Vikings: Valhalla – Who The Seer Is & Why Freydis Licks His Hand

Vikings: Valhalla is set many, many years after the events of Vikings, and as such it follows a new generation of warriors and enemies, but there’s one character from the main series who appears twice: The Seer, and here’s who he is and why Freydis licked his hand when he met him. One of the most popular historical dramas in recent years is Vikings, created by Michael Hirst, which premiered on the History Channel in 2013. Vikings came to an end in 2020 after six seasons, but they weren’t enough to tell the most exciting stories from the Viking Age.

As there are still many interesting characters and stories from the Viking Age to explore, a sequel series to Vikings was announced in 2019. Titled Vikings: Valhalla, the series follows Leif Erikson (Sam Corlett), Freydís Eiríksdóttir (Frida Gustavsson), and Harald Sigurdsson (Leo Suter), who go on a journey that takes them across oceans and battlefields, all this with the conflict between Vikings and English royals (pagans vs Christians) as the backdrop. This led some characters to go through a crisis of belief, while others fiercely defended theirs, as was the case of Freydís.

Freydís traveled to Kattegat with Leif and company to find the Christian who raped her many years ago and left a scar in the shape of a cross on her back. Freydís killed him, but as he was one of Olaf Haraldsson’s (Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson) men, in order to spare her life, Leif joined Harald, Olaf, and Canute (Bradley Freegard) on their mission to invade England. Freydís stayed in Kattegat with its ruler, Jarl Haakon (Caroline Henderson), who sent her to Uppsala to find her destiny. There, through a ritual, Freydís met a very important character from the original series: The Seer (John Kavanagh), the oracle of Kattegat who was killed in Vikings season 5 by Ivar the Boneless (Alex Høgh Andersen).

The Seer is believed to have lived for hundreds of years and that he dwelled between life and death, giving him the ability to communicate with the gods and answer questions about the future of those who approached him. As Vikings believed their fate was already decided by the gods, they often visited the Seer to translate the gods’ wishes and intentions, making him one of the most respected people in Kattegat. Now, every time someone came to The Seer, they had to lick his hand, which in the series is a gesture of respect, but the behind-the-scenes reason for it has nothing to do with Viking traditions or any historical facts. Back in 2014, Katheryn Winnick (who played Lagertha in Vikings) shared that licking The Seer’s hand wasn’t on the script, and was something they added to be “unique and different”. The first one to do it was Travis Fimmel (Ragnar), and the producers liked it so much it was added to the series.

As for why The Seer returned in Vikings: Valhalla if he was killed over a century ago, it has been theorized by Vikings fans that he never really died, precisely because he’s said to dwell between life and death, and was seen by some as a god in human form. The Seer told Freydís and Jarl Kåre (Asbjørn Krogh) their destinies, so he might return in future seasons of Vikings: Valhalla to offer guidance to those who still believe in Norse religion and are looking for help or advice.

About The Author

Adrienne Tyler
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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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