Based on historical facts, Vikings Valhalla tells a fictionalized version of mythical Norse characters. Among them is Jarl Haakon, the Countess of Kattegat. Did she really exist?
Vikings spin-off available on Netflix, Vikings: Valhalla recounts the epic of legendary characters, 100 years after the events of the original series. Among the protagonists, we find in particular the explorer Leif Eriksson (Sam Corlett), his valiant sister Freydis Eriksdotter (Frida Gustavsson) and the ambitious prince of the North Harald Sigurdsson (Leo Suter).
But another key figure in the tensions between the Vikings, torn between their pagan and Christian beliefs, and England, at the heart of the series, attracts attention. This is the Jarl [titre de noblesse dans les régions scandinaves équivalent à comte, ndlr] Estrid Haakon, played by Caroline Henderson.
This great black Viking warrior reigns over Kattegat, a mythical place that has become multicultural and which welcomes pagans and Christians with openness and benevolence, following the death of her husband.
Did Jarl Haakon exist?
As for the other characters, did Jarl Estrid Haakon really exist? Yes and no. It would seem that this character is inspired by Jarl Håkon Eiriksson, governor of Norway, who had the full confidence of King Knut the Great (present in the series in the guise of Bradley Freegard).
But like Michael Hirst before him, Jeb Stuart, the showrunner of Vikings: Valhalla, took liberties with History by transforming this male character into a female character, which is black.
BERNARD WALSH/NETFLIX
In an interview for Den of Geekhis interpreter Caroline Henderson testified to the desire of the showrunner of the Netflix series to show that the Viking culture had diversified through his character:
“We know from modern DNA research that the Vikings were explorers. They traveled to North Africa, Asia, all kinds of places. Obviously they brought back slaves and acquaintances, but also fell in love.
Most likely, people of color have [toujours] existed in the community [viking]. It’s amazing to bring this to his story, because it’s closer to the truth [historique]I think, that what we saw [dans les histoires de Viking] until now.”
The character of Jarl Estrid Haakon in the Netflix series had a particular resonance for Caroline Henderson and her family heritage: “I come from a classy, very prominent, predominantly white Swedish family. And my father was African American. I can trace my ancestry back to my Swedish side because they were like priests and they owned land hundreds of years ago, so I feel like I’m a bit like her, but in a modern version.”
If Estrik Haakon did not really exist, she is, in the series Vikings: Valhalla, an important character in the issues raised on the wars of religion and the multiculturalism of the Scandinavian regions. This is also what convinced Caroline Henderson to play him:
“What I also like about this very modern role is what she says in Kattegat: all religions, all colors, all beliefs are welcome, because you have to learn to live together , something we haven’t learned for thousands of years.”