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ignisdivine · 1 month ago

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My personal analysis on Thorfinn and Canute's relationship in Vinland Saga (manga spoilers)

Alright so, new year is here and Thorfinn x Canute is still one of my OTPs; it's almost two years now since I'm on this ship. Now, I know that even if Yukimura endorses it it's still frowned upon, in a way that us shippers are believed to simply see two men breathing in each other's direction and want them to f—. Now, while I'm not saying that's never the case, I believe Thorfinn's and Canute's relationship is much more than that; even if it's not that fleshed out, only mostly implied in the series, it grants an analysis not from the standpoint of a delulu fangirl (which I proudly identify as) but simply a canon dissection. Welcome to my shower thoughts!

Their bond definitely carries a lot of potential. When I first watched the series after Berserk, I expected them to be pretty much like Golden Age!Guts and Golden Age!Griffith, because of the inspiration which the mangaka admitted to have drawn from Miura. The tropes were there, as well as the parallels: a friendship which starts at odds and becomes life-changing for both people.

The grounds, at least, were set up: they start bickering inside the cart, which isn't a scene thrown out there only for comedic effects, but carries a subtextual meaning, in that Canute lets his thoughts and feelings out and talks freely to someone else other than Ragnar. That amazes the man and rightfully so, as he sees their interaction in a positive light, apt to develop Canute as a person (also, interesting to note that this moment connects to the one on Ketil's farm where 'Sweyn's head' criticizes Canute for 'showing his true heart to that lowly man'; once again, Thorfinn's naturalness and straightforwardness brings that out in him).

So far, it looked like a promising start, but moving on.

One of the most infamous scenes between them is the rabbit stew dinner. Even if Thorfinn is reluctant to join them, after he tastes Canute's stew he experiences a moment of pure joy, probably the first one since he joined Askeladd's band. His facial expression might be fleeting and easy to miss, but for someone like him it's a huge deal; he's usually reserved, guarded and distrusting, which is understandable given his environment. However, for a short while he lets his guard down and experiences life in a way other than a mercenary, and all thanks to Canute and Ragnar.

That could be said for Canute as well, who we learn that for the first time in a while he's able to do something he genuinely enjoys but was always forbidden by his father. Moreover, he confides in Thorfinn out of all, to reveal this intimate thing about himself and asks him to keep this a secret (and once again, he's revealing his true self in front of Thorfinn, something which we don't see him do very often throughout the series).

This is a moment of trust and vulnerability between both, and definitely apt to develop into something more; to bring positivity into their lives and recover faith in humanity.

(I was a bit disappointed in Thorfinn that later on he pushes Canute away and betrays him, but anyways. I get the artistic direction of him and their relationship, as it makes sense in the context of the story.)

From Canute's side, the intention is definitely there. Later on, on Ketil's farm, 'Sweyn's head' asks him if he truly expected to rekindle an 'old friendship'. This serves to prove that Canute, all this time, has indeed seen Thorfinn as a friend.

As for Thorfinn, while during his slavery times he thinks of Einar as his 'first friend', perhaps he hasn't been able previously to tell whenever someone genuinely cared for him, resulting in him shutting Canute out.

All in all, Canute's overview on prologue Thorfinn lets on that there might have been more off-screen interactions between them, for him to come to see Thorfinn as the closest semblance to a friend that he used to have. I understand though, that for the sake of Thorfinn becoming a hollow shell with nothing good happening to him, he was blind to other's good treatments and never let Canute in.

Another moment between them which is grossly underrated is the aftermath of Thorfinn and Askeladd's last duel. Canute jumps in to stop them from killing each other for obvious reasons, as they're both valuable assets to him that he can't bare to lose; that doesn't rule out the possibility that at this point, he might also be genuinely concerned for Thorfinn. He treats him with care and is relieved when Thorfinn regains consciousness, and is nothing but kind to him when Thorfinn goes full crisis mode and spits insults at him.

A very important aspect which, again, is underrated, is when Canute asks him to heal his wounds first and only then resume his duels. Even if Canute doesn't get his dueling obsession and is even against it, he doesn't deny Thorfinn his wishes (even if Thorfinn is practically his subordinate and he'd have the power to—through Askeladd, that is). He simply shows empathy for Thorfinn's cause, and only steps in out of concern for his safety, not to overstep boundaries or manipulate him into doing his bidding. That's the ultimate form of respect and support.

—I also loved the anime-only scene where Canute stops Thorfinn from going after Askeladd, it added nothing new, but I would still like to ask the directors what they were trying to highlight here🤭—

Askeladd's death is another noteworthy moment to point out. When Thorfinn viciously attacks Canute, and we learn that it terrifies and downright traumatizes him (he still reminisces about it on Ketil's farm and even refuses to speak to him because of his trauma), it doesn't stop him from feeling enraged at his men for trying to execute Thorfinn, and ordering them to cease and leave him alone, with all the respect he's trying to impose due.

Even if this moment isn't about Thorfinn, and Canute has his own cross to carry and very good reasons for killing Askeladd (something which broke him for several reasons), it doesn't prevent him from showing once again empathy to Thorfinn. He says 'this cut is a meager price to pay' because he understands the damage it did to Thorfinn and feels regretful, even if Thorfinn doesn't reciprocate and might even resent him at that point. This is very important to keep in mind, because afterwards Canute would go ahead and do stuff which he's aware are wrong, but he'll never show again that kind of remorse.

The fact that he sends Thorfinn into slavery is the most merciful thing he could do; as far as he's concerned, Thorfinn is capable enough to murder his way out of slavery and go do whatever (and yet, Canute doesn't come on a moral high ground on Ketil's farm because of this, but he's once again apologetic/understanding).

And now onto the climax: the confrontation on Ketil's farm. They both had legitimate reasons to clash heads, it was after all a battle of two wills between the Vikings, who wanted power and to support Canute's ideals, and the farmers who were oppressed, represented by Einar. However, I'm here to analyze solely Canute and Thorfinn's points of view, and it's interesting to note that in the middle of all this conflict, they still manage to show understanding for each other. While Einar calls the king out on his hypocrisy and tyranny, Thorfinn struggles to understand his overarching motive and ultimately finds him fascinating.

In fact, he proves an understanding for Canute which he doesn't really let on during the prologue. But if we look in retrospect: first, apart from his complaints about watching the trio (Canute, Ragnar and Willibald) pray, he pays attention to Canute's speech about fathers and he's visibly affected by his own memories. Second, before he decides to confront him on Ketil's farm, he remembers his speech in Gainsborough. So, he DID pay attention to Canute and wasn't just a brooding jerk who didn't give a damn about anything. Canute's presence probably impacted him as well, just that he never realized to what extent.

And now onto Thorfinn's own influence on Canute during the confrontation, it's too obvious to even dispute; once again Canute finds himself drawn to his genuiness and straightforwardness, he's watching him through lenses which no one else in that world, at that point, could. I want to emphasize the unique understanding they both have of each other because they've seen each other at their lowest, even if they didn't get to spend much time together; we could say it's a sort of bond that transcends physics. I saw some people call them soulmates and I do believe they're not far from the reality.

In the end, Canute not only feels relieved that he found hope and support for his project, but on a personal level I believe he's also relieved that this friendship is finally reciprocated, as we see Thorfinn also calls him a friend later on.

They don't have much interaction afterwards, sadly, but there were still some noteworthy moments.

One of them is Vargr's flashback. It was funny when I first read that Canute himself shows up with a fleet of thirteen ships to escort Thorfinn's small boat. Employing such a fleet requires resources, and besides, I imagine that Canute, as the king of 2+ kingdoms and the head of 2 royal families, has a busy schedule, yet he finds the time to pay a visit to practically a 'nobody'. Nothing stops him from sending a representative in his stead, as we've seen him send Wulf as a spokesman along with Thorkell to the Jomsvikings, which I'd say was much more important business. I like to joke that Yukimura unintentionally turned Canute into a simp, but on a serious note, that goes to show just how much he values and respects Thorfinn. And let's not mention him sparing Vargr just because Thorfinn said so. As the chief of an army he needs to assert dominance in front of his men, instill fear and prove that he's the supreme force - hence all the beheading business. Yet, he has no trouble humouring Thorfinn, and his change in demeanor when Thorfinn makes him laugh proves once again that Thorfinn brings his true self out, is able to change him much to everyone's surprise (and funny how that comes right after Vargr calls him a black-hearted man, what a contrast!).

Another scene is when Thorfinn starts talking about Canute out of the blue while making a comparison to Bug-Eyes. He says that he has a friend which starts wars, yet he hates these wars the most, which is an interesting point to make. Once again it proves the deep understanding Thorfinn has of him, even if he doesn't agree with his actions. In the bigger picture, just how many people could afford speaking of the king so freely and intimately, and making such gross statements? But it's Thorfinn, and he sees him for the human being he is, and not a warmonger overlord.

Lastly, to round up my analysis on an end note, the part where Canute thinks of Thorfinn amidst the pandemic is interesting. Usually, when people suddenly remember about an old acquaintance, they say "Hey, remember Thorfinn? I wonder what...", yet Canute simply goes like "I wonder what HE would do if he were here", to which Wulf rightfully asks who's he. That conveys to me that Canute spoke his mind out loud without realizing, and/or Thorfinn is constantly on his mind and doesn't realize that the others wouldn't have a clue what the hell he's talking about. There's a certain familiarity in the way he's addressing Thorfinn even after all these years.

All in all, my analysis wasn't meant to prove my shipping, but only to draw the conclusion that their bond is unique in Vinland Saga and much more than what's visible to the bare eye; it definitely carried potential for more. Now, wherever that's friendship or something beyond, it doesn't really matter, as that doesn't change the canon events. However, it's important to note that friendship during those times is a luxury that's not widely accessible, which makes such a relationship precious in itself, so it's easy for us the audience to feel immersed into it, no matter in which way. Now, it's only my personal choice to see them as star-crossed lovers. Yap over—

#thorfinn #canute #thornute #canufinn #vinland saga #vinlandsaga #relationship analysis #friends to more #Spoilers #vinland saga spoilers

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