In Vinland Saga season 2, we see Thorfinn as a slave, which is pretty shocking if you remember him as the tough warrior from season 1. The show doesn’t really show us how this big change happened, so let’s look back at what went down at the end of the first season to figure it out.
Throughout season 1, Thorfinn was obsessed with getting revenge on Askeladd, the guy who killed his dad. This desire for payback was all Thorfinn cared about. It shaped everything he did. He spent years getting better at fighting, just waiting for the right time to challenge Askeladd to a fair fight and kill him.
But things didn’t go as planned. Prince Canute killed Askeladd, not Thorfinn. This makes Thorfinn angry. The guy he’d been wanting to kill for so long was dead in front of him, and Thorfinn couldn’t do anything.
This moment was total anger and confusion for him, Thorfinn tried to attack Prince Canute. Because Canute had taken away the one thing Thorfinn had been living for by killing Askeladd. Thorfinn was just lashing out because he felt lost and angry.
Canute, who had gone through some changes himself, understood why Thorfinn was so messed up. So instead of having Thorfinn executed, which is what usually happened to people who attacked royalty, Canute decided to punish him by making him a slave.
Canute couldn’t just let Thorfinn off the hook completely. He was the new king, and he had to show he was in charge. The public and other nobles would expect some kind of punishment for someone who attacked the royal family. That’s why he had to do something.
Making Thorfinn a slave was rough, no doubt about it. But it’s actually Canute’s way of protecting Thorfinn. By turning Thorfinn into a slave, Canute basically saved his life. It kept Thorfinn from getting killed or jumping into more fights. Also, it gave him a chance to really think about his life. That’s why when season 2 starts, we see Thorfinn living this slave life.