Canute (Vinland Saga)

Contemporary portrait of King Cnut

Though based on real figure Cnut, Makoto Yukimura said that Canute's personality was based on his interpretation of him as he did not do research for several sides shown in his role in the story.[1] Canute was created to be the foil of the series' protagonist Thorfinn. While Thorfinn develops several values in the narrative based on the author himself, Yukimura wanted the reader to see that there is always somebody with a different idea.[2] Canute's power in the second story arc was meant to emphasize how he is now the new cause behind the world Thorfinn experience as a Viking and wants to escape as a result of the violence it caused. In their eventual reunion, Yukimura want to contrast the their view points and how the protagonist decides abanon any hope of like Canute, having decided seek his own way of living.[3]

Yukimura was often told by his editors not to draw Canute with a beard, as they claimed its interference with the bishonen archetype he represented would diminish the series' popularity. He rejected that idea, claiming that every man had a beard in that era. Conversely, Thorfinn becomes an adult in the second story arc, but he shaves his beard, as Yukimura did not want him to look strong.[4]

Kensho Ono voices Canute in Japanese. His first impression was that he was bearish and contrasted with Thorfinn. But then he "wakes up". Both lines were required at the audition, so he remembers worrying about what to do about it. While Thorfinn feels like a bad boy with a strong wild flavor, while Canute is a royal family, timid and few words. It was a way of counterarguing with a certain kind of resignation while showing pride as a royal family even if it was fanned by Thorfinn. Following Ragnar's death, he thought that he was a very worthwhile person. In his life, there is only a future where he will die if he continues to be timid. However, this incident made him realize that he must change the world. Ono was very impressed because he felt that way. He thought it would be better to calculate backwards and show the audience that he has changed completely when he wakes up. Ono approached with a posture that allows me to play in the most stable manner. The director said it was important to have a sense of nobility as a prince. He said that he wanted his words and nuances to show his pride and that he was different from ordinary people.[5]

In the English dub of Vinland Saga, Canute is voiced by Jessie James Grelle in the Crunchyroll dub, while Griffin Burns portrays Canute in the Netflix dub.[6]

Canute is the 17-year-old prince of the Danes. He is initially portrayed as timid and womanly, and unable to function without his retainer Ragnar. Askeladd's company finds employment as mercenaries under King Sweyn in the Danish invasion of London by the British and Thorkell the Tall,a former Jomsviking. As Thorkell takes Sweyn's son Prince Canute captive, Askeladd's company captures the prince with the intent of selling him to either side for a profit with the young protagonist Thorfinn bodyguarding him.[7][8] Askeladd has Canute's caretaker Ragnar's die in order to make the prince more independent. As Canute questions his love towards Ragnar and whether or not he loved him, he has a sharp reversal of personality; becomes strong and kingly, and develops an ambition to create utopia on Earth before God's return.[9] This new attitutde allows him to stop the fights between Thorkell and Askeladd's forces and have them under his command.[10] Towards this end of a utopia, Canute plots to overthrow his father Sweyn Forkbeard and take the crown of the Danes. Askeladd is ultimately forced to sacrifice himself by killing Sweyn during an audience when the king announces his plan to invade Wales, feigning madness as Canute kills him, so the Prince could take over Dane-occupied England without question.[11][12]

King Canute marches ahead of his troops in the war against Ethelred II for the throne of England. He severely punishes some of his forward troops for pillaging and treating the English peasants badly. Eadric offers Canute treasure to leave him and Mercia alone, however Canute rejects the paltry offer and demands that Eadric swear loyalty to him and deliver Ethelred's head in exchange for retaining Mecia. Canute then sets alight a series of massive pyres across the countryside to demonstrate his power. Both Ethelred and his son Edmund are dead within 3 years leading Canute to being recognized in 1018 as Bretwalda, King of England. Canute has visions in the form of the head of King Sweyn who exposes Canute's hidden ambition and accuses him of poisoning his brother Harald so he can be king of Denmark and England.[13] Canute spars with Wulf, captain of his guard, and manages to defeat him, garnering the necessary respect among his men as a warrior. However, Canute is faced with a shortage of revenue to fund his domains of Denmark and England and considers a plan to requisition farmland from wealthy landowners to fund the military. Canute prepared to march on Ketil's farm with over 100 men including Floki's Jomsvikings.[14]

After his initial victory, Canute prevents Floki and his Jomsvikings from pillaging the farm so that he can acquire it intact. Thorfinn approaches Canute's camp alone and is greeted by a towering Jomsviking named Drott the Bear Killer, who ridicules his request to talk to the king and knocks him down. Thorfinn realizes that he cannot convince Canute to alter his path, and states that he will travel far away from the reach of the king. Canute is bemused, but he accepts Thorfinn's choice, and abandoning the ways of his father, he surprisingly alters his plan to forcefully seize farms. He even withdraws his troops from England, avoiding a potential uprising and earning the respect of the English nobles.[15]

Canute's order to the tide is reinterpreted by Yukimura in the series' second story arc when the character confronts Thorfinn

Critical response to the character has been positive. The Mary Sue praised Canute's role in the first story arc for schemes against the King and how the season finished with his killing of Askeladd. This impressed the writer in regards to what they will see him do in the next arc as he does no longer has a need to personally kill another character in his new state.[16] Den of Geek took several views about the cast as they found that Canute is often under the eyes of Askeladd who appears to care about him despite his antagonistic personality.[17] The Escapist Magazine noticed Vinland Saga early explored the idea revenge with Canute detesting his own father due to favoritism over his siblings and how this causes him ally with Askeladd's group take his life. The second story arc has Canute with a corrupted portrayal as a result of his acts alongside other characters who plotted alongside him.[18] Screen Rant found Canute's storyline compelling due to how he changes from a confined prince to a corrupted person after learning the harsh realities of the world to the point he plots patricide alongside Askeladd's forces. The fact that this time Canute is fighting alone but has political power was noted by the website to make the second season more interesting to see played.[19] But Why Tho said that while Thorkell's appearance in the second season was brief, he still has a powerful and ominous exchange with Canute that excited the reviewer to see him again in the next episodes.[20] Geekmi was surprised by how different was Canute in the anime's second season upon first revealed in terms of design as he appeared to appeal to a difference audience.[21]

In "The European Middle Ages through the Prism of Contemporary Japanese Literature: A Study of Vinland Saga, Spice & Wolf and l’Éclipse", Maxime Danesin claims Yukimura takes liberties with the portrayal of his characters such as Canute in the first story arc by giving his an androgynous and fragile look when interacting with Thorkell.[22] Further exploring this subject, Yaledma Ayala Sepúlveda notes the subject is a parallelism to Thorfinn's own change of character. Canute defies the Christian God's love for humanity after the death of his caretaker. His transition from an androgynous man with long haired to a bearded man with short hair happens alongside his growth. Defying God made him grow as a man and eventual ruler, and while his faith is not as unwavering, he is still shown to be a Christian.[23]

The transformation of Canute from a shy youth to a menacing man was done as a result of his father's death who hunts him across the narrative in the form of hallucinations. Yukimura also takes far more liberties with Canute's characterization when reenacting the tale of King Canute and the tide. In both events, the figure shows his lack of god-like power by order the sea.[24] In Henry of Huntingdon's report, Cnut realizes his inferiority and accepts that God is above all, whereas Yukimura revitalises this scene by giving it an antagonistic and tragic signification: a declaration of insurrection against God. The event went to be called as the "final challenge to Cnut’s image as a Christian king and crystallizes the peak of his philosophical and religious struggle throughout the manga." The writer further explains that across Vinland Saga, Yukimura makes both homage to the original Canute as well as his own take of the character by giving him such role.[24] Reviewing the anime adaptation, Anime News Network enjoyed this scene of Canute demanding the ocean to obey his God-like power, making the tide story interpreted in a clever fashion.[25] Comic Book Resources stated Canute's ideology has been crafted by witnessing the effects of meaningless violence in how it made Thorfinn a monster warrior and has been twisted through his desire to obtain peace by whatever means. The changed King has been making unification as noble goal on the surface, but it is contrasted with his wish to battle God, betraying his portrayed just desires with his narcissism. that the series' focus on violence was a charade after all and it was instead seeking freedom and Thorfinn counters Canute's ideals by searching for Vinland which the King cannot find or reach. The made the two characters similar in dreams but with different methods.[26]

After the second story arc, Canute was absent from most of the next one. However, he makes brief returns in the final arc. This led to curiosity within the fandom in regards to the character passing away in the final arc. However, whether or not the character would be killed in future events was kept unknown due to whether or not Yukimura would adapt the figure's death in the manga as the real Canute passed away in 1035 as a natural death.[27]