Last Updated on December 16, 2025 by “Talha”
This month’s chapter of Vinland Saga was centered on Hild. For quite a while, we have only seen a very redundant side of Hild’s character, which is her hatred towards Thorfinn. But no one can blame her, as Thorfinn is the one responsible for Hild’s parents’ death, her disfigured face, basically ruining her childhood, and turning her into a downright predator.
However, in the recent arc, we have seen Hild give Thorfinn a chance for his life, given that he doesn’t go back to his violent routes. The big question is whether the female hunter will eventually be able to forgive the protagonist once and for all. Vinland Saga Chapter 188 gives us some foreshadowing in a rather weird way.
Chapter 188 starts with Hild going into a forest to hunt a bear. Upon the villagers’ warning of danger ahead, Thorfinn intervenes and quotes, “Bears are Hild’s specialty”. And we all know why. After the death of her family, Hild was trained by a bear hunter. Ironically, her master dies at the hands of a bear, and this event further fuels her hatred towards the world and particularly, Thorfinn, as back in Chapter 120, the huntress imagines the killer bear as Thorfinn and thereon, initiating her path of becoming a predator herself.
After Hild enters the densely snow-covered forest, she tries to track the bear by its footprints. While doing so, she realizes that it has been so long since she has gone for a hunt like this. Then we are shown the stills that highlight the soft side of her character, such as Hild teaching the children of the village, including Thorfinn’s adopted son, Karli.
These scenes are important as, most of the time, we see only Hild’s stubborn and resentful side. However, Vinland Saga Chapter 188 shows the positive contribution that Hild has been making behind the scenes.
The conversation with Karli highlights an important topic: whether Hild might forgive Thorfinn. Karli asks Hild why she always argues with her father and if he did something wrong in the past. He then wonders if she will ever forgive Thorfinn for what he did to her. Hild does not answer and seems upset.
It’s clear that Hild isn’t ready to forgive Thorfinn yet, but she also hasn’t said she never will. This suggests she might be starting to consider forgiving him. Even though she still feels hatred, Hild has noticed that Thorfinn has changed. He is not the wild Viking he once was.
Now, Thorfinn is a thoughtful leader who wants to solve problems with intelligence and peace. Most of Hild’s interactions with him are serious and remind Thorfinn that she will kill him if he returns to his old ways. However, after her talk with Karli, it seems likely that Hild will start to think more about her future relationship with Thorfinn.
Moving on, we get to see that the bear that Hild was chasing is now hibernating in a safe hole. Observing that, Hild decides to spare the bear and makes her way back. This is also an indicator that Hild has softened down, as bears were the predators she hated most. Later on, it gets dark, and Hild is seen resting near a fire.
She ruminates that she has become more familiar with the forest in quite a short time and that it is rather peaceful with very few beasts around. I take this as an exposition of Hild’s inner state that shows that just like the forest, her heart has also gotten peaceful. There are fewer enemies in her life now and plenty of friends.
Now comes the weird part. Soon after she starts examining the environment around her, a human figure comes near her and has the head of a bear. Yes, a human with a bear head. Or a talking bear with a human body. It is unclear whether the bear was an actual human, basically a shaman wearing a bear head, or it was all a Hild’s dream, and she dreamt of a talking bear that could be, as suggested on this Reddit thread, Muwin the Bear.
Well, the important part is that the talking bear asks Hild why she spared the previous bear that she was hunting. Hild first answers that it was her people’s fault that they cut down the forests and forced the bear to move toward the humans’ side in order to find some food. Later, when asked about her hatred for the bears, as aforementioned, that one killed her master, she comments, “That was long ago.”
I must say that despite this chapter having very few dialogues, it still highlighted and probably foreshadowed a lot. Hild’s sheer detest for the bears as something that was in the past tells us that her character has also changed. We don’t know whether Hild’s character will be developed to the point where she will forgive Thorfinn or not, but judging from Chapter 188, we can assume that perhaps there is a brighter future ahead.
The chapter ends with the remarks, “In a forest different from the one of that winter,” hinting that not only the forest but also Hild is different.
That’s all for the Vinland Saga Chapter 188 discussion and review. For more entertainment, keep following us.
