I have enjoyed the series but it is no more accurate historically than the wonderful old film, 'The Vikings' from the 1950s. 'Viking' is not a tribe nor a people. It was a practice undertaken by warriors and farmers wherein, during specific seasons, they would take to their ships and raid foreign shores.
Here is the scene of the Death of Ragnar from the old film, 'The Vikings':
Death of Ragnar Lodbrok
And the classical scene and theme from the same film:
Arrival of the Longship
If any one is interested in watching this film in its entirety, it is available on DVD or on various platforms such as Amazon and Netflix I believe.
This film is as awe-inspiring in its way as 'Gone with the Wind'. It is as greatly loved and as fondly recalled.
As for the Vikings themselves, I do not believe that these warriors and farmers resembled bikers from our period, but some of the visuals in the recent series are quite impressive and memorable nonetheless. I understand why the creators of the series equated Vikings with contemporary bikers to some extent. They were individualists and based their ethics when raiding upon considerations of bravery and personal loyalty rather than any principles of human rights or compassion towards strangers.
When looking at the culture that produced the 'Viking' tradition, you have to understand that these people lived in a harsh landscape, farming on a land of poor soil and very cruel climate. They went 'a Viking' to supplement a life that often gave little beyond the bare necessities if even that.
During this period, their targets often were invaders themselves who had taken possession of land that originally did not belong to them either. After all, both the Angles and the Saxons were foreign invaders who came to Britain looking for better soil and an easier life.
Here is the tale of his life from the original Icelandic saga:
Ragnar was the son of King Hring and after his death, he assumed power in Sweden and Denmark. Many rival rulers felt he was unfit to govern because of his youth. A jarl in West Gautland named Herraud was a vassal of King Ragnar with a daughter named Thora Hart-of-the-Town. She was very beautiful and desired by many.
As a child, her father had given her a baby snake as a pet. She kept it in a box when it was small but it grew and grew until it was so large that it coiled round her bower and bit its own tail. (This is the description of the worm Ouroboros that encircled the earth at the bottom of the sea and with whom the God Thor fought.). It was so fierce and monstrous that all began to fear it. It consumed an ox each day and the servants who had to feed it were terrified of it.
At the bragarfull, the ceremony of the Ruler’s Cup, the jarl made a solemn oath that he would give his daughter Thora in marriage to the man who was able to slay the great serpent or even any man who would dare to brave the serpent in order to speak to her in her bower.
King Ragnar heard about this and decided to go to West Gautland to try his luck with the monstrous creature. When he neared the jarl’s dwelling place, he donned shaggy garments consisting of fur trousers, cloak with sleeves and a hood. The clothes were treated with sand and tar. In his hand, he held a great spear and his sword was on his belt and in this fashion, he walked alone to Thora’s bower.
He drew his sword and slew the serpent, beheading it. As promised, he was given the hand of Thora Hart-of-the-Town in marriage.
After this, he went often to war until he had liberated the entire kingdom. He had two sons with Thora: Eirik and Agnar. When the boys still were children, Thora became seriously ill and died.
Ragnar then married his second wife, Aslaug, called Randalin by some. She was reputed to be the daughter of Sigurd, Fafnir’s Bane with Brynhild, Budli’s daughter. They had four sons. Ivar, called ‘the Boneless’ was the eldest, followed by Bjorn Ironside, Hvitserk and finally Sigurd. Sigurd was called ‘Sigurd Snake in the Eye’ because he had a mark inside his eye that appeared in the form of a serpent encircling the pupil.
When Ragnar’s sons were fully grown, they went raiding throughout the world. The eldest brothers Eirik and Agnar, both sons by Thora, were second in rank only to Ragnar himself and Ivar with his brothers third. Ivar became their leader not only because he was eldest but because he was the cleverest of his brothers. Together, they conquered Zealand, Reidgotaland, Gotland, Oland and all the smaller islands in the northern sea.
Ivar then assumed the rulership of Hleidargard in Zealand with his younger brothers but this enraged their father who did not want to see his own sons gain more fame and repute than their father. He therefore made a man named Eystein Beli king of Upper Sweden and told him to guard the realm for him against all odds and all comers, including his own sons if need be.
One summer, after Ragnar had sailed east over the Baltic Sea with his warriors, Eirik and Agnar, his sons, sailed to Sweden, bringing their ships into Lake Malaren. They then sent word to King Eystein in Uppsala, requesting a meeting. Eirik told the King that he wanted Eystein to govern Sweden under the authority of the sons of Ragnar and not Ragnar himself. He asked for the hand of Borghild, Eystein’s daughter in marriage, declaring that they together could hold the kingdom against Ragnar and any army and allies he could muster.
Eystein would not make a decision hastily and moreover stated that all the chieftains of Sweden had to be in agreement with the plan before he would set his seal upon it. When the matter was raised, the chieftains were unanimous in their determination to remain true to Ragnar by defending the land against his sons. They brought together an overwhelming host and King Eystein then marched against Eirik and Agnar. A great battle was fought then and Lodbrok’s sons were defeated. So many fell on the field that few of the host of Ragnar’s sons were left standing. Agnar fell and Eirik himself was captured.
King Eystein then offered terms to Erik, including as much of the wealth of Uppsala as he wished in compensation for the death of his brother Agnar as well as the hand of his daughter Borghild in marriage. Erik declared that he wanted no such compensation, nor did he want Borghild now. He could not accept life on any terms after such as great defeat but he would accept the boon of being able to choose the day and manner of his own death for himself. King Eystein was unable to persuade him to accept anything else and therefore agreed to Eirik’s last request.
And this is the manner of death that Eirik chose for himself: for his warriors to pierce his body with their spearpoints and so lift him up above all the others who had been slain.
Eirik then chanted: ‘I care not, you killer dog, to hear any of your offers. I want not your daughter. To mourn me I have no mother. Make haste, men, to impale me here! I will die over my own host hoisted, highest of the slain!’
(To be continued)
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