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Askejorn is the slash ship between Askeladd and Bjorn from the Vinland Saga fandom.
Canon[]
Prologue[]
At the beginning of the series, the two of them are shown taking on the task of ambushing Thors after being hired by Floki. Bjorn is shown to be extremely loyal to Askeladd. After the latter loses to Thors in a duel, Bjorn wakes up after being knocked out by Thors. He jumps onto Thors' ship and holds Thorfinn at knifepoint. This causes Thors to throw his sword away, with the assurance of his son and the rest of the crew making it out alive.
From then on, the twos' interactions are mostly relegated to continuing their voyage. It is shown on multiple occasions that Bjorn is observant of Askeladd. In particular, he notices how Askeladd seems to trust Thorfinn despite not admitting it. Later on, he's shown confiding in of his fellow Vikings about how Askeladd does not open up to anyone, including him.
During their attempted escape from Thorkell and his men, Askeladd specifically entrusts Bjorn and Thorfinn exclusively to protect the prince. This shows that he seems to understand and value Bjorn's loyalty even when the rest of his men have turned against him.
Ultimately, Bjorn is stabbed in an injury that would go onto become fatal in the long run. Askeladd realizes this and visits him in his room one night. Then, prior to Askeladd's final duel with Thorfinn, Askeladd and Bjorn have an honorable duel in his final moments to go to Valhalla.
When Askeladd mistakenly stabs him in a nonvital area, he apologizes and goes on to say that he will end it clearly. Bjorn stops him, though, and dies telling Askeladd that he wanted to be his friend. Askeladd does not respond at first, before saying that Bjorn was his only friend. After this, Askeladd delivers the final blow, finally ending Bjorn's life.
After Bjorn's death at the end of their duel, Askeladd is shown similarly embittered and lacks the stoicism he had in previous duels against Thorfinn. Thorfinn notices this and, for once, hesitates to continue their duel. Whether this relates to his grief over Bjorn or not is left ambiguous. After lecturing Thorfinn, Askeladd carries Bjorn's body away seemingly to give him a proper burial.
Fanon[]
Askeladd and Bjorn are a popular ship in the Vinland Saga fandom. Some interpret Bjorn's loyalty and desire to be close to Askeladd as romantic in nature. Askeladd's feelings, in canon, are left mostly ambiguous given his hatred for Vikings (including himself) which leaves many different possibilities for fans to explore.
Askeladd and Bjorn is the second most popular ship for Askeladd and the most shipped for Bjorn. The main rival ship on A03 is Askeladd/Thorfinn. Askejorn has 170+ fics within the Vinland Saga fandom on A03 altogether.
Fandom[]
- FAN FICTION
- Askeladd/Bjorn tag on AO3
- Askeladd & Bjorn tag on AO3
Gallery[]
OFFICIAL ART
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| Vinland Saga Ships • Vinland Saga Characters | |||
| SHIPS | het | Einheid • Gardheid • Thorelga | |
| slash | Askebjorn • Askefinn • AskeThors • Einfinn • Thorgeir | ||