Odda the Younger was a main character turned antagonist in The Last Kingdom television series, and a supporting character turned antagonist in The Saxon Stories novel series. He acts as the central antagonist of Season 1.
Odda was the son of Odda the Elder, who was the ealdorman of Devonshire and a trusted general of the King's armies. He was a junior member of King Æthelred's court and subsequently King Alfred's as well.
Biography[]
The Saxon Stories[]
(To Be Added)
The Last Kingdom[]
Season 1[]
Æthelred and the council discuss King Edmund of East Anglia’s plea to Wessex for an army. An attack by the Danes is inevitable. Æthelred is consider turning down his plea, and Odda is in agreement. Young Odda also agrees that King Edmund deserves nothing by silence. Nevertheless, they all fear that barring a miracle, East Anglia will soon fall to the Danes. However, they all agree that they shouldn’t send help. Soon, it’ll be them facing off against the pagan army. They must pray and prepare. Lastly, Æthelred will need strong men to fight the nearing battle. ("Episode 1.2")
Brida and Uhtred return from Readingum to inform King Æthlred and the council that the Danes have come to attack Winchester, and they’ll be marching in no less than few more days. However, Odda and his younger were under the impression that they were to attack in the spring. Uhtred has come with proof. He tells them to defeat the Danes, Winchester must meet them on the road to Abbendum. However, young Odda and Alfred suspect that it might be a trap. Nevertheless, Alfred takes Uhtred’s advice and they will attack on the road to Abbendum. Lastly, he has Brida and Uhtred taken away and put into cages. ("Episode 1.2")
Alfred, Odda, and Young Odda return from battle with King Æthelred, who was badly wounded and likely won’t survive. Young Odda advises Æthelwold to speak to the king to ensure that he’s the successor, as some are arguing that Æthelwold is too young and foolish to lead Wessex. Young Odda surmises that Alfred is in fact his successor. He even suggests that Æthelwold lie and say that his father personally named him as his successor. ("Episode 1.3")
Alfred and Odda have tasked Young Odda with taking a message to the Danes. They want to negotiate. He wants to send Young Odda as a representative to speak for the king. Young Odda arrives at the Danes’ camp to inform Guthrum and the Danes that King Alfred invites him to negotiate peace. Guthrum tells Young Odda to get off the horse and look him in the eyes to speak to him. After Guthrum agrees to meet for a negotiation, he takes Young Odda’s horse. ("Episode 1.3")
Young Odda offers Uhtred 11 pieces of silver to walk away as he doesn’t deserve to marry Mildrith. However, Uhtred refuses. He surmises that Young Odda would rather lay with Mildrith, but instead it will be Uhtred who humps her. ("Episode 1.4")
Odda and Young Odda arrange Mildrith's marriage to Uhtred. Uhtred ensures that Mildrith is given her price. Uhtred then takes her hands, and Beocca joins them together. Mildrith then starts to cry. ("Episode 1.4")
Leofric, Uhtred, and Mildrith arrive in Winchester to inform the council that the Danes are crossing through Wessex. Alfred, Odda, and Young Odda question why he did nothing. Uhtred explains that he has no warriors. Most of his men work the fields. If Werham is captured, the Danes will grow immensely. Uhtred suggests they march now. Alfred is in agreement with Uhtred and decides they will indeed march. After the meeting, Uhtred tells Beocca to arrange a private meeting between him and the king. Uhtred then confronts Odda and Young Odda about Mildrith being shorted, which Odda was unaware of and orders his son to pay the debt in full. ("Episode 1.4")
Word of Werham’s fall has spread, and so King Alfred, Uhtred, Odda, Young Odda, Beocca and Leofric prepare for war. They stand outside of the fortress’ gates. Young Ragnar and Guthrum exit. Alfred, Odda, Leofric, and Father Selbix head down the field to speak with them. Guthrum proposes a truce. He’s decided to leave by sea. Therefore, he will send for 15 ships. Alfred gives them a month to arrive and offers food and ale for that time. ("Episode 1.4")
Young Odda comes to retrieve Mildrith and her child. The peace is over, and they are under siege. She asks of Uhtred, who Odda claims is a traitor and demands that Mildrith come with him. She complies. As she’s leaving, Oswald assures her that he’ll see to it that the livestock is taken to the hills and that anything of value be buried. ("Episode 1.5")
Odda, Young Odda, Leofric, and Wulfhere arrive at Cynuit hill. They look over the cliff to see the Dane ships. Odda wants to bide time and hold their position in hopes that Alfred will defeat Guthrum and join them. ("Episode 1.5")
Uhtred arrives at the hill and holds a knife to Young Odda’s throat, demanding to know what he did with his wife and child. Odda reveals that she’s safe at his home, with his wife. Leofric draws his sword and tells Uhtred to let Young Odda go. He assures Uhtred that his wife and child are being cared for. Uhtred admits that it would’ve been the better choice to simply ask where he wife is. Leofric suggests that Uhtred go back the way he came if he wishes to see his family as they are stuck on the hill, and they will die there. ("Episode 1.5")
Uhtred, Odda, Young Odda, Leofric, and Wulfhere discuss their next course of action. Odda decides they will wait for Alfred to arrive. Until then, he schedules a negotiation with the Danes. So, the following day, they meet with Ubba and Storri. Ubba wants their surrender, but Odda refuses. Uhtred then reveals that Guthrum’s fleet is gone. They drowned at sea. Uhtred claims that he also cast runes and that Ubba is next to die. Ubba becomes enraged and leaves. As Ubba leaves, Uhtred tells Odda that now is the time to attack. ("Episode 1.5")
Young Odda tries to convince his father against attacking the Danes when Uhtred sets fire to their ships. He instead wants to use it as a distraction for them to escape during the panic. Uhtred will certainly die but they’ll call him a hero and return to Wessex during the chaos. However, Odda has given his word to Uhtred. Nevertheless, he takes his son’s advice and tells Leofric and Wulfhere to prepare their men so they can leave. Leofric and Wulfhere suspect that something isn’t right, but they do as told. They watch as the ships go up in flames. Odda decides to go against his son’s plans and decides to attack. ("Episode 1.5")
Morning has come, and they have defeated the Danes. Young Odda, Leofric, and Wulfhere arrive south to find that King Alfred has not yet lead his men to battle. Alfred asks about the men in the camp. He worries that he doesn’t inspire them and that they don’t see him as a warrior. Beocca then notices Young Odda, Leofric, and Wulfhere approaching. He informs them that the Ubba and the Danes have been defeated. Young Odda hands Alfred Ubba's axe as proof of his demise. King Alfred is certain that Guthrum will now retreat. Wessex is saved. ("Episode 1.5")
Young Odda tells Alfred that progress is made daily and that he should come to Cynuit to inspect the building work for the church he’s having built there. Young Odda wants to have the altar placed in the exact spot where Ubba was buried. Alfred tells Young Odda to exhume the remains and have them buried elsewhere with respect. Beocca arrives with a message from Bishop Alewold. It claims that Uhtred slayed a villager and is refusing to pay the monies owed to the family. Alfred orders Young Odda to investigate. ("Episode 1.6")
Young Odda and Bishop Alewold arrive and ask for Uhtred. Mildrith greets them and tells them that he’s left, claiming that he doesn’t trust the Danes. Odda gives Mildrith a letter for Uhtred. He must settle the wergild for Oswald’s death or face confiscation of his property. As for Mildrith, if she is ever in need, she’s always welcome at Odda's house. Regarding his father, he is frail but still alive. ("Episode 1.6")
Uhtred and Iseult arrive in Winchester for the Witan. Young Odda tells Uhtred that he’s charged with taking a troop of the king’s men into Cornwalum and making war against the Britons. He is also charged with joining forces with Skorpa. The punishment for these crimes is death. Brother Asser swears this to be true. Also, he reveals that the church in Cynuit was destroyed and the monks there killed. This is the work of Skorpa and Uhtred, Brother Asser claims. Uhtred now speaks, explaining that the only time he was in Cynuit was to kill Ubba. He looks to Wulfhere, who knows this to be true. ("Episode 1.6")
Leofric is introduced as a witness. He admits to being in Cornwalum with Uhtred. They also killed Britons and plundered. He also donated his share of the plunder to the church and begged for forgiveness. Leofric claims that he didn’t follow anyone and that he acted of his own will. However, Odda wants Uhtred held accountable. Beocca suggests that Uhtred beg, but he refuses. King Alfred sentences Uhtred to death. Leofric asks to speak. While they’re admittedly guilty, Leofric requests a fight to the death. He assures them that Uhtred won’t win. It would take God’s intervention for Uhtred to beat him. Æthelwold agrees that it should be put into God’s hands. Alfred grants Leofric’s request. ("Episode 1.6")
Young Odda, Alfred, Ælswith, Æthelwold, Brother Asser, and Father Beocca watch as Uhtred and Leofric fight to the death. King Alfred does not wish to watch the outcome and leaves, asking Ælswith to fetch the children. As Uhtred and Leofric trade blows, the town gets word of a Dane invasion led by Young Ragnar and Guthrum. Young Odda and Wulfhere ride out on horses. ("Episode 1.7")
Young Odda meets with Skorpa to negotiate. Skorpa only wants their surrender. Young Odda is willing to tell Skorpa all about his land and the range of his insurance. Neither of them lose any men. He assures them this is no trap. Skorpa agrees to arrive at Young Odda’s hall after the new moon. ("Episode 1.8")
Young Odda reveals to his father and Mildrith that Uhtred and Leofric have arrived. Æthelwold greets them as they enter. Uhtred claims they come on behalf of the king. They come with Alfred’s written order to raise the fyrd, but Young Odda refuses. He accuses Alfred of deserting Wessex. Unbeknownst to them, Alfred watches from the crowd. When Uhtred accuses Young Odda of siding with the Danes, he orders Leofric to kill Uhtred, but Leofric will do no such thing. Realising that tyrant he has become and the treason he has committed, Odda kills Young Odda. Alfred makes his presence known. Odda begs the king to forgive his son and let him die a noble. However, Alfred will not forgive him. He then orders Odda to raise the Somerset fyrd. Alfred now wants for word to be sent that he is king and will fight alongside the sword of Wessex. ("Episode 1.8")
Personality[]
Young Odda's personality is at odds with Uhtred's in many ways: while Uhtred, a warrior and free man at heart, is cocky and impetuous, Odda, a younger man, of lesser physicality and charisma, and bound by birth to the King and his father's service, while certainly arrogant and insolent in his own right, will occasionally be forced to swallow his pride and bow down (as evidenced by some of his interactions with Alfred, Guthrum, his father or Uhtred, respectively).
While these repeated humiliations may arouse some initial degree of sympathy for the character, he is later shown to favour cunning manipulation behind the scenes (and, on occasion, intimidation, as evidenced by his veiled threats against Father Beocca).
His awareness of his relative disadvantage in an era of strongmen and military prestige gives him a natural affinity with Æthelwold (if only of circumstance,) fuelled by their mutual frustration and hunger for self-advancement, and their shared pragmatic outlook on the larger conflict with the Danes.
After his father is wounded at Cynuit and he is effectively made an Ealdorman by Alfred (having seized the opportunity of Uhtred's absence to claim the credit for the Saxons' victory against Ubba), the now emboldened young Odda grows increasingly ambitious and hostile to Uhtred, and becomes a fiercer negotiator.
Young Odda harbours genuine feelings for Mildrith, which, for all the ill he wishes on her husband, remain courteous, chaste and mostly protective throughout the season (one of the character's notable redeeming aspects). Out of despair at the prospect of her imminent marriage, he initially attempts to settle things honourably with Uhtred, only to be mocked. It should not be overlooked, though, that he then proceeds to pettily cheat Mildrith out of almost half of her bride price, causing her direct prejudice, merely out of spite toward Uhtred.
However, he showed his hatred and disloyalty to Alfred when the Danes took over Winchester by siding in with Skorpa and used his insults and ambitions to argue against Uhtred. He stated that the king's letter means nothing to him at that certain situation He went so far that he commanded Leofric to kill Uhtred to which Leofric refused. This behaviour of his and his ambitions lead to his ultimate death by his father's hand.
Appearances[]
The Saxon Stories[]
| Books | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Saxon Stories | ✔ | ✔ |
The Last Kingdom[]
| Episodes | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |||
| Season 2 | ||||||||||
| Season 3 | ||||||||||
| Season 4 | ||||||||||
| Season 5 | ||||||||||
| Seven Kings Must Die |
Trivia[]
- The name Odda comes from Old English and is deprived from the word audaz, which means "wealth, prosperity".
- Odda was a noble; he was the son of the ealdorman of Devonshire, he was to succeed his father but was killed before that could happen.