Ragnar Lothbrok was the King Of Kattegat and the main protagonist of Vikings for the first four seasons. He died after being thrown into a pit of snakes and there have been arguments that the show never truly recovered from this major character death.
Ragnar's bravery in the battlefield and general toughness made him not just a fan favorite, but one of TV's most beloved protagonists. However, he wasn't always a shrewd hero. Some of his decisions as well as events linked to him were baffling. The following things about him didn't make much sense, and fans are still scratching their heads.
10 Suicide Attempt
Ragnar's poor decisions eventually caught up with him and he realized that he was not as great or influential as he used to be. This didn't sit well with him so he felt it was better to end his life. Not only was this extremely out of character, but it was a bit too convenient that he was saved by a bunch of ravens who cut the noose with their beaks.
9 Plan To Sacrifice Athelstan
Ragnar's decision to offer Athelstan as a human sacrifice was a baffling one. Athelstan's decision to switch from Christianity to Norse beliefs was an act of survival and not at all genuine; even the priest realized it. Since only a real follower of the gods could be sacrificed, Leif volunteered to do so instead.
Ragnar had nothing to gain by offering up Athelstan in the first place. In fact, he had no business offering up anyone since only volunteers did so.
8 Murdering The Sleeping Warriors
At first, Ragnar was always protective of his warriors compared to the other rulers. But all that changed after his return from exile. Ragnar had lost the respect of his people, and even Bjorn refused to match with him all the way to Wessex.
So, Ragnar convinced some aging warriors and peasants to go with him. But before he could raid King Ecbert's palace, he murdered the warriors while they were sleeping. Why would he kill the only people who had agreed to be on his side? The fact that they were killed in their sleep meant they were denied the right to enter Valhalla. Only warriors who fell in battle entered Valhalla.
7 Drowning Yidu
Yes, it was Yidu who offered Ragnar the intoxicating substances in the first place, but he had a choice on whether to take them or not; she was just trying to survive. Ragnar kept going back to her for more and given his position, she couldn't deny him.
Later on, Yidu gathered her courage and denied him the drugs. She also threatened to expose his addiction. He wasn't too happy about this so he drowned her. What benefit would he get from killing her? He'd have nowhere to get the drugs in the future.
6 Quitting The Drugs
Killing Yidu aside, the manner in which Ragnar quit the Far East substances didn't make a lot of sense. Audiences were glad when he quit because his addiction storyline didn't work for the show. He was constantly shaking and made poor decisions all around, including in battle.
Strangely enough, he just woke up and quit. There were no withdrawal symptoms or a lengthy period of rehabilitation. It just happened and he was good to go. It all felt too unrealistic.
5 The Aslaug And Lagertha Relationship Drama
It's hard to justify Ragnar's relationship with Princess Aslaug. It did more harm than good and there was no great benefit that Ragnar drew from it. Why did he promise a young Bjorn that he would not continue with the relationship only to go ahead and do so?
Ragnar's decision made him lose one family and gain another. What's surprising is that he expected the strong and independent Lagertha to be okay with him having Aslaug as a second wife. It's almost as if he didn't know her well enough.
4 Faking His Death
Getting into Paris wasn't easy so Ragnar faked his own death once to get into the popular city. This was a nod to historical accounts that documented Vikings converting to Christianity to infiltrate Paris. It was a great plot twist but there was a glaring problem in the whole plan.
Ragnar didn't care to inform those close to him that he wasn't really dead. He made them all believe that he was really in the afterlife. Shouldn't he have informed those in his circle at least?
3 Leniency Towards Rollo
Second chances are good but third, fourth, and fifth chances are a bit too much. Ragnar was constantly betrayed by Rollo (he even slept with Lagertha) yet he just kept on pardoning him every time it happened. It was unlike Ragnar since he was always ruthless with anyone else who dared cross him.
The soft spot he had for Rollo was unjustified because Rollo wasn't too essential to his operations. Ragnar could have done without him. If he really had a conscience when dealing with family, why didn't he have one with Lagertha?
2 Treatment Of Other Viking Leaders
Military alliances were essential in the medieval times and Ragnar needed them a lot during his tenure. But for a man who expected favor from other people, he did a pretty poor job at reciprocating.
There are countless examples. He refused to assist Lagertha in regaining her Earldom despite the fact that she meant so much to him. He excluded Jarl Borg from the England attacks despite promising him that he'd be a part of it. He also refused to let anyone else rule Kattegat. And then there was the constant disrespect towards Earl Haraldson.
1 Handling Of The Frankia Loss
After losing a battle and coming out of it alive, a great leader should logically restrategize and plan another attack. Alternatively, they'd attack another territory. Surprisingly, Ragnar goes into exile and abandons everyone after losing the Paris battle.
He returns around eight years later and tries to justify his actions. He gave a speech but everything he says doesn't answer the question everyone really has: "Why didn't you just stay?" Ragnar's disappearance led to the division between Ivar and his brothers. It also made him lose respect among his army.
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