The real Leif Eriksson was a legendary explorer famous for establishing a Viking settlement in North America centuries before Europeans landed in the Western Hemisphere. In Vikings: Valhalla, he’s a skilled sailor who leaves Greenland to seek glory and the chance to step out from the shadow of his violent father, Erik the Red. Wise, brave, and curious, Leif isn’t afraid to head into an unknown horizon. He has the brain — and the brawn — to leave his own legacy.  

Leif and his sister, Freydís, team up with Norwegian prince Harald Sigurdsson in the first season and traverse Scandinavia and beyond. Leif and Harald travel down the Dnieper River in the second season, through the lands of the Rus, Slavs, and Pechenegs toward the bustling Byzantine city of Constantinople. Along the way, Leif falls in love with Mariam (Hayat Kamille), a Syrian astronomer who teaches him to use an astrolabe to navigate by the stars. But their love doesn’t last — she dies before ever reaching Constantinople.

“My mum’s battled cancer three times,” says Corlett. “That was definitely something that we tapped with Mariam: wanting to get the help for the people that you love and the frustration of love, hopelessness, and helplessness at times.”

But her influence lives on: Leif becomes dedicated to science and reason. 

The Dry

In a time when the Vikings’ pagan religion is threatened by Christianity’s rise, Freydís holds on to the tradition as the keeper of the faith. Daughter of Erik the Red and brother to Leif, she’s a fierce warrior and wise leader helming the Viking community of Jomsborg. 

When we first meet Freydís in Season 1, she’s the victim of a terrible assault and is hell-bent on revenge. Freydís’ search for justice takes her and Leif on the dangerous journey from Greenland to Norway. There, Freydís steps into her destiny as a warrior sworn to protect other followers of the old gods from persecution. By Season 2, she’s become a powerful spiritual leader and she’s haunted by a vision of her destiny and the fear that her religion will soon be erased. 

“In the beginning, she was out for revenge for herself, but she’s really grown into this person who truly stands in being the last daughter of Uppsala,” Gustavsson says. 
 

The Inspector and the Sea

A prince of Norway, Harald Sigurdsson wants to become king and unite all the Vikings. He’s a fierce warrior, but his greatest strength is his charisma, which allows him to persuade disparate forces to put aside their differences and fight on his behalf. He’s also a strong judge of character, quickly forming bonds with both Leif and Freydís in Season 1. 

Throughout the second season, his brute force and charm bring him into the graces of his uncle, Yaroslav the Wise (Marcin Dorociński), who asks Harald to deliver his daughter Elena (Sofya Lebedeva) to Constantinople where she’ll be married to the emperor. When they arrive, the emperor tells Harald that he could be a valuable asset in the elite warrior crew, the Varangian Guard. And Elena hints that maybe she too could be Harald’s if he makes Constantinople home.

“In this third season, there's this sense of Icarus flying too close to the sun and someone forgetting their roots because Harald gets sucked into all the wealth and riches of Constantinople,” says Suter. “I think he begins to forget why he's there and that he really wanted to be king.” 

Sanditon, Clique, Victoria

King Canute of Denmark conquered England after assembling a vast Viking army to seek retribution for local Vikings killed by order of King Æthelred II. As king of England, Canute is extremely ambitious, seeking to build an empire across all of Northern Europe by making new alliances, even if it makes his existing allies harder to control. While he’s pagan, he sees the growing power of Christianity spreading across Europe. In Season 2, he makes the difficult decision to travel to Rome to build a reluctant alliance with the Pope, who will grant more money to Canute’s kingdom if he builds more churches. While he’s direct and strong, Canute also shows deep love for his wife, Emma.

Keeping Faith, Gwaith/Cartref

King Æthelred II’s second wife, Emma, came to England from France as a young woman unable to speak English, but she quickly learned her way around the court to become a formidable political force. After his death, she married King Canute. Their union makes for a good match, too: Emma is the great-granddaughter of Viking leader Rollo, the first Duke of Normandy. Emma is a master of strategy and diplomacy who’ll fight fiercely to defend the authority she’s gained and to protect her family. As her reign with Canute progresses, they both grow wary of their kingdom’s future. 

Notruf Hafenkante, Breaking Even, Bauchgefühl

Once King Æthelred II’s scheming chief advisor, Earl Godwin will do anything to maintain power. He has little status due to his father’s mistakes, but he uses that anonymity to his advantage, gaining favor with the king for his willingness to speak hard truths. When Canute comes to power, Godwin eventually marries Gytha (Henessi Schmidt), King Sweyn Forkbeard’s daughter, and becomes part of the Viking family. Yet Queen Emma still harbors suspicions about him.  

Victoria, The White Queen, 

Queen Ælfgifu of Denmark must forge new alliances to maintain her power after former husband Canute has left her for Emma. Originally from the English region of Mercia, she knows the ways of both the Vikings and the Anglo-Saxons. She goes to Kattegat, where her son Svein (Charlie O’Connor) becomes the King of Norway.  

Lodge 49, M.I. High

King Canute’s father, King Sweyn Forkbeard, is everything his son is not: harsh, impatient, and largely lacking in diplomatic skills. He’ll ruthlessly protect his family’s interests from those who would scheme against them. 

Helmer & søn, King’s Game, Flickering Lights

George Maniakes is the iron fist of the Byzantine emperor. The larger-than-life general lays siege to anyone and any place at the whim his master. But will he share power with Harald? Constantinople may not be big enough for two fierce warriors.    

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Leif and Freydís’ father, Erik the Red, settled in exile in Greenland after being banished from Iceland and Norway for dastardly behavior. Now, years after his offspring have voyaged abroad, life has gotten even harder in the barren land and frigid climes of his homeland. Will Freydís and Leif ever return?  

“Freydís and Erik always had a very close relationship,” says Gustavsson. “I think they’re much more similar than Leif and Erik ever were.”

E.R., Beginners, Practical Magic, Timeless, The Boys