Welcome back, my amigos. I am excited to try something a little new. Who are anime characters based on? Today, I will be discussing Thorfinn Karlsefni from Vinland Saga. Let’s just get to it.
Two Different People
If you have watched Vinland Saga season 1, then you know the story of Thorfinn Karlsefni from up until 1014 AD. What you may not know is that the real Thorfinn Karsefni is practically a completely different person. Also, there are two separate sagas that document Thorfinn’s life, the “Saga of the Greenlanders” and the “Saga of Eirik the Red.” Historians are unsure of which of the two is accurate, so I will try my best to write about Thorfinn’s life. At least the two Thorfinns share one common thing, their birthplace.
The Real Thorfinn Karlsefni Birth
Born in 980 to Thord Horsehead, his father, and Thorunn, his mother, the story of Thorfinn Karlsefni is nothing like the Thorfinn we know from the awesome anime called Vinland Saga. First off, Thorfinn’s parents in Vinland Saga were not Thord Horsehead and Thorunn. It was Thors Snorresson and Helga. Also, in the show, Thorfinn was born in 996 AD, unlike his real-life counterpart. However, one thing is the same for both Karlsefnis. The birthplace is indeed Iceland.
I couldn’t find where exactly Thorfinn from Vinland Saga was born in Iceland, but the real one is said to have been born around the Skagafjord area which is located in northern Iceland. Lastly, the real Thorfinn is suspected to have died after 1007 which isn’t exactly a clear year. We know that Thorfinn is still alive past 1014 in Vinland Saga. Honestly, I was hoping there would be more similarities. Then again, that would make the series more predictable.
Thorfinn Sails to Vinland
Even though the real Thorfinn is suspected to have died after 1007, sources point to him having sailed to Vinland AKA North America around 1010. Interestingly, he followed Leif Eriksson’s path to Vinland, so the story of Leif Eriksson in Vinland Saga holds true. When Leif sailed to Vinland is a story for another day. Aboard Thorfinn’s ship were dozens of people, including his wife Gudrid Thorbjarnardottir. What an absolute PHAT last name. The two were actually given houses by Leif that he had built when he previously arrived in Vinland. As for the Thorfinn, we all know and love, that he hasn’t set sail for Vinland, and he also does not have a wife at the end of Season 1 or Season 2. Maybe by the end of Vinland Saga, we will see Thorfinn with his own little Thorfinn running around in Vinland all happy 😀
Adventures in Vinland With Thorfinn Karlsefni
Following the “Saga of Eirik the Red,” Thorfinn sailed to Baffin Island AKA Canada with his wife and about 130 people. During this time, his wife, Gudrid, gave birth to their son, Snorri, in 1005. Tracing back the lineage of today, a lot of Icelanders are believed to have descended from Snorri. That might mean that an Icelander watching Vinland Saga is probably related to the main character. In which case, that is pretty cool. Meanwhile, Thorfinn in Vinland Saga is off trying to fight Canute with kindness. Between Thors’s death and about 1012, he spent his time sailing around the Norwegian Sea.
What Was Found In Vinland
Well, Canada. Ok, ok, Thorfinn Karlsefni, along with his crew, traveled south of Baffin Island and were suspected to have arrived in an area around the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. For those of you wondering, yes, that is a fat distance. They probably traveled another 1200 miles (2000 km) after landing on Baffin Island just for a little fun. Finally, Thorfinn and his gang settled somewhere near and around the Gulf of Saint Lawrence where they encountered natives AKA Eskimos.
At first, it was a rather peaceful exchange between the Eskimos and Scandinavians. Then a HUGE battle broke out because of a single bull that the Scandinavians transported. Well, the battle was more of a little clash, but I wanted to spice up a little. The bull scared the Eskimos… That’s it. That’s a load of BULLS- Luckily, Thorfinn and his bros won the little fight, but they decided to sail back home. After all that, they said F Vinland and went home. Thorfinn and Gudrid returned to where Thorfinn was born, and the story after that about the great Thorfinn Karlsefni is left untold. How he ended up dying is beyond me, but some speculate that he was killed by lightning. Thor killed Thor…finn. That’s tough.
Back to Vinland Saga Thorfinn
So what does this mean for our REAL fake homie in Vinland Saga? Who knows. I mean the manga readers know for sure what happens after Season 1 and Season 2 of Vinland Saga. After that, I will probably read the manga because it’s such a great story. If I had to guess how similar the real and fictional Thorfinn is, I would say that nothing is going to be the same other than the ending.
Thorfinn will for sure arrive at Vinland. It’s called “Vinland Saga” not “Thorfinn Will Not Find Vinland… Saga.” Will he even find the same girl the real Thorfinn married? Again, I highly doubt that will happen. Ever since the start of Vinland Saga, it entered a parallel Thorfinn Karlsefni dimension. It’s as if Makoto Yukimura, the author, is writing a reboot of the tale of Thorfinn Karlsefni. I mean he might be just as right as the two “real” sagas written about Thorfinn…
Until Next Time
Hopefully, I didn’t miss much on the real Thorfinn Karlsefni. There isn’t exactly a whole lot in his life, but I tried my best to show you guys the differences between the two Thorfinn’s. Let me know if I missed anything.
Thanks for reading and ALWAYS stay sexy my friends. Also, check out my other posts on anime.