Ragnar Lothbrok, the infamous protagonist of the History Channel's Vikings, was a legend in his own time, and writer Michael Hirst drew plot and character inspiration from the actual medieval sagas surrounding Ragnar.
Hirst did an incredible job creating a complex and vibrant character based closely on the historical and mythological stories of Ragnar. But in his creative process, he also chose to change or leave out a few facts about him. How much do you really know about the real Ragnar Lothbrok?
10 Ragnar May Be More Legend Than Man
It isn't known whether Ragnar Lothbrok, who was a legend in medieval Europe, was actually a real person. Most historians and Vikings show writer, Michael Hirst, think that he was. However, since the Vikings of the 9th century did not keep written accounts, nothing was written about him during his lifetime. Suffice it to say, 1,000 years on, it is a challenge separating fact from fiction.
It wasn't until several centuries after his death that the deeds of Ragnar Lothbrok were put down on paper. By this time, the stories surrounding the exploits of this fierce Viking and his equally influential sons were epic, and more than likely a little embellished.
9 Lothbrok Means "Hairy Pants"
Yes, the fierce Viking legend Ragnar was in fact nicknamed "Hairy Pants." While to a modern person this nickname sounds quite humorous and not very awe-inspiring, the people of the time were familiar with Ragnar's lore.
In the sagas of Ragnar, a story is told of how he cleverly bested a giant poisonous serpent by wearing thick, hairy pants covered in pitch or tar. This kept the serpent from being able to bite him in the legs while he fought it.
8 Rollo Was Not His Brother
Fans of the show may be surprised that Ragnar's brother Rollo, was not actually his real brother.
Rollo was a real historical figure, with his own amazing life story. However, he was born after Ragnar is thought to have died, and there are no accounts of their being relatives. Their sibling storyline may be fictitious, but Rollo's transformation from Viking to Frankish Count is real.
7 Ragnar Had Three Wives
The Vikings series does a great job of drawing from historical writings to create the basis of characters and plotlines. It doesn't always follow the history and legends exactly, though, and one character that was left out entirely is Ragnar's wife, Thora.
Ragnar's courtship of Thora tells the story of how he got his nickname, "Hairy Pants." Thora was guarded by a giant snake whom Ragnar had to overcome in order to marry her. This story echos another Ragnar myth about how he won the right to court Lagertha after killing the bear and hound she had guarding her home.
6 Bjorn Ironside Was Ragnar and Aslaug's Son
Fans may be shocked to find that making Bjorn the son of Lagertha was a choice made by writer Michael Hirst. According to the historical texts, which are themselves somewhat suspect, the famous Viking warrior Bjorn Ironside was the child of Ragnar and Aslaug, not Lagertha.
Bjorn did go on to have many legends written about him, and this is probably one of the reasons that Ragnar's stories persisted.
5 It's Possible His Sons Were Adopted
There are a number of famous Vikings who claimed Ragnar was their father. Bjorn Ironside, Ivar the Boneless, and Ubbe all said that they were sons of Ragnar. However, it wasn't uncommon for warriors of the time to claim impressive lineage. It also wasn't uncommon for promising warriors to be adopted by Viking kings.
What we do know is that the warriors who claimed to be Ragnar's sons were real people who went on to become even more famous than their father. In allowing the Vikings show to become the story of the sons of Ragnar, and not just Ragnar himself, writer Michael Hirst honors this progression.
4 Ragnar Was A Prince
According to some legends, Ragnar was the son of King Sigurd Hring, making him a Prince of Denmark and Sweden. Upon his father's death in battle, Ragnar becomes King. This is of course a little different from the tale Vikings tells of Ragnar being a farmer whose ambition raises him to Kinghood.
In both the show and in legend, Ragnar's thirst for fame leads him to the throne, one way or another. It also causes him to leave the throne miles behind in search of the glory of conquests, raids, and battles. Unbridled ambition was always one of Ragnar's best and worst character traits.
3 He Did Raid England And Paris
In the Vikings TV show, Ragnar leads an army of Vikings to lay siege to Paris. He is bought off with money and land in order to keep the Vikings away from the city. Ragnar breaks the contract, though, and attacks Paris anyway.
All of these events depicted in the TV show have a basis in the historical and mythological accounts of Ragnar's life. Ragnar is thought to have been involved in a real raid of Paris in 845. Then too, he was bribed to stay away, but decided to attack anyway.
2 Travis Fimmel Almost Missed Out
When the Vikings characters were being cast, the creators had trouble finding the right actor for Ragnar. They considered many actors, mostly Scandinavian and English, and finally settled on one.
In an interview with Vikings writer Michael Hirst, he reveals that his wife wasn't sure about their choice for Ragnar, and convinced him to wait a little longer for the right actor to come along. A few days later, Travis Himmel sent in his reel, and the rest is history.
1 He Most Likely Died In A Storm At Sea
The Vikings series depicts the legendary death of Ragnar Lothbrok in a pit of snakes and not many fans can get the grisly image out of their heads. But did it really happen? The Icelandic sagas say that Ragnar sailed to conquer England with only two ships, but was caught by King Aella and thrown into a pit of snakes to die.
However, many historians believe that another version of his story is more accurate. In this tale, Ragnar dies in a shipwreck off the coast of England while raiding the Irish Sea.
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