Thorvald

“These ships are built to take the wrath of storms, have we Vikings not built a legend on them? See how the planks beneath us flex like the muscles of Thor? They are built of the same stuff, as hard and enduring as he is.” 

Background

Thorvald has gone through a number of renditions during the process of creating him as a character. He is the middle son of Erik, a year younger than Leif. While Leif might not be all that typical a Viking, being happier with his nose buried in books while trying to learn Latin, Thorvald is most at home at the prow of a Viking long-ship heading into the jaws of danger. Early on, while writing him, he was rather unlikable due to being horrifically arrogant, but with subsequent re-writes that arrogance has mellowed into a ready confidence in his own abilities. This was one of the challenges of creating Thorvald, that although he is the younger brother of Leif, he often comes across as older. Hopefully, I have managed to reflect this in the story. Leif starts off quite innocent and naive but events in the book cause him to grow up and accept his role as Erik’s heir.

Thorvald has treated the discovery of Vinland as a great opportunity, not for wealth and prosperity like most of the others, but rather for the potential for glory. Part of the reason for the Viking success was their nose for adventure and Thorvald comes to epitomise this. He is forever on the lookout for opportunities to explore the world and leave his stamp on destiny.

Traits

Vinland, the book, would be rather boring if it were just about wet-nosed scholars and angry middle-aged men so Thorvald is there to add a dash of adventure and adrenaline to the prose. He always seems to be in trouble of some kind, but his exceptional abilities and deep confidence in himself, together with the loyal support of Adalwolf, seem to be more than a match for many of the issues he faces.

Being the middle son, he is confronted with the possibility of being left in Leif’s shadow, so he does all he can to make himself stand out, sometimes for the better, but often for the worse. Although he loves his brother, he fears being forgotten by history more than anything.  This may make his actions sometimes seem to be rather selfish.

Loves and hates

Thorvald loves anything adventurous, particularly if it can lead to becoming more well known. He also loves his family and will do anything to protect them.  These conflicting loyalties can sometimes torment him, and the obvious choice at the time may not always be the right one in the long term.

Image courtesy of onceawildchild