The 25 Best Characters on The Last Kingdom

18) THYRA

At first flush, the redheaded Thyra (Julia Bache-Wiig) seems like a throwaway character, a spare victim thrown into the mix to make Kjartan and his son Sven look worse and provide the lonely Beocca with wedding fodder. She barely even shows up in the first two seasons and, for part of the time, it seems like her misfortunes have driven her insane.

Ragnar the Younger’s sister, Thyra grew up in a household with the two orphaned Saxons, Uhtred and Brida. She is attacked by Young Sven, who is obsessed with her, and saved by Young Uhtred. From the beginning, Thyra has always needed Uhtred’s protection.

When the children are older and Earl Ragnar’s household is attacked by Kjartan and the vile Sven, Thyra is captured. Uhtred fails to protect her. Bent on revenge, Uhtred sneaks back into the ruins of Earl Ragnar’s family estate. He sees Thyra alone and bound, but instead of saving her he chooses to sate his need for revenge and kills Kjartan’s lackey Scallion. This lays bare a major flaw in Uhtred’s character that will plague him throughout his life: his lack of emotional control.

After her abduction, Thyra vanishes, and her brothers Uhtred and Ragnar the Younger think her dead. But the sorceress Iseult tells Uhtred that Thyra is alive in the season 1 finale. Thyra, now near-mad, is being kept in a Dunholm dungeon kennel by Kjartan and Sven. Uhtred and Ragnar’s forces take the stronghold, and when Kjartan is dead, Thyra has her hounds rip Sven to pieces. She is confused, thinking that her brothers had abandoned her, and ends up in the care of Beocca.

I’d argue that Thyra, though a minor character more mentioned than seen, represents an extremely important theme in The Last Kingdom, which is why we might see a lot more of her in season 3. Thematically, Thrya is hope and goodness. She seems too fragile for the world, and the tragedy and brutality she experiences would seem too much for anyone to bear. But she survives. She is even able, with Beocca’s help, to claw her way back to sanity, and takes on the role of a loving wife. After all she’s been through, we’re glad to see her find some measure of peace by the end of season 2.