This article — is Vikings: Valhalla season 1 based on true events– contains spoilers regarding the Netflix series.
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With any series or movie that is based on past eras, the question will always be asked as to whether it’s based on true events. This is more true than ever with Vikings: Valhalla. With the series taking place 100 years after the original Vikings series, it has a clear timeline that it borrows its story and characters from. But is everything that we watch based on actual events from the Viking age?
Is Vikings: Valhalla season 1 based on true events?
Well, the answer is yes and no. For fans of the original Viking series, you’ll be well aware of the complexity of the question. And similarly, to the original series, Vikings: Valhalla takes several real historical figures from the Viking Age and uses them in the narrative of the show. Such characters that are based on real people include; Leif Eriksson, Freydis Eriksdotter, and Harald Sigurdsson. But rather than staying to the bone with facts, Vikings: Vahalla adapts on the historical figures. And, instead, creates new stories to be used in the plot of the series.
Vikings: Valhalla uses a sense of freedom to tell the stories of the Viking Age, and allow more exploration in terms of narrative and character development. An interesting fact is that one of the leading cast members, Jarl Haakan, is a fictional character; as is the location of Kattegat. Part of the creation of this character could come from the recent discovery that Vikings likely traveled around the world. Therefore, this means that their appearance could be diverse, and not always like the associated blonde hair image that Vikings uphold.
As previously stated, there’s a lot of truth in what Vikings: Valhalla is showing us on the screen. However, take it all with a pinch of salt. The purpose of the show is the entertain the audience, not to provide the audience with facts that are 100% correct.
