Vikings: Valhalla - What Jarl Means (Is It A King?)
Warning: this article contains SPOILERS forVikings: Valhalla.
A few characters in Vikings: Valhalla are referred to by the title "jarl," but what does this mean? Set 100 years after the events of Vikings, Vikings: Valhalla explores a completely new set of characters. Vikings: Valhalla season 1 primarily revolves around the tensions between the Vikings and the English after the St. Brice's Day massacre, in which King Aethelred the Unready (Bosco Hogan) has all Danes living in England murdered. One year after the massacre, Viking armies from all over Scandinavia convene in the Danish settlement Kattegat to exact revenge on the English.
The leader of this movement is Denmark's King Canute (Bradley Freegard), with the support of Jarl Estrid Haakon (Caroline Henderson) and Harald Sigurdsson (Leo Suter), the prince of Norway. Jarl Olaf Haraldsson (Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson), Harald's half-brother, also joins the rebellion, with the initial intention of using the gathering of Vikings as an opportunity for a mass conversion to Christianity. Viking: Valhalla's Christianity vs. Norse pagan religion tensions add an element to the general conflict with the English, pointing to the strained unity between Viking tribes that must be overcome for an effective rebellion.
Related: Valhalla True Story: How Many Died At The St. Brice's Day Massacre
There's clearly a title hierarchy in Viking culture, with kings receiving more respect and power than jarls. "Jarl" is a Scandinavian title that has its roots in the Iron Age. For centuries, it was the highest rank below king until the introduction of the duke title in 13th century Norway. In the later medieval period, there was generally only one jarl in each Scandinavian country at a time,
Read more on screenrant.com
