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| “ | As soon as the weapons started, his weapons would break from his own brute strength. So he just fought bare handed afterwards. He was quite the legend back in the day. | „ |
| ~ Thorgil about his father. |
Ketil is the main antagonist of the Slave Arc in the manga and anime series Vinland Saga. Ketil is an allegedly "feared warrior" who has retired. He purchased a farm, hired farm hands, and bought slaves to help with the workload. He soon purchases slaves Thorfinn and Einar and gives them the task of turning a forest into a wheat field, in exchange for their freedom.
After facing humiliation after his sons kill the king's men, King Canute orders an attack on his farm and Ketil unleashes his old persona and raises an army of men to fight against the King.
In the Japanese dub, he is portrayed by Hideaki Tezuka. In the VSI dub he is voiced by Sean Burgos, and Doug Jackson in the Crunchyroll dub.
Appearance[]
Ketil is 44 years old, he has a rather muscular build, but high body fat. He has long blonde hair and a bushy blonde beard. Due to his age he is shown to have some wrinkles.
Personality[]
Ketil despises the use of violence to resolve any conflict and never wants to participate in war, to the point of making a deal with King Sweyn which consists of every year gifting a great amount of his products in exchange for having the king's protection for his farm. Until his betrayal by King Canute, he also refuses to let his younger son Olmar enter a life of war.
Ketil has a strong sense of empathy and acceptance. He believes that even slaves are deserving of fair treatment, so much so that he gives everyone a chance to work for their freedom. Despite being the owner of the farm, Ketil does not look down on his subordinates, instead working closely with them to cultivate the farm. Ketil also seemed to be a kind and soft-hearted man, almost tearing up when he heard that two kids robbed him because they had to take care of their sick mother, immensely regretting being forced to punish them.
However, when things get out if his control, Ketil tends to panic and hide in any way possible. The culmination of several stressful events such as his two sons murdering Canute's men, the plot of Canute to take his lands and hearing that Arnheid tried to escape with her husband, made him eventually snap and be filled with a sense of rage and disappointment. He beat Arnheid (who was pregnant with his child) to death and foolishly chose to declare war on Canute despite the latter's superior resources. Even after Jomsvikings had mutilated and decapitated many of Ketil's men brutally, Ketil still motivates his men to fight, showing his determination and recklessness. Even after beating Arnheid, he refused to set her free, calling her his property. This shows that, despite his seeming kindness towards his slaves, he ultimately sees them as his personal property.
Although said to be infamous around the land, Snake reveals that Ketil isn't the man who people said he was and instead assumed the identity of Iron Fist Ketil to prevent others from challenging him. It's also shown that he never actually responded to what his wife was speaking to him about, and would instead prefer Arnheid over her, showcasing his lack of love, as well as possible hatred, for his own wife.
Ultimately, Ketil was really not that kind to begin with, but rather weak, who ultimately proved to be a reckless and abusive coward underneath his empathetic and gentle surface.
Biography[]
He is first shown as a kind and empathetic slave owner who gives his slaves a chance to buy their own freedom after working enough to cultivate an entire field on his farm. Ketil stayed civil around his people and would treat others with respect. Sometime in October 1018, Ketil was invited to have an audience with King Canute, and was very hopeful of the outcome of their audience, donning a large grin on his face the entire time leading up to it. However, Canute was merely looking for a reason to invade Ketil’s farm in order to take his wealth and land, for the sake of his country. He initiates a plan to seize his land after Ketil’s son, Olmar, disgraces himself in front of his father and Canute. After Olmar murders Canute’s messenger, and his other son, Thorgil, murders several more of his men, he is mortified and escapes back to his farm with the help of Leif Ericson, hiding in a barrel the entire boat ride there.
Once he gets back and discovers Arnheid, his favorite slave who he relies heavily upon, tried to escape with her old husband, he becomes filled with rage and claims everything is slipping between his fingers. He finds Arnheid in a stable and proceeds to beat her close to death in a fit of rage. Once Canute's men arrive, he then leads a charge to fight Canute and his men, eventually failing, and getting knocked unconscious by one of Canute’s men. After he awakens and recovers from his wounds in battle, he is seemingly distraught to find out that Arnheid has died, and enters retirement.
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 Villains
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Jomsvikings Askeladd's Band of Vikings Ketil's Farm Lnu Others | ||