Vikings: Valhalla takes place many years after the events of Vikings and does not feature any of the main characters from the original series, but there are some references and connections to them through characters and locations, here are all of them.
Created by Michael Hirst, Vikings became one of the most popular historical series in recent years, airing from 2013 to 2020 for a total of six seasons. However, six seasons weren’t enough to tell the Viking Age’s most compelling stories and explore its most notable characters, so a sequel series was announced in 2019. Vikings: Valhalla series takes place more than a century after the events of Vikings as such, she follows a new generation of warriors and enemies. Valhalla to focus on Leif Erikson (Sam Corlett), Freydís Eiríksdóttir (Frida Gustavsson) and Harald Sigurdsson (Leo Suter) as they embark on a journey that takes them across oceans and battlefields, against the backdrop of the conflict between the Vikings and pagan versus Christian English rulers.
Other notable characters join the three main protagonists: Harald’s half-brother, Olaf Haraldsson (Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson), King Canute of Denmark (Bradley Freegard) and Emma of Normandy (Laura Berlin), Queen of England.
Although Vikings: Valhalla takes a big leap forward in terms of the timeline after the end of Vikings, it still includes a lot of references to the main series and its most important characters and places, some of the new characters are even related to the protagonists of Vikings. Here are all the references and connections to Vikings in Vikings: Valhalla.
Ragnar Lothbrok, Ivar The Boneless, & Björn Ironside
Ragnar Vikings
Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel) was the main character of the first seasons of vikings, his legacy is still felt in the universe of the series, as well as those of his sons Björn Ironside (Alexander Ludwig) and Ivar the Boneless (AlexHøghAndersen). Ragnar led the Lindisfarne Raid, believed to be the start of the Viking Age, his greatest scheme was to sail to uncharted lands, which his son Ubbe (JordanPatrickSmith) realized by the end of the series, he was involved in various battles and raids which ultimately built his image as a legendary warrior. Björn and Ivar are remembered as fearless warriors whose battles continue to motivate modern-day Vikings, hence their mention in the new series by the characters we meet, but also by their enemies, who use their names as an example of Vikings who ended up being defeated: Ragnar by King Ælle of Northumbria, Björn by Ivar, and Ivar by an English soldier.
Lagertha
Lagertha
Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick) is also mentioned throughout Vikings: Valhalla especially when it comes to bridesmaids. Lagertha was the first wife of Ragnar, the mother of Gytha and Bjorn, the queen of Kattegat, as well as a famous and fierce shield woman. She will have fought many battles. Lagertha was killed by Hvitserk (Marco Ilsø), who had hallucinations and confused him with Ivar. Vikings: Valhalla proved that the legacy of Lagertha as a leader and damsel-in-shield is still going strong. Freydis took over as the series’ damsel-in-shield and is following in her footsteps.
Kattegat
Kattegat
Kattegat was the primary setting for most Vikings, it continues to be a key location in Vikings: Valhalla. In the universe of Vikings, Kattegat is located in southern Norway bounded by the peninsula of Jutland to the west, the islands of the Danish Straits to the south, and the provinces of Västergötland, Scania, Halland and Bohuslän in Sweden to the east. Kattegat is important to the Vikings, it is a center of trade and a gathering place to plan and launch invasion forces, as Canute did in Valhalla.
Due to its location and importance in trade, taking control of Kattegat confers a lot of power, hence the need for Olaf to seize the city in order to gain more control over Norway. At the end of Vikings: Valhalla season 1, Kattegat is taken by Olaf and his army, Sweyn Forkbeard (Søren Pilmark), Canute’s father, arrives with the Danish fleet to recapture him.
Uppsala
Vikings Valhalla Uppsala
Jarl Haakon (Caroline Henderson) sent Freydís to Uppsala to find out her fate, the latter was visibly excited when she arrived there and for good reason, it is in this city that there is a pagan temple in the universe of the Vikings. Fans of the main series immediately recognized the place, already shown in Season 1, when Ragnar and company traveled there to worship the gods and offer a human sacrifice (which was none other than Athelstan, saved because he was still a Christian). Unfortunately, the temple was destroyed by the Christian berserker Jarl Kåre (Asbjorn Krogh Nissen), as well as all priests, priestesses and believers.
The Diviner
The Viking Diviner
As Vikings: Valhalla takes place more than a hundred years after the events of Vikings, surviving characters from the main series don’t appear (not even in visions, at least not yet), but a mysterious character has made a surprise appearance: the Diviner (John Kavanagh), the oracle of Kattegat. The Diviner was one of the most respected people in Kattegat and its most mysterious resident, all about it is unknown, but it is believed to have lived between life and death for over a hundred years. The Diviner was killed by Ivar in season 5, much debated by fans, especially because he was straddling the two worlds, he would not be dead. He returned to Valhalla in a vision caused by a ritual performed on Freydis to learn of his fate, he also later appeared to Jarl Kåre.
Rollo
Rollo Vikings
The story of Rollo (Clive Standen) was left somewhat uncertain in vikings absent from season 6, but thanks to a character from Vikings: Valhalla which is directly related to it, the series can explore what remains of its history: Emma of Normandy. The Queen of England was the daughter of Richard I, who was the son of William I of Normandy, son of Rollo and Poppa of Bayeux, so she is the only direct descendant of a Vikings character in Vikings: Valhalla. She even references her family connection to the Vikings at one point, but her loyalty and focus is on England and how to extend her and Canute’s rule rather than how to maintain a civilized relationship. with the Vikings.
Erik the Red
Erik the Red
One connection to the Vikings in Vikings: Valhalla that causes a lot of confusion among viewers is that between Leif’s father and Freydís, Erik the Red, and the character of the same name in Vikings. The main series featured Erik Thorvaldsson (played by Eric Johnson) in season 6 as an outlaw who saved Björn’s life when King Harald sent men to kill him, he described himself as a former mercenary whose actions led him to become an outlaw. After Björn’s death, Erik became King of Kattegat alongside Queen Ingrid, who performs a ritual to blind him. Ingrid hatched a plan with a slave girl named Nissa to kill Erik, who was therefore stabbed to death, with Ingrid taking the crown. However, given the time lag between Vikings and Vikings: Valhallait is unlikely that this Erik is the same as Leif and Freydís’ father, even though they have similar histories, and it is also implied that their father is still alive.