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Memorable Lines from Vinland Saga – with Yukimura’s Comments [VS Official Guidebook]

Disclaimer: These are from the Vinland Saga Official Guidebook, which is only available in Japanese (2019) and in French (2023). The English translations below are my own (translated from the French version). Direct Japanese to English translations may yield slightly different results.

Quote 1

"A man, slave to gold, holds a whip... and beats the slave he bought with that gold as if to claim he is the master" — Askeladd (Chapter 2)

Yukimura : This sentence expresses what I think quite well. When I was younger, I went to preparatory school and remember that my daily life was centred around the grades I received and my class ranking. Every day, I would ask myself the same questions: “What’s my rank today?”, “How many spots did I gain or lose?”, “What’s my average?”. I hated it. You had to aim for such-and-such place if you hoped to get into the school you wanted. It was like dangling a carrot in front of you and telling you to go for it (laughs). That’s how I came to understand how society works, and that in the end, we are all slaves to something.

Quotes 2-4

"You have no enemies. No one... has any enemies. There is no one... that you should hurt" — Thors (Chapter 7)

"A true warrior... needs no sword" — Thors (Chapter 15) 

"I have no enemies" — Thorfinn (Chapter 96)

Yukimura : The world in which we live is designed to make us compete with people we’ve never met. In reality, however, we don’t need to compete with each other, to fight, to defeat our rivals or to constantly compare ourselves with others. We need to do what we love. This philosophy, transposed to a Viking society, would surely give us statements such as “no one has enemies” or “a warrior doesn’t need a sword”. In the Viking world, success was achieved by force. I imagine that Thors wanted to convey to Thorfinn that none of that mattered, and that he didn’t need to be dragged along by the “values” that society demanded of him without reason.

[More Below]

Quote 5

"How did you fight... and how did you die? That's what matters. The stronger the foe, the better" — Thorkell (Chapter 21)

Yukimura: Those are words that really fit the fighting madman that Thorkell is. You get a pretty good idea of his mentality, but I also think that the term “madman” perfectly encapsulates the man that he is (laughs).

Quote 6

"I too choose my own master. And the man I follow should make me want to follow him" — Askeladd (Chapter 31)

Yukimura : If Askeladd had chosen Canute as his master, the latter, far too ignorant, would probably have been incapable of ruling a kingdom. Askeladd could have used a puppet king, but he wanted to serve a man he respected, not a puppet. In everyday life, we don’t come across many people whom we can say are incredible and for whom we feel respect. We even feel happy when we come across that kind of person. That’s probably the feeling he was looking for. Askeladd is a rather difficult character to understand — somewhat confusing, sometimes calculating and sometimes sincere. He may be a bad guy [villain](1), but he’s not all bad.

(1) T/N: Not sure which word fits best here – the kanji used in the Japanese version is 悪党 (bad guy, villain, scoundrel)

Quote 7

"It is death that completes a man" — Willibald (Chapter 37)

Yukimura : When we live, we inevitably have problems and our share of difficulties. Don’t we sometimes say “I’d rather die?” Sometimes, for certain trials, this is the case. Especially since in the Buddhist religion, death is merely a stage that enables us to come closer to Buddha. This clergyman says these words in a religious sense, but I’m not far from thinking that way myself.

Quote 8

"Yet there is no love... in the hearts of men" — Canute (Chapter 37)

Yukimura : Personally, among the emotions I feel, I know that those I feel towards my family can be compared to what we call love. If we change our point of view, it could be seen as discrimination, knowing that I treat some people in a more special way than others. By the way, I know that if my family was in danger, I’d do anything to defend them. On the other hand, if the feeling we call “love” consists of treating everyone the same, then I don’t think I feel it. I even think that if what we call love is only that, it’s not an emotion really worthy of praise. We can ask ourselves if this or that isn’t a form of love. But our physical body limits us too much to embody love. Our functions are too limited and we don’t have enough energy. It’s only when we shed our physical shells that we are complete and able to express love.

Quote 9

"I wished... that I could be a friend to you" — Bjorn (Chapter 45)

Yukimura : I’m sure that Bjorn is sincere. He really would have liked to have been friends with the man he’d known for so long. While researching the Viking world, I learned that they exchanged “oaths of brotherhood”. They became brothers, but not friends. Why was that? Because the oath obliged them to support and share with each other. So when they got something, they had to share it among brothers. They lived together, shared everything and fought side by side, in a kind of alliance. What Bjorn would surely have wanted was to form this alliance with Askeladd. A bit like what would later bind Thorfinn and Einar. He wanted to talk to him as an equal, not as a leader. But after so many years as his lieutenant, he must have realized that he didn’t mean much to Askeladd. Even if Thorkell had killed him around Volume 6(1), Askeladd probably wouldn’t have batted an eye…

(1) T/N: Book 3 in the English version

Quote 10

"Move on, Thorfinn. Don't hang on... to this petty bullshit your entire life... you've got to move on... go further..." — Askeladd (Chapter 54)

Yukimura : Askeladd surely knew that he couldn’t live beyond that “worthless place”, as he describes it himself. The struggles for the succession to the Danish throne, for which he would ultimately give his life, were nothing more than trivial matters in his eyes, which he seemed to brush aside with a wave of his hand. Askeladd was truly a man like no other. He then tells Thorfinn not to waste his life by stupidly killing and being killed by Canute’s men. He gives the impression that he didn’t lead his life the way he really wanted to. He probably would have liked to have lived a more jovial life. That’s why he wants Thorfinn to go further and see a world he himself could never see. He seems sincere, and when he yells at Thorfinn to stay away in his last moments… we understand how special the young boy is to him. I hadn’t even imagined that line myself before drawing this scene. His death will be superimposed on Thors’s, making it clear that Askeladd was another father to Thorfinn… a somewhat brutal and unusual father, but a father nonetheless.

(Note: Ruska did a JP-English translation of this specific quote/comment last year and shared it on Twitter. It has a lovely layout that matches the Guidebook's and you should look at it)

Quote 11

"And yet... I didn't have... the bravery to stand there and be laughed at!!" — Olmar (Chapter 94)

Yukimura : One of the reasons I said I like Olmar’s character quite a bit was that I was able to draw the scene in which he admits he didn’t have the courage to be laughed at. In every scene in which he appears, Olmar loses to his older brother. The first time he opposes him and asserts his difference, it’s in the form of self-criticism. In real life, you don’t risk much by being mocked. You have to leave the mockers in their corner, that’s all. But from the point of view of world history, it’s likely that if the Great Ones had known how to ignore the mockers more, tens of millions of lives could have been spared. Especially since being insincere just to avoid being laughed at doesn’t always guarantee good results. Olmar, who finally understands this, should be able to handle the rest afterwards. It’s even likely that he’ll manage Ketil’s estate with great skill. I’m really pleased with this scene and this line.

Quote 12

"I want to be able to take that first resort at any time... and never have to choose the last resort ever again... no one, anywhere, ever deserves to be hurt" — Thorfinn (Chapter 87)

Yukimura : Thorfinn, who had made the decision to not hurt anyone else, nevertheless swung his fist at Snake. He was resolute in what he had sworn to himself. Understanding that certain circumstances demanded something else, he made a correction to his resolution, which was updated to version 1.1 (laughs). He understands that it’s difficult not to use violence in life, but that it must “always be a last resort”. Thorfinn decides to keep his promise. The phrase comes naturally at this point in the story, when Thorfinn has lived through what he has lived through.

#vinland saga #vinland saga official guidebook #vs official guidebook #makoto yukimura #yukimura makoto #yukimura #askeladd #thorfinn #thors #thorkell #canute #olmar #bjorn #willibald #translation

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Askeladd leaving Wales

My portion of a collab: https://www.tinyurl.com/askeladies2

#askeladd #vinland saga #vs #lucius artorius castus #ladyvgrey art

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Keep seeing House of Dragon gifsets and pictures while scrolling through Tumblr and for some reason kept reading the "hotd" tag as "hottie of the day"

Clued in that duh, it's the show title's acronym

... but also my first thought wasn't wrong

#House of the Dragon #hotd #hottie of the day #the tag can be both #everyone is so pretty #ladyvgrey rambles #ice and fire

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A quick young Cordelia manga colouring from a bit ago, because the Anne of Green Gables vibes are wonderful

#cordelia #vinland saga #vs #anne of green gables #aogg #my colouring #ladyvgrey art

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Askeladd!

My part of a Twitter collab: tinyurl.com/askeladies

#askeladd #vinland saga #vs #lucius artorius castus #ladyvgrey art

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Vinland Saga's Canute's birthday was confirmed! It's July 12th.

Yukimura did it again (on Twitter). This time it was in response to a fan!

#vinland saga #canute #cnut #knut #makoto yukimura #manga #birthday #ladyvgrey screencaps

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Saddest part of Kiwami is getting to the (former)Maharaja and realizing you can't go up the stairs T-T

#yakuza #ryu ga gotoku #rgg #kiryu #kiryu kazuma #kazuma kiryu #maharaja #kiwami #yakuza kiwami #where my disco gone #I imagine Kiryu just stopped here and looked at it for a while #ladyvgrey screencaps

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I love AO3 scripts because sometimes I wonder "hmm should I read this fic before going to bed?" and the obvious answer is always NO but the scripts slap me with concrete proof that "NO YOU DEFINITELY SHOULD NOT"

#ao3 #archive of our own #AlexSeanchai's Page Count Script #oulfis's Estimated Reading Time Script #thank you for providing hard proof I shouldn't do this to myself #ladyvgrey rambles

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Thorfinn and Karli ♡

Prompt: Father [For Vinland Saga Anniversary Week 2022 on Twitter]

#vinland saga #thorfinn #thorfinn karlsefni #karli #vinland saga anniversary #ladyvgrey art

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Thorfinn Karlsefni

#thorfinn #thorfinn karlsefni #vinland saga #sort of realistic redraw #still don't love it but at least I saved it from my WIP graveyard #you don't want to know how many hours I wasted overdetailing things like individual eyelashes #ladyvgrey art

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I... somehow doubt people are asking this

#ao3 #transformative works #archive of our own #fanfiction #tag wrangling #JEEP WRANGLER #the answer under the drop down does not in fact tell you how to become an ao3 tag on a jeep wrangler #to my great disappointment #if someone would like to share a jeep wrangler with an ao3 tag on it it'd make my day #google chrome's people also ask is a little busted today #when 'people' is an ai that hasn't learned enough maybe #ladyvgrey rambles

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Sucker for pain

#majima #majima goro #yakuza #ryu ga gotoku #he was an unplanned surprise I was just messing around with brushes and layers while watching a podcast #then boom a surprisingly alright majima considering my unreferenced doodling usually looks awful #majima really is everywhere #he's now also in my ipad #ladyvgrey art

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Far west... across the sea... there is a land called Vinland.

#vinland saga #thorfinn #thorfinn karlsefni #ladyvgrey art

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Vinland Saga, but Thorfinn is channeling Witcher 3 Geralt of Rivia for some reason

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#vinland saga #witcher #witcher 3 #geralt of rivia #witcher wild hunt #thorfinn #einar #askeladd #hild #dedicated to the 5 people who are into these two franchises enough to find this funny #including myself #but especially myself I made them for me #just look at he little roach on the roof #wasting minutes of my life editing these and giggling to myself like a madwoman #ladyvgrey memes

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I can't see "Snorri" without thinking "Snorlax", so here's Thorfinn and Gudrid's future bébé in a Snorlax onesie that is definitely not Vinland Saga era-appropriate

#vinland saga #snorri #snorri thorfinsson #thorfinn #gudrid #snorlax #quick one for fun #referenced #vinland saga chapter 191 #ladyvgrey art

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In the end, the anger and resentment weren't stoked

Nor were they violently abated

Or worn like armour

They unraveled, little by little

Through unconscious smiles and comfortable familarity

Until one day the knot was unmade

The sky blue

The breath in her lungs clear

And she was free.

#vinland saga #hild #coloured sketch #on forgiveness #vinland saga chapter 191 #ladyvgrey art

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The wuxia/xianxia urge to just... 🪒

Listen I just want to chat with the makeup and costume departments about how sideburns work, real quick it'll take just a minute

⬇️ SEE!?!?

#cql #the untamed #chen qing ling #mdzs #mo dao zu shi #lan zhan #wei ying #wei wuxian #how do they end up with 15/10 costumes and yet these wigs are just industry standard #like if they were regular beard sideburns it would be one thing but this is just the regular hair growing halfway down the cheeks #the one stylistic choice i am not behind they really couldve had legolas locks #wigs #wuxia #xianxia #ladyvgrey memes