SCENESSCENESSCENESSCENES
    0
  •   was successfully added to your cart.
  • Home
  • Country
  • Pop
  • Rock
  • Americana
  • R&B
  • Culture
  • Premium
  • About
  • Contact
    • Music Submissions
    • Advertising
      • Media Kit
    • Customer Support
  • Shop

We Love Television’s ‘Vikings,’ but What’s Fact and What’s Fiction?

    Home TV We Love Television’s ‘Vikings,’ but What’s Fact and What’s Fiction?

    We Love Television’s ‘Vikings,’ but What’s Fact and What’s Fiction?

    By Robin Russell | TV | 2 comments | 24 April, 2018 | 0

    Okay. Let’s do this. I love watching History Channel’s “Vikings” as much as you do, but it’s time to separate fact from fiction.

    The producers and writers do a magnificent job painting the life and man that is Ragnar Lothbrok. And certainly they have accurately depicted the brutal nature of  Viking life. But how much of what we see on television is accurate about the characters themselves? We’ll start with the most obvious: the Viking king.

    Fact or fiction? Ragnar Lothbrok was a real man.
    We don’t know for sure, but probably not. As the show portrays, Ragnar (played by Travis Fimmel) was a legendary Viking. He was a ruler, a hero and a king. But his history comes from Old Norse poetry. From these tales, he is exactly what the History Channel depicts. He was the terror of France and England during the ninth century.

    Oddly enough, in these tales, he is considered the father of the sons represented in the show. However, his sons are considered historical figures while he is not.

    There is no tangible evidence that Ragnar really existed or even fathered Ivar the Boneless, Bjorn Ironside, Halfdan Ragnarsson, Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye and Ubba. And, unfortunately, many tales about him appear to blend the deeds of several historical rulers and heroes from the Viking Age. It’s almost as if Ragnar was created to represent the ideal Viking hero, a Demi-God complete with triumphs and vulnerabilities.

    img_1945

    Katheryn Winnick plays Ragnar’s first wife, Lagertha.

    Ragnar had two wives.
    The show claims Ragnar was married twice, first to Lagertha, and, secondly, to Aslaug. Actually, according to legend, Ragnar was married three times. He was also married to a noblewoman Pora Borgarhjortr (his second wife).

    The story of Ragnar and Pora sounds purely mythological. Pora’s father, a ruling earl, gave his daughter a small lindworm (small snake) which grew into a huge monstrous serpent that encircled her bower or boudoir. Naturally, her father promised her hand in marriage to the man who could slay the snake.

    Through his cleverness and bravery, Ragnar managed to slay the snake, thereby winning Pora’s hand. They had two sons, Eirikr and Agnar, both of whom died in a battle that supposedly took place in the late ninth century, and Pora had died long before her sons.

    Bjorn Ironside was the son of Ragnar and Lagertha.
    Actually, Bjorn is the son of Aslaug. According to legend, Lagertha and Ragnar had a son, Fridleif, and two daughters, whose names have been lost. Ragnar eventually divorced Lagertha to marry Pora. However, as the show depicted in earlier seasons, when Ragnar needed assistance, Lagertha came to his aid with 120 ships filled with warriors.

    img_1941

    Clive Standen is Rollo, Ragnar’s ambitious brother, on History Channel’s “Vikings.”

    Rollo and Ragnar are brothers.
    Sorry, folks. This is purely fictional. Rollo was a historical figure, and, if Ragnar did live, he and Rollo would have lived decades apart.

    Unlike Ragnar, Rollo’s history is well-known. In fact, the show is actually depicting Rollo fairly accurately, with the exception of being Ragnar’s brother. Rollo was born in 846 and died at the incredibly old age of 84 in 927. He founded the House of Normandy, and seven generations later, Rollo’s descendant William the Conqueror would invade England and become the first Norman King of England in 1066. Rollo is buried in Rouen, France.

    Despite the liberties writers have taken with historical fact, “Vikings” is a very accurate portrayal of  Viking life. If Ragnar Lothbrok ever truly lived, he probably lived very much like we see his character living and fighting on the show.

    Regardless of probabilities, I hope Ragnar did exist. He paints history in interesting colors. Yes, by Valhalla, I do.

    “Vikings” no longer airs on History Channel, but is available on streaming outlets such as Amazon.com, where you may also buy the DVDs.


    SCENES first published this critique in Robin Russell’s Buzzing Now column (December 2016).

    History Channel, Ragnar Lothbrok, Vikings

    Robin Russell

    Robin is an Emmy-nominated and award-winning journalist with 27 years experience. She hosted Georgia Outdoors on Georgia Public Broadcasting and was host and executive producer of Two Lane Traveller, which aired weekly nationwide on PBS. She has interviewed President Jimmy Carter, written speeches for Gov. Zell Miller, been published in Southern Living, Georgia Sportsman, Florida Game & Fish among other publications. Robin was educated at the University of Georgia where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communications. She resides in Atlanta, Georgia.

    More posts by Robin Russell

    Related Post

    • Kathryn Hahn’s 47 Second WandaVision Song Tops The Charts, Stunning The Star

      By Chloe Paglia | Comments are Closed

      If you have Internet access, neighbor with surround sound, or a hip aunt who calls to keep you up to date on what’s what, odds are you’ve heard of WandaVision. You don’t have to be an MCU (Marvel cinematic universe for the layman) super fan to know and love the genre bending, universe blending, Disney+ sitcom. But even with its breakout first season’s success on the Neilson charts, no one could have predicted the show would end up topping the Billboard charts too!

    • Kaley Cuoco Talks Life After ‘Big Bang Theory’ and Touts New Series

      By John Dennis | Comments are Closed

      Now that the hit show ‘The Big Bang Theory’ is over, how will Kaley Cuoco move forward? No worries — the actress has a plan to keep busy!

    • Prepare to Binge Watch: Netflix’s Hit ‘The Umbrella Academy’ Renewed for a Third Season

      By John Dennis | Comments are Closed

      For the legions of fans who have come to fall in love with this quirky, one-of-a-kind Netflix series, there promises to be plenty more Umbrella Academy to binge on the horizon.   

    • Alex Trebek, Beloved ‘Jeopardy’ Host, Passes Away at 80

      By John Dennis | Comments are Closed

      There are very few constants in life. In a world marked by fragility, temporality, and the inexorable winds of change, it becomes easy to take for granted those people, places, and things that manage toRead more

    • Reba McEntire to Star in Upcoming ‘Fried Green Tomatoes’ Series

      By John Dennis | Comments are Closed

      Country Music Hall of Famer Reba McEntire slated to star as a present day Idgie Threadgoode.

    • Michelle Petty December 13, 2018 at 12:43 pm

      You guys may want to actually hire better fact checkers. Not all, but MANY of the things you claim to be inaccurate were/are actually very accurate

    • Eric January 18, 2019 at 12:26 am

      When did History cancel Vikings?

    • Sign up for our Daily Digest, where we deliver the top headlines in music and exclusive SCENES Live Sessions details straight to your inbox!

    Download Sessions and Buy Merch

    • Brennley Brown on SCENES Live Sessions $2.99
    • Tiera on SCENES Live Sessions $2.99
    • Billy Raffoul on SCENES Live Sessions $2.99
    • Siv Jakobsen on SCENES Live Sessions $2.99
    • Penny Betts on SCENES Live Sessions $2.99
    • Media Kit
    • Privacy Policy
    © 2022 | All Rights Reserved
    • Home
    • Country
    • Pop
    • Rock
    • Americana
    • R&B
    • Culture
    • Premium
    • About
    • Contact
      • Music Submissions
      • Advertising
        • Media Kit
      • Customer Support
    • Shop
    SCENES
      0 items