How Thorfinn the Son of Thors helped an entire generation
“I have no enemies”
Unless you live under a rock, you probably have heard that statement before.
Taking all those punches, the mighty son of the Troll of Yam said this, a statement so simple and profound yet it’s impact was felt globally.
Thorfinn, a fictional character from the Manga and Anime, Vinland Saga, is a young viking who has a spirit for fighting, his father though almost detests it.
When the young kid was caught scavenging for a blade from the store, his father asked him on why would he want a sword? His reply was, “For our enemies”
The father simply replied, “You have no enemies, nobody, has any enemies”
Thorfinn’s Rage
This statement would be rendered useless for the first season of the show, as after Thors is killed by Askeladd and his party of ‘warriors’, Thorfinn joins them in hopes of killing Askeladd, for years he is driven by the hate he bears the man who killed his father.
However, Askeladd makes him earns the chance to duel with him, and subsequently, Thorfinn too becomes a ‘warrior’, the reason I am putting it in apostrophes is because warriors usually implies some sort of nobility, there was nothing noble in what they did. They were murderer and looters, and Thorfinn was one of the best at it.
Thorfinn is indifferent to crimes him and his party were committing, as to him, the only thing that mattered was to kill Askeladd in a fair duel on his own.
But alas, even that is stolen from him, I won’t dewelve much into plot, rather the feelings and internal conflicts of Thorfinn.
Haven't you given a though... to what you're going to live for... after I'm dead, Thorfinn?... Ha ha... you haven't, have you? You're hopeless, you know that? [...] Move on, Thorfinn. Don't hang on... to this petty bullshit your entire life... You've got to move on... Go further... You are the son of Thors... So venture beyond the world he saw. That... is your true battle. Be a true warrior... son of Thors...— Askeladd
These words were the last Askeladd said to Thorfinn, he had unironically become a father figure to him as time had passed.
Thorfinn’s Nihilism
After Askeladd’s death, Thorfinn ended up becoming a slave and a farmhand to some rich landlord.
Thorfinn, the mighty warrior who had given Thorkell a good fight, was now just a sad existence. He harboured no desire, no will and no dreams. His life, built on the rage he bore for Askeladd, had crumbled.
Even when he was being slashed at by swords, his indifference to the threat on his life made his attackers bewildered.
He couldn’t sleep, the memories and screams of the people he had killed haunted him in his dreams.
His father showed disappointment in his visions, Thorfinn was growing insane, and his new buddy Einar tried helping him through it.
But as with all stories, stuff happens, and after a very explicit dream of ‘hell’, the people Thorfinn killed clawing at him trying to take him down with them, a vision of Askeladd appears, who gives Thorfinn advice to move on, to live to be a true warrior.
Thorfinn: A changed man
Thorfinn, now envisioning a peaceful world he wanted to create, as an atonement to his crimes, is tested with his new philosophy, as situations arise where violence is the common answer, he avoids it all costs.
Each punch comes with formidable force, and a barrage of provocations, yet the mighty warrior refuses to fight back? Is this the way of life Thorfinn adopts after all that he is been through, to be a dummy punching bag and a spectacle in a society where violence reigns supreme?
Yes, his values are now at war with the violence, he will take no part in it, and finally after throwing a 100 punches, his opponent falls, Thorfinn still stands, the viking who won a fight without harming his opponent.
To endure world’s hardships, to not bear ill to anyone, that is what Thorfinn embodies in those punches he took, in the disfigured face he was decorated with.
Thorfinn shows what it means to be filled with rage, against an unfair world, his story shows the consequences of following that path.
To those lost, and confused, who find no purpose in existence, he relates to them too, and his journey from rage to empty to a new purpose is a guiding principle for many in this generation.
And that is how, a short fictional viking and his emotions and hardships, help an entire generation who relate to him.