Does Vikings' Kattegat Exist? Real World Location Explained

Summary Kattegat in Vikings is inspired by the real sea area between Denmark, Norway, and Sweden where dangerous waters hide deep history.

Vikings: Valhalla showcases Kattegat's transformation into a massive trading port led by a fictional character Jarl Haakon.

While Kattegat may be mythical, most other locations in Vikings and Valhalla are real, adding authenticity to the epic series.

The Kattegat Norway location is central to Vikings and Vikings: Valhalla, though the truth of whether Kattegat is a real place isn't simple. Created by Michael Hirst, Vikings debuted on History Channel in 2013 and was originally planned to be a short miniseries. As Vikings season 1 was very well received, there was a change of plans, and it was renewed for season 2 and beyond. The Vikings' spinoff Vikings: Valhalla returned to the location a century later, and there had been some major changes that took place in Kattegat, Norway, over the 100-year gap between Vikings and Vikings: Valhalla.

After Vikings season 6 marked the end of the historical epic, the spinoff series Vikings: Valhalla hit Netflix and the characters of Valhalla return to Kattegat at the behest of King Canute (Bradley Freegard). Many viewers of both shows have wondered whether the city of Kattegat is real or not because it has served as the main setting for Vikings since the start. Kattegat Norway will continue to be an important place until Vikings: Valhalla ends — but whether Kattegat a real location or created for the show has an interesting answer.

Related Every Valhalla Reference & Connection To Vikings Characters Explained Vikings: Valhalla has different references to Vikings as well as some characters directly related to some of the protagonists of the main series.

Is Vikings' and Vikings: Valhalla's Location Kattegat Real?

There Is A Kattegat In Norway, But It's Nothing Like The Show

Close

As it turns out, there is a real Kattegat in Norway, though the location is not the same as how it's presented in Vikings. In Vikings, Kattegat is a city located in Norway. In reality, Kattegat is not a city at all, though it's still located in the Scandinavian area. Kattegat is actually a sea area located between Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. The area is bounded by the Jutlandic peninsula (part of Denmark and Germany) in the west, the Danish Straits islands of Denmark to the south, and the provinces of Västergötland, Scania, Halland, and Bohusländ in Sweden to the east.

Your browser does not support the video tag.

What makes it quite a risky trek across its waters is the fact that Kattegat is fairly shallow, consisting of plenty of reefs and dangerous currents: a problem shown in Vikings: Valhalla during Leif Eriksson and Freydis Eriksdotter's (Frida Gustavsson) journey to Kattegat. The location of Kattegat is better represented in Vikings: Valhalla, as the small town is now a massive trading port that's ruled over by Jarl Haakon. Approximately 12,000 square miles, Kattegat, Norway has major ports surrounding it, among those Gothenburg, Aarhus, Aalborg, Halmstad, and Frederikshavn.

Because of its watery location, Vikings’ version of Kattegat was filmed in Lough Tay, County Wicklow, Ireland, which gives the appearance the production was looking for. Although Vikings takes many elements of Norse myths and history, it’s not completely accurate, changing many things to better fit the story it wants to tell. But it also takes inspiration from real-life places, such as Kattegat, which is a central place to both Vikings and the real-life Scandinavian area in general. Vikings: Valhalla uses the same filming location as Vikings for Kattegat, despite the incredible changes that have taken place to the port.

Your browser does not support the video tag.

Given the importance of the city not only in Ragnar and Lagertha’s story but in Vikings in general, it has a special place in the hearts of Vikings fans even after the series has ended. Vikings: Valhalla, which is set 100 years following the events of Vikings returns to a very different version of Kattegat Norway, and Kattegat remains a crucial location to the shared universe and its history. While Vikings showed Kattegat's humble beginnings, Vikings: Valhalla showcases the expansive trading port that Kattegat one day will become.

Did Ragnar Lothbrok Really Come From Kattegat?

The Real Ragnar Lothbrok's Origins Still Aren't Known

Vikings character Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel) is said to be from Kattegat and Norway in the series, but the real Viking legend isn't known to hail from there — although there's equally nothing to say he didn't, either. Since Vikings did not technically record any of their travels, it's questionable that Ragnar Lothbrok even existed. While his name does appear in some accounts, sources like The Saga of Ragnar Lothbrok see the figure doing fantastical things like slaying a dragon.

What's more likely is that the legend of Ragnar Lothbrok is a conglomeration of different real historical figures, such as King Horik I of Denmark, King Reginfrid​​​​​​​, and Viking leader Reginherus, who was mainly known for the siege of Paris in 845 AD. Therefore, the histories don't really explain where Ragnar Lothbrok came from, nor whether the Vikings character was a real person. Unfortunately, Vikings: Valhalla faces some of the same obstacles with its characters, but at least the trials of Leif Eriksson are better recorded.

Related Vikings True Story: How The Real Ragnar Lothbrok Died Vikings has done its best to be as historically accurate as possible – so, how accurate was Ragnar's death? Here's how the real Ragnar died.

Was Kattegat Really Ruled By Jarl Haakon?

Kattegat's Ruler In Valhalla Was Mostly Fictional

Jarl Haakon (Caroline Henderson) is introduced as the leader of Kattegat Norway during Vikings: Valhalla season 1, and is the first Black ruler within the confines of the Vikings universe, but did she actually rule Kattegat? Unfortunately, there is no historical evidence of a female Viking ruler. Despite this, women in Viking culture were given much more regard than other cultures of the time.

In Valhalla, Haakon was given rule over Kattegat after her husband was killed by Christians for refusing to give up his pagan beliefs. In Viking culture, women were often allowed to be head of the household if their husbands faced certain death. Jarl Haakon is technically a creation for Vikings: Valhalla, but the Kattegat ruler probably got her name from Haakon Sigurdsson, who ruled Norway in the late 10th Century, meaning a Haakon would technically hold charge over Kattegat. While many characters in the Vikings universe aren't technically based in real history, the city of Kattegat remains an exception.

What About Other Cities In Vikings?

Most Of The Other Locations In Vikings And Valhalla Are Real

Close

Unlike Kattegat, most of the locations featured in Vikings and Vikings: Valhalla are real places, many of which still exist today. This is fairly obvious in most cases, such as London and Paris. Vikings: Valhalla spent some time in Constantinople too, which is just as significant a location in the modern day as London or Paris but changed its name to Istanbul in 1930. Even the more historical locations, such as the kingdom of Mercia or Uppsala, are real in a way that Kattegat isn't — it's the only location Vikings made up for the show.

However, there is one notable Vikings: Valhalla location that is semi-legendary, and so the show had to take a significant amount of creative license in bringing it to the screen. This location is Jomsborg, the settlement of the Jomsvikings. However, while the settlement is mentioned in several historic real-life Viking sagas and legends, the exact location of it is heavily debated by experts. What's more, there are several historians who believe that Jomsborg may not have existed at all.

The general consensus is that Jomsborg, if indeed it existed at all, was located somewhere along the eastern outlet of the Oder river in what is now Poland. There are some experts who believe that the town of Wolin in northwest Poland grew from the settlement that the sagas refer to as Jomsborg. However, there are also many historians who believe that the fortress described in the sagas point to its location being much closer to Denmark. Despite the uncertainty though, the truth behind Jomsborg is still being investigated, and it's definitely more real than Kattegat, which was completely fictionalized for Vikings and Vikings: Valhalla.