The first season of Vikings: Valhalla saw Freydís learning about her destiny through a pagan ritual and a visit from The Seer, who called her “The Last” – but what does that mean? One of the most popular historical dramas in recent years is Vikings, created by Michael Hirst, which premiered on the History Channel in 2013. Vikings came to an end in 2020 after six seasons full of betrayals, alliances, and exciting battles, but six seasons weren’t enough to tell the most exciting stories from the Viking Age, and so a sequel series was announced in 2019.
Titled Vikings: Valhalla, the series is set over a century after the events of Vikings and as such it follows a new generation of warriors and enemies. 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, from Kattegat to England and beyond, all this with the conflict between Vikings and English royals (pagans vs. Christians) as the backdrop. The tension between pagans and Christians was at the core of Valhalla, and the character through which this is best exemplified is Freydís.
Freydís arrived at Kattegat with her brother Leif and company looking for revenge on the man (a Christian) who raped her years ago and left her with a scar in the shape of a cross on her back. Freydís found and killed the man responsible, but in order to save her life as he was one of Olaf Haraldsson’s (Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson) men, Leif had to join Harald, Olaf, and Canute’s (Bradley Freegard) journey to attack England. Freydís stayed in Kattegat with Jarl Haakon (Caroline Henderson), who sent her to the pagan temple in Uppsala to learn more about the gods and find her destiny. Through a ritual, Freydís met The Seer (John Kavanagh), who told her she was “The Last”, a prophecy that also resonated with Christian berserker Jarl Kåre (Asbjørn Krogh Nissen), who went after her and destroyed Uppsala and attacked Kattegat.
By the time Kåre attacked Kattegat, Freydís was already a shieldmaiden, and she fought to defend Kattegat. Haakon was killed during the battle and reminded Freydís that she’s "The Last". By the end of Vikings: Valhalla, Freydís left Kattegat with Harald, and she could be the only surviving shieldmaiden. However, the prophecy might also refer to her beliefs, as most (if not all) of the residents of Kattegat have been killed or captured by Olaf’s forces, and with a number of pagans killed during the burning of Uppsala, Freydís could be the last pagan standing in the area. Now, although Leif is also a pagan, he started going through a crisis of belief in the first season of Vikings: Valhalla after a girl left a cross in his hands when she thought he was dying. Leif still carries the cross, and even gave it to Liv so she would recover faster.
With Kattegat now taken over by the Danes, as Sweyn Forkbeard (Søren Pilmark) arrived at the end of Vikings: Valhalla season 1, and Freydís leaving with an injured Harald, her story has just begun, as it’s to be seen where she will go, what she will do next (especially if she will take revenge against Olaf), and how she will carry on with the prophecy of being “The Last” – whether the last shieldmaiden, the last pagan, or something else.