Vinland Saga (ヴィンランド・サガ)

NORTHERN ENGLAND EARLDOM OF NORTHUMBRIA VIKINGS' BASE

It was a Saturday.

Vikings bathe on Saturdays.

The English knew about this custom.

Enemy attack.

Burn them all.

Don't spare the women or children.

Kill them all. Those are the king's orders.

SWORD

Hang in there. This is it.

Yeah.

I killed Snorre.

Damn.

All right. Spear troops, advance.

Charge.

The battlefield went that way.

Why do I always get killed so fast?

Dead men aren't supposed to talk, Thorfinn.

You're always the first one to die, Faxi.

Yeah.

In Valhalla, in heaven, you get to eat meat every day.

You can't enter Valhalla unless you're a strong warrior.

I see.

I wonder if my mother and my sister will get into Valhalla.

Did they kill you, Thorfinn?

If you die in the snow, you'll catch a cold.

You're leaving tomorrow?

You're so lucky. Where are you going this time?

To Norway. I'm not going there for fun.

I'm going to trade goods.

I take wool and fur, and trade it for wine.

Then I'm going too.

No. What do you mean, "then"? Don't say it so casually.

What? You're so stingy.

I don't care if you end up hitting an ice floe.

I want to get some wine before the end of the year.

I'm going to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ

with the people of my home country with some wine.

My father likes mead.

Ask him for some.

It has to be wine.

I thought there'd be some wine in this village, though.

Thorfinn.

Can you pass on a message to your father for me?

What?

A warship has come.

How's this, master?

The leak's been fixed this time.

Try putting some water in it.

This is difficult.

You put too much strength into it, Thors.

Father.

Father.

I'm over here, Thorfinn.

Father.

Another warship came. It's huge.

They asked for Thors the Troll. They've been waiting there ever since.

Thors? Are they talking about Thors?

Troll?

They're no amateurs.

They're not like Halfdan's thugs.

Oh, Thors.

Are they planning to invade this village?

Jomsvikings.

I'm right here.

They're bowing to Thors.

I never imagined you'd come this far looking for me.

Floki.

We haven't seen each other since the Norway campaign, Thors.

I never imagined you'd be hiding here, at the end of the earth.

Tell me your business, Floki.

Well, then. First give us your permission to land.

Who is Thors?

I heard he used to work on the battlefield when he was young.

They'll hear you, Ari.

He doesn't talk about himself much.

Let me see.

He said "Jomsvikings," right?

Know anything about them?

Not really...

Father is angry.

They made a surprise attack while they were bathing.

Many Danes were killed by English troops in Danelaw.

Gunhilde,

the sister of Sweyn,

the King of Denmark, was one of the victims.

Revenge for his sister.

King Sweyn has a good excuse now.

A big war is about to begin.

It's time for us warriors to shine.

-War? -Quiet.

The Jomsvikings will join the army of Denmark.

Our invasion of England will begin this coming spring.

Do what you will.

This is a small village at the northern edge of the world.

Whatever these big countries on the other side of the North Sea decide, it's none of my business.

That will not do.

Our leader Sigvaldi ordered me to gather the entire fleet at Jomsborg.

No exceptions.

Do you understand?

Even if that man deserted the army.

Deserted?

Captain of the Jomsvikings.

Thors the Troll.

This is a war...

in which you too will fight.

Thors.

Our leader is doing this out of his own goodwill.

After going missing 15 years ago,

you have a chance to return to the battlefield with honor.

Our leader is willing to overlook everything.

That's how much our leader wants you.

You didn't have to come on a warship just to tell me that.

The villagers are afraid.

You've changed a lot, Thors.

Or did this village change you?

-Run away. -Run away.

He's scary.

This is a nice village.

I can tell from the children.

They've lived a life free from war, until today.

Hear that? There's going to be a war.

-Wow. -This is my first war.

He came all the way across the ocean to invite Thors.

Your father is amazing.

But I wonder if he'd take us with him.

You have no chance. You're weak.

-What are you talking about? -You're no good unless you're strong.

Well, I got that covered.

You've never killed anyone, right?

It all depends on whether you've had that experience or not.

Sorry.

I'm not just...

a powerless messenger, you know.

If you're saying you're not going to fight in the war,

I can't carry out my master's orders, and our leader's reputation would be damaged.

I can't go back empty-handed in a situation like that.

You understand, don't you?

The Jomsvikings.

They're an army with a base in Jomsborg,

a port town in Wendland.

I never imagined

that Thors used to be a Jomsviking.

Are they strong?

They're strong.

They're so strong

that the King of Wendland was unable to collect taxes from them.

They take pride in being the strongest army in the Northern Sea.

Withdraw. All troops, return to the ship.

Withdraw.

What was that just now? That was weird.

You've been saved, Ari.

Listen, villagers.

I'm Floki of the Jomsvikings.

At the orders of my master,

I have come to this land

to ask the hero Thors Snorresson to join our forces.

Hero?

Our leader has requested

that Thors be provided with one warship.

If you have what it takes,

join Thors and come with us to Jomsborg.