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Vinland Saga anime: some afterthoughts. A thread
Also spoilers for the anime obv
Also spoilers for the anime obv
Sooo where do I even start. I can tell there are quite a few interesting themes and parallels in this anime. Starts with Thors/Askeladd as father figures, each teaching Thorfinn different lessons (Thors taught the boy to be gentle, but Askeladd did the opposite)
Then there is the thing with Ilva being given a real name by Thors, and Thors focusing on his family as a result, which was something Olaf never did for Askeladd (his mother gave him his real name). I guess it only makes sense Askeladd is THE dad-killer in this arc
Thorfinn absolutely hated Askeladd for killing his father, but at the end of the anime, in some way I couldn't help but feel like the boy did care for him somewhere. Like he was not only obsessed with revenge but somewhere perhaps also wished to be acknowledged, mostly as warrior
So in a certain way, Thorfinn was probably looking for the father in Askeladd as the story went on. Seems like Askeladd knew this given his experiences with his own father and was extremely harsh to the boy as a result, kicking/punching him
Askeladd detested Thorfinn's weakness (I mean he's just a child after all ffs) but he also saw how stubborn and persistent he was. I think what he did with Thorfinn was similar to what he did to Canute by killing Ragnar, though his methods are absolutely abhorrent:
Askeladd is purposefully (in Canute's case) putting people through so much pain and agony to make them change. He's basically molding their personalities with his intrigues. He even knows someone just by looking at them and is shown to have a good intuition. The perfect demagogue
This guy knows well that pain can have a transformative power depending on the person. I absolutely detest Askeladd's methods & he does some real fucked up shit (sometimes just to make a point lol) but I see tiny spots of good in him that imo makes him stand out as an antagonist
Most of what he's doing seems to be cold calculation and out of his own advantage. He detested the Danes, yet used them for their advantage and didn't even mind killing them after they started rebelling (he even anticipated that) He did everything that meant his survival
But that changed when Canute entered the scene. Askeladd jumped at the opportunity to help out the prince. After they captured him & on the run from Thorkell's army, Askeladd was extremely conflicted when he first saw Canute and started doing errors in his calculations
There was a reason for that too: Askeladd didn't expect Canute to be such a timid person. This isn't a king that is capable of ruling or one he ever wanted to serve.
If that person that is worthy to be King does not exists, he's going to make sure he molds someone to become that person. He succeeded too. Killing Ragnar, the one who fatherly protected (but also sheltered) Canute, he was forced to make his own decisions (much like Thorfinn!)
And Canute changed in the way that Askeladd predicted to: He was determined to create their own paradise on earth without the help of God & prevent more needless battle & killing. Something Askeladd also did: take matters into your own hands!
In the end of the anime, Askeladd ended up sacrificing himself to save his motherland AND enable Canute (the person he worked to shape into a worthy king) to take the crown.
That's some very good writing & a VERY fascinating character
That's some very good writing & a VERY fascinating character
I want to think turning the party into a bloodbath was "controlled madness" because the king hit a nerve and hurt his pride. How dare he insult him (being the son to a slave), he who is better than those dirty Danes?
That entire act made his actions seem more a mean towards an end. Everything he did after joining Canute, e.g. pillaging multiple english villages, snipping off the fingers of christians, he did to survive so he could allow a *worthy* King rule over the people
He died with a bang and made sure he stayed true to himself and his roots even in death, yelling his real name his mother has given to him as he's taking down all these royal guards. A true goat
