I’ve loved this show. I’m in the final season of Vikings. And it feels like a drag at this point. On episode 8 of the last season. Is it worth finishing? Can I switch to the last kingdom
I don't know if this what if has ever been asked in this subreddit, anyway…
Needless to say, the story would have been completely different, regardless of the outcome of this what if.
Basically, Ragnar and his 20 fellow Vikings raid Lindisfarne as we all know, except that, instead of Athelstan, they find the hot-tempered Christian Bishop "HEATHEN!!!" hater Heahmund.
In this case, there are two possible outcomes:
He fights to the death, dies as a martyr, period. No potential bridge between Norsemen and Anglo-Saxons.
or
He is spared just like he is originally spared in the battle of York, due to Ragnar respecting his bravery and battle skills.
He is resentful of Ragnar and of every HEATHEN, due to their barbaric showcase of violence and irreverence, he would never become the former's close friend… yet, Ragnar and Heahmund would both develop a sincere and genuine respect towards each other as unyielding and brave warriors.
There will probably be no intellectual chemistry between them, due to Heahmund being much more dogmatic, though Ragnar's curiosity would still be there. Heahmund could also become a little more open minded, but still, I think he would fundamentally remain the dogmatic Heahmund we all know.
I could also see him initially refusing to partecipate in a threesome with Ragnar and Lagertha, due to his hatred towards pagan Norsemen, only for him to start developing feelings for Lagertha (now whether she would get it on with Heahmund, is a completely different story).
Anyway, even in this case, how would he bridge between Norsemen and Anglo-Saxons? He would never fight against his own people. He'd rather die. Ragnar would bring a chained Heahmund with him in England, preventing the bishop's possible escape, which would be a problem as he would then give a lot of intel to Aelle/Ecgbert, plus a free Heahmund supported by an army would be a massive threat. And I don't see Ragnar handing Heahmund to the English kings, letting him free, that would be dumb.
(No Athelstan in Lindisfarne also means there will be no Alfred! Aethelred becomes king)
What are your thoughts?
Who agrees?
Was "loyalty" and "marriage" an unimaginable burden and responsibility that even greatest Vikings couldn't bear?
Why does everyone's marriage last about a year or so? Why marry at all then? Literally every character is cheating and being unloyal to their partner. The amount of cheating and simple marriage disloyalty is ridiculous at times.
Lagertha is running Kattegat as Ragnar is in England. She is dealing with the local citizens and their petitions. A man has complained that his wife has born a son that isnt his. It is clearly obviously that it isnt his as his wife implies to having sex with another man. This is a visitor and Lagertha defends this woman with some bullshit story that the man his wife slept with is the God Heimdale. I think there was an injustice done towards the man here
Does nothing but whine and bitch 24/7 -> constantly makes super unfunny jokes and remarks -> treats his wife and baby like shit -> disrespects and belittles Athelstan for no good reason -> kills Athelstan for no good reason -> glazes the gods -> fails in the Siege of Paris then BLAMES ATHELSTAN -> cries like a baby till the battle finishes.
This character is so irredeemably stupid and cowardly that my blood boils every single time he appears on screen, utterly worthless with not a single positive or redeeming quantity aside from the fact he bagged Helga(top 5 best girl)
Old ragnar in his last episodes was awesome. Both in his appearance and his mind. Someone who's seen everything and has lost his faith in the gods and was alone and broken. His appearance kind of resembles old greek philosophers like socrates. I believe he also asked questions in a community where everyone believed in gods. And eventually his people killed him. Similar path for ragnar would have been awesome to explore.
Think about it, if he never died he would have been the only one among his people who didn't believe in the gods and traditions and everything.
I think he had the potential for at least 1 more season. 2 max.
I have a question Who was the most famous son of Ragnar in the Vikings series Bjorn Ironside or Ivar the Boneless?
Spoilers everyone seems to be mad at Ivar for various reasons, but I think he was the best character in the series. I liked him for many reasons, but the main one was that he was the only son of Aslaug who was truly determined to avenge her, while his brothers chose to do nothing.
So basically i loved the show, and i was watching some ragnar videos on youtube and many feature AC valhalla soundtrack on ragnar videos
The game is viking based with viking environment and story
Has anyone played it because they loved the show ? And does it give you the feeling of being within the show's environment ? 🥺
I know Lagertha is one of the most beloved characters in Vikings, and I understand why. But the scene with King Harald when he is her prisoner is rarely named clearly.
Harald is captive and under her control. In that situation, he cannot freely consent. Whatever we think of him as a violent or ambitious character, that scene still reads as sexual assault/rape.
What bothers me is how the show frames it more as dominance, humiliation, or revenge than as sexual violence. Lagertha’s status as a survivor and feminist icon seems to make people avoid criticizing her abuse of power.
Calling it rape does not make Harald innocent overall. It just means the same standard should apply regardless of gender. For me, this scene shows that Lagertha’s hunger for power becomes darker than the fandom usually admits.
Curious how others read it? did the show intend us to see it as rape, or did it minimize it because Harald is male and Lagertha is beloved?
A fecking billion posts a week with the exact same shite - can mods either include a "must be in the sub for a week before you can post" or just start blanket banning these blatant repost bots?
Season 6, Episode 11. I thought the show had fallen off after Ragnar's death, and aside from the revenge ark and some of the Rus time, I though it was nowhere near as good, but this was astonishing. The music, Bjorn raising his sword, Hvistserk saying the same thing that Ragnar said when he was killed when Bjorn was dying, the fear in everyone's faces. It was amazing.
Sigurd’s death was shocking, but I do not think it was random. He constantly attacked Ivar in dishonourable ways, especially by mocking his disability and masculinity in front of others.
He rarely had a strong argument against Ivar, so he used humiliation instead. In a culture where honour and public reputation mattered, that was a dangerous game.
Ivar was violent, yes, but Sigurd was not innocent. He kept provoking someone he knew was unstable and dangerous.
I am not saying Ivar was morally right. I am saying Sigurd played with fire and got burned. Well it might be unpopular but he deserved his end.
What do you think?
Ibn Faḍlān’s Encounter with the Vikings (267 AH / 881 CE)
“I have never seen more physically perfect specimens. They are tall like date palms, fair-haired and ruddy-complexioned" - Ibn Faḍlān on the Vikings.
In the year 267 AH (881 CE), Aḥmad ibn Faḍlān (d. after 309 AH / 921 CE), an ambassador dispatched by the ʿAbbāsid Caliph of Baghdad, was sent on a diplomatic mission to the lands of the Volga Bulgars. During his journey, he encountered a group of Norse traders, commonly identified as Vikings. His account constitutes the earliest known first-hand Muslim description of the Vikings.
Ibn Faḍlān described them as follows:
“I have never seen more physically perfect specimens. They are tall like date palms, fair-haired and ruddy-complexioned. Each man wears a garment that covers one side of the body while leaving one arm uncovered. Every man carries an axe, a sword, and a knife, which he keeps close at all times. Their swords resemble Frankish swords, with broad blades marked by grooves. Each man is tattooed in dark green with intricate designs covering his entire body, from the tips of his toes to his neck.
All of their women wear a circular brooch, the size and value of which corresponds to the wealth and social status of their husbands. They are among the filthiest of Allah’s creatures. They do not cleanse themselves after relieving themselves, nor after sexual intercourse.
After eating, they do not wash their hands. They wander about like stray asses. They engage openly in sexual relations with their slave girls. Should a merchant enter at such a time in order to purchase a slave girl and find her master having intercourse with her, he does not desist until he has satisfied himself.
They wash their faces and hair each day using the foulest and dirtiest water imaginable. Each morning, a young serving girl brings a large basin of water. The man washes his hands, face, and hair in it, combing his hair within the basin. He then blows his nose, spits, and performs every other repulsive act in the same water. Once he is finished, the basin is passed to the next man, until all have used it in turn.
When one of them falls ill, they pitch a tent for him at a distance and leave him with bread and water, but they neither visit him nor speak to him, especially if he is a slave or a poor man. If he recovers, he rejoins them; if he dies, they burn him. If he is a slave, they leave him where he lies, to be devoured by dogs and birds of prey.
When they capture a thief or bandit, they take him to a large tree, tie a rope around his neck, and hang him there until wind and rain cause his body to disintegrate.
When a man of distinction dies, his family asks his female and young slave girls: ‘Who among you will accompany him in death?’ Once one of them volunteers, her decision is irrevocable. On the day his body is burned, together with the girl who volunteered to die with him, I went to the riverbank where his ship lay.
One of the customs of their king is that he maintains four hundred warriors within his palace. These are his bravest companions, men upon whom he relies completely. When the king dies, they die with him and allow themselves to be killed on his behalf.”
He then continues on about a group of Vikings who settled in Spain and became Muslim, they found it difficult to abandon pork.
Source : Summarised from Aḥmad ibn Faḍlān (d. after 309 AH / 921 CE), Risālat Ibn Faḍlān, edited by Sāmī al-Daḥḥān,