Ragnar Lodbrok Ragnar Lodbrok or Lothbrok was a legendary
Norse ruler and hero from the Viking Age described in Old Norse poetry and several sagas.
In this tradition, Ragnar was the scourge of France and England and the father of many
renowned sons, including Ivar the Boneless, Björn Ironside, Halfdan Ragnarsson, Sigurd
Snake-in-the-Eye, and Ubbe Ragnarsson.
While his sons are historical figures, it is uncertain whether Ragnar himself existed.
Many of the tales about him appear to originate with the deeds of several historical Viking
heroes and rulers.
According to legend, Ragnar was thrice married: to the shieldmaiden Lagertha, to the noblewoman
Þóra Borgarhjǫrtr, and to the warrior queen Aslaug.
Said to have been a relative of the Danish king Gudfred and son of the Swedish king Sigurd
Hring, he became king himself and distinguished himself by many raids and conquests until
he was eventually seized by his foe, King Ælla of Northumbria, and killed by being
thrown into a pit of snakes.
His sons bloodily avenged him by invading England with the Great Heathen Army.
Historicity As a figure of legend whose life only partially
took place in times and places covered by written sources, the extent of Ragnar's historicity
is not quite clear.
In her commentary on Saxo's Gesta Danorum, Hilda Ellis Davidson notes that Saxo's coverage
of Ragnar's legend in book IX of the Gesta appears to be an attempt to consolidate many
of the confusing and contradictory events and stories known to the chronicler into the
reign of one king, Ragnar.
That is why many acts ascribed to Ragnar in the Gesta can be associated, through other
sources, with various figures, some of which are more historically certain.
These candidates for the "historical Ragnar" include:
King Horik I (d.
854), King Reginfrid (d.
814), a king who ruled part of Denmark and came
into conflict with Harald Klak, one Reginherus who attacked Paris in the middle
of the ninth century, possibly the Reghnall of the Irish Annals,
and the Viking leader whose death caused his sons
to invade England with the Great Heathen Army in 865.
So far, attempts to firmly link the legendary Ragnar with one or several of those men have
failed because of the difficulty in reconciling the various accounts and their chronology.
Nonetheless, the core tradition of a Viking hero named Ragnar (or similar) who wreaked
havoc in mid-ninth-century Europe and who fathered many famous sons is remarkably persistent,
and some aspects of it are covered by relatively reliable sources, such as the Anglo-Saxon
Chronicle.
According to Davidson, writing in 1979, "certain scholars in recent years have come to accept
at least part of Ragnar's story as based on historical fact".
Katherine Holman, on the other hand, concludes that "although his sons are historical figures,
there is no evidence that Ragnar himself ever lived, and he seems to be an amalgam of several
different historical figures and pure literary invention."
Sources The medieval sources that cover Ragnar include:
the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a collection of 9th-century annals,
book IX of the Gesta Danorum, a 12th-century work by the Christian chronicler Saxo Grammaticus,
the Tale of Ragnar's sons (Ragnarssona þáttr), a legendary saga,
the Tale of Ragnar Lodbrok, another saga, a sequel to the Völsunga saga,
the Ragnarsdrápa, a skaldic poem of which only fragments remain, attributed to the 9th-century
poet Bragi Boddason, the Krákumál, Ragnar's death-song, a 12th-century
Scottish skaldic poem.
In popular culture Film and television
In The Vikings, a film of 1958, Ragnar, played by Ernest Borgnine, is captured by King Ælla
of Northumbria and cast into a pit of wolves.
His son Einar (presumably a variation of the historical Ivar), played by Kirk Douglas,
vows revenge and conquers Northumbria.
Ragnar Lothbrok (played by Travis Fimmel) is the protagonist of the History Channel's
historical drama series Vikings that debuted in 2013.
Video games The Play the World expansion pack for the
2001 video game Civilization III added Scandinavia as a playable civilization, with Ragnar as
the leader.
The Viking Invasion expansion pack for 2002's Medieval: Total War also included Ragnar as
the first king of the Vikings, reigning during the late 8th and early 9th century.
The Warlords expansion pack for 2005's Civilization IV included a playable Viking civilization
with Ragnar as the leader.
Ragnar is the name of the Nord king in the video game Mount & Blade: Warband, released
in 2010 The Old Gods expansion pack for 2012's Crusader
Kings II makes it possible to play as any one of Ragnar's five sons.
Ragnar is the name of main character in the Rune (video game), released in 2000
Literature Ragnar Lothbrok's shipwreck, capture, and
execution, as well as his sons' revenge, are portrayed in Harry Harrison's alternative
history novel The Hammer and the Cross, the first of a trilogy.
Ragnar Lothbrok is featured in Edison Marshall's 1951 novel, The Viking, Dell, from which the
Kirk Douglas movie script was later constructed.
Music "Lodbrok" is the eighth song on Grand Magus's
self-titled debut album, released in 2001.
The story of Ragnar Lodbrok and his son, Halfdan, is the theme of the song "Heathen Assault"
by Doomsword from the 2003 album Let Battle Commence.
Sport Ragnar is the mascot of the NFL team Minnesota
Vikings.
The Ragnar Relay Series is a series of long distance relay races.