Kark

Kark (played by Øystein Martinsen) is a slave in the town of Norheim and has his first appearance in the first episode The Homecoming, where he acts like a motivational coach for the Ættestup attendees.

He is close of being sacrificed by Hildur in the first show, and tries to convince her, that two sacrifices to Odin are well enough to bring back her husband, chieftain Olav and the Viking warriors. The ship arrives just in time and Kark gets away alive.

In Season 3 Olav mentions he had an older brother who was taken to the north when he was a baby. The Vikings tattooed the child a big “N” rune on the back so it could be identified as a member of Norheim with chieftain blood. Kark remarks he was sold as a baby up north and that he also has a large ”N” tattoo. Hildur then wants to know what would happen if his brother returned. According to Olav, in this case, his older brother would, of course, become chieftain and his wife the new First Lady. Fearing that Kark is probably the older brother and she might lose her position as First Lady, Hildur whips his back so hard until the ”N” tattoo is completely illegible. Kark eventually approaches Olav and the Chieftain is overjoyed but then wants to see proof. Olav can't read anything on Kark's back and so Kark stays a slave.


 * He is Olav's favourite slave.


 * Although he is a slave, he has a very positive attitude.


 * He tells Rufus, that he's in the village on his own free will and was freed in the mid-'80s (86, probably).


 * He received a branding instead of being sacrificed.


 * Sleeps in a hen-coop, together with other slaves.


 * He is ordered by Rufus, who is the new Lawspeaker then, to bury his slave friends Tina and Odd together with the dead Lawspeaker. This is also part of Orm's and Rufus' revenge.
 * He maybe is the older brother of Olav.


 * Kark retrieves the precious Map to the West from Olav's burial boat.


 * The letter that is briefly shown in S3, E2:Bachelor Party is clearly an "N".

Episodes
Kark appears as a side character in all three seasons of the show.