Vikings' Kattegat site is Valhalla.
Valhalla map and sites are not very vast, but over the past thousand years many areas of Europe and the North Sea have changed. Valhalla opens one hundred years following the events of the first Vikings series. Beginning with their conquest to punish England for the St. Brice's Day massacre, the show centers on a new group of warriors. An estimated thousands of Danes were killed during the massacre as directed by England's King Æthelred the Unready. Valhalla map concentrates on the conflicts between Vikings and English royalty, thus it includes few sites.
The Vikings: Valhalla chronology distenses many actual events. This helps to simplify the narrative and let the series feature several characters. The way the show depicts these events, King Canute of Denmark urged all Vikings to accompany him on his quest of retribution. Actually, first seeking that retribution was Sewyn Forkbeard, his father.
Historical records suggest that, although the first season spans roughly five months to one year, in real life it was more like 12–13 years. Vikings: Valhalla still faithfully tells the real story in many respects though. The lack of main sources and dramatic effect—both of which relate to the Vikings Valhalla map—helps one understand the changes in the show.
Location of Uppsala in Vikings: Valhalla
Valhalla covers many battles, significant events, and prominent figures from Viking history—many of which with modifications. Putting the Norse temple in Uppsala in a mountainous area, the show centers on it as one of its main sites. In fact, though, the temple was situated on plains.
Archaeological finds over the years and works from the 11th and 13th centuries point to the temple's location at what is now GamlaUppsala. About 40+ miles north of Stockholm, Sweden, this site lies just outside of Uppsala.
Assuming the location to be the same in Vikings: Valhalla, Kattegat would be conflicted. Only if Kattegat is in Sweden rather than Denmark would it make logical. This then begs the issue of why the Danish King would initially travel to Sweden. Fascinatingly, Jarl Haakon in Vikings: Valhalla says "everything there is holy" but does not explain why Uppsala is the "most sacred site" in the Viking realm.
Valhalla England in Vikings
Viewers' relative ignorance of the Viking histories of Kattegat and Uppsala fuels the most curiosity. Still complicated, the sites of England in Vikings: Valhalla have more straightforward locations. England's map has changed many times over history, especially from the 9th to the 12th centuries when different kingdoms rose and fell; nevertheless, the overall locations used in Vikings: Valhalla lie in the southern part of the nation.
Vikings dispersed all over the Danelaw were killed during the St. Brice's Day massacre at the beginning of the series. Although a precise location was not given, it is likely the "Viking settlement" shown in the series occurs somewhere in the Danelaw area, spanning London to East Anglia during that historical period.
One of the first locations King Canute and his Vikings targeted in Vikings: Valhalla, Kent is southeast of London and borders the southern boundary of the city.
London: Valhalla is where it's always been, in the southern part of England, and centrally situated between Mercia, the Danelaw, and Wessex, all of which were united under the Kingdom of England in the decades prior to the events of the TV series.
From north of London to roughly Chester, England, and from Chilbury in the west to Warwick in the east, Mercia's territories cover Like with the Danelaw settlement, a particular site wasn't specified as where the Danish Queen visited in Mercia.
Valhalla's Normandy in Vikings
Though it didn't really matter in Vikings: Valhalla season 1, as the show progressed Normandy grew increasingly significant. Mostly mentioned in connection to Emma of Normandy, the Duchy of Normandy is a vassal state in northern France. Early in the 11th century Emma of Normandy wed English King Æthelred. Her family governed over the Normans to the south of England; she was the great-granddaughter of Rollo, one of the most well-known Vikings in history.
Richard II of Normandy, Emma's brother, had a grandson who would eventually be William the Conqueror, the first Norman king of England. Before that, William became the Duke of Normandy in 1035 and roughly thirty years later invaded England and seized control of its monarchy around the death of King Canute.
Valhalla's Kattegat site is Viking.
Maybe the most crucial site in Vikings: Valhalla is Kattegat, a strategically valuable stronghold in Scandinavia centrally located for all Viking leaders. Not to mention its geographical location is advantageous against its own invasions (hence why Olaf's plan to take over Kattegat was predicated on Harald's betrayal); in-universe anyone who controls that region can launch an invading force practically anywhere in the North Sea. Knowing all of that, Kattegat being real sounds too good to be true, especially since it wasn't brought up as a significant location in real life, and that's because it isn't real.
Actually, Kattegat is a strait (green, above) situated between Sweden now and Denmark. Based on different Viking and Viking discussions, it is unclear exactly where the city of Kattegat is in the show, but it is most likely somewhere on either the northeastern coast of Denmark or the southwestern coast of Sweden (though the latter is improbable). Valhalla is though difficult to say for sure.
Though it was not a city, Kattegat was nevertheless significant in the area since it was the principal body of water linking the Baltic area to the North Sea. Anyone who managed that strait could create a blockade spanning several nations in the vicinity with great efficiency.
Location of Uppsala in Vikings: Valhalla
Although Uppsala is an actual location (blue, above), much of its actual history is unknown unlike Kattegat. Whereas in real life the Norse temple was found in the plains, in Vikings: Valhalla it is Uppsala's main site, existing somewhere in a mountainous area. Based on works from the 11th and 13th centuries as well as archeological finds over the years, the temple is situated in what is now Gamlauppsala, just outside of Uppsala, Sweden — almost 40+ miles north of Stockholm, Sweden.
Assuming the site is the same in Vikings: Valhalla, it would conflict with Kattegat. It would only make sense if Kattegat is in Sweden rather than Denmark, but then that begs the issue of why the King of Denmark would initially travel to Sweden. Fascinatingly, Jarl Haakon in Vikings: Valhalla says "everything there is holy" but does not explain why Uppsala is the "most sacred site" in the Viking world.
Its actual significance in Scandinavian history is left by the wayside in place of emphasizing the Christian threat. Said to be one of the oldest sites in the area, Uppsala—especially its temple—is where Odin used to live and where Freyr conducted human sacrifices. According to historical accounts, remnants of a temple supporting the idea of human sacrifices to the gods—which viewers of Vikings: Valhalla see—were found in Gamlauppsala.
England in Viking Valhalla
Valhalla is the follow-up series to Vikings, set many, many years following the narrative of Ragnar Lothbrok and company.
The Viking histories of Kattegat and Uppsala draw the most interest because they're relatively unknown to viewers, but the locations of England's sites in Vikings: Valhalla are more straightforward, though still complex. England's map has changed many times over history, especially from the 9th to the 12th centuries when different kingdoms rose and fell; nevertheless, the overall locations used in Vikings: Valhalla lie in the southern part of the nation.
The Danelaw (red): At the start of the series, Vikings spread all over the Danelaw were killed during the St. Brice's Day massacre. Although a precise location was not given, it is likely the "Viking settlement" shown in the series occurs somewhere in the Danelaw area, spanning London to East Anglia during that historical period.
Ky (purple): Located to the southeast of London — and bordering the southern border of the city — Kent is one of the first places attacked by King Canute and his Vikings in Vikings: Valhalla.
London (blue): London in Vikings: Valhalla is where it's always been, in the southern part of England, and centrally located between Mercia, the Danelaw, and Wessex, all of which were unified under the Kingdom of England in the decades prior to the events of the TV series.
Mercia (green): Mercia's lands spread from north of London to around Chester, England, and approximately from Chilbury in the west to Warwick in the east. As with the Danelaw settlement, a specific location wasn't given as to where the Queen of Denmark visited in Mercia.
How Normandy Fits Into Vikings: Valhalla's Story
Though it didn't really matter in Vikings: Valhalla season 1, as the show progressed Normandy grew increasingly significant. The Duchy of Normandy, a vassal state in the northern part of the Kingdom of France, is primarily referenced in relation to Emma of Normandy, who was married to King Æthelred of England in the early 11th century. She was a descendant — the great-granddaughter — of Rollo, one of the most famous Vikings in history, and her family ruled over the Normans to the south of England.
Emma of Normandy's brother, Richard II of Normandy, had a grandson who would become William the Conqueror — the first Norman to rule as England's king. Before that, around the time of King Canute's death, William became the Duke of Normandy in 1035, and approximately 30 years later, he invaded England and took over its monarchy.
Novgorod And Jomsborg
There are two key locations across the Baltic Sea from Uppsala that became incredibly important in Vikings: Valhalla season 2 and beyond — the Pagan Viking settlement of Jomsborg and, further east, Novogord, the ancestral home of the Rus. Like Kattegat, the nature of the existence of Jomsborg is debated by some historians, though it is believed to have been somewhere in the modern-day region known as Pomerania, which sits between Poland and Germany.
In Vikings: Valhalla, Jomsborg is a safe-haven for the pagan Jomsvikings. These are the Vikings that refused to convert to Christianity and abandon the Norse Gods, and so were persecuted and had to flee Norway. The Jomsvikings in Vikings: Valhalla are presented as being incredibly pious people when it comes to their faith, and are even more rigid with their adherence to it than the characters of the original Vikings.
Unlike Jomsborg, Novgorod is a real city that still exists in the modern age in Russia. In the time of Vikings: Valhalla, Novgorod was part of the kingdom of Rus. It also appeared in Vikings, though in the time of Ragnar Lothbrok was the capital city of the Kievan Rus prior to the establishment of Kiev. It is no longer the capital during the period that Vikings: Valhalla is set, though it is still a notable and large settlement.
Greenland
Ubbe traveled to Greenland at the end of Vikings, and by the time of Vikings: Valhalla, it was an incredibly important Viking settlement. It is the home of Leif Eriksson and Freydis Eriksdotter, as well as several other integral characters. The Greenlanders are pagan Vikings, which means that Leif and Freydis have a natural kinship with the Jomsvikings of Jomsborg. Notably, however, the show doesn't actually visit Greenland, instead focusing on the characters and their struggle to fit in with the Vikings of mainland Europe.
Of all the locations in Vikings: Valhalla, Greenland is one that most viewers will be familiar with by name. The capital city of modern-day Greenland, Nuuk, was inhabited by Vikings as early as the 10th century. Modern-day Greenland is largely descended from Viking culture, and it still exists as an autonomous territory of Denmark.
Constantinople
On location in Vikings: Valhalla stood out when compared to Vikings — Constantinople. Constantinople was the capital of the Roman Empire, though this shouldn't be confused with the Ancient Rome of movies like Gladiator. Historians largely refer to the Roman Empire of this period as the Byzantine Empire, as it comprised the Eastern Roman states after the states of Western Rome (such as Rome itself) were sacked by barbarians. Constantinople is a city that still exists today in Turkey, though it was renamed Istanbul in 1930.
In Vikings: Valhalla, Harald and Leif arrived in Constantinople at the end of season 2, with season 3 catching up with them after seven years. Constantinople is portrayed as a much more advanced and metropolitan settlement than anything seen in the Viking world, and Harald would like have stayed there longer had he not been framed for the Emperor's murder.
Set over a thousand years ago in the early 11th century, Vikings: Valhalla chronicles the heroic adventures of some of the most famous Vikings ever chronicled. As tensions between the Vikings and the English royals reach a bloody breaking point and as the Vikings themselves clash over their conflicting Christian and pagan beliefs, these three Vikings begin an epic journey that will take them across oceans and through battlefields, from Kattegat to England and beyond, as they fight for survival and glory.
