The successful drama Vikings has come to its fourth season and the ancient fathers of the Northern-Europeans have never been more popular, it seems. A moment of Norse mythology is what we suggest for today. Let’s see if there is something yet to be learnt today.
So the main character of the series is the beloved warrior Ragnar Lothbrok. Whether he indeed existed or not is still under debate. But he is said to have fathered many of the greatest Viking historical figures (who lived and were recorded in history): Ubba, Ivar the Boneless, Sigurd Snake in the Eye and Bjorn Ironside (who is also wonderfully portrayed as a brave warrior in the TV saga).
Ragnar is believed to have lived in the 9th century, a Danish Viking warlord who is sung by the Norse sagas as the scourge of England and especially France. Norse poems claim he indeed existed, but there are also historically reliable sources which place him in a true medieval context. French historians recount Ragnar’s rule in Denmark and recognize his repeated and ruthless raids of France. He was reputed for his sudden charges (blitzkrieg), surprise tactics which took the vast enemy armies by surprise. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle also describes Ragnar’s adventures, his legacy and the impact he left on 9th-century Europe.
Lothbrok, his nickname, means “hairy breeches”, which hints at a legend which depicted the hero’s fight with a venomous serpent, on which occasion he wore some wooly, thick breeches. Ragnar’s death is also shrouded in mystery. One account claims he died during one of his sieges of Paris, while another describes his death by the hand of his enemy, King Aella of Northumbria, who threw him in a pit of snakes. Either way, his sons took revenge and invaded England.
Denmark today doesn’t look at all like a pagan Viking village, but if you are curious to see it with your own eyes, with Copenhagen car rental you can!
