farm, Thorfinn achieved an explosive increase in strength when he reached adulthood. With this new skill acquired, he was able to throw a man away with just one punch and break the bones of a Jomsviking even though he was wearing armor. Other feats include breaking a sword with his knee.
Enhanced Durability: Although he doesn't usually engage in unarmed combat, Thorfinn knows how to take solid hits if given the chance to prepare for them. This ability appears when he withstands 100 blows from Drott to earn the right to speak to Canute. However, when set upon by Ylva in a rage, he was completely unprepared and was knocked out.
Enhanced Agility: Thorfinn is amongst the swiftest combatants in the series. He is capable of evading a platoon of soldiers within seconds on a battlefield, as well as scale a wall of a fortress, including jumping over a moat. In combat, he can use his agility to strike from an angle where he may finish his opponent and to find his balance quickly after taking a hit or dodging. Thorfinn's fighting style emphasizes speed combined with the dual wielding of two knives, one of which was formerly owned by his father. By targeting his opponents' weak points and taking advantage of his speed, he could typically finish off an opponent swiftly while avoiding their attacks.
Enhanced Speed and Reflexes: Thorfinn's speed is regarded as his primary asset in combat. During the invasion of London, he earned Thorkell's praise despite losing to him in combat. His reflexes have enabled him to dodge and react to surprises attacks such as Snake's drawing attack. Although, he was not able to dodge Garm's spear. Despite Garm proving faster than Thorfinn as well as wounding him, Thorfinn was nonetheless able to dodge his movements with his eyes. At Jomsburg, he was able to cover a distance of several meters before his pursuers could notice he had run away from them. A testament to Thorfinn's reflexes is shown when he was acknowledged by Garm as being the only fighter he has met to dodge his spear so quickly.
Battles & Duels
Battles
- Many unnamed Viking raids while in Askeladd’s band.
- The invasion of East Anglia, England, in 1008 at age twelve.
- Frankish fortress battle in 1012 at age sixteen.
- The battle at London Bridge in 1013.
- The battle at Jomsborg in 1019 when he was twenty-three years old.
Duels
Thorfinn Versus Askeladd
Thorfinn and Askeladd dueled on multiple occasions. However, due to the older warrior's decades of fighting experience and to Thorfinn being blinded by rage, Askeladd bested him everh time.
Thorfinn versus Thorkell
Thorfinn and Thorkell dueled two separate times.
Appearances
Manga Appearances
- Chapter 1 - Normanni (Debut)
- Chapter 2 - Somewhere Not Here
- Chapter 3 - Beyond the Edge of the Sea
- Chapter 4 - Unbreakable Chains
- Chapter 5 - Troll
- Chapter 6 - Messenger from the Battlefield
- Chapter 7 - Sword
- Chapter 8 - The Journey Begins
- Chapter 9 - A Trap in Distant Seas
- Chapter 10 - Night Wake
- Chapter 11 - Cage
- Chapter 12 - More Than a Monster
- Chapter 13 - Smell
- Chapter 14 - The Sword of Thors
- Chapter 15 - A True Warrior
- Chapter 16 - The Death of Thors
- Chapter 17 - England, 1008 A.D.
- Chapter 18 - England, 1013 A.D.
- Chapter 19 - The Battle of London Bridge
- Chapter 20 - Ragnarok
- Chapter 21 - Valhalla
- Chapter 22 - The Troll's Son
- Chapter 24 - The Land on the Far Bank
- Chapter 25 - Bluff
- Chapter 26 - Artorius
- Chapter 28 - Night Attack
- Chapter 29 - Father and Son
- Chapter 30 - Master and Servant at the Table
- Chapter 31 - History of Beasts
- Chapter 32 - Defectors
- Chapter 33 - Betrayal
- Chapter 34 - Avalon
- Chapter 35 - Contact
- Chapter 36 - Two on the Battlefield
- Chapter 37 - The Definition of Love
- Chapter 39 - The King Awakens
- Chapter 40 - The Legend of Thors
- Chapter 41 - United Front
- Chapter 42 - Verdict
- Chapter 43 - The Prince Returns
- Chapter 44 - The Curse of the Crown
- Chapter 45 - His Last Friend
- Chapter 46 - Two Lone Wolves
- Chapter 47 - The Hero is Gone
- Chapter 48 - Reunion
- Chapter 49 - Karlsefni
- Chapter 50 - Plot
- Chapter 51 - Miscalculation
- Chapter 52 - The Hero Returns
- Chapter 53 - The Fury of Britannia's King
- Chapter 54 - End of the Prologue
- Chapter 55 - Slave
- Chapter 56 - Ketil's Farm
- Chapter 57 - Young Master
- Chapter 58 - The Men You're Allowed to Kill
- Chapter 59 - Snake
- Chapter 60 - His First Friend
- Chapter 63 - I Need a Horse
- Chapter 64 - I Need a Horse, Part II
- Chapter 65 - At the Old Master's House
- Chapter 66 - Budding
- Chapter 68 - An Empty Man
- Chapter 69 - Provocation
- Chapter 70 - The Dream
- Chapter 71 - Oath
- Chapter 73 - When You're Free
- Chapter 74 - Escaped Slave
- Chapter 79 - Portents of Storm Clouds
- Chapter 80 - Gardar's Assault
- Chapter 81 - Storm
- Chapter 83 - Atonement
- Chapter 84 - A Convenient Dream
- Chapter 85 - Confrontation
- Chapter 86 - No Going Home
- Chapter 87 - The First Move
- Chapter 88 - Punishment
- Chapter 89 - The Eve of the Battle
- Chapter 91 - The Battle of Ketil Farm
- Chapter 92 - Hundred-count
- Chapter 93 - Birth of a Warrior
- Chapter 94 - Recommendation of Surrender
- Chapter 95 - Forgotten Things
- Chapter 96 - Invincible
- Chapter 97 - Emperor of Rebellion
- Chapter 98 - Two Paradises
- Chapter 99 - Departure
- Chapter 100 - Homecoming
- Chapter 101 - The Fettered Tern (1)
- Chapter 102 - The Fettered Tern (2)
- Chapter 103 - The Fettered Tern (3)
- Chapter 104 - The Fettered Tern (4)
- Chapter 105 - The Fettered Tern (5)
- Chapter 106 - The Fettered Tern (6)
- Chapter 107 - The Fettered Tern (7)
- Chapter 108 - The Fettered Tern (8)
- Chapter 109 - The Liberated Tern
- Chapter 110 - Crossing the North Sea
- Chapter 111 - From Warrior to Warrior
- Chapter 112 - Obligatory Violence
- Chapter 113 - Troublemakers
- Chapter 114 - The Hunter and the Hunted (1)
- Chapter 115 - The Hunter and the Hunted (2)
- Chapter 116 - The Hunter and the Hunted (3)
- Chapter 117 - The Hunter and the Hunted (4)
- Chapter 118 - The Hunter and the Hunted (5) (Flashback)
- Chapter 119 - The Hunter and the Hunted (6) (Flashback)
- Chapter 120 - The Hunter and the Hunted (7) (Flashback)
- Chapter 121 - The Hunter and the Hunted (8)
- Chapter 122 - The Hunter and the Hunted (9)
- Chapter 123 - A Borrowed Life
- Chapter 124 - Departing Norway
- Chapter 125 - War in the Baltic (1)
- Chapter 126 - War in the Baltic (2)
- Chapter 127 - War in the Baltic (3)
- Chapter 128 - War in the Baltic (4)
- Chapter 129 - War in the Baltic (5)
- Chapter 131 - War in the Baltic (7)
- Chapter 132 - War in the Baltic (8)
- Chapter 133 - War in the Baltic (9)
- Chapter 134 - War in the Baltic (10)
- Chapter 135 - War in the Baltic (11)
- Chapter 136 - War in the Baltic (12)
- Chapter 138 - War in the Baltic (14)
- Chapter 139 - War in the Baltic (15)
- Chapter 140 - War in the Baltic (16)
- Chapter 143 - War in the Baltic (19)
- Chapter 144 - War in the Baltic (20)
- Chapter 145 - War in the Baltic (21)
- Chapter 146 - War in the Baltic (22)
- Chapter 147 - War in the Baltic (23)
- Chapter 148 - War in the Baltic (24)
- Chapter 149 - War in the Baltic (25)
- Chapter 150 - War in the Baltic (26)
- Chapter 151 - War in the Baltic (27)
- Chapter 152 - War in the Baltic (28)
- Chapter 153 - War in the Baltic (29)
- Chapter 155 - War in the Baltic (31)
- Chapter 156 - War in the Baltic (32)
- Chapter 158 - War in the Baltic (34)
- Chapter 159 - War in the Baltic (35)
- Chapter 160 - War in the Baltic (36)
- Chapter 161 - Sigurd's Decision
- Chapter 165 - The Parting of Sigurd
- Chapter 166 - Wedding
- Chapter 167 - Voyage to the West (1)
- Chapter 168 - Voyage to the West (2)
- Chapter 169 - Voyage to the West (3)
- Chapter 170 - Voyage to the West (4)
- Chapter 171 - Voyage to the West (5)
- Chapter 172 - Voyage to the West (6)
- Chapter 173 - Voyage to the West (7)
- Chapter 174 - Voyage to the West (8)
- Chapter 175 - Voyage to the West (9)
- Chapter 176 - Voyage to the West (10)
- Chapter 177 - Voyage to the West (11)
- Chapter 178 - Voyage to the West (12)
- Chapter 179 - Voyage to the West (13)
- Chapter 180 - Voyage to the West (14)
- Chapter 181 - The Name of the Village Is…
- Chapter 182 - The Most Frightening Man
- Chapter 183 - Natives
- Chapter 184 - Lnu
- Chapter 185 - Niskawaji'j's Dream
- Chapter 186 - Cordelia's Anguish
- Chapter 187 - Niskawaji'j's Expedition
- Chapter 188 - Hild and the God of the Forest
- Chapter 190 - The Ragnarok Dialogue
- Chapter 191 - The Day Arrives
- Chapter 192 - Thousand Year Voyage Part 1
- Chapter 193 - Thousand Year Voyage Part 2
- Chapter 194 - Thousand Year Voyage Part 3
- Chapter 195 - Thousand Year Voyage Part 4
- Chapter 197 - Thousand Year Voyage Part 6
- Chapter 198 - Thousand Year Voyage Part 7
- Chapter 199 - Thousand Year Voyage Part 8
- Chapter 200 - Thousand Year Voyage Part 9
- Chapter 202 - Thousand Year Voyage Part 11
- Chapter 203 - Thousand Year Voyage Part 12
- Chapter 204 - Thousand Year Voyage Part 13
- Chapter 205 - Thousand Year Voyage Part 14
- Chapter 206 - Thousand Year Voyage Part 15
- Chapter 207 - Thousand Year Voyage Part 16
- Chapter 210 - Thousand Year Voyage Part 19
- Chapter 212 - Thousand Year Voyage Part 21
Anime Appearances
- Episode 1 - Somewhere Not Here (Debut)
- Episode 2 - Sword
- Episode 3 - Troll
- Episode 4 - A True Warrior
- Episode 5 - The Troll's Son
- Episode 6 - The Journey Begins
- Episode 7 - Normanni
- Episode 8 - Beyond the Edge of the Sea
- Episode 9 - The Battle of London Bridge
- Episode 10 - Ragnarok
- Episode 11 - A Gamble
- Episode 12 - The Land on the Far Bank
- Episode 13 - Child of a Hero
- Episode 14 - The Light of Dawn
- Episode 15 - After Yule
- Episode 16 - History of Beasts
- Episode 17 - Servant
- Episode 18 - Out of the Cradle
- Episode 19 - United Front
- Episode 20 - Crown
- Episode 21 - Reunion
- Episode 22 - Lone Wolf
- Episode 23 - Miscalculation
- Episode 24 - End of the Prologue
- Episode 25 - Slave
- Episode 26 - Ketil's Farm
- Episode 27 - Snake
- Episode 28 - Awakening
- Episode 30 - We Need a Horse
- Episode 31 - Iron Fist Ketil
- Episode 32 - An Empty Man
- Episode 33 - Oath
- Episode 34 - The Cursed Head
- Episode 36 - For Lost Love
- Episode 37 - Dark Clouds
- Episode 38 - Freedom
- Episode 39 - Storm
- Episode 40 - Great Purpose
- Episode 41 - The Road Home
- Episode 42 - The First Method
- Episode 43 - The Battle of Ketil's Farm
- Episode 44 - Pain
- Episode 45 - Courage
- Episode 46 - The King of Rebellion
- Episode 47 - Two Paths
- Episode 48 - Home
Etymology
- Thor comes from Thor, the Norse god of thunder, lightning, storms, and strength. In Norse mythology, Thor was one of the most prominent and powerful gods, wielding his hammer, Mjölnir, to protect both gods and humans from giants and other threats.[citation needed]
- Finn could be linked to the Old Norse term "Finnr", which was often used to describe someone from the northern lands, specifically the Finns (indigenous people of Scandinavia, now primarily associated with Finland). In this sense, "Finn" might refer to a person from the far north or have geographical connotations.[citation needed]
- Thorfinn essentially translates to something like "Thor's Finn" or "Finn protected by Thor." The name would have signified strength, protection, or a divine connection to the god Thor, alongside a possible association with northern ancestry or geographical origins.[citation needed]
Trivia
- As a character, Thorfinn is loosely based on the real life Icelandic explorer, Thorfinn "Karlsefni" Thórdarson. An explorer associated with Leif Erickson, who was the first European to attempt to establish a colony in North America, unlike Leif who simply discovered/explored it. Like this story's Thorfinn, he also got the nickname "Karlsefni".
- According to Yukimura, Thorfinn is also inspired by the King of Norway Olaf Tryggvason, who lost his position as a king and became a slave but managed to reacquire kingship. This ambitious leader who first had to experience hardship to understand kindness thus parallels Thorfinn's own journey.[5]
- After multiple fans asked about Thorfinn's birthday on Twitter in 2021, Yukimura replied that he did not give characters such as Thorfinn and Canute canonical birthdays, as they are based on historical people whose exact birth dates are not known.[6] On 03 February 2021, he shared that his Thorfinn's birthday is now February 3rd.[1]
- He's been the first and only one who was capable of hurting Thorkell, cutting two fingers of his right hand and his left eye.
- In the storyboard for Chapter 1 (July 03, 2004), Yukimura initially had Thorfinn sporting a falcon feather behind his right ear. The feather would have been from Leif's headdress, as he had mentioned only real warriors wore them. Ultimately, Yukimura decided the symbolism would have been redundant with Thorfinn's dagger, a memento of Thors and of his status as a warrior. Furthermore, a feather would not have been of any use to Thorfinn in combat and he soon would've lost it. As having him wear Leif's whole headdress to prevent that issue would've resulted in a rather silly character design, Yukimura shelved the idea — a decision he doesn't regret.[7]
Gallery
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Yukimura confirms Thorfinn's birthday on Twitter
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 VS Official Guidebook, p. 20 (Ages as of Chapters 3 and 54, birth month, height and weight as of Chapters 3, 54 and 99)
- ↑ Vinland Saga Manga: Chapter 101, page 12. Thorfinn is 22 in 1018.
- ↑ Yukimura confirms Gudrid's birthday and age as of Volume 27 on Twitter, also confirming Thorfinn’s age
- ↑ Twin Engine interview
- ↑ Yukimura on why Thorfinn did not originally have a birthday
- ↑ VS Official Guidebook, p. 258