Christianity in Vinland Saga
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Recently I finished the Vinland Saga anime and the following manga chapters. It was spectacular. The characterization of Thorfinn, Askeladd, Canute, Einar, Hild, and multiple other characters was superb. Especially the growth of Thorfinn as a protagonist. The fight choreography was like everything I could have ever wanted out of physical brawls and more. Askeladd is a top tier antagonist (if you could even call him that). It is a phenomenal anime/manga. However, something that I thought was interesting, was the usage of Christianity throughout the show, as well as the references to Biblical stories. As a result, I decided to analyze some of the Christian themes present in the story, mostly in the Prologue Arc. I am an Armenian-raised Christian with Calvinist thoughts. This means that I believe that God sent his son to die on the cross for the potential of salvation for everyone, and uses people for his ultimate plan.
(For more context: http://www.prca.org/pamphlets/pamphlet_41.html)
Throughout this analysis, the Bible will act as a reliable source for comparison as well as giving context to particular scenes in the series; I think it is appropriate considering its usage in the story. If you enjoyed this, please upvote and share with friends and please tell them to donate. This will contain spoilers for the show and manga. I will be assuming that you are all caught up. Let’s begin!
Despite the fictional nature of the show, I feel that historical context should be used to explain Christianity’s role in the series. Vinland Saga takes place during the 11th Century, a time where Barbarians and Spanish Conquistadors brought about dark ages, and Christianity was seen as a light shining through the rough times. In the story, we follow Askeladd and other (mostly) Danish Vikings pillage innocent and defenseless Christian villages and settlements. The Vikings, especially Thorkell in episode 11, see Jesus as inferior. They believe that Thor can easily defeat the God who gave himself up. Why would Thorkell try to power scale gods? To the Vikings, strength on the battlefield is worth more than a selfless and peaceful lifestyle; being on the battlefield gives you food, gold, women as well as guaranteeing a spot in Valhalla when you die. The meek nature of Christians in the series is further established by the introduction of Canute in episode 10 who is seen kneeling before a cross, who a) looks like a girl despite his royal status, b) does not know how to use a weapon during a war c) hides his face all the time and d) are incredibly intimidated by strangers and extremely shy.
The defenseless villages and Canute raise a valid question; why do Christians not learn how to defend themselves from the Vikings? One important answer is given in a verse referenced in the show, Matthew 26:52 where Jesus says “Put your sword back in its place. For all who draw the sword will die by the sword.” He says this in response to his disciple Peter cutting off an ear of a guard who was arresting Jesus, only for Jesus to put it back right where it formerly was, healing it. Even the ten commandments establish the fact that Christians should love their neighbor as seen in Exodus 20: 2-14. However, another important answer is found in Romans 12:19 where it says “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto God’s wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay says the Lord.” As well as in Romans 12:17 where it says “Repay no one evil for evil…. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.”
In short, God will take care of the people who have wronged us (according to his will) as long as we put our trust in him and do not take action. This is yet another idea frowned upon by normal Vikings; it suggests keeping a wounded pride instead of taking action. Surprisingly, the verses are represented in Askeladd and Thorfinn’s relationship. As stated in episode 22 of the anime, Askeladd already knows so much about Thorfinn, meaning that he could never do a thing, despite how much he wants Askeladd dead. This realization, Askeladd’s death (which was an incident completely unrelated to Thorfinn), and the experiences in the Farmland/slave arc lead to Thorfinn understanding that violence is a last resort, and revenge will not get anybody anywhere, an idea seen in the verses from Romans.
More interesting is that while Christians emphasize not fighting, loving, and being saved, the Vikings think that wars and battles are the only way to get to Valhalla, their version of Heaven. To an average Viking, Askeladd, Bjorn, Thors, etc. are probably in Valhalla because they died fighting on a battlefield. However, as seen with the dying thoughts of the soldier in chapter 154, Valhalla is not real. Or perhaps, he wasn’t a true soldier fighting on the right battlefield. This is purely subjective, but a true warrior to me is someone who “fights” to establish peace while remaining true to their convictions and moral standpoints. It is a definition one would assume to be in line with what the Bible teaches as it does not promote violence and maintains a firm moral position, traits associated with Christianity. However, in my opinion, this is an example of correlation, not causation. The assumption would say that Canute (before the events of episode 18) and the Priest Willibald are true warriors when in reality, Canute is not fighting at all, and while the Priest is pursuing the definition of love, he is not doing so for the sake of peace, but merely for his satisfaction. A true warrior doesn’t have to be Christian, as seen through Thorfinn’s development, but Christians do share similar traits.
Despite the Viking’s perception of Christianity, the show mostly paints them as the picture of innocence and peace because of how Canute, the Priest, and Ragnar were not doing anything to directly affect the results of the battles. Even the kind old woman who took in Thorfinn in episode 6 goes as far as to heal his wounds and care for him. But it still must be said that Vinland Saga also shows that good people don’t have to be Christians. Thorfinn (now), Leif, Bug-eyes, and Gudrid are not Christians and they do not currently fight, but yet they still are compassionate and work hard to establish peace. Christians also are not seen as a perfect group of individuals as seen with Anne in episode 14 who stole a ring as well as the Priest who drinks alcohol all the time. Stealing runs counter to the ten commandments as seen in Exodus 20:2-14 and excessive drinking is seen as bad behavior as seen in Proverbs 23:30-35. However, the Priest still displays a major pillar of Christianity and that is the pursuit of love. The foundation of Christianity (the death and resurrection of Christ) is an act of love. John 3:16, says “For God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” However, there are smaller details I would like to cover before diving into love.
The Bible verses in episode 14 of the anime are referencing Lamentations 5:20 (“Why do you always forget us? Why do you forsake us so long?”) and 22 (“unless you have utterly rejected us and are angry with us beyond measure”) respectively. In this book, the author, most likely Jeremiah, wrote it because he witnessed the devastation of his homeland of Jerusalem and wrote a poem to express the nation’s grief. The book details themes of despair, yet hope and repentance and renewal. The situation can be seen as a parallel to the going-on in episode 14 as Anne’s homeland is destroyed and Anne is solely left to lament her losses.
Jeremiah (and Anne most likely) poses this question: why did God send the calamity of the Babylonians and Vikings respectively? The answer is described in the Bible as God using it to discipline the people. Whenever people sinned, God wreaked havoc by raining catastrophe on them. In verse 22, Jeremiah believes God to have forsaken them and all of their people, but the thing is, that God used their grief to not only discipline them but also to bring them to repentance in order for them to be forgiven. The best example I can give you is a parent punishing you for doing something wrong, and then you feel hurt. The emotions go on to make you aware that you did something wrong, so finally, you ask for forgiveness. God uses pain as a tool to help us be more like Christ because we understand what goes against his will after the punishment.
Romans 3:23 says that “for all humans have sinned and fallen short of the glory of the Lord.” Even though the anime only shows us Anne’s sin of stealing the ring, God sees everything, and even just one sin is worthy of damnation that leads to Hell according to the Bible. However, to get a bit preachy, the beauty of God is that for every dark side, there is an equal light to balance everything. Despite our sinful nature and our immediate condemnation to Hell, God offers us his grace and allows us to turn our sins from scarlet red to white as snow as seen in Isaiah 1:18. Anne, Jeremiah, and all of Jerusalem can repent. While they might be suffering in the normal world, instead of spending an eternity in undesirably painful and personal punishment (Luke 16: 19-31), God offers to save us from that and to be in paradise. I believe that this is represented via the vision that Anne has when she is looking at the sky.
The other references are the Lord’s prayer in episode 14 which is found in Matthew 6:9-13 where Jesus is teaching his disciples how to pray properly, and in opening 2 Dark Crow---- MAN WITH A MISSION where Askeladd is portrayed with a snake around the 36-second mark, only for 23 seconds later a fruit to appear and subsequently be eaten. This is an allusion to Genesis chapter 3 where the Devil takes the form of a snake and convinces Adam and Eve to eat from the fruit of the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, which is how sin entered the world. There Adam and Eve exchanged the paradise they had for wisdom. Also, to go on a tangent, in verse 15 of the chapter, God says that Eve and her offspring will be the force that crushes the head of the snake, establishing that it is humans versus the Devil rather than the popular idea that it is God versus the Devil.
The real meat and potatoes of this analysis are centered around episode 18 where Canute undergoes his transformation, becoming a “true king.” To summarize, the Priest believes that love for humans is death because in death everyone does what they are supposed to do regardless of who they benefit. The Priest would describe any parent-son relationship, husband-wife relationship, etc. as discrimination because those people only “love” others because of the time they spent together. Canute, after finding himself agreeing with the Priest’s philosophies, rejects God, questioning the purpose of human beings whether we are only here to be tested and endure for the sake of an impossible goal and decides to make his paradise on Earth. Canute is completely justified in the fact that God tells us to love everyone. John 13: 34-35 says “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this, all will know that you are My disciples if you have love for one another.” Also in 1 Peter 4:8 and Colossians 3:14 it says “Above all (other commandments) love each other.” Even the Fruits of the Spirit begin with love as seen in Galatians 5:22-23.
However, most things about both of their philosophies are wrong. To begin, the Priest’s view of love is saddening as it says that humans when they are alive, are meaningless and run contrary to God’s plan and should be dead. The Priest says this is due to that fact we traded the love we had for wisdom in Genesis chapter 3. The Priest also says that things like the snow and sky are the embodiment of love which makes no sense as these things can not convey emotions. But those, to be honest, are not my main issue.
The fact is that the Priest only assumes that there can be either discrimination or love. This line of thinking would make sense, in the Bible you go to Heaven or Hell, you are saved or not saved; his boolean thinking would make sense normally. However, as we are currently available to more resources, we can understand that the Bible talks about four different types of love in the original Greek. Storge, Philos/Philia, Eros, and Agape.
Storge is the affectionate, natural bond between families, a parent, and child, brother and sister; an example in the Bible is the love between sisters Martha, Mary, and their brother Lazarus. (Romans 12:10, Matthew 12:50)
Philos is the love between friends, homies. An example is David and Jonathan who, through faith in God drove them to a deep friendship. (Proverbs 17:17, John 13:35)
The next is eros which is a physical, romantic love that is often between loves as seen in Song of Songs 1: 2-4. According to the Priest, these loves are discrimination. However, the same source the Priest is basing his thinking on, disproves him.
Even in Vinland Saga, you can see love. Thors and Thorfinn being a prime example of Stroge. Thorfinn and Einar being an example of Philos. Thorfinn and Gudrid being an example of eros. There are different levels of love that the Priest does not understand, leading to Canute having a wrong perception of what love is. However, the Priest accurately described Agape love which is selfless, and unconditional. This is the love that God wants us to pursue. The greatest example being God sacrificing Jesus on the Cross for everyone, regardless of who you are. Jeremiah 31:3 says “The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” ”
Humans can never reach that love. It means loving the absolute worst scum of humanity despite what they did, their transgressions, and truly wanting to do whatever they need, without complaints. We gave up the ability to do so when Adam and Eve traded love for wisdom by taking part of the fruit. Coming to that realization pushed Canute to forsake God for forcing us through seemingly endless trials to achieve a goal out of our grasp. However, God understands that we can never reach that goal. We are made flawed due to the sin in the world. Despite this, he expects us to try our best and still rewards us with the potential to achieve the other three loves despite the fact we gave up our rights for love and deserve none. At the end of the day, when we invite God into our hearts, we are still able to achieve that paradise that we lost after we die. In that sense, the Priest was right. We can only achieve that love after death, but it is wrong to assume that humans can never love. Since agape love is unconditional, we can assume that the other loves are indeed conditional. Yes, that does mean discrimination, but it is still love.
I asked some of my friends what love was to them and they told me that love is a willingness to do anything for a person and to be able to show the whole world that they are proud to be with them. No one can have the agape love to walk up to a stranger, and truly express the love they have for them because it just is not possible. Canute is furious that he is not able to reach the status of Godly love through his merit, despite him having the gift of Storge love. God instead makes us rely on him to fill in the gap of what we are missing, allowing us to love. We gave up love. It is through God’s grace that we can somehow still have that love on any level. Jonathan and David in the book of Samuel had their relationship grow due to their faith in God, 1 Samuel 18:3 says that they established a covenant with each other. Canute’s idea of a paradise is one where he makes up his limitations of what humans can or can not do. One where he can rely on his own kingly power instead of relying on God. There is an interesting parallel between how Canute gave up his light-hearted, compassionate self for the sake of amassing charisma and power to Genesis 3 due to the temptation of wanting true control, a new God of the world. However, in the real world, that work would be futile, because someone already did it better on the Cross.
I believe Yukimura meant for the reader to understand that Canute is wrong, because his real-life inspiration, King Cnut, was a ruler of an expansive empire that supported the church. Also, his ideas of conquering and gaining power to establish a paradise serve as a foil to Thorfinn, the protagonist suggesting that his ideals are wrong. One of the greatest indicators of this is the eyes of these two people. While Thorfinn has light and kind eyes, Canute has tough and power-hungry eyes. However, the real way to understand the message of Vinland Saga is to see whose paradise succeeds, Thorfinn’s or Canute’s. While Thorfinn disagrees with Canute in terms of ideals, Thorfinn is not a Christian, so it is hard to compare the two characters in that regard.
While I am a Christian, I also think you do not need to be a Christian to love someone. The grace of God reaches everyone. What is important is to understand the love of God, how encompassing Agape love is, and how much he sacrificed for everyone to get back what they gave up. If you are at all interested in God, please read John. If you aren’t interested in God but still would like to hear valuable life lessons, read Proverbs. I have not been on a battlefield, but I still believe, like the wrath of God punishing co-existing with the grace of God saving, that there is a light always present.
In an “Ask Yukimura” section (chapter 71), Yukimura answered his thoughts about religion as a whole as well as its relevance in terms of Vinland Saga. To me, the answer to all of those questions since 1000 years ago is found in God, but it is different for everyone. Thank you for reading this far. I’ll do my best to strike up a conversation if you have questions, and I understand my thinking is not logical for everyone. Please donate to Speed the Light, they truly help. If you would like to see videos, check this:
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