My curiosity got the better of me. I couldn’t resist sampling Vinland Saga, a Japanese anime series about Vikings set at precisely the point in history I’ve been writing about in my Erling books. What follows isn’t exactly a review, because I don’t think I’ll be finishing the series, but it’s certainly interesting enough to tell you about. You may be surprised to learn that I have a lot of positive things to say.

When we think of Vinland and the Norse discovery of America, the name we generally think of is Leif Eriksson. But in many ways the real hero of the saga (at least in one of its two versions) is another man, an Icelander called Thorfinn Karlsefni (the nickname means “quite a guy” or “manly stuff”). Though it’s not plainly stated, I’m pretty sure the Thorfinn portrayed in Vinland Saga is that guy – but during an imagined childhood and youth.

As the series tells it, Thorfinn is the son of Thors, the Troll of Jomsborg, a former Jomsviking (a legendary order of Vikings based in Poland) who grew to hate war and deserted, fleeing to the peace of Icelandic farming. A friend of theirs is Leif (Eriksson, one assumes, portrayed here as a wandering blowhard rather than chieftain of the Greenland colony, as he actually was), who regales Thorfinn with tales of the rich soil and mild climate he encountered when he visited Vinland, years ago.

Then the Jomsvikings show up at their home, extorting through threats of violence Thors’ agreement to join them in enlisting in the army of Svein Forkbeard of Denmark in his conquest of England. Thorfinn stows away on the ship, eager to see war. On the way to England, Thors (who’s all but invulnerable) is murdered by the pirate leader Askeladd (a name borrowed from a figure from Norwegian folklore, something like Jack the Giant Killer). Improbably, Askeladd is amused by Thorfinn’s attempts to avenge his father, and keeps him with his army, promising to kill him in a proper duel when he’s old enough.

The next episodes deal with the Danish conquest of England, as Thorfinnn grows to be a feared warrior. At that point, I kind of lost interest. Not that the story wasn’t interesting, but the whole thing got too weird for me. I think there’s a whole artistic sensibility surrounding anime as an art form that I’m too old to adjust to.

Nevertheless, I have to say that there were elements of surprising authenticity. I’d say Vinland Saga is at least 50% more faithful to history than the History Channel Vikings series. Costumes and props are surprisingly good in a lot of cases. The history follows actual chronology. Real persons show up all the time – though sometimes in bizarre ways. Thorkell the Tall is an actual giant here. King Svein’s son Knut, later to become King Canute the Great, is presented as a guy who looks like a girl (and how they’re going to develop that story line I have no wish to discover).

In short, you can learn some genuine history by watching Vinland Saga. I did not expect to be able to say that. If you appreciate anime as an entertainment form, you just might enjoy it.