Thorfinn

By the loins of Freyja! Thorfinn is a Viking from the early 1000s. His love for cod and his hatred for clutter knows no bounds.

Played by: Devan Long
Family members:
Abilities: Sailing, plundering, exploration, fishing, hunting, busting Danish heads.
Ghostly Ability: The power to minimally manipulate electricity with intense concentration and determination.
Occupation in life: Viking pillager
Cause of death: Struck by lightning after being abandoned by his countrymen as they sailed away for “reasons unknown.”

Personality

Thorfinn is a larger-than-life personality in the form of an ancient and fierce Viking warrior. But the days of pillaging and plundering are gone; what is left is a ghost who loves to reminisce of his sea-faring days of battles with beasts, the sea and with Danes but he now demonstrates a tender side that loves to serenade little children to sleep and spend quality time with his fellow Woodstone residents. Thorfinn has been described as a gentle giant, fearsome to behold. But his rough exterior belies the sensitivity and affection he has for those both living and dead, who dwell with him.

For centuries, Thorfinn bore the pain of a man abandoned by his fellow Viking sailors; fortunately, this pain has since been mitigated as he has formed new ties with his fellow residents at the Woodstone (‘Viking Funeral’).

Thorfinn is especially interested in developing a relationship with a female companion, but nothing has seriously developed for him yet.

Thorfinn enjoys television, especially documentaries about Vikings (‘Hello’), and reality shows, and he enjoys watching TV with his friend and fellow ghost Sasappis (‘Pete’s Wife’). Despite his age, Thorfinn has grown to become astute where it concerns the use of technology concerning his favorite medium as well (‘Sam’s Mom’).

Thorfinn describes himself as someone who doesn’t talk about his feelings (he identifies with the character ‘Martin‘ from the 1993 American series ‘Frasier‘), But, afterwards, it’s something that evolves for him and he opens up a little more to the Woodstone Mansion livings and ghosts (‘Thorapy‘).

In keeping with his explorer persona, Thorfinn has keen situational awareness, is highly inquisitive and has a positive attitude, even when things don’t turn out how he would like.

As Thorfinn has continued to receive therapy with Sam’s assistance, Thorfinn has grown stronger in coming to terms with his past, but in also seeking a future in the afterlife with Flower and growing in his relationships with the other ghosts. He was also forthcoming in confessing to Sam that he may be responsible for the dreadful incidents in the mansion, as he put a Norse curse on them prior to him getting to know Sam and Jay.

Note: Many of the personality points for Thorfinn featured here were contributed by ‘Ghosts’ fans on social media. Thank you!

History

Thorfinn, the ghost of a 1,000 year old Viking, is the oldest spirit haunting the Woodstone. Thorfinn is from Norway. According to actor Devan Long on social media, ‘Norwegian Vikings were the most ferocious in battle and generally thought to be the most skillful sailors.

Thorfinn and his fellow Vikings landed near or in close proximity to the Hudson Valley region where the Woodstone would eventually be built. His time spent in the area consisted of expeditions up and down the coast to find game and explore the area. Thorfinn’s true story as it connected to Woodstone unfortunately begins in sorrow for him, as he returned to camp after an expedition to discover his fellow Vikings sailing away, leaving him alone on the shore (‘Viking Funeral’). It is unknown whether Thorfinn had been forgotten or deliberately abandoned. Not long thereafter, Thorfinn is electrocuted in a thunderstorm and dies on the grounds of the future Woodstone mansion, his spirit becoming indefinitely tied to the area and later, the mansion (‘Viking Funeral’).

As a ghost, Thorfinn was aware of where he was buried (‘Viking Funeral’). He also had recollections of observing the living individuals who would later die on the grounds themselves, including Sasappis and Hetty, who Hetty recollected as ‘Gordon,’ a house servant who sang lullabies to her as a child (‘Alberta’s Fan’).

At the Woodstone, Thorfinn haunts the mansion as a spirit gifted with the ability to cause minor disturbances with the light fixtures (‘Pilot’). He spends his days recollecting about his life as a Viking warrior and spending time with Sassapis watching trashy reality shows (‘Pete’s Wife’). Despite his age, he is growing more aware of the use of technology, such as the television, within the mansion (‘Sam’s Mom’). He recently achieved his dream of having a modified Viking funeral, but longs to connect with a woman (‘Viking Funeral’).

Recently, Thorfinn received therapy, with Sam as an intermediary, after experiencing night terrors and attacking Sam and Trevor upon being wakened (‘Thorapy). He confessed to having killed and eaten his squirrel bestfriend, Oskar. In fact, after his shipmates abandoned him, after being alone for months, he met Oskar and they teamed up; they hunted together, camped together. Then, as the winter deepened, both got hungrier, hungrier. One day, Thorfinn was so hungry and wasn’t able to properly think, he took a rock, killed his bestfriend and ate him. Thorfinn blamed himself enormously and admits that after talking about it out loud, after confessing this secret to Sam, Alberta, Pete, Trevor and Isaac, he didn’t feel so bad. Later, Thorfinn made another surprise revelation: he seemed to have developed feelings for Flower, who expressed her love for him but back-tracked when he was not ‘sucked off’ after his Viking funeral (‘Thorapy’).

Possibly due to the therapy Thorfinn has been receiving with assistance from Sam, in ‘Trevor’s Pants,’ Thorfinn gently confronts Flower about her telling him she loved him when everyone believed he was about to be ‘sucked off’ at his Viking funeral. Flower tells him she does have feelings for him but also says she has intimacy issues, which requires the participation of a ‘third person’ in order for their relationship to be successful and to keep things from becoming too ‘intense.’ Thorfinn suggests they find a ‘buffer’ to accommodate her needs; from there, the couple work on finding their buffer, which begins with interviewing the other ghosts in the house. When the interviews prove unsuccessful, Flower brings in Crash’s headless body as their buffer. Thorfinn rejects Crash, but says he is willing to wait for Flower for as long as it takes.

As season 1 came to an end with ‘Farnsby & B,’ Thorfinn makes the confession to Sam and Jay that the unfortunate events occurring in the Mansion may actually be due to his placing a Norse curse on them when they were planning on opening the B & B but before the spirits had gotten to know Sam and Jay. A remorseful Thorfinn tells Sam that the curse could be reversed with a concoction of cinnamon and sugar — but says there could be a chance that the spell could also reverse Sam’s ability to see and communicate with the spirits as well. Considering this, Sam decides not to go through with the curse reversal and live with whatever additional consequences of Thorfinn’s curse come their way.

As Season 2 began, Thorfinn’s personality has been expanding in many areas, particularly where it concerns his relationship with Flower and his developing friendships with the other ghosts. When Thorfinn’s boisterous nature becomes uncomfortable for Nigel, Isaac’s approach in addressing the issue drives Thorfinn to the basement to join the cholera crew (‘Spies‘). When Isaac brings Nigel down to the basement to apologize to Thorfinn, it gives the Viking and the British officer an opportunity to bond over the ants occupying the basement. He harnessed a new singing ability inspired by Alberta (‘Alberta’s Podcast’) and also demonstrated exceptional knowledge of the show ‘Friends’ (‘Jay’s Friends‘).

As the season progresses, Thorfinn makes winning Flower’s heart his main priority (‘The Tree‘). With Trevor’s help, he becomes environmentally conscious, to the degree of confronting Hetty over her factory’s use of coal, but his aggressive ways are still of concern for Flower. By the end of the episode, Thorfinn encourages his oldest friend Sasappis by helping him to focus on the future of other trees grown from the seeds of the beloved tree that was cut down, which moves Flower.

One of Thorfinn’s major developments of the season is the discovery of a son, Bjorn, who is haunting the Farnsby’s home (‘The Baby Bjorn’). Sam and Jay arrange for a reunion, albeit from the upstairs windows. When Thorfinn discovers that Bjorn took a Danish wife and had a family with her, Thorfinn becomes enraged and threatens to disown him. It is only the memory of his infant son, and with the intervention of Flower and Isaac, that Thorfinn accepts Bjorn and moves forward in establishing a relationship with him.

As the season progresses, Thorfinn makes great progress in developing stronger relationships with his long-lost son Bjorn and with Flower, but not without complications. In ‘A Date to Remember,Thorfinn and Flower go on a dinner date featuring classic Nordic cuisine for them to smell, which Jay cooks and tastes for them, twice.

In ‘The Perfect Assistant,’ when Bjorn is being bullied by Judy Farnsby, Thorfinn tells his son to respond with aggression, whereas Pete encourages Bjorn to use communication. Once it’s revealed that Judy is bullying Bjorn because she likes him, Thorfinn accepts the gentle nature of his son and goes the route of giving him instruction on sex.

One of Thorfinn’s most notable events in Season 2 was in ‘The Christmas Spirit, Part One’ and ‘The Christmas Spirit, Part Two.’ In part one, the household has to deal with his distaste for Christmas and how he feels it has corrupted his Nordic traditions. But after he accidentally possesses Sam, he comes to realize the many wonderful and moving elements of the holiday. By the end the episode, he joins the other Ghosts to serenade a carol to Sam and Jay, and he tells her that Christmas is for spending time with people you love.

The fearless Viking ghost finds himself in another unusual situation when he finds himself caught in a Latvian ghost trap purchased by new Woodstone B&B manager Freddie (‘Ghost Hunter’). Flower soon joins him in the trap, where the two share their first kiss, and are rescued by Pete, who voluntarily enters the trap in order to free the couple.

By the end of Season 2, Thorfinn makes significant progress in winning Flower’s heart, to the degree of allowing some of the Ghosts to test his ability to control his temper (‘Isaac’s Book‘), but his bottled fury is unleashed in fierce comments directed at Danish B&B visitor Soren and his opinions about Norwegians. Flower later confesses that she liked his strong show of anger.

Moving into Season 3, Thorfinn is found to be in a state of vocal grief over the supposedly ‘sucking off’ of his girlfriend Flower. While none of his fellow Ghosts’ condolences seem to help him, Thorfinn does listen to the insight on reincarnation offered by Jay. When an owl is discovered in the barn that needs to be relocated, Thorfinn takes Jay’s words to heart and becomes convinced that Flower has been reincarnated as the owl. When Jay refuses to deviate from their plan to relocate the owl and proceed with construction, Thorfinn threatens to burn down the barn.

Once Sam moves ‘Flowl’ into the mansion, to dwell in a birdcage, it takes Jay to tell Thorfinn that Flower was a free spirit who would not be happy in that cage, as he encourages the grieving Viking to let her go.

With the other Ghosts gathered, Thorfinn movingly eulogizes Flower at her memorial service.

Appearance

Tall and imposing in appearance, Thorfinn has the fierce look of a sea-faring Viking, dressed for battle and for protection from the elements. Between the ages of 30-35. He has reddish brown, raggedly cut hair with Viking-style braids in his hair and braids in his full beard. He also has a deep scar on the right of his face, running almost vertically from under his eye. Thorfinn wears leather cuffs from wrist to elbow, worn leather vest and pants, an animal skin cape and a rounded shield on his back. His leather vest includes several ornately designed Viking buckles and fasteners. He also wears a couple small pouches and a small dagger. Prior to his death, he wore a pointed metal helmet which he lost when he was electrocuted in a thunderstorm.

Devan Long said of his ghostly outfit on the show, ‘I love all my little fanny packs and satchels that I use to carry secret snacks around set with. I would like a giant fur cape. Capes are rad-who doesn’t want a cape?’ (Watch Magazine, Oct. 2022).

Trivia

  • Thorfinn is the U.S. interpretation of Robin from the BBC ‘Ghosts’ series.
  • Thorfinn uses his ghostly power to manipulate electricity in an effort to alert Jay about Sam being in the vault. He is unable to manifest enough strength to do this a second time (‘Halloween 2: The Ghost of Hetty’s Past’)
  • In ‘Dumb Deaths,’ Thorfinn causes a camera battery to fail in an effort to halt a film crews filming of a scene disparaging to Pete. Thorfinn dislikes how Christmas has turned Odin into a ‘stupid-faced fat man.’ (‘Christmas Spirit: Part One’)
  • Despite his history of violence, Thorfinn saves Eric’s life, through Sam. (‘Christmas Spirit: Part Two’)
  • Thorfinn tells Isaac of a gay ghost at the Farnsby’s when Isaac and Nigel temporarily break up. (‘The Family Business’)
  • Thorfinn tells Alberta that each braid represents a brother lost in battle (‘Isaac’s Book’).
  • Thorfinn had relationships with two women who were ‘sucked off’ before FlowerLuella and ‘Flat Maria,’ who was trampled to death by a herd of cattle. Thorfinn refers to this latter Ghost as his ‘little pancake.’
  • Thorfinn was the first one to learn of Sasappis’ Ghost power, a secret kept from the others until 2024.
 

 

Quotes

  • ’’Oh! Oh! It’s one of those—how you say — it’s a ship on land. Landship! Landship!” (Season 1, Episode 1)
  • ‘’Oh, by the loins of Freya, why? Small man?!” (Season 1, Episode 2)
  • ‘’Every Viking boy, from very little, dreams of dying horrifically and having a most triumphant Viking funeral. It is a very special day. But Thor… never have one.”(Season 1, Episode 3)
  • ‘’Yes! Apology so easy! Why not apologize before? Fix everything! Cost nothing!” (Season 1, Episode 6)
  • ‘’Sweet little baby/Drift off to sleep/Dream of stabbing Danish men/Laughing while they weep/When you are a warrior/You’ll be strong and tall/You’ll pillage villages, slit men’s throats and bash their heads against the wall.” (Season 1, Episode 9)
  • ‘’Does that mean she’s single now?” (Season 1, Episode 12)
  • ”Thor not scream. Thor not scared of some silly hole in the ground. Because Thor working towards being better person. Very open to change.” (Season 1, Episode 13)
  • “By the eye of the Allfather, you bite your words. Thor’s not afraid of Danes and Thor’s not afraid of therapy! Time to talk feelings! Feelings! I’ll talk them.” (Season 1, Episode 15)
  • “Point is…after friends abandoned Thor, Oskar there for me. But when Oskar needed me most, I eat him. Much shame. For Thor no better than friends who leave me.” (Season 1, Episode 15)
  • “So, many moons ago, during Viking funeral, I was meant to be sucked off, and pretty hippie woman say she loved Thor, which feel very good. But then I am not sucked off, and suddenly she does not love Thor, which feel very bad. Don’t forget ‘sucked off’ part. Important for context.” (Season 1, Episode 15)
  • ‘Thor scared. Can it ever really work out between a hippie and a Viking?’ (Season 1, Episode 16)
  • ‘But you had boyfriend Ira. I remember. He run away like Dane when attacked by bear.’ (Season 1, Episode 16)
  • ‘Look, if you not okay with just Thor, I understand, but if it is more time you need to feel comfortable, I can wait…. I’ve been here a thousand years. Only met you 50 years ago. Blink of an eye. So we can wait till the moment is right. Thor think that maybe Flower worth the wait.’ (Season 1, Episode 16)
  • ‘You’ll take sugar and cinnamon, put in boiling water. I’ll say incantation, and then we wait…. 50 years. No, just a little curse-breaking humor. Curse break immediately. It’s good.’ (Season 1, Episode 18)
  • ‘Thorfinn want to thank you for giving me Viking funeral. Sorry for putting curse on you. You can’t be mad ‘cause I said sorry.’ (Season 1, Episode 18)
  • “Fine! Thor won’t be around. Thor go where he won’t be problem for you anymore!” (Season 2, Episode 1)
  • “Is okay. Thorfinn acquired taste, like sour ram’s testicle.” (Season 2, Episode 1)
  • “No! Last time you sing, song got stuck in Thorfinn’s head for many moons! (Season 2, Episode 2)
  • “It was four. Ross have own place with Marcel, the monkey.’ (Season 2, Episode 3)
  • “Sometimes men very stubborn, like when Ross claim to read Rachel’s letter instead of just admit he fall asleep.” (Season 2, Episode 3)
  • “Sunsets no longer very nice. Mm. Same thing over and over. Eternity take what was once beautiful and turn into nothing.” (Season 2, Episode 3)
  • “Yes, but Flower not ready for two-person commitment. And Pete too cowardly and selfish to be third.” (Season 2, Episode 4)
  • “What began as mission to win one woman’s heart has morphed into mission to save the planet!” (Season 2, Episode 4)
  • “And you, worst of all. Industrial Revolution start of everthing. Thor read about dark seductress, buried deep within the Earth. Her name is ….coal.” (Season 2, Episode 4)
  • “Thor not good at drugs. When alive, drink tea of stinking henbane and instead of having rapturous visions, Thor just get worried no one like Thor.” (Season 2, Episode 4)
  • “Sass, oldest friend. We can’t bring back what you’ve lost. But from the past is born the future… so from your tree will blossom many new trees. And your tree of friendship with Shiki will now be whole area of friendship.” (Season 2, Episode 4)
  • “You call yourself a journalist. These are obvious questions” (Season 2, Episode 6)
  • “Yes! I can yell at my son my way my father yell at me.” (Season 2, Episode 6)
  • “Bjorn … married Dane. Is deepest betrayal. Bjorn is… traitor.” (Season 2, Episode 6)
  • “A Fin, I could live with. A Swede, disgusting, but fine. But why Dane? Why you do that to me?” (Season 2, Episode 6)
  • “(To his son Bjorn) I love you! Thank you for coming to find me!” (Season 2, Episode 6)
  • “Children not born with hate in their heart, they must be taught it and I was or there to teach him.” (Season 2, Episode 6)