Far beyond just a hack-and-slash Viking epic, Vinland Saga is, at its core, a story of finding peace in an age where war reigns supreme. Leif Ericson’s tales of a land untouched by the squabbles of man, a Valhalla on Earth, give both Thors and Thorfinn hope for new beginnings after their anti-violence revelations, but also have many asking: is Vinland real in Vinland Saga? We went sailing the seas for the answer so you don’t have to.
The Truth About Vinland, Explained
The idyllic, unspoiled utopia of Vinland described by Leif is very much real, but like anything in life, it comes with its own complications and caveats. Vinland is a treacherous, weeks-long ocean journey away in a land with no established resources, a world away in unexplored territory with dangers of its own.
In his now legendary explorations, Leif happened upon a giant landmass “full of ripe fruit and rippling plains.” Here, he built a cottage for himself and made the discovery that it was not completely unspoiled, but rather the home of the native tribes known as the Lnu. Leif, being the diplomatic traveler that he is, made friends with the inhabitants and returned to Greenland with stories and goods as proof of his expedition.
Vinland itself is what we know today as Canada’s Newfoundland and Labrador, the North-Easternmost province of the country, and the natural first landing point for any traveler setting sail from Greenland, as the real-life Norse explorer Leif Erikson did around the year 1000.
More than just a pipe dream, after reuniting with Leif, the quest for establishing a new life on Vinland becomes Thorfinn and his companion’s driving motivation in the later parts of the manga and opens an entirely new chapter of redemption for the once-fierce warrior as he struggles to come to terms with his violent past and his peaceful future.
That’s the answer to whether Vinland is real or not in Vinland Saga. As Season 2 continues to unfold, be sure to check out more on this anime at the links below.
About the author
