The final season of Vikings: Valhalla on Netflix follows the paths of Leif Erikson, Harald Sigurdsson, and Freydis Eiriksdottir.
Warning: This article contains heavy spoilers
Plot summary:
Seven years passed and Freydis led a prosperous community in Jomsburg. Her son Harald Haraldsson has grown older and lives happily with his mother and her people.
King Canute and Queen Emma rule over England while others rule Denmark and Norway in Canute’s stead.
Leif and Harald fight with Emperor Romanos of Constantinople and accompany him in the conquest of Syracuse, Sicily.
Canute and Emma meet with the Pope to get the blessing of the Christian church. They send Godwin to Denmark to relay the message to Sweyn Forkbeard.
Godwin meets Canute’s son Harold Harefoot in Denmark. Harefoot asks Godwin for help claiming the throne of England.
Leif has turned to science and uses his discoveries to help breach the Syracuse walls. Romanos and his men take the city after Harald defeats the Emir in single combat.
However, General Georgios Maniakes defies Romanos’ orders and burns down the remaining Saracen people.
They return to Constantinople as heroes but Leif is in search of new lands after finding a map within the Book of the Unknown kept in Syracuse.
He leaves for Greece while Harald stays behind. Harald is seduced by Empress Zoe and lies with her in secret.
A healer named Stigr arrives in Jomsburg and his knowledge comes in handy when the people are poisoned by Magnus Olafsson.
He is traveling to Jomsburg to secure his father’s remains as Olaf is set to be canonized as a saint. He also wishes to get revenge on Freydis for killing his father.
Canute’s health is deteriorating and he has to consider who will be heir to the throne of England.
He wishes to come to an agreement that would avoid bloodshed within the families and invites all of his sons and Emma’s sons to Kattegat to announce his decision.
Freydis and her people lure Magnus into Jomsburg and then escape using their boats, traveling to Greenland.
She is in search of the “golden lands” that Leif saw when he was young and in search of once again.
Leif travels to Greece and meets a mapmaker who tells him that there is most likely a large landmass to the west but he must go looking for it himself.
Harald discovers that Romanos knew about his affair with Zoe. He pushed for it because he could not produce an heir and Harald was the next best choice.
However, Romanos is murdered and Maniakes accuses Harald of the Emperor’s death. He is imprisoned and awaiting trial but the church.
During the trial, Maniakes accuses Harald and Zoe of having an affair and pressures Batu, Kaysan, and Dorn to turn on their friend.
Harald admits to raping Zoe and killing Romanos to save his friends, but Maniakes has them killed anyway.
He then marries Zoe and assumes the title of Emperor while Harald plots his escape.
Before traveling to Kattegat, Godwin helps Harefoot kill Forkbeard because he too had designs to become King of England.
Freydis arrives in Greenland and reunites with her father, Erik the Red. But when she tells him of her plan to find the new lands, he is not happy.
He kidnaps her son and locks her up so that she will stay and tries to convince her people that there is no promised land.
Freydis escapes to Kattegat so that she can secure a new ship and captain and return to free her people.
Leif travels to Jomsburg and finds it deserted so he travels to Kattegat where he meets Canute and sits in during his announcement.
Canute decrees that his youngest son Harthacanute will be king in Denmark with Harefoot as his regent.
Swein will remain the king in Norway while Edward and Alfred travel back to Normandy to continue their studies.
He then announces that after his death, Emma will rule over England as Queen, which doesn’t please Harefoot.
Godwin helps him realize that once Canute is dead, his decree will not matter and Harefoot is free to make a move for the throne.
Magnus travels to the North of Norway to gather support for his claim to the throne, and Leif seeks him out because he believes Magnus killed Freydis.
Harald frees himself of his bonds while being taken to his execution and calls Maniakes to face him.
He kills the Emperor and looks at Zoe one last time before disappearing. He shows up in Norway to claim his rights and meets with Leif once again.
Ending explained:
England’s future
Canute calls for Godwin and tells him that he knows the Earl’s ambition. He hopes that Godwin will stand by Emma to make sure that ambition comes to be.
Godwin tells Emma to call for her son Edward because once Canute is dead, the other earls will be quick to disregard the king’s orders.
She says that she has already sent word to Normandy, but the message never gets there.
Instead, Harefoot shows up to sit on the throne, and Emma convinces her stepson that she will be useful staying by his side.
Warring for Norway
Freydis arrives in Kattegat and learns about Magnus’ plan and that Leif believes that she is dead.
Magnus convinces the jarls to take his side and they betray Svein, killing him. Magnus kills Aelfgifu and is about to kill Svein’s pregnant wife Kalta when she says that Freydis is in Kattegat.
Magnus sets a trap and imprisons Freydis but Harald arrives just as he’s about to sit on the throne.
The jarls are split up in their support but Magnus announces that Harald is a pagan sympathizer, bringing out Freydis and telling everyone that she has a son with Harald.
The jarls agree to have both men serve as king and Magnus adds the condition that Freydis be burnt alive as a pagan witch.
A new era for Vikings
Leif plans Freydis’ escape and uses his scientific knowledge to help. When Freydis is brought before everyone, she invokes the old gods.
Leif begins burning all the rooftops and makes it seem like Freydis is causing all of it. In the chaos, he frees Freydis and helps her disappear, even though she wants to kill Magnus.
Harald helps with this plan and tells her that he will take care of Magnus while she travels with Leif and some of his men back to Greenland.
He returns to the great hall and has Magnus imprisoned, taking the throne all for himself. He proclaims that this is the beginning of a new era in the history of Vikings.
Leif and Freydis travel to gather her people and then search for the “golden lands”, presumably ‘Vinland’ which is mentioned in some historical records.
Also Read: Rhaenys Targaryen’s death in House of the Dragon explained
