Thorkell

Thorkell is cheerful, loud, impulsive, and almost pathologically enthusiastic about battle. He seeks powerful opponents not because he hates them but because fighting someone dangerous is one of the few things that makes him feel fully alive.

Despite his bloodlust, Thorkell is not generally interested in slaughtering helpless civilians. His ideal opponent is armed, strong, and capable of killing him. He respects courage and will sometimes give an unarmed enemy a weapon rather than deny them what he considers an honorable fight.

Thorkell can appear simple-minded because of his fixation on combat, yet he possesses sharp battlefield intuition and occasionally remarkable insight into other warriors. He understands that Thors reached a conception of strength that he himself never fully grasped.

Thorkell possesses extraordinary strength even by Vinland Saga's exaggerated standards. He can throw massive logs and boulders, send grown men flying with his bare hands, break structures through brute force, and hurl spears across extraordinary distances with lethal power.

His preferred weapons are two enormous poleaxes, each large enough that an ordinary fighter would normally wield one with both hands. Thorkell swings them one-handed with enough speed and precision to cut through armored opponents and heavy obstacles.

His endurance is equally exceptional. Serious wounds barely slow him, and he treats injuries that would incapacitate most men as little more than inconveniences.

Thorkell is also surprisingly fast for his size. Thorfinn's agility gives him a means of evading some attacks, but even Thorfinn must devote his full attention to avoiding Thorkell's reach and speed.

Thorkell first becomes a major obstacle during the Danish siege of London. Having defected to the English side, he gleefully fights the Danish army and refuses Floki's attempt to bring him back.

He later captures Prince Canute, drawing Askeladd and his band into a pursuit across winter England. His forces repeatedly pressure the mercenaries while Thorkell looks forward to fighting the strongest enemies among them.

Thorfinn challenges him in multiple encounters. Their first duel costs Thorkell two fingertips, while a later battle costs him his left eye. Thorkell nevertheless becomes increasingly fond of Thorfinn because the boy resembles Thors in both skill and stubbornness.

After Canute's transformation into a confident leader, Thorkell decides that following the prince will provide access to the wars he craves. He subsequently becomes one of Canute's commanders.

Years later, Thorkell becomes deeply involved in the Jomsviking succession conflict and again crosses paths with the adult Thorfinn, whom he still hopes to fight properly.

Thors was Thorkell's fellow Jomsviking and one of the few warriors he regarded as genuinely superior to himself.

Thorfinn becomes one of Thorkell's favorite opponents. Their family connection is also significant: Thorkell is the brother of Thorfinn's maternal grandfather Sigvaldi, making him Thorfinn's great-uncle.

Canute Svenson begins as Thorkell's captive but later earns his respect through decisiveness and courage. Thorkell subsequently serves him.

Floki is an old Jomsviking colleague whose political maneuvering often irritates Thorkell.

Asgeir is Thorkell's dependable second-in-command and frequently supplies the practical judgment his commander lacks.

Cordelia is Thorkell's daughter, although their relationship is complicated by the circumstances surrounding her childhood and identity.

Sigvaldi is Thorkell's brother and former chief of the Jomsvikings.