Tamal Kundu
Created by Jeb Stuart, ‘Vikings: Valhalla’ is a historical drama action-adventure series. It revolves around the adventures of legendary Viking heroes such as Leif Eriksson (Sam Corlett), Freydis Eriksdotter (Frida Gustavsson), and Harald Sigurdsson (Leo Suter) against the backdrop of the conflict between Paganism and Christianity. In terms of the narrative, themes, characters, and setting, the show is demonstrably related to ‘Vikings,’ which aired on the History Channel (later Amazon Prime Video) between 2013 to 2020. If you are wondering whether ‘Vikings: Valhalla’ is a prequel or sequel to the original series, this is what you need to know.
Is Vikings: Valhalla a Sequel or Prequel to Vikings?
‘Vikings: Valhalla’ is a sequel to ‘Vikings.’ In the title sequence of the pilot episode, it is explained that the show is set in the 11th century, about 100 years after the events of the original show. “The exploits of the great Viking Ragnar Lothbrok have faded into legend,” the title card states. “In the 100 years that followed, Vikings left their northern homelands and settled across Europe, many in England. But as these settlements prospered, they became a threat to the Saxon neighbors and the English King, Aethelred II, was urged to find a solution to the Viking problem.”
While Scandinavia is embroiled in a conflict of religions, the Vikings living in England are systematically massacred by the English. This prompts King Canute of England to amass a massive army of Pagans and Christians alike to invade England. During his speech to his soldiers, Canute offers more details on the time period. According to him, over a hundred years have passed since the great Viking army went to England under the leadership of Rangar’s children to avenge his death. Canute implores the people gathered there to take up arms once more and follow him into battle.
Michael Hirst, the creator of the original series and one of the executive producers of the sequel, said in an interview with Deadline, “I am beyond excited that we are announcing the continuation of our Vikings saga. I know that the millions of our fans across the globe will be thrilled by the belief being shown in our show by MGM and Netflix.”
He was also ecstatic about Stuart’s involvement in the project. “Jeb Stuart, a truly wonderful writer, will bring new storylines and a powerful visceral vision to stories about some of the most famous Vikings known to history,” Hirst said.
While ‘Vikings: Valhalla’ openly acknowledges that it’s a sequel to ‘Vikings,’ Stuart also tried to ensure there wouldn’t be “any connective tissues” between the two shows. This was achieved by setting the sequel 100 years later. While ‘Vikings: Valhalla’ is littered with easter eggs about the original series, an audience member doesn’t necessarily have to watch six seasons of ‘Vikings’ to enjoy it.
“As a fan of Vikings and a student of that particular type of history, you do know that Rollo really was part of the founding of Normandy, and Emma of Normandy comes over and becomes one of my main characters, and William the Conqueror is a descendant of Rollo,” Stuart offered as an example during an interview with Entertainment Weekly. “We’d love to be able to get to that part of the story and get to that place that Michael did say you stop and you turn and nostalgically look back at the Viking era.”
Read More: Where is Vikings: Valhalla Filmed?
