Vikings: Valhalla Season 1 Episode 6 Recap – The Last Daughter of Uppsala

Freydis arrives at the village and goes straight to the healer’s house. She finds her friend, Yrsa, dead and hanging from the ceiling. She cuts the rope that holds her and then catches her friend in her arms. She looks for the people who did it and finds the rest of the villagers slaughtered. Kåre holds the healer’s baby. When Freydis asks his reason for killing all the villagers, he says it’s because she killed his Berserker. He tells his men to bring Freydis’ body to him once they are done with her, but Freydis draws her sword to fight back. Kåre sees the sword and asks Freydis where she got it. Freydis says the priest in Uppsala gave it to her. He looks surprised and asks her if she has also met the seer. Freydis admits she did, and the seer called her “The Last.” Kåre spares Freydis so she can deliver a message to Jarl Haakon.

When Freydis returns to Kattegat, she tells everyone what happened to them. She reveals they were attacked on their way to Uppsala. The Berserker who attacked them killed her friends and the guards who were with them. Some people don’t even believe her when she says she strangled the Berserker to death using her bracelet, but one of the warriors tells her she should join the Shield-maidens. Freydis tells Jarl Haakon she met Kåre, and he is coming for Kattegat. Jarl Haakon tells her to rest so she can tell the rest of the story later. Then Jarl Haakon tells her warrior to train Freydis so she can join the Shield-maidens.

Olaf says goodbye to some of his friends before he leaves England. He says he has made his choice just like Canute. Olaf says that if Canute wants to stay and be King of England, Olaf himself wants to be King of Norway. When Nori warns him that Canute will not be happy if he finds out his plan, Olaf is not even a bit worried. He knows half of Canute’s army and ships are sailing away.

Queen Emma expresses her gratitude to King Canute for his help in finding her sons. She wants to know what she can do to repay him, but King Canute says Emma is free to leave whenever she wants. She can even go back to Normandy if she wants to. Queen Emma says she chooses to stay because England is her home. Canute then says he wants Emma to be his advisor. Half of his army is sailing away, leaving him vulnerable, so he wants Emma’s help so the Saxons can learn to accept him. He tells her his plan to build a massive empire that stretches throughout Europe. Emma tells Canute the kingdoms have a problem, and each Ealdorman is at risk of facing rebellion. Canute says he can put a man who can handle the taxes. Queen Emma has a different plan. Since the problem is not the collectors but the tax itself, she plans to put a simple levy on every household. And though it doesn’t seem much, it is enough to build an army, fleet, or empire. 

Godwin also wants to prove himself to Canute to earn the king’s trust. He delivers new robes to the detained nobles. He says the gifts are from Canute. Godwin had also prepared a hangman and gallows just like Canute asked. When the Ealdormen walk out to face Canute, they see a hanged noble. Canute tells them he plans to rule England with Edmund. He admits he wants to convince the nobles it is a good thing. He plans to restore the Ealdormen’s lands and titles and promises that there will be no more Viking raids on their kingdoms. Then he asks them to be loyal to him. The Ealdormen each pledge their loyalty to him.

Kåre goes to Uppsala. The moment he arrives, he remembers a memory from his childhood. When he was young, before he became a Christian, his family visited Uppsala. He remembers coming there with his parents and older brother. His brother was sacrificed that day, and young Kåre couldn’t believe what he saw. He ran away from the scene after he saw a priest cut his brother’s throat. Kåre goes into the hall where he meets a priestess. He tells her he came to prepare. Kåre slices his palm and lets his blood be the sacrifice. He sees the seer once again. The seer remembers seeing Kåre as a frightened child and says he is exactly the same. 

He tells Kåre his destiny. When it is over, Kåre says a prayer as he makes his way to the gates. His men are waiting for him on the other side when he opens the gates. 

Freydis starts her training to be a Shield-maiden. It’s not easy because she didn’t have much experience in fighting before, but she seems naturally good at fighting. When Leif and Harald arrive in Kattegat, Freydis is in the middle of her training. Harald delivers the gold to Jarl Haakon — a gift from him and Canute. Harald says King Canute has promised to make him the next King of Norway, and Harald wants Jarl Haakon’s support. As they celebrate the mission‘s success, Harald tells everybody that the true heroes are Leif and his friends. He says they were successful because of the Greenlanders.

Olaf and the ships arrive in Denmark. Olaf goes straight to Queen Aelfgifu. He tells her that Canute has become King of England, so he intends to stay. Aelfgifu thinks that since Canute is king, that makes him queen, but Olaf tells her England already has a queen. He describes Queen Emma as very beautiful and has become very close with Canute. Olaf reveals his true intentions and says he wants to rule Norway. He knows Canute will not permit it and will call upon his fleet. He wants Aelfgifu to deny Canute his fleet. 

Freydis has to pass the test to become a Shield-maiden. She has to fight the other warriors and defeat them in front of everybody. In the end, she is successful. She promises Jarl Haakon she will protect Kattegat to death. 

When Godwin looks for Canute, he discovers the king is alone with Queen Emma. That night the queen sleeps with Canute. Godwin reminds King Edmund that he is still king and Canute depends on him to get the support of the nobles. King Canute is awakened by someone delivering him some news from Denmark. After reading the letter, Canute summons a priest and orders his ship to be prepared for departure.

Our Thoughts

We think what Kåre witnessed as a kid changed him. That day when his brother was sacrificed was also the first time he met the seer. So even when he changed his beliefs, Kåre continued to believe in destiny. The shield maidens aren’t even bothered by Kåre’s threats because they think Kåre doesn’t have men to attack Kattegat. And let’s just hope Kåre will not attack. We have seen what he did to the villagers — a brutal attack against those who couldn’t fight back.

And when the nobles faced Canute, we couldn’t imagine them saying they wouldn’t support him. A man was hanging on a rope near them, so we know they didn’t want to be the next to die. So to save themselves and avoid death, they just pledge their loyalty to him. Godwin and Emma are both on Canute’s side now. Who will support Edmund? Who will stand by him? If Olaf attacks Canute, will Harald choose to be with Canute or his brother? We think he would be with Leif and Freydis. He really likes them.