Vikings: Valhalla is the continuation to Vikings, set in a different era from the Viking Age and focusing on a new generation of characters, and season 1 was full of action, betrayal, and turning points for some of the main characters. Created by Michael Hirst, Vikings premiered on the History Channel in 2013, and even though it was originally planned to be a miniseries, the audience was instantly captivated by the stories of Ragnar, Rollo, Lagertha, Floki, and more. Vikings lived on for a total of six seasons and came to an end in 2020, but that wasn’t the end of the tales from the Viking Age.

Vikings explored the early years of the Viking Age, beginning with the Lindisfarne raid (shown in season 1), and it was initially led by legendary Norse warrior Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel). The series gradually shifted its focus to Ragnar’s sons – Björn, Ivar, Ubbe, Hvitserk, Sigurd, and Ivar – as it progressed, making them the protagonists after Ragnar’s death in season 4 and until the end of the series. Vikings brought the arcs of all its characters to a full end, but there are many other tales, events, and characters to explore from other eras from the Viking Age, and so a sequel series was announced in 2019, titled Vikings: Valhalla.

Related: Do You Need To Watch Vikings To Understand Valhalla?

Set over a century after the events of Vikings, Valhalla follows Leif Erikson (Sam Corlett), Freydís Eiríksdóttir (Frida Gustavsson), and Harald Sigurdsson (Leo Suter), who embark on a journey that takes them across oceans and battlefields, all this with the conflict between Vikings and English royals (Pagans vs Christians) as the backdrop. The events of Valhalla kick off with the St. Brice’s Day massacre, which leads King Canute of Denmark (Bradley Freegard), Harald, and Olaf Haraldsson (Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson) to plan the invasion of England, but their opposing beliefs end up creating more trouble in the long run. The invasion was successful in big part thanks to Leif’s plan, but the young explorer went through a transformation right at the end of season 1.

What Happens To Leif At The End Of Vikings: Valhalla

Leif Erikson in Vikings Valhalla

Leif Erikson arrived at Kattegat with Freydís and company with the purpose of helping her find the man who raped her years ago and left her with a scar in the shape of a cross on her back. Freydís’ mission led him to join Harald, Canute, and Olaf on their journey to England, with the purpose of avenging the Vikings killed at the St. Brice’s Day massacre and taking over England. Although Leif was welcomed by Harald and Canute, Olaf and his people rejected him and didn’t even consider him a Viking, but he earned that title after showing leadership and loyalty by killing enemies. Following his successful plan to bring down the London Bridge, which secured the Vikings’ invasion of England, Leif returned to Kattegat, where he and the rest came across another threat: Jarl Kåre (Asbjørn Krogh), a Christian berserker.

After Kåre destroyed Uppsala and its pagan temples (along with all the pagans in attendance), he was on his way to attack Kattegat. Leif and Liv (Lujza Richter) learned that Olaf had made a deal with Kåre and joined forces to destroy Kattegat, so he returned to warn the rest and prepare for battle. Leif led the Kattegat forces that would defend the area from the attack by the sea, but it was a trap to divide Kattegat’s forces, so he ended up joining the rest in the attack by land. Leif and Liv fought together, but Olaf killed Liv in front of Leif, leading him to stop fighting and taking her to safety. Liv died in Leif’s arms and he stayed by her side until the battle was over, but it all changed when some of Olaf’s men entered the room with women they intended to assault. Leif ordered them to leave, but as they refused, he brutally killed them in front of the women. Vikings: Valhalla season 1 ends with a bloody Leif screaming, awakening the berserker in him.

Leif has not only earned his place as a Viking now but he has also fallen into what he had been avoiding: his father’s legacy. Throughout Vikings: Valhalla, there are mentions of the actions of Erik the Red and the reason why he was banished from Iceland. Leif explained to Liv that there was a darkness in his father that he couldn’t control, and he once saw him brutally beat a man in front of his children. Leif said that this darkness also lives in him, but he had tried to make a name for himself and separate his image from his father’s. Unfortunately, his actions at the end of Vikings: Valhalla season 1 make him more like his father, and he could end up doing something he regrets and brings terrible consequences.

Related: How Valhalla Can Avoid Viking’s Biggest Historical Mistake

Why Freydis Saves Harald In Vikings: Valhalla's Ending

Vikings Valhalla Freydis

Freydís got her revenge against the man who raped her, but as he was one of Olaf’s men, Leif had to pay her “debt” to him by joining the invasion of England. Meanwhile, Freydís stayed in Kattegat with Jarl Haakon (Caroline Henderson), who sent her to Uppsala to find her destiny. Freydis returned to Kattegat after talking to The Seer, who called her “The Last”, and encountering Jarl Kåre, so Haakon decided to train her as a shieldmaiden. Freydís led the defense of Kattegat by land along with the rest of the shieldmaidens and Haakon, but the latter was injured during the battle. Freydís then came face to face with Kåre and fought against him, stabbing him and decapitating him, but not before letting him know that she’s “the cross that carries the sword” as that’s her destiny. Freydís then rejoined the battle, where she found an injured Harald.

Prior to the attack by Kåre and Olaf’s armies, Haakon and company sent spies to learn about their moves, but their horses returned with their corpses. Harald then took on the role of spy and joined his brother, learning about his and Kåre’s plans and subtly letting Leif know that they were planning to attack by sea but without blowing his cover. However, Kåre never trusted him and Olaf knew from the beginning that Harald wasn’t on his side and was instead sent to spy on him, so he gave him the wrong information with the purpose of splitting Kattegat’s forces. Harald rushed to Kattegat to defend it and was injured by one of Olaf’s men, but Freydís found him and saved him. Freydís knew Harald left to spy on Olaf, warned them about their attack, and was tricked by Olaf too in order to take over Kattegat. Ultimately, Harald proved that his loyalty had always been with Kattegat and Freydís, so she took him with her.

Where Are Freydis & Harald Going After Kattegat?

Vikings: Valhalla Leo Suter as Harald Sigurdsson

With Uppsala and Kattegat destroyed, it might seem like Freydís and Harald don’t have anywhere to go, but there are two places they could travel to. First, as Freydís comes from Greenland, she could be taking Harald back to her home and once there build their own army to take Kattegat back. It’s also possible that Freydís and Harald are heading to England to reunite with Canute and ask him for help – that is, unless they saw the incoming Danish fleet, in which case they could go back to Kattegat to meet with Canute’s army.

Emma Of Normandy's Plan & England's Defeat Of Olaf Explained

Vikings Valhalla Emma Forkbeard

Emma of Normandy (Laura Berlin) married Canute and continued to serve as queen of England with both Canute and her stepson Edmund (Louis Davison) as kings. Canute married Emma on the spot as he had to leave to defend Denmark, which was under attack, so he sent his father, Sweyn Forkbeard (Søren Pilmark), to take his role as king of England in his absence. Forkbeard killed the Earl of Wessex and named Godwin (David Oakes) the new Earl – and to further establish his loyalty to Forkbeard and Canute, Godwin killed Edmund and made it look like he had an accident on his horse. However, none of them were counting on queen Ælfgifu (Pollyanna McIntosh), Canute’s wife and queen of Denmark, to arrive and demand her place as queen of England through her marriage.

Related: Vikings: Valhalla Will Give Rollo One Last Victory Over Ragnar

Ælfgifu arrived with a plan, as Olaf visited Denmark to get the Danish fleet and use it to attack Kattegat. She told Forkbeard to get ready to lose Norway as in Canute’s absence the fleet answered to her, and she brought them to England – far enough for Forkbeard to not find them, but close enough to give them the command. If the fleet didn’t hear from Ælfgifu at an exact day and time, they would leave to Kattegat under Olaf’s flag, something that Forkbeard wasn’t going to accept – if Olaf took Norway, the entire north would be threatened, and Olaf was already a traitor.

Emma, then, came up with a plan with Forkbeard that would benefit everyone: she would get rid of Ælfgifu as queen of England, and the control of the Danish fleet would go back to Forkbeard. As part of the plan, Godwin faked being on Ælfgifu's side under the excuse of having his own history with Emma, and Emma was taken back to Normandy as Forkbeard recognized Canute’s marriage to Ælfgifu as the legitimate one, meaning Emma was no longer queen of England. However, Ælfgifu told Forkbeard that that wouldn’t grant him access to the fleet, as it only got him her promise of not helping their foes. The plan continued with Godwin telling Ælfgifu that she should be an ally in Canute’s plan to govern England in order to earn Forkbeard’s trust and convinced her to go to Mercia to get their backup.

Ælfgifu got Mercia’s support and returned to share the news with Forkbeard, but to her surprise, Emma was back on the throne, and Forkbeard (and her children) was gone. Emma explained to her that Forkbeard needed time to find the fleet, and her fake banishment to Normandy as well as Ælfgifu’s travel to Mercia gave him that time. Emma was back as the queen of England and Ælfgifu had no more power there, while Forkbeard took the fleet and sailed to Kattegat to go after Olaf, telling his grandsons that “traitors do not go unpunished”.

What Happens To Olaf In Valhalla & True Story Explained

Vikings Valhalla Olaf Harald

Olaf’s plan was to unite Norway under the “banner of Christ”, and for that he needed to take Kattegat, the real seat of Norway. Olaf knew he couldn’t do it alone, so he joined forces with Kåre – however, it didn’t take long for Olaf to realize Kåre wasn’t mentally stable, as he firmly believed he had The Seer imprisoned in a cage and constantly talked to it, but Olaf saw the cage was empty. Still, Olaf used Kåre and his army so that Kattegat’s forces killed them first and then he and his army could enter. Olaf successfully took over Kattegat, but not for long as Forkbeard and the Danish fleet arrived, and his men knew the wisest thing to do was run away.

Related: Vikings: Valhalla’s Historical Timeline Sets Up A Heartbreaking End

The real Olaf II of Norway reportedly saw uniting Norway into one kingdom as his calling. He returned to Norway in 1015 and declared himself king with the support of the five petty kings of the Norwegian Uplands, and the following year he defeated Earl Sweyn, one of the earls of Lade and de facto ruler of Norway, at the Battle of Nesjar. Olaf’s success was over after he lost the Battle of the Helgea and the Norwegian nobles supported Canute’s invasion of Denmark, and Olaf was then driven to exile in Kievan Rus. When Canute’s Norwegian regent, Jar Haakon Erikson, was lost at sea, Olaf seized the opportunity to try and win back the kingdom, but he was killed in the Battle of Stiklestad.

What Happened To King Canute? Where He Is During Valhalla's Ending

King Canute seen in the trailer for Vikings Valhalla

With the help of Leif Erikson’s plan to destroy the London Bridge and trap the English army, Canute was able to invade England and take the throne, which he shared with King Edmund. While serving as one of the kings of England, Canute was notified of an invasion of Denmark and had to leave to defend his country, but in order to secure his spot on the throne, he married Emma of Normandy before leaving. Canute missed Olaf’s request for the Danish fleet to join the attack on Kattegat as well as Ælfgifu’s arrival at England, as he was fighting a different battle over at Denmark.

How Vikings: Valhalla's Ending Sets Up Season 2

Vikings Valhalla Harald battle

Vikings: Valhalla season 1 is far from the end of the stories of Leif, Freydís, Harald, Olaf, and Canute. Not only is there a lot more history to tell from each character (Leif Erikson, for instance, is believed to be the first European to have set foot on continental North America), but the events of season 1 have marked their futures and some of them won’t be the same in season 2 and beyond. Leif is now considered a Viking among his fellow warriors, but the death of Liv and the destruction of Kattegat have awakened a darker, bloodier, and more destructive side of him that he has tried to avoid, and could lead him to become a berserker, like his father. Freydís now knows what her destiny is about, and she might be the last shieldmaiden after Kattegat’s destruction and the death of Haakon, so she could be on her way to training a new generation of shieldmaidens and even leading her own community as Haakon did.

Harald has a deal with Canute to secure his place as the future king of Norway, more so as he learned Olaf has lied to him and never told him he has a son that would take the throne after his death. The deal stands, and the animosity between Harald and Olaf is only getting started. Canute will have to deal with the consequences of Ælfgifu’s presence in England (and her deal with Mercia), Emma’s own strategies for England (and her possibly becoming queen of Denmark, too), and Forkbeard’s actions in Kattegat, as well as with Olaf himself as he has proven to be a traitor, and he doesn’t take betrayals lightly. As for Olaf, he knows that the arrival of the Danish fleet means his defeat, so it's to be seen how he’s going to pay for his horrific actions.

Related: Vikings: Valhalla - How Each Main Character Is Similar To Ragnar

What Vikings: Valhalla's Ending Really Means

Leif holding a sword to someone in Vikings Valhalla

Vikings: Valhalla keeps the essence of Vikings through its epic battles, twists and turns, betrayals, and alliances, but it also proved to be very different as it has a darker and somewhat more grounded tone than the original series. The themes in Vikings: Valhalla are also more serious than those in Vikings with the whole conflict between pagans and Christians at the core, which at the same time continues the theme of faith that persisted in Vikings. The ending of season 1 of Vikings: Valhalla also shows how much its characters can change in just a couple of episodes: Leif’s darkness has now emerged, Freydís is stronger than ever, Harald now knows where his loyalty is, Canute’s plans of invasion and more have only started, and Olaf will pay for his betrayal and crimes.

The ending of Vikings: Valhalla season 1 set the tone for its future seasons, and while it wasn’t historically accurate all the time, it did build an interesting drama story with complex characters of which none can be considered a full hero, as they all have some demons and shadows to fight and defeat.

Next: Vikings: Valhalla True Story - Every Major Change To Real Life History