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| “ | There's nothing better than two men trying to kill each other. Nothing could possibly be better than a fight to the death. | „ |
| ~ Garm |
Garm is a major antagonist in the manga and anime series Vinland Saga. Serving as the secondary antagonist of the Eastern Expedition arc. He is a pompous and brash young man who works as a mercenary, after being hired by Floki to kill Thorfinn. Garm takes interest in his extreme prowess in combat and becomes obsessed with fighting Thorfinn. He then chases Thorfinn down and tries to get the fight he has sought for.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
As a child, Garm was segregated and ostracized by adults and other children. He was given the nickname "Garm the Hellhound" due to his erratic behavior. His own father neglected him and never acknowledged him as his own son, mainly because of his psychotic behavior. Garm bit off the ear of another boy when playing due to not knowing when to draw the line since he sees combat as just a game. The kids threw stones at Garm and insulted him whenever he wanted to play together with them. One day, one of the kids brought 3 young, armed men to Garm, planning to teach Garm a "lesson". One of the men pointed his weapon at Garm and told him that they're looking for a new player in their "games". This made Garm rather happy, and Garm killed all 3 men. He was happy he won the "game", but the villagers surrounded him and started to insult and shun him. Garm continues to laugh, grabs another weapon, and kills everyone surrounding him while laughing hysterically.
War in The Baltic[]
Garm is first seen in Jomsborg watching over Baldr. He eliminates an assassin that tries to take an attempt on Baldr's life. Garm points out to Floki that his precious grandson would be dead if it wasn't for him and that he would appreciate some gratitude. Garm asks Floki when he's going to get a real challenge and informs him that if he gets too bored of this, he's going to end up killing him instead. Floki sends Garm on a mission to kill Thorfinn when he learns that Thorfinn could be a threat to Baldr's claim to chieftaincy. During his mission, Garm disguises himself as a Viking under Vagn and beheads him. After following his tracks he eventually finds Thorfinn and they have a confrontation in the forest. To get Thorfinn's attention he shows him Vagn's decapitated head and mocks the late Vagn. In response Thorfinn runs away in an attempt to get away from him but Garm catches up with him surprisingly.
He tells him that running away is no use since he's faster than him anyways. Thorfinn thinks that the length of Garm's spear will be a hindrance in the woods and how he can beat Garm with his bare hands. After introducing themselves to each other, Garm asks where Thorfinn's weapon is and throws a knife on the tree besides him, wanting to lend him the knife for the fight. Garm then points out that a knife is a deadly weapon despite its small size compared to the spear, pointing out his neck and heart, vital spots one should aim for. Annoyed that Thorfinn hasn't picked up the knife yet, Garm warns Thorfinn that he will regret it if he doesn't pick up the knife. Garm thrusts his spear at Thorfinn's head with such speed it catches Thorfinn off guard. Garm fights a bare-handed Thorfinn and is practically on par with his speed. Thorfinn gets behind Garm and tries to end the fight but Garm reveals his spear can transform into a dual-wielding sword. He injures Thorfinn by stabbing him in the stomach.
Thorfinn, exhausted and now injured, is puffing. Garm tells him to hang in there and how he made sure not to do any vital damage, but that the next one will be fatal. He throws another knife besides Thorfinn's feet, wanting to lend him this knife as well. Garm asks Thorfinn what his plan is and tells him that there are only two outcomes to this situation - either he dies, or Thorfinn dies, ordering Thorfinn to pick up the weapon he lent him, but Thorfinn refuses and runs away again. Garm yells that running will be no use to Thorfinn since he has already proved that he can outrun him in any footrace. Garm takes note of Thorfinn's refusal to use weapons, he comes to the conclusion that Thorfinn is severely lacking the motivation to fight and decides to make it his mission to encourage him to fight. Garm is annoyed that he finally found someone that could actually beat him, but is constantly avoiding fighting, Garm then sets foot and tries to find Thorfinn again. While this happened, Thorkell and Vagn's troops have all suddenly become allies, this gives Garm a sudden rush as he finds out there will be a battle in Jomsborg. He wishes to put on a show, for himself and Thorfinn.
In a way to find Thorfinn, Garm tracks down his companions, upon finding Leif, Einar and Gudrid he asks then if they know where Thorfinn is. Leif denies knowing Thorfinn but he sees through his bluff. He takes Einar, Leif and Gudrid hostage and leaves Bug-Eyes to leave a message for Thorfinn. That there will be a battle at Jomsborg and to tell him to join Thorkell's army and bring his own weapons. Bug-Eyes tries to scare Garm away when given the opportunity to attack Garm, Garm easily avoids his attack and knocks out Bug-Eyes with one punch, leaving him unconscious for a long time.
After going back to the Jomsvikings Main Base, Jomsburg, Garm is welcomed with Floki's vikings attacking him, to which he reacted by killing and mutilating a bunch of them, and then showed the others that he has Vagn's head, asking them why they attacked him out of the blue, wanting to speak to Floki. Floki is angry with Garm, which confuses him. He informs Garm that Thorkell sent back the war fund which Floki paid to Thorkell for his help. Garm points out that he only killed Vagn because he thought that he was helping Floki by doing so. Floki reminds him that his mission was to kill Thorfinn and asked him how that proceeded, to which Garm casually admitted that Thorfinn got away. Floki says that the only choice left is to offer Garm to Thorkell as an apology, to which Garm replied that since Thorkell is on the enemy side, he can go ahead and kill him. Floki considers Garm's words to be nonsense saying that nobody can kill Thorkell unless they were as big as him or even bigger. Garm points out he can, revealing the decapitated head of Vagn to the Jomsvikings. Shocked, Floki points out that King Canute can severely punish him for killing Thorkell. The possibility that they might have to face Denmark and England is high, Garm ignores this statement claiming that he isn't scared at all and will more then gladly take on both England and Denmark. Floki gets to his breaking point and decides to imprison Garm for letting Thorfinn escape and killing Vagn. Floki plans to give Garm away to Thorkell as an "apology" on Floki's behalf for stealing Thorkell's kill.
During imprisonment, Garm meets up with Thorfinn's crew who he had previously kidnapped. Realizing that he had done wrong, he apologizes and tries to cheer them up, Gudrid questions Garm if he has a score to settle with Thorfinn. He responded with how he only wants to fight worthy opponents and how it's the only thing that makes him happy. Gudrid accuses him of being sick in the head but Garm responds with how if she asked every Jomsviking in Jomsborg if they think living a "normal life" is fun, she wouldn't get a single "yes".
After being handed over to Thorkell, Thorkell wonders if Garm really defeated Vagn because Garm doesn't look that tough in his eyes. Garm points out that judging others by appearances is a good way to get hurt and that Vagn was a easy kill who barely put up a fight. Garm declares that Thorkell would last mere seconds against his spear, causing Thorkell's men to beat Garm up. Asgeir orders them to kill Garm, but Thorkell stops Asgeir and his men. Because Garm has killed Vagn and provoked Thorkell without any fear, he sparked Thorkell's interest, who says that Garm will serve as a fun pre-game show. After Thorkell ordered his men to untie Garm and give him a weapon, Thorkell informs Garm that Vagn was not as weak as Garm said and that if he beat him, it only means that Garm is strong, and Thorkell wants to judge his strength personally. Garm tells Thorkell that he had been dreaming of the day when he would fight Thorkell. Thorkell humbly points out how being the "strongest" isn't just something you can become and how the world is a very big place. The fight was evenly matched between the two, with them having their own strengths and weaknesses, they gave each other a tough fight. After going after each other for a bit longer, Aesgir stops the fight to prevent them from killing each other. Garm earns Thorkell's respect, he decides to let him go. Garm tells Thorkell that the next time they fight that he should finish the job and kill him. After going their separate way Garm is happy that he got to fight Thorkell and claims nothing is better than a fight to the death.
Garm appears again later on during the War in the Baltic, in front of a gate of the Jomsvikings Main Base, Jomsburg, searching for his custom-made spear that's been taken from him when Floki imprisoned him. The Guards shoot arrows at Garm who dodges them all easily. He tells them that if they just hand it over to him, he'll leave, but they disregarded that and continued shooting arrows at him while telling him to get lost. After stretching for a bit, Garm charges at the gate runs up the wall and gets within the walls. A charging Viking tries to kill Garm but he disarms and kills him, and then climbs up the roof of a house and continues searching for his spear. In an attempt to force Floki to open the gate, Thorfinn pretends to hold Baldr hostage while Garm watches over the confrontation between Thorfinn and the Jomsvikings. Garm is in disbelief that everyone started the "party" without him, after disguising himself as a Jomsviking and calling out another Jomsviking for having his spear. Garm reveals himself and hell breaks loose. He tells Thorfinn that it's time for their fight but Floki tells him not to provoke Thorfinn because he has Baldr hostage. Sigurd takes his sword and points it at Garm and tells him not to intrude because he is in the middle of something. Garm points out that his beef is with Thorfinn and no one else. Sigurd prepares to fight Garm but Floki orders his soldiers to shoot Garm, Garm avoids all of the arrows and charges Sigurd who is shocked with his speed. Sigurd swings his chain at Garm but he dodges it by jumping in the air, he attacks Sigurd with his spear but before he can hit Sigurd, Thorfinn jumps in the way and parries his spear before Sigurd before he can get hit. Everyone is surprised except Garm, who gets happy and starts to fight Thorfinn.
Being more than happy that he was given the chance to face Thorfinn in combat again, Garm ignores Thorfinn's pleas to stop, and repeatedly thrusts his spear at Thorfinn, killing one of Floki's men in the process. To escape Garm, Thorfinn climbs up the roof of a house but Garm chases him down while excitedly laughing. Garm asks Thorfinn why he doesn't stop resisting and fight him for good, using Thorfinn's friends as a reason to force Thorfinn to fight him. Being sick of running away the entire time, Thorfinn takes a fighting stance and they fight. Garm chases Thorfinn down and up the house, but then suddenly demands a time-out. He points out that Thorfinn is not trying his hardest, that he isn't coming at him, and that all he does is stop his spear with his knife. Garm makes it clear to Thorfinn that if he doesn't wanna die then he should stop acting like it. Thorfinn tells him it's pointless to fight but this offends Garm. Garm responds with how you don't need a point to fight and that it's fun. He uses the Vikings below as an example of how it's fun and they are just enjoying the moment. Thorfinn is shocked by his perspective and decides to drop his knife and say that the rule is to win while protecting your own life. Thorfinn provokes and mocks Garm, angering him. Garm charges at Thorfinn but he puts Garm into a clinch and headbutts him, knocking Garm unconscious. This was the same tactic that Askeladd had used on Thorfinn in the past, proving that Askeladd's teachings had saved Thorfinn
After remembering his childhood, Garm wakes up laughing. He realizes and points out to Thorfinn that Thorfinn was intentionally provoking him. Thorfinn admits it by telling him that if one becomes hot-headed, their movements become simple and they become too fixated on the one mark they're attacking. Garm is pissed at himself for splitting his spear in two and claims that if he had it at full range, he could've won even while being pissed off. He then realizes that his spear is gone to which Thorfinn replied that he threw it away to stop Garm from attacking him, which pisses Garm off.
After remembering his childhood, Garm wakes up laughing. He realizes and points out to Thorfinn that Thorfinn was intentionally provoking him. Thorfinn admits it by telling him that if one becomes hot-headed, their movements become simple and they become too fixated on the one mark they're attacking. Garm is pissed at himself for splitting his spear in two and claims that if he had it at full range, he could've won even while being pissed off. He then realizes that his spear is gone to which Thorfinn replied that he threw it away to stop Garm from attacking him, which pisses Garm off. Garm admits that Thorfinn has better experience and is a better fighter overall, but Garm says next time they meet he will make sure to kill him, Thorfinn lets out a sigh of frustration and says how he wishes they could be friends and get along. Garm replies with "What do you mean? We already are friends." These are the last words Garm says to Thorfinn before he jumps off the roof. Leaving Thorfinn confused with what goes on in Garms head.
Personality[]
Garm is clearly psychotic, he thinks of killing as a fun game and actually doesn't understand why Thorfinn dislikes killing. In ways, Garm is similar to Thorkell, they both love to fight and how constantly are looking for a challenge. Garm is simple in his behavior, he only wishes to fight strong people and enjoy the thrill of battle. He claims that there is nothing better than a fight to the death, he generally seems to be a bit of a death seeker as he remarks at the end of his first fight with Thorfinn that he really thinks only he can kill him in a fight. Although not quite suicidal, Garm doesn't care whether he lives or dies. He can be comedic and aggressive at times. He believes that in life and the afterlife, his only purpose is to fight.
Garm has also a very cocky personality and loves being at the center of attention. He is prone to making himself as much noticeable as possible and loves putting on a show, as seen when he dropped his identity as a spy just to reveal himself in a flashy way in front of everyone. He also likes playing the role of a villain, as seen when he kidnapped Leif, Einar, and Gudrid, and left only Bug-Eyes behind to leave him with a message for Thorfinn, to force Thorfinn to join the coming battle at Jomsborg on the side of the attacking forces, because Garm wanted to face Thorfinn in battle again. He is extremely reckless, he killed and beheaded the Jomsviking leader Vagn, even though his mission was to kill Thorfinn he somehow found a way to anger Thorkell and start a battle between Floki and Thorkell. Garm is also very brash, denying and not taking responsibility for his actions when Floki called him out to his face, displaying his arrogance got him deeper into shit and nearly killed. Despite his cockiness, he's smart enough to notice and kill assassins, he has a keen eye for suspicious behavior.
Garm is quite blunt when expressing his opinions and desires and only seems to care about the thrills of combat. He has an utter dislike for the idea of living a peaceful life as a farmer. Throughout his second interaction with Thorfinn, Garm claims that he is his friend, implying that he has a warped idea about the meaning of friendship as if it is something only relating to combat. This says a lot about how he views people, with those that are worthy opponents being his friends, and him having no respect for those who he considers weak. In fact, he does not seem to know much about life outside of fighting and the idea of a normal life disgusts him.
Abilities[]
- Spear Proficiency: Garm is extremely skilled in using a spear, being extremely proficient in using his custom made spear to best his enemies, he was able to go toe to toe with Thorkell, who isn't an easy opponent. Garm is able to use his spear with one hand, Thorfinn even noted thbat it felt like he was fighting an archer and that Garm was a natural. Garm can mutilate body parts with his spear and throw his spear with extreme accuracy.
- Brute Strength: Garm was always extremely strong, he was able to knock out Bug-Eyes with one punch and even as a child was able to overpower adult men with ease.
- Enhanced Speed: Garm's speed is his biggest strength, he was able keep up with Thorfinn who is one of the fastest in the series. Thorfinn himself considered Garm to be "too fast". He kept up with Thorkell in battle and is able to dodge dozens of arrows with ease.
- Peak-Human-Agility: Garm's agility is unmatched, he is able to jump rather high. He can easily traverse through thick forests and can parkour up walls easily. He is shown to have good balance as well while fighting Thorfinn, being able to fight as well on the ground even though he was balancing on a roof.
Extremely High Stamina: Garm can go through tons of physical activity without getting tired, he fought Thorfinn and barely showed any signs of fatigue. It was only when he fought Thorkell he started to get tired. He was also able to fight for a long period of time after being brutally beaten by vikings
Master Acrobat: Garm is a natural acrobat, he can hold is a spear with one hand and do amazing feats of agility with it. He is also very capable of dual wielding his spear in its seperated.
Quotes[]
| “ | And who says you need to have a point to fight?! We fight because it's fun! Just look at them! They're having the time of their lives! There's no meaning in their life or death. They're just enjoying the spectacle of violence. War is pleasure. Everyone loves playing this game. The rules are simple, but the game is deep - how can you protect your own life while taking the opponent's? You've had your fun with it, too, haven't you? Just remember that. And let's have fun with it. Don't try to bring meaning into war. What good's a life, anyway? Only use for it, is having fun knocking one another around. | „ |
| ~ Garm |
| “ | He's wielding the spear with one hand! I've never seen anyone throw their thrusts like that. Damn it! I feel like I'm fighting an archer! He's letting the handle of the spear slide down his palm at high speed. He's holding it by the butt to maximize its reach. It's just the speed of the switch that's so extreme. How does he keep it from flying right out of his hand?! He pulls it back just as quick. And he can do it with either hand, too. He's an acrobat...a natural!! | „ |
| ~ Thorfinn about Garm's skill. |
Gallery[]
TBA
Trivia[]
- Due to his similiar love for combat, it was sarcastically implied that he's Thorkell's bastard son, however, his flashback proved that this isn’t the case as his father was a different man who detested Garm for how he is.
- Garm has knives which are hidden in his boots and although he was never shown using them, he's most likely good at using them
External Links[]
- Garm on the Vinland Saga Wiki
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 Villains
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Jomsvikings Askeladd's Band of Vikings Ketil's Farm Lnu Others | ||