Vikings: Valhalla has its own shield-maiden in Freydís Eiríksdóttir, and on the side of the Vikings, she’s the main female character, so how does she compare to the female lead of Vikings, the legendary Lagertha? Created by Michael Hirst, Vikings became one of the most successful historical dramas in recent years, premiering on the History Channel in 2013 and coming to an end in 2020 after six seasons full of battles, betrayals, alliances, and more. However, six seasons don’t cover all the 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 thus follows a new generation of warriors and enemies, some of them related to the main characters from the original series. Valhalla focuses on Leif Erikson (Sam Corlett), Freydís Eiríksdóttir (Frida Gustavsson), and Harald Sigurdsson (Leo Suter) as they go on a journey that takes them across oceans and battlefields, all with the conflict between Vikings and English royals (pagans vs Christians) as the backdrop. The tension between these two sides is the basis for the arc of Freydís, who arrives at Kattegat with Leif and company looking for revenge, leading her to a path of self-discovery.
Freydís was on a personal mission to find the Christian man who raped her years ago and carved a cross into her back. Once in Kattegat, it didn’t take long for her to find him and she got her revenge, but 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 so Freydís’ life would be spared. 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 her destiny (delivered to her by none other than The Seer), and when she returned, she joined Haakon’s shield-maidens, essentially making her the Lagertha of Vikings: Valhalla.
Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick) was a fierce shield-maiden, queen of Kattegat, Ragnar Lothbrok’s (Travis Fimmel) first wife, and mother of Björn Ironside (Alexander Ludwig). Lagertha was known for her bravery and unbreakable code of honor, but she could also be ruthless and fiercely ambitious. Lagertha was very protective of those who couldn’t stand up for themselves, especially children and unarmed women, which also earned her the respect of those around her. Lagertha went through a lot of traumatic experiences throughout Vikings – from physical and mental abuse to being wounded in battle several times – but she always got back on her feet. Freydís shares many of these traits with Lagertha, and in terms of personality, she’s equally strong as Lagertha, though physically she still isn’t quite there yet. Freydís has already shown strong leadership skills, and she wasn’t afraid to kill the man who hurt her many years ago, no matter the consequences, something that resonates with Lagertha’s personality and actions.
When it comes to physical strength, however, Freydís is only getting started. Vikings: Valhalla saw her joining Haakon’s shield-maidens and going through the final test to officially become one. Freydís struggled a bit during that test but didn’t let herself be defeated, very much like she didn’t let Jarl Kåre win and used her remaining strength to stab and decapitate him. Freydís has the potential to be as strong as Lagertha in Vikings: Valhalla or even more, but as her story is only getting started, right now Lagertha stands as the strongest shield-maiden in the Vikings universe.