Vikings: Valhalla, the new Netflix series set a century after the events of History’s Vikings, brings us into the tumultuous world of 11th-century Europe. Religious tensions pit pagans against Christians. Brothers turn on each other for a shot at ruling. Despite this unease, Viking warriors unite to take vengeance on England for its massacre of Danes on St. Brice’s Day.

Of course, Vikings: Valhalla is a fictionalized retelling of history. Not everything you see on-screen happened, and some of these characters never actually crossed each other’s paths. However, the series still draws from actual events and people. 

With Vikings: Valhalla now streaming on Netflix, let’s take a closer look at some of the real-life Vikings who inspired it.

Up first: Our ferocious Greenlanders, Leif Eriksson and Freydís Eiríksdóttir, are taken straight from the pages of history. These two warriors were the children of Erik the Red, who founded the first European settlement in Greenland.

When we meet Leif in Vikings: Valhalla, he is a gifted sailor and newcomer to the Viking world. Historically, he is believed to be the first European to reach North America. Accounts of his journey vary between two important sagas, written by unknown authors, that date back to the 13th century: the Saga of Erik the Red, and the Saga of the Greenlanders. 

A Closer Look At Real Life Vikings | Vikings: Valhalla S1

In the Saga of Erik the Red, Leif was making a return voyage to Greenland from Norway, where he’d served King Olaf I Tryggvason and converted to Christianity. While at sea, his ship was blown off course, and he landed in North America. Upon seeing forests full of grapes, he named the region Vinland, or Land of Wine.

The Saga of the Greenlanders tells a different story. Here, Leif’s journey to Vinland was no accident. He heard of an unknown land west of Greenland from the Icelandic explorer Bjarni Herjulfsson. Bjarni glimpsed the coastline of North America on a prior trip but didn’t actually go ashore. Leif assembled an expedition to visit the unknown territory sometime around the year 1000. We don’t know the exact location of Vinland, but it’s likely that it’s the area around the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, in Eastern Canada.

Bernard Walsh/Netflix

Leif’s siblings conducted expeditions of their own to Vinland, with Freydís leading the final one. Like with Leif, versions of her story vary wildly between the Saga of Erik the Red and the Saga of the Greenlanders.

In the Saga of Erik the Red, she’s portrayed as a formidable warrior who stops an attack by the Indigenous people of Vinland. The saga claims she beat her bare chest with the flat of her sword and scared them away, all while heavily pregnant.

In the Saga of the Greenlanders, Freydís comes off as far more deceitful. According to this saga, she teamed up with Icelandic merchants named Helgi and Finnbogi to go to Vinland, agreeing to split the fruits of their journey. Some time into the expedition, she falsely claimed that Helgi and Finnbogi had attacked her. The Greenlanders slaughtered them and the rest of their men in retaliation, and Freydís killed the women. Both sagas’ versions of Freydís are different from the Freydís we see in Vikings: Valhalla, who is a headstrong pagan ready to defend the old ways. Still, all three share a similar fighting spirit. We’ll just say it manifests itself... differently.

Bernard Walsh/Netflix

Now, let’s examine the Vikings of the European continent, starting with King Canute of Denmark. In Vikings: Valhalla, Canute invades England in response to the St. Brice’s Day massacre. In real life, it was his father, King Sweyn I Forkbeard, who led the conquest instead, with Canute accompanying him.

The invasion was a success: By the end of 1013, the English accepted Sweyn as their king over King Aethelred II. However, after Sweyn’s death in 1014, Aethelred ruled once more. Canute attacked England again in 1015, where he fought against Aethelred’s son, Edmund II Ironside. The two ended up splitting the rule of England, but when Edmund died in 1016, Canute ruled England in its entirety. He went on to become the King of Denmark in 1019 and the King of Norway in 1028. He remained king of England, Denmark and Norway until his death in 1035.

Bernard Walsh/Netflix

Canute sometimes crossed paths with another Vikings: Valhalla figure: the fiercely devout King of Norway Olaf II Haraldsson. Before he was king, Olaf actually helped Aethelred fight against the Danish invasion of 1013, even supposedly tearing down London Bridge. He later left for Spain and then France. Similarly to Leif, Olaf was raised pagan but converted to Christianity. He was baptized at Rouen. 

Olaf returned to rule Norway in 1015 and consolidated his power by 1016. Over the course of his reign, he fought for the acceptance of Christianity throughout Norway. He had the help of English missionaries and his adviser Bishop Grimkell, with whom he established a religious code in 1024. 

Things were looking good for Olaf until Canute, who was already King of England and Denmark, moved to conquer Norway. Canute won the support of key Norwegian chieftains, forcing Olaf to run to Russia in 1028. But the former king didn’t back down without a fight. He tried to reconquer Norway in 1030 but died in the battle of Stiklestad. However, his impact lingered on: Thanks in part to his work in bringing Christianity to Norway, Olaf was canonized. Saint Olaf is Norway’s patron saint even today.

Bernard Walsh/Netflix

Who else was at the fateful battle of Stiklestad? None other than Harald III Sigurdsson, King Olaf’s half-brother, and Vikings: Valhalla’s charismatic Prince of Norway. Before Harald became King of Norway, he was a regular globetrotter. He spent time in Russia and later traveled to Constantinople to become a member of the Varangian Guard — an elite force within the Byzantine army. After many travels and a fair dose of court intrigue, he returned to Norway in 1045. There, he shared the throne with his nephew Magnus I Olafsson. Magnus passed away in 1047, leaving Harald in full control.

During his time as king, he became known as Harald Hardrada, or “hard ruler.” For 15 years, he tried and failed to take the Danish throne. In 1066, he shifted his attention to the conquest of England. He had an ally in earl Tostig, the rebel brother of English King Harold II.

In this showdown between Harold and Harald, only one could come out on top. Harald won victories early on, but he died in a decisive battle at Stamford Bridge. The English forces soundly defeated his army, putting an end to the final Viking invasion of England. Largely because of this, Harald III Sigurdsson is sometimes referred to as “the last great Viking.”

The age of the Vikings may be long gone, but it’s certainly not forgotten. For more Viking goodness, check out Vikings: Valhalla on Netflix.