Just finished reading chapter 200. This chapter wasn’t actually as “big” as I was expecting i.e. there wasn’t a tragic death or big fight, it was more of a standoff, though that’s not to say it wasn’t tense. To be honest I didn’t actually think Hild was going to kill any of them in cold blood, I was expecting more of an escalation of the situation due to maybe a misunderstanding that would result in a death. But Hild knew what she was doing and set the traps carefully to ensure they would be under her control. It didn’t seem like she was actively aiming to kill them in that moment, though it’s ambiguous in Eivar’s case and I’ll also touch on that later.
But I love this final panel of Hild running through the forest:
“I have the power. I can prevent this war. I must…”
It’s like this panel of Miskwekepu’j:
“Persuasion didn’t work. But I mustn’t give up. I’ll do whatever it takes to drive the Norsemen from this land. Whatever it takes…”
These are placed at the end of their chapters, both of the character running through the forest (away from other people who are trying to talk to them, kind of representing them isolating themselves.) towards their goal whilst reaffirming what that goal is to themselves. Note the use of language “Whatever it takes” “I must” “I mustn’t” “I have to”. Kind of like Thorfinn saying he must preserve peace, however these two are trying to use violent means. So a different side of the same coin.
They are determined to see their goal accomplished, they have made up their mind to see this through no matter what. Both of their goals are quite grand (preventing a war, driving a group of people out of the land) and would require manipulation/ control over others to some degree. But as Hild says “she has the power” and so can, or rather “must” use it to prevent an even worse fate befalling Vinland, namely a war between the settlers and Lnu people. Even if that entails having to use force over others and betraying the peaceful “first resort” approach of Thorfinn to get her way.
This may not have been the intent as running lines are often used to emphasise the speed the characters are going at in manga, but here they have a kind of tunnel vision effect, possibly showing not only how determined the characters are but that they also may be fixated on their goals to the point where they could be missing out on a bigger picture. It makes me think of Hild teaching the children, which I’ll also talk about later. Idk maybe this is a reach lol but still there are enough similarities between the panels the two characters’ situations for me to think that this is not a coincidence.
This seems to be a deliberate artistic choice from Yukimura that is meant to showcase a deeper and more symbolic connection between these two characters.
As for just how far these two are willing to go, well we saw this chapter with Hild how she’s willing to use force, intimidation and threats to get Eivar and co. to comply with her demands, namely stopping with trying to antagonise the Lnu and taking down the fort before the years end if they don’t want her to kill them. (I’m not sure if she actually meant this though it’s undeniable that it’s an effective threat). Hild called out the building of the fort very early on, she saw it as the beginning of hostility taking form, threatening to ruin the mostly positive relationship between the settlers and Lnu tribe thus far. “Mistrust breeds more mistrust”. She told Thorfinn that he wasn’t being assertive enough in his leadership, and I imagine her frustration with Eivar and those aligning with his view only grew with the fort.
And then there’s Miskwekepu’j, who, if Thorfinn’s deduction was correct (which I’m assuming it was because this seems like a deliberate explanation from the author that we’re meant to take at face value bc I don’t really see any point in making this a red herring) was willing to be killed to prove the point to his people that the Norse settlers aren’t to be trusted and that they should take action before it’s too late and their whole people and way of life is wiped out. Both Hild and Miskwekepu’j are frustrated at not being listened to and feeling a sense of helplessness in the face of impending disaster.
He didn’t die of course, only got his hand cut off by Eivar, but to him that was seemingly good enough to show that the Norse were their enemies, since he was laughing afterwards. We can then assume he wasn’t actually going to kill Thorfinn with the axe, just wanted to make it appear that way to provoke them into retaliating violently. Either way this shows the extent to which he is willing to go to achieve his goal, and how important this is to him. Of course it’s kind of silly in a way because the Norse defending themselves against a violent attack isn’t enough to prove they’re enemies, especially since they didn’t instigate it. However had Thorfinn been left to deal with the attack without intervention he would’ve ofc been fine and dealt with it in a non violent way, and we probably wouldn’t be in this situation we’re seeing in chapter 200. Plus there may have been the added benefit of people from his settlement seeing how capable he is and coming to take him more seriously. But sadly we’ll never know where they would be if Eivar hadn’t stepped in. And of course even if this didn’t happen, conflict would still take place in the end inevitably. Either way Eivar cutting his hand off was just the beginning of the end in this case, and the moment I think Hild began to start planning to take drastic measures herself.
I also recognise that yes whilst Eivar is an idiot and shouldn’t have stepped in, he doesn’t know how strong Thorfinn is and would’ve seen what he did as the only way to protect his leader. So yes I can empathise with him and understand why he did it, and I’m aware that he and also Stork are kind of representative of the people who don’t agree with Thorfinn’s methods and that people will gravitate to them for that reason.
Though I feel the need to mention that since this is Eivar we’re talking about, it’s likely he was waiting for a moment like this to pounce on where he could brandish his sword and look like a warrior protecting his people. Protecting Thorfinn in and of itself wasn’t the only appealing thing about this situation to him. He admires war, just doesn’t want to be the cause of it, however in his hubris didn’t realise he’s contributing to a potential cause of conflict by building the fort. He’s a complex character, and I’m glad he’s not being treated as just this black and white evil war monger to be scapegoated as the main cause for the war.
Anyway, the damage is done, and if it’s true that this is what Miskwekepu’j wanted, then it seems the Norse have an even bigger incentive than before to take defensive measures like building the fort. As Hild says “are we the injured, or the injurers?”. Because even if they indeed were acting in self defence, if it doesn’t appear that way to the Lnu or if the Lnu interpret their actions as hostile then it doesn’t really matter in the end as conflict will ensue anyway. That’s why clear communication between the two parties is so important and why the language barrier is such a difficult obstacle. After the hand gets cut off we see Niskawaji'j desperately trying to explain that they’re not enemies and that Miskwekepu’j saw a terrible vision of the future that he wants to prevent, but this is to no avail as no one understands her. We have to remember that even if Thorfinn and those closest to him know that Miskwekepu’j wasn’t actually intending to kill him, others will still assume the worst and there will be speculation from both sides about what happened. We even saw Plmk, probably the most enthusiastic supporter of Norse and Lnu coexistence from the Lnu side we’ve seen, alarmed by Eivar’s sword and how cleanly and effortlessly it was able to cut off Miskwekepu’j’s hand. He seemed to be almost blindsided as he didn’t know the Norse had such effective tools that could be used to hurt and kill people. No doubt in the tribe there would be increased apprehension towards the Norse as a result of this event. Which could be the beginning of conflict brewing.
For all of these reasons, Hild has identified these two, Eivar and Miskwekepu’J, as the biggest threats to the peace of Vinland as their actions are the most violent/ inflammatory so far, and likely to spark future hostility and conflict. In Hild’s mind these two are the ones actively trying to prepare for future conflict and in doing so increasing the risk of said future conflict. And so, similarly to Miskwekepu’J with the Norse, she sees impending devastation looming if no action is taken and she leaves them to their own devices. She feels that now she has the power she can prevent the worst case scenario, and feels responsible for preventing it.
Now for discussing why exactly Hild feels this way and feels such a strong need to take action. When she was a child her village was attacked and raided by Vikings, her family was killed and her father was brutally murdered in front of her by Thorfinn. She barely escaped and if she hadn’t she would probably have become a slave and been subjected to all sorts of horrific treatment. Point is, she was powerless. As Thorfinn put it, “I am the hunter, you are the hunted.” Hild was the prey, and there was nothing she could do to defend herself. This feeling of powerlessness is something that Hild despises, in a way it also makes her feel guilty about what happened to her family and the village. Even though it wasn’t her fault. If she had been stronger, maybe she could’ve stopped it. But she was weak, and so by the rule of the hunter ad the hunted, she deserved what happened to her. (This is just how I’m imagining she feels deep down, it’s not really her fault in any way.) You can see this frustration at her perceived powerlessness growing in the Vinland arc, you can see how frustrated she gets during the Thing when the majority of people in the Thing don’t seem to be taking Thorfinn’s points to heart. I also loved the visual representation of the men outnumbering the women+Thorfinn and Einar (3 to 1 as Hild put it), it really puts into perspective what odds they’re against. At first I was iffy about the way there was such a black and white division between the men and the women especially because of how nuanced of a manga Vinland Saga is. But I see what Yukimura was trying to achieve here symbolically and the themes he was trying to convey. This was the theme he wanted to convey, so he was clear and decisive in showing it, plus it wouldn’t hI also liked how during the chapter there was a big emphasis on Arnheid’s statue and what it represents. Arnheid was a woman who was in a similar position to Hild as a child all those years ago. She was an innocent victim who was unable to stop the storms of men. Her husband didn’t listen to her and the voices of the women were ignored, and tragedy befell their village. I like how this is a strong parallel to what’s happening now in Vinland. Only this time, Hild is trying to forge a different path. After escaping the massacre of her village, Hild was able to grow strong thanks to her mentor and her genius brain. She became a skilled huntress and crossbow wielder with incredible aim as we’ve seen in many chapters including this one. She has the power now. And to her, if she doesn’t use it, and war was to break out, then it would be in part her responsibility for letting things get this far. Subconsciously she still has the “hunter and the hunted” mentality that she had when seeking revenge. We see that during one of the children’s lessons, the children start expressing sentiments that their parents have been evidently expressing to them. For example one child says that the Lnu are the enemy because their parents said so. One says Cordelia is a man and that women can’t fight in war, in reference to Hild as she is a woman in response to Karli saying she’s strong (which is of course irony because Hild knows war and fighting very well). Of course the children are still innocent, it’s not really their fault, but you can see that already prejudiced and harmful ways of thinking are growing within the children as a result of the adults’ attitudes. This obviously disturbs Hild, and she’s quick to shut down the notion that the Lnu are their enemies. She wisely tells the children to think for themselves and not to take everything their parents say as the unquestionable truth. She can see the next generation are already starting to become victims to the us vs them mentality and this is also another thing that spurs her into action. She sees her past self, her past helplessness and innocence in these children. She wants to stop them from going through the pain she went through. As the editor put it, she loves peace will all her heart and hates war with all her heart. The recent events have highlighted th
To address the title, in chapter 182 we see Thorfinn speaking to Eivar about the matter of war and fighting. Eivar says that it’s natural for men to like war and Thorfinn is reminded of Canute who used to cower from fighting and violence. However despite hating war Canute was able to bear it for the sake of achieving his goal. Canute is someone who doesn’t care about the more honourable methods of warfare as he was willing to use underhanded means such as poisoning his rivals. He was willing to do whatever it took his get his goal no matter how despicable it may be, even poisoning his own brother. And even though he now has a more positive outlook thanks to Thorfinn sharing his burden with him, he still persists down the path of violence and bloodshed to achieve his paradise on earth. Eivar seems to think that his partaking in war means his hatred of war has been “cured” but Thorfinn says that actually Canute hates war more than anyone else. He knows he’s inflicting suffering upon others, but in his mind it’s justified because this cost is a smaller price to pay than if he didn’t create his paradise on earth and left the Vikings to their own devices. Just look at the methods Canute uses during the slave arc: poisoning, manipulation, threats, blackmail etc. Thorfinn then says that a man like bug eyes starting a war would be scarier than a man like Eivar staring one. Why? Because unlike Eivar, Bug eyes doesn’t like war and doesn’t care for the conventional Viking warrior’s honour, he’d be perfectly happy to use whatever means necessary to get what he wants. Especially if he hated the war, him starting one would mean he was serious about achieving whatever his end goal was. Making him arguably more dangerous than a warrior like Eivar. Thorfinn says “You’ll be strong, very strong”. Of course Thorfinn isn’t saying Bug Eyes would be physically strong or that he’d be a good fighter, rather he’s saying he would be an effective and ruthless warrior as he wouldn’t care about anything superficial like honour, like Canute. He would do whatever it takes. In this way, warriors like Thorkell or Eivar aren’t actually as scary, because they value honour as much as strength. However characters like Canute, Styrk, Bug Eyes, Askeladd etc. are more scary because of what they’re willing to do to win (though I don’t necessarily think all of these characters are scariest men ofc). The chapter ends with an ominous line from Thorfinn “I pray there are no warriors like that on this island…”
This is obvious foreshadowing to the fact that there ARE people like that on this island. Of course, Bug Eyes is a comical example, but this chapter is meant to make us think about this “Scariest man” and what that would mean for the settlement. Hild and Miskwekepu’j both perfectly represent the “Scariest man” that Thorfinn was talking about in this chapter. Both of them hate war and what it means it and want to avoid it at all costs. Both of them are willing to do “whatever it takes” to achieve their goal including using violence, force, manipulation and threats. And both of them understand the severity of war (even if Miskwekepu’j hasn’t actually experienced it first hand he still saw the horrifying vision that gave him more than enough insight) and it’s consequences. Also notice how Hild is present during the Scariest man talk and how she looks pretty intrigued by the conversation lol.
I believe Hild is going to serve as an excellent antagonist to Thorfinn, because she is a character we have followed for a long time and have grown to see changing and growing, even if she’s mainly been on the sidelines. Her forgiving Thorfinn was one f the most satisfying moments in the manga, which would make it all the more emotionally impactful if she was the final antagonist. It would be this character, who knows and understands Thorfinn so intimately and has seen both his past and present self, and has supported him in his endeavour to create a land of peace, AND who also bears no malice to Thorfinn anymore, being the final antagonist and the one to pose the greatest ideological challenge of all to Thorfinn. Subtly, his past mantra of “the hunter and the hunted” coming back to face him, this time not rearing it’s head as a thing of hatred or vengeance, but something being used to try and protect his very own o own dream own dream of a land of peace. 👻
Serve as Canute difficulty as she is trying to prevent a war rather than use one
If her method wins, contradict Thorfinn. The final battle of Vinland saga will be an ideological one. Really Vinland saga has always been an ideological battle.
It’s ambiguous whether Hild was actually going to kill Eivar and it does certainly seem that way when Thorfinn appears and she looks extremely distressed, but I think this is more to do with the fact she didn’t want him to get involved with the plan rather than that she was actually going to kill Eivar. Throughout the chapter Eivar and Thorfinn keep questioning whether killing someone is actually something Hild would do and I think that’s the point, we as the readers know Hild and are meant to question whether or not this is something she would actually do (which I don’t think it is.)
Finally an interesting thing to note is that the last thing Thorfinn says to Hild is “who is going to teach the children?”
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