In the world of Vikings: Valhalla, the only certainties in life are love, death and axes. 

Now, the sword-swinging, globe-trotting adventure continues. Vikings: Valhalla returns for a second season debuting Jan. 12, 2023, for more epic antics of the brave trio Leif Eriksson (Sam Corlett), the most famous Viking explorer in history; his strong-willed sister, Freydís Eiríksdóttir (Frida Gustavsson); and Harald Sigurdsson (Leo Suter), the ambitious prince of Norway. 

As the trailer shows, season 2 finds our heroes shortly after the tragic fall of Kattegat, an event that has shattered their dreams and altered their destinies. Finding themselves suddenly fugitives in Scandinavia, they are forced to test their ambitions and courage in worlds beyond their familiar fjords.

“The whole concept of Season 2 is that we take these three heroes who are in Scandinavia and blow them out of their comfort zones,” says show creator Jeb Stuart. “Season 2 for Harald and Leif is a road trip: It’s Thelma and Louise on the Dnieper River. The two of them will begin this incredible journey. Freydís has to go to Pomerania, which is a very difficult environment.”

Stuart says that Season 2 explores the world far beyond Scandinavia and Northern Europe, too. 

“Season 2 will show that sometimes when you hang out with the people that are just like you, eat like you, talk like you, you can still run into trouble. So you need to stir the pot, which I think is what the Vikings did. And they did it beautifully, better than probably any other culture out there. So we put together this motley crew of nobles, Muslim astronomers and con men, and they shove off from Novgorod.”

In an interview below, showrunner Jeb Stuart shares a sneak peek, exclusively for Tudum, revealing photos of the upcoming season and telling us about the series’ new characters in his own words: 

Bernard Walsh/Netflix

Harekr (Bradley James)

“Harekr is the ruler of Jómsborg, a sort of legendary Viking place where the uber-pagan Vikings lived. He’s a great warrior, but since he’s pagan, he’s got a bull’s-eye on his back for any of our pagan hunters, like Olaf. 

The Jomsvikings were very strict and rigid, so Harekr has very, very, very specific rules that he lives by. That’s how the Jomsvikings rolled, they were very loyal to their leader. They would fight to the death, even when they didn’t sometimes think that their leader was right.” 
 

Bernard Walsh/Netflix

Hayat Kamille as Mariam in Vikings: Valhalla, Season 2.

Mariam (Hayat Kamille)

“Mariam is one of my favorite characters. Her name is a nod and sign of respect to Mariam al-Astrulabi, the great astronomer, navigator and mathematician from the House of Wisdom in Baghdad. Our Mariam is an astronomer who’s stuck in Novgorod. She went north in our telling of the story, north from Constantinople to study the heavens, and specifically, to study the meteorites and that sort of thing. She’s a polyglot and can also read Latin, Greek, Arabic and Russian.”

Yaroslav the Wise (Marcin Dorociński)

"Yaroslav the Wise, the warrior ruler of Kyivan Rus, is the uncle to both Olaf and Harald. He’s played by Marcin Dorociński, the Polish actor who was in The Queen’s Gambit, where he played a Soviet chess player. He’s also cast in Mission Impossible 8. He’s got this wonderful wit that audiences will really enjoy, like how he doesn’t really give Harald a whole lot of ground. He’s got that tough-love uncle thing.” 

Bernard Walsh/Netflix

Elena (Sofya Lebedeva)

“Elena’s one of my favorite characters. She's the resilient daughter of a noble man from Kyivan Rus.”

11 Best Beards in Vikings: ValhallaFrom a forked beard to a Rapunzel-esque facial cascade, the beards in 'Vikings: Valhalla' are a whole mood.

Need to catch up on the previous season? Check out some of Tudum’s deep dives into the Viking world:

• Everything You Need to Know About Vikings: Valhalla
• Frida Gustavsson Has a 1,000-Year-Old Viking Spirit Living Inside Her
• Where Do You Pee on a Viking Ship? An Archaeologist Answers Your Boat Questions
• How Historically Accurate are the Battles in Vikings: Valhalla?
• Who Were the Tripped-Out, Nearly Naked Berserkers?
• Viking Metal Band Amon Amarth on Life Lessons We Can Learn from Vikings