After the fall of Rome and during the Dark Ages, the world was a brutal and violent place, where the strong survived and preyed on the weak. Violence was common and there were battles a-plenty. Netflix’s Vikings: Valhalla focuses on Northern Europe at the arrival of the 10th century, a time of great political and religious turmoil.
To survive and thrive in these times, you needed to be a strong and capable fighter, not just with a sword and shield, but with your mind. This is especially true in the higher layers of society, where the political battlefield could be just as dangerous as a real one. Following an explosive first season, here are the 10 strongest fighters of Vikings: Valhalla.
8 Emma
While not displaying much martial ability, Emma is a staunch fighter nonetheless, following in Vikings’ long tradition of formidable female figures. Foregoing a sword or an axe, Emma fights with words and clever maneuvers on the political battlefield.
Emma is ferocious in her determination to fight all those who would seek to take the throne she believes is rightly hers. Not one to be swept along by the buffeting currents of fate, Emma shapes her own destiny, using alliances with those with power to fight for what is hers.
7 Godwin
As his schooling of King Edmund showed, Godwin is a keen and intelligent fighter, although less willing to flaunt it than his Viking counterparts. Not many could survive such a fall from grace as his family experienced and drag themselves out of the shadows of their father’s shame.
The fact that Godwin does this and reclaim’s his family’s position and fortune, proves his mettle as a fighter, unwavering in his commitment to achieving his goals. To this end, his intelligence and ruthlessness are strong allies to his sword and shield.
6 Olaf
Fuelled by his fierce faith in Christianity, Olaf is a brutal and ferocious warrior, leaving many enemies in his wake on the battlefield. He has a raw strength not many can match, coupled with a cunning intelligence and understanding of battlefield and military strategy, which almost led him to conquer the city of Kattegat, once Ragnar Lodbrok’s seat of power.
Olaf is a determined fighter, driven not only by his faith, but his ambitions to the throne of Norway, yet he is undermined by his jealousy, which he sometimes permits to govern his actions
5 Haakon
It takes a brave and fearsome person to remain openly faithful to the Old Gods in the face of the oncoming wave of Christianity. Luckily for Haakon, she is undeniably both of those things. A powerful figure, she shows her strength time and again as a leader and as a warrior.
She does not shrink from any challenge nor allow injustice to go unpunished in her realm. This strength of resolve and her battle against injustice in an unjust world earns her the respect of those she governs and stokes the hatred of those who would put her down.
4 Harald
As the representation of the legendary historical figure Harald Hadrada, Harald is one of the best fighters in this series. He excels in hand-to-hand combat and harnesses the rage and battle-madness of the berserker, sometimes fighting with only a wolf skin as protection.
He couples this fighting skill with a code of honor and with repeated feats of bravery. The most notable of these was the bringing down of London Bridge side by side with Leif Erickson. Not many would dare to attempt that challenge, let alone accomplish it.
3
Canute
Canute is a formidable all-around warrior and is based on a real historical figure. Not only does he dominate a battlefield with his martial prowess, but with his keen intelligence and knowledge of military strategy. His fighting qualities are not only limited to the battlefield, but they extend to the political arena allowing him to navigate the murky and dangerous waters of political intrigue and struggles for power.
Canute believes it is his destiny to rule England, giving him determination and resolve to succeed unmatched among his enemies and allies. This determination, intelligence and fighting ability are a potent combination which sees him through to the conquest of all of England and taking his place as its monarch.
2 Freydis
Greenland breeds them tough, and there is almost no better testament to this than Freydis. She is a nearly unparalleled warrior throughout this series and is not one to shy away from a challenge or a fight.
Those who stand against Freydis quickly fall to her skill and ferocity, and those male warriors who think themselves her betters because she is a woman, quickly learn the painful error of their ways. Freydis is truly a force to be reckoned with.
1 Leif Erickson
Leif Erickson crowns this list as Viking: Valhalla’s strongest fighter. Yet more proof of the toughness of Greenlanders, Leif shows his mettle as a warrior from the word ‘go’. Son of the legendary berserker, Erick the Red, Leif combines a berserker's rage and savagery with skill and intelligence: a deadly combination.
Leif takes on all comers, whether that be an army or an entire bridge, he takes down what stands against him. Engaging in unparalleled feats of martial ability and bravery, Leif is, without a doubt, the greatest warrior of the series.