Vikings: Valhalla Ending Explained — And What Season 4 Would Have Looked Like According to History
Vikings: Valhalla concludes its third season with the major storylines of Leif, Freydís, and Harald reaching thematically satisfying endpoints, but anyone familiar with the historical figures knows that the real stories continue well beyond the show. In fact, if Vikings: Valhalla had moved forward into a Season 4, history offers a remarkably detailed roadmap for the next chapters—ones even more dramatic and tragic than anything the series has shown so far.
Below is a breakdown of the ending, what it signals narratively, and a historically grounded projection of where Season 4 was headed.
LEIF ERIKSSON — The End of the Voyager, but Not the Journey
What the Ending Sets Up
In the series finale, Leif has transformed from a grief-driven Greenlander into a wise, emotionally centered explorer. He is equipped with astronomical knowledge, navigational tools, a deepened philosophical outlook, and—symbolically—a new identity as a bridge between worlds. The final scenes clearly foreshadow that Leif will attempt another westward voyage, echoing the legends of his historical discovery of North America.
What Season 4 Would Have Shown (According to History)
The real Leif Eriksson becomes Leif the Lucky, the first known European to reach North America. A Season 4, following historical progression, would likely have depicted:
1. A Return to Vinland
Leif historically leads an expedition to the land he names Vinland, believed to be parts of modern-day Newfoundland. The show would have depicted this in richer detail than Vikings did, portraying:
- the lush resources of Vinland
- conflicts with Indigenous peoples (the Skraelings in Norse sagas)
- the fragile attempt to establish a settlement
Given Valhalla’s approach, the series would probably have humanized the Indigenous groups, creating a cultural exchange narrative similar to how it portrayed the Rus and Byzantines.
2. A Struggle for Greenland’s Future
Historically, Leif never fully abandons Greenland. He returns to become chief after his father Erik the Red’s death. A Season 4 arc would have involved:
- Leif mediating between pagan and Christian Greenlanders
- political tensions with his siblings (especially Thorstein and Thorvald)
- the decline of the Greenland settlement
This could echo the philosophical themes of his Season 3 growth—Leif trying to guide his people without succumbing to his father’s legacy of anger.
3. The Tragic Fates of His Brothers
In the sagas:
- Thorvald dies in Vinland during a conflict with Indigenous warriors
- Thorstein dies during a failed voyage back
These events could serve as emotional turning points for Leif, paralleling the early loss of his lover Liv and reinforcing the theme that exploration always carries a cost.
Leif’s Ultimate Historical Fate
History doesn’t record how Leif died, only that he was succeeded by his son, Thorkell. A Season 4 (or 5) might end with Leif quietly passing leadership onward, his adventures complete—an understated end for a man whose legacy becomes myth.
FREYDÍS EIRÍKSDÓTTIR — The Last Pagan Queen
What the Ending Sets Up
Freydís ends the series as the undisputed leader of Jomsborg and the symbolic guardian of the Old Norse religion. Her storyline revolves around motherhood, tradition, and resilience against Christian expansion.
What Season 4 Would Have Shown
Historical Freydís—depending on which saga you read—is either a ruthless warrior or an unjustly slandered woman. A continuation would blend the two.
1. Freydís in Vinland (The Darker Saga)
In the Saga of Erik the Red, Freydís travels to Vinland and becomes embroiled in a violent conflict with other Norse settlers, ultimately orchestrating a massacre.
The show might reinterpret this as:
- Freydís attempting to secure a safe western homeland for her people
- escalating tensions with rival Greenlandic clans
- a violent climax that tests her sense of morality
Because Valhalla tends to balance brutality with character nuance, it might frame her actions as politically motivated rather than sadistic.
2. The Decline of Pagan Power
Historically, by the 11th century, Norse paganism is on the defensive everywhere. A Season 4 would likely portray:
- Christian influence spreading even into Jomsborg
- Freydís struggling to preserve tradition for her son
- internal coups among her own people
Her arc would mirror the larger fall of the Viking Age—noble, defiant, but ultimately unable to stop the tide of change.
3. A Poetic Ending
The sagas do not clearly state how Freydís died. A dramatic series ending might show her sacrificing herself to save her people or her child, becoming a martyr for the old religion.
HARALD HARDRADA — The Last Great Viking
What the Ending Sets Up
The show ends with Harald achieving fame and power in Constantinople, poised to return north. His romance with Elena and his rivalry with Leif and Freydís have all matured, leaving him ready for his true historical destiny: kingship.
Season 4 Would Have Been Harald’s Story Above All
Harald Hardrada is an epic figure. If the show had continued, Season 4 would have charted one of the most dramatic arcs in medieval history.
1. Harald Becomes King of Norway
Historically, around 1046–1047, Harald returns to Scandinavia, joins forces (temporarily) with his nephew Magnus the Good, and then becomes sole king after Magnus’ sudden death.
The season would include:
- political intrigue in Norway
- Harald’s ruthless consolidation of power
- betrayals, shifting alliances, and violent suppression of rebels
His leadership style—hard, authoritarian, ambitious—would contrast sharply with Leif’s and Freydís’s more philosophical approaches.
2. The Denmark Wars
Harald spent over a decade trying to conquer Denmark from King Sweyn Estridsson. A Season 4 could depict:
- coastal raids reminiscent of classic Vikings
- naval battles across the Baltic
- Harald’s gradual erosion of strength
It would be a narrative of ambition colliding with reality.
3. The Road to England — and His Death
History gives Harald one of the most dramatic endings imaginable.
In 1066:
- Harald invades England
- he wins a massive victory at Fulford
- days later, he is ambushed and defeated by Harold Godwinson at Stamford Bridge, dying in battle
This battle is widely considered the end of the Viking Age.
Valhalla’s entire thematic structure is built for this moment.
Harald’s death—bold, tragic, and grand—would serve as the natural finale for the entire series.
WHAT SEASON 4 WOULD HAVE BEEN AS A WHOLE
Bringing together all these threads, Season 4 would likely have been about the end of an era:
- Leif pushing west, symbolizing exploration
- Freydís fighting to preserve old beliefs as they fade
- Harald dying in the last great Viking invasion
Narratively, the season would conclude with:
- Harald’s fall at Stamford Bridge
- Freydís’s legacy living on only in small enclaves
- Leif’s discovery of a new world, representing the future beyond the Viking Age
This gives all three arcs thematic closure:
- Harald’s ambition ends in tragedy
- Freydís’s defiance cannot halt change
- Leif’s curiosity leads to a new horizon
Conclusion
Though Vikings: Valhalla ends in Season 3, history provides an extraordinary continuation. A Season 4 would have taken the characters into their most famous, most dramatic, and most consequential moments: the discovery of North America, the decline of Norse paganism, and the final collapse of Viking military power in Europe.
The real stories didn’t end where the show stopped—and in many ways, the best was still ahead.