Canute

In Vinland Saga Canute is introduced as a sheltered quiet prince with no experiance of war but finds himself at the middle of the Danish invasion of England.
Historically, Cnut came to be king of not just Denmark but England and Norway too. As king he was known as Cnut the Great for his leadership and stregnth.

Sweyn Forkbeard

While not a main character of the story, Sweyn in Vinland Saga acts in much the same way his historical counterpart, Sweyn Forkbeard did, setting into motion many of the events of the first part of the story.
After the massacre of Danes in England, known as the St Brice’s Day Massacre, he started the second viking invasion of England.

Leif Erikson

In Vinland Saga, Leif Erikson is a family friend of the main character, Thorfinn.
He is introduced in the anime, regaling the children of Thorfinn's small Icelandic village with the tale of his discovery of a new land which he calls Vinland.
This discovery is credited to the real Leif Erikson, a Norse explorer from Greenland who found the land on a voyage from Norway to Greenland.
However, while this is the popular belief, some sources suggest that the discovery was actually made by Thorfinn Karlsefni, who Thorfinn is named after (although this is where the connection ends).

Thorkell

Thorkell is a characters who was born for warfare and lives for the thrill of battle. He is a warlord with an extremely large build and inhuman strength. And being so hungry to continue the fight, he defects to the enemy's side. Thorkell the Tall was a real person with a several legendary stories associated with him. This is partly because of his affiliation and involvement with the Jomsvikings.
He also played a role in Cnut’s conquering of England, particularly in the Battle of Assandun.

The Jomsvikings

In Vinland Saga, the Jomsvikings are military organizations of viking warriors. They are hired by the Danish king during the invasion of England. They stand as the symbol of warrior perfection, of vikings on their way to Valhalla.
In reality, the Jomsvikings were a semi-legendary group with tales of their battles described in manuscripts containing the Icelandic Saga of the Jomsvikings.
Most notable for this project is the Battle of Hjörungavágr, which is depicted in Vinland Saga.

The Valkyrie

While the Valkyrie are not direct characters of Vinland Saga, they do hold a key role in the beliefs of the vikings. In this belief, the Valkyrie carry the fallen soldiers to the hall of Valhalla where they can fight for eternity alongside Odin. This idea is explored in the story as characters speak of the glory and honour of dying in battle, juxtaposed with the spread of christianity in England and Denmark at the time.

Vinland Saga Manga

Bibliographic Record

The original work of Vinland Saga, written and drawn by Makoto Yukimura.
It began serialisation in 2005 in the seinen comic magazine Gekkan Afutanūn (Monthly Afternoon).
Vinland Saga won the Grand Prize in the Manga Division at the 13th Japan Media Arts Festival in 2009.
It also won the 36th Kodansha Manga Award in the General category in 2012, which mangaka Makoto Yukimura accepted in full viking gear (MAL).

Vinland Saga Anime

Bibliographic Record

The animated adaptation of the manga, which began airing in the summer of 2019.
The latest season aired in the summer of 2023.
The anime was very well received and critically acclaimed, thanks in part to the art and animation by the animators at studio Wit and studio MAPPA.

Coin of Cnut the Great

Coin

A commemorative or historical coin associated with King Cnut the Great, a powerful ruler of the early 11th century who reigned over England, Denmark, and Norway.
This numismatic artifact serves as tangible evidence of Cnut’s influence and the integration of Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian cultures.

Flateyjarbók

Manuscript Codex Digital Facsmile

A codex of medieval Icelandic manuscripts containing several sagas relating to Norse history. This item was chosen in particular because of its inclusion of sagas which directly relate to the discovery of vinland, namely, the Saga of Erik the Red and the Saga of the Greenlanders. It also includes the Saga of the Jomsvikings which relates to the semi-legendary viking group and to Thorkell the Tall.

The Finding of Wineland the Good

Translated Edition Digital Facsmile

An English translated edition which aims to piece together a complete story of the discovery of Vineland through a collation of various medieval Icelandic manuscripts.
The editor, Author Middleton Reeves, includes notes and explanation of all the manuscript sources, highlighting the similarities and contradictions among them, particularly about who really discovered Vinland.
However, for the purposes of this project, the section of text used is the one which upholds that Leiv Eirikkson made the discovery.

Leiv Eiriksson discovering America

Painting

A painting by the Norwegian painter, Christian Krohg, depicting the discovery of America (Vinland) by the Norse explorer Leiv Eirikkson.
In the painting Leiv and his crew look out across to the sea to a small patch of green land to the left of the horizon.
This scene adds to the common belief that it was Leiv who made the famous first discovery of America, although there are some sources which contradict this.

Ride of the Valkyrie

Orchestral Performance - Recording

The Ride of the Valkyries is the prelude to the first scene of the last act of Die Walküre, the second of the four epic music dramas that constitute the operatic cycle The Ring of the Nibelung composed by Richard Wagner in the 19th century.
This recording features a performance given by the American Symphony Orchestra in 1921.

The hailstorm during the Battle of Hjǫrungavágr

Illustration

An illustration by Halfdan Egedius, created for the 1899 edition of Olav Trygvasons saga by Snorre which depicts the legendary Battle of Hjörungavágr.
The scene captures the fierce clash between the Jarls of Lade and the formidable Jomsvikings, set against the backdrop of Haakon Sigurdsson’s fight to secure control over Norway.

The Poetic Edda

Translated Edition

A collection of Old Norse poems preserved mainly in the 13th century manuscript Codex Regius and translated by Henry Adams Bellow, including mythological and heroic narratives central to Norse tradition.

Vinland Saga Opening 1

Video

The first opening theme of the anime Vinland Saga, performed by the Japanese band Survive Said The Prophet.
While not technically a cultural heritage object, we chose this to diversify and enrich the Japanese media part our ontology — proving, too, that anything can be described or connected.