Askeladd is the main bad guy and anti-hero of the first season of Vinland Saga. First, you don’t like him because he killed Thors.
Then you start to like him because of what he does and because of his past. And then you hate him again because he killed everyone in a village. At the very least, this is a bad relationship.
I don’t know if he is really bad or just morally ambiguous. But he’s not like any other mercenary.
He is a leader with a clear vision who wants to make things better for his people. But he knows how bad he is and doesn’t think he deserves the throne.
He could do terrible things because he thought that was what was best for his people.
His actions often went against what was right, which made people wonder what his real goals were.
Was he going against what he believed in, or was he really a king in disguise?
Was Askeladd a traitor or the true king?
He broke the trust of his Danish men and told them openly that he hated them. He also killed many of them. At the end of the first season, he cut off King Sweyn’s head. This made it possible for Prince Canute to become king.
He was cruel and had a single-minded goal, but he was also a visionary who wanted to make a better future for his people no matter what.
He was another name for Lucius Artorius Castus. It meant “covered in ashes.” He was a mercenary who turned against the Danes.
In reality, though, Askeladd was the real king of the Welsh Kingdom. He was a descendant of Artorius, a famous Welsh war general, and the true king of the Welsh Kingdom.
He says, “I’m just a Viking,” when Prince Canute asks him why someone as selfless as he is wouldn’t want to be king.
This comment shows that he knows who he is and doesn’t like it. Even though he comes from a royal family, he is a bad person who kills people and knows he doesn’t deserve to be king.
Instead, he puts his faith in Canute and helps him so he can get what he wants.
Why was Askeladd loyal to Canute?
He always did things for a reason, so the fact that he died so Canute could become king was a surprise.
Still, if you look more closely at Askeladd’s life, you can see that his loyalty to Canute wasn’t fake. It was the only thing he did in life that helped him reach his only goal, which was to save Wales.
Askeladd was loyal to Canute because he thought Canute could be manipulated if he was raised right.
He wanted to be the Danish King’s puppet master to protect his country, Wales. After trying everything else, he decided to kill King Sweyn so that Canute could become king.
To say that he was really loyal to Canute is a lie. After all, he had Ragnar killed to make Canute grow up. And, to the prince’s surprise, he did grow a pair.
What were Askeladd’s motivations?
Every choice that he makes in the series is based on his sense of duty to Wales. Askeladd is the champion of Wales, which is a small country that can’t compete with Denmark.
He was a kind man who wanted to do what was best for his people, no matter what other people thought of him. When Olaf said he was going to kill Lydia, Askeladd knew he had to do something and save her.
But don’t get the wrong idea: Askeladd would do anything to help his people. Askeladd killed everyone in a village, including women and children, in one episode.
His facial expressions show that he doesn’t like killing, but this episode, which comes after the Welsh has made him into a hero, shows how cold and harsh his character is.
Askeladd’s Past
He was born without his father’s permission. His father, Olaf, was a Nordic champion who had taken a Welsh noblewoman named Lydia prisoner and made her his slave.
Lydia was a descendant of Artorius, a famous Welsh hero, and she got pregnant with Askeladd.
But when Lydia got sick, Olaf stopped caring about her and treated her the same as the other slaves. As a result, Askeladd grew up as a slave, and his name, Askeladd, which means “the pale boy,” stuck.
Lydia used to tell her son Askeladd stories about Artorius and say that the hero would come and save them one day.
When Askeladd was 11, his mother broke down and thought that Olaf was Artorius because he looked like Artorius.
Olaf tried to hurt her, but Askeladd jumped in to help her. Olaf then saw that his son by a different woman had potential.
Askeladd was taken in by Olaf, and he lived with him and his sons for two years so he could learn their ways and earn their trust.
In the end, Askeladd killed Olaf and made it look like one of Olaf’s other brothers did it. He took his mother back to Wales, where she died, now that he was powerful and in charge.
During this time, he met Gratianus and grew to love Wales as a place where people could feel safe. His dislike for his father and the Danes grew, but his love for his mother and Wales grew.
