Valhalla’s Seer: The Only Vikings Character To Return (& Why)

Vikings: Valhalla follows a new generation of warriors and enemies, but there’s one character from Vikings that returned: The Seer, and here’s why. Historical dramas have become very popular in recent years, and one of the most successful TV shows from this branch is Vikings. Created by Michael Hirst, Vikings premiered on the History Channel in 2013 and came to an end in 2020 after six seasons, but there are many more stories from the Viking Age to tell, and so a sequel series was announced in 2019.

Titled Vikings: Valhalla, the series is set over a century after the events of Vikings and as such it follows new characters and storylines separate from those of Ragnar and his sons. Valhalla follows Leif Erikson (Sam Corlett), Freydís Eiríksdóttir (Frida Gustavsson), and Harald Sigurdsson (Leo Suter) as they embark on a journey that takes them across oceans and battlefields, from Kattegat to England, to the pagan temple in Uppsala and beyond. All this with the conflict between Vikings and English royals (pagans vs Christians) as the backdrop and the moving force for some characters, as was the case of Freydís.

Given the time jump between Vikings and Vikings: Valhalla, the surviving characters of the main series won’t appear in the sequel show (except, maybe, in flashbacks or visions), but there’s one character who even though died many, many years before the events in Valhalla, returned as if nothing happened: The Seer. The mysterious character appeared to Freydís and Jarl Kåre (Asbjørn Krogh Nissen) to tell them about their destinies, and his appearance came as a real surprise to Vikings fans – but why did he return?

Who Plays The Seer In Vikings & Valhalla

The Seer is played by John Kavanagh in both Vikings and Vikings: Valhalla. John Kavanagh is an Irish actor whose career began with the 1970 comedy Paddy, where he had a small role. Kavanagh’s next role was in the war movie The McKenzie Break, and after that, he focused on acting on stage for over a decade. Kavanagh returned to the big screen in 1982 with The Ballroom Romance, and after a couple more movies, in 1984 he played Skeffington in the drama movie Cal, one of his most famous projects. Among Kavanagh’s most notable projects are Braveheart (where he played Craig), Alexander (Parmenion), and The Tudors (Cardinal Campeggio), which boosted his career and led to him playing The Seer and Pope Leo IV in Vikings and now in Vikings: Valhalla.

Is Valhalla’s Seer The Exact Same As Vikings’?

Vikings introduced various characters with mysterious backstories, and one of the most notable ones was The Seer, the oracle of Kattegat. The characters in Vikings often approached The Seer for advice and guidance, and even though he often told them what they didn’t want to hear (but definitely needed to), he was one of the most respected people in Kattegat. In Vikings season 5, Ivar the Boneless (Alex Høgh Andersen) visited The Seer to confirm his divinity as a god, as he was convinced he was one, but The Seer knew Ivar was mentally unstable and not only proved him wrong but also told him what was in store for him. Ivar couldn’t stand being contradicted, and he killed The Seer with an axe. However, The Seer appeared again in the final season of Vikings in visions, such as when he warned Ubbe (Jordan Patrick Smith) to leave Greenland, so The Seer in Valhalla is the same as the one in Vikings.

Who The Seer Is: Powers & Prophecies Explained

As mentioned above, The Seer was the oracle of Kattegat and his backstory is a mystery even to the residents of Kattegat. He has a deformed appearance and his eyes were either sewn shut or he was born like that, but whatever the case, it’s quite disturbing. The Seer is believed to dwell between life and death, which allows him to contact the gods and thus give their messages to the mortals that approach him – and as Vikings believed their fate was already decided by the gods, The Seer was very important to them as he translated the gods’ wishes and intentions.

The Seer’s abilities were prophetic visions, prophetic dreams, communication with the gods, reading and understanding runes, and casting and reading animal bones, as well as prolonged life, as he’s believed to have lived for hundreds of years. Throughout Vikings, The Seer shared prophecies with the main characters, and they were pretty accurate. For example, he told Ragnar that his sons would be “spoken of as long as men have tongues to speak” and that one of them would “discover and sail around the sea that has no tides”, and he also told him that he would die “on the day that the blind man sees you”, and the last thing Ragnar saw after being thrown into the pit of snakes was the robed figure of a hidden King Ecbert, who couldn’t see Ragnar; The Seer told Jarl Borg that he saw an eagle hovering over him but also that he was the eagle, and Borg was killed by death eagle; and he also confirmed to Lagertha that she would be killed by a son of Ragnar, and she was killed by a hallucinating Hvitserk.

Why The Seer Is Valhalla’s Only Returning Vikings Character​​

Given how important The Seer was to Kattegat’s residents and as the link between mortals and gods, it’s not that surprising that he returned – and he’s also the only character from Vikings with the ability to return. As he’s believed to live between life and death, Vikings fans have theorized that he didn’t really die, meaning he can return in visions and dreams like he has already done, while others believe he could be a god in human form. In fact, in Vikings season 2, he told Ragnar the story of the marriage between the god Njord and the giant Skadi, describing Njord as old with withered skin and large but smooth feet, and in that same scene, the body and bare feet of the Seer can be seen, making many believe that he’s the human form of Njord, god of the sea.

Whatever the case, The Seer is the only character with the ability to return after his physical death due to his ability of living in a sort of limbo between life and death, and he continues to share his wisdom (which can be a bit cryptic sometimes) with those seeking for it. The Seer will surely return in future seasons of Vikings: Valhalla, and so far, the prophecy he told Freydís about being “The Last” seems to be coming true.

About The Author

Adrienne Tyler
(3269 Articles Published)

Adrienne Tyler is a features writer for Screen Rant. She is an Audiovisual Communication graduate who wanted to be a filmmaker, but life had other plans (and it turned out great). Prior to Screen Rant, she wrote for Pop Wrapped, 4 Your Excitement (4YE), and D20Crit, where she was also a regular guest at Netfreaks podcast. She was also a contributor for FanSided’s BamSmackPow and 1428 Elm. Adrienne is very into films and she enjoys a bit of everything: from superhero films to heartbreaking dramas, to low-budget horror films. Every time she manages to commit to a TV show without getting bored, an angel gets its wings.

When she’s not writing, you can find her trying to learn a new language, watching hockey (go Avs!), or wondering what life would have been like had Pushing Daisies, Firefly, and Limitless not been cancelled. Breakfast food is life and coffee is what makes the world go round.

Guillermo del Toro said “hi” to her once. It was great.

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