Warning: SPOILERS for Vikings: Valhalla season 1
With Vikings: Valhalla comes a plethora of questions regarding its historical sensitivity, like how accurately Freydis’ (Frida Gustavsson) story is portrayed in the long-awaited Vikings spin-off. The show finds itself centered around the fallout from the St. Brice’s Day Massacre in which King Æthelred the Unready (Bosco Hogan) ordered the deaths of all the Danes in England on November 13, 1002. A year later, Canute (Bradley Freegard), the King of Denmark, brings together the Vikings in order to invade England in an act of revenge. While the invasion is one of the primary storylines of Valhalla, Freydis Eriksdottir begins her tenure on the show with a personal mission of revenge. Given that Valhalla has taken some creative liberties with its storytelling regarding other matters during this timeframe, it’s time to pull apart the fact from the fiction when it comes to Freydis, one of the show’s most fascinating characters.
Vikings: Valhalla features many strong female characters and one of those is one based on the real-life Freydis Eriksdottir. After Freydis exacts revenge against the Christian Viking who raped her and carved a cross into her back, Jarl Haakon (Caroline Henderson) orders Freydis’ brother, Leif, to fight for Canute in his invasion of England in order to pay off the ransom placed upon Freydis for what she did. Meanwhile, Freydis’ story plays out on Kattegat, revealing more about who she is and what she is capable of. She is the sister of Leif, the daughter of Erik the Red, and a competent shield-maiden who can take care of herself. Yet like much of Valhalla’s loose historical accuracy, there are some important details left out about Freydis.
The real-life Freydis is mentioned in the two Vinland sagas written during the medieval time period: the Saga of the Greenlanders and the Saga of Erik the Red. Freydis really was the daughter of Erik the Red, but there is some conflicting information regarding whether she was Leif’s full sister or half-sister. Freydis is not called a shield-maiden in either of the Vinland sagas, but she fits the bill pretty well and is often referred to as one today. Valhalla leaves out quite a bit of who Freydis really was most likely in an effort to better have her fit within the already somewhat fictionalized storyline.
Was The Real Freydis Leif's Sister & Erik The Red's Daughter?
By including Erik the Red in Vikings season 6, Valhalla’s character list was set up to include his kids, Freydis and Leif. Nordic last names consist of the father’s first name with a suffix of either “-son” for a male descendant, or “-dóttir” for a female descendant. In the Saga of the Greenlanders, Freydis was said to be the full sister of Leif, but in the Saga of Erik the Red, she is his half-sister. Regardless, it is at least agreed upon that she is the daughter of Erik either way, but how much blood she shares with Leif is up for debate given the conflicting information in the two sagas. Erik the Red only had one known partner, Þjódhild Jorundsdóttir, but it is possible that Freydis was the result of an affair Erik may have had with another woman. Still, her relation to Erik the Red and Leif Eriksson is certain.
Was Valhalla's Freydis Really A Viking Shield-Maiden?
Shield-maidens, female Viking warriors, are surrounded by their own mythology. While some historians believe women fought alongside men during this time, others have said that there isn’t enough evidence to suggest that this is true. Freydis has never exactly been specifically labeled as a shield-maiden in any of the sagas, but her actions in those sagas hint that she was certainly capable of holding her own. In the Saga of the Greenlanders, she murders five women when her husband refuses to do the deed. In the Saga of Erik the Red, a pregnant Freydis takes up the sword of a fallen Viking and drives off the Vinland natives by fiercely pounding the sword against her breast in a display of strength. By all accounts, she was fearless, and just as enthralled with adventure and glory as any male Viking of her time.
Freydis' True Story: What Vikings Valhalla Leaves Out
Vikings: Valhalla’s Leif Eriksson is almost unrecognizable compared to his real-life self and sadly, the same is somewhat true for his sister Freydis. The daughter of Erik the Red was a force to be reckoned with according to the sagas she is mentioned in, but those tales are notably left out of the show. According to the Saga of the Greenlanders, Freydis traveled to Vinland with two men, Helgi and Finnbogi, with whom she had made a deal to share whatever wealth was acquired from the journey. After the three ran into several disagreements, Freydis told her husband, a man who is not included in Vikings: Valhalla’s characters at all, that the two men had beaten her and that he should kill them on her behalf, and so he did. But when he refused to kill the women in the camp, she took up an ax and did it herself. Because of her actions, and her unorthodox lifestyle, she had a rather tumultuous relationship with her brother, Leif, which is not the case in Valhalla.
The Saga of Erik the Red depicts Freydis as having come to Vinland on an expedition, only to be attacked by a group of natives. The other Vikings begin to flee, but Freydis holds her ground, driving back the natives even while eight months pregnant. Vikings: Valhalla’s timeline doesn’t appear to cover this story in any way, either. Instead, Freydis’ journey in the show is sparked by a sexual assault she endured by a Christian Viking. Given the ruthless nature of many Vikings during this time to those they considered outsiders, it is not out of the question that this could have happened to Freydis, but it is not something that was included in any of the sagas she is mentioned in.
Why Vikings: Valhalla Changes Freydis' True Story So Much
The creators of Vikings: Valhalla and its predecessor, Vikings, have never billed the shows as being particularly historically accurate. In numerous ways, it jumbles the real-life events to better fit the show's storylines, rather than staying true to what is known about this time. Freydis’ path largely examines Valhalla’s struggle between Christianity and Norse pagan beliefs, a struggle that is constantly brought up throughout the show, and her character serves as a way to further explore this. Even though there are two sagas that mention Freydis, they are in conflict with one another, so it is hard to say just how much of her true story was changed and why in the first place, considering it’s a little unclear what exactly her historical backstory even entailed. As is often the case with history that was not recorded all that precisely, the creators have crafted their own narrative for her character. It's one that allows her to not only have an agreeable relationship with her brother, but that also allows her to pursue a love interest, Harald Siggurdsson, supposed future King of Norway, which of course adds a juicy, albeit fictional, layer to the story.
Though Valhalla has utilized its creative license to the fullest, they do depict Freydis as a strong woman, just in a very different way from the stories told in the sagas. Her character serves the story well and she plays a significant role throughout. Freydis’ true story may never fully be revealed in modern times, but Vikings: Valhalla does honor the sagas’ depiction of her unwavering determination.