Ragnar Lothbrok, The Famous Viking Who Was Killed By Snakes
Wikimedia CommonsRagnar Lothbrok greeting Aslaug Kraka, his third wife.
There are few Vikings whose stories have captivated audiences quite like Ragnar Lothbrok’s, both in the medieval period and in the modern day.
According to medieval sources, Ragnar Lothbrok was a ninth-century Danish Viking king and warrior known for his exploits, his death in a snake pit at the hands of Ælla of Northumbria, and for being the father of Björn Ironside, Ivar the Boneless, and other famous Vikings.
But, as with many famous Vikings, determining the truth of Lothbrok’s story is a difficult task.
The evidence to suggest Lothbrok ever lived is scarce. But it does exist, with references to a particularly eminent Viking raider in 840 C.E. appearing in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle which speaks of “Ragnall” and “Reginherus.” This infamous Viking warlord raided the coasts of France and England and was duly given land and a monastery by Charles the Bald, before betraying the covenant and sailing up the Seine to besiege Paris.
The primary sources about Lothbrok, however, come from 13th-century Icelandic sagas written centuries after his death.
Wikimedia CommonsThe death of Ragnar Lothbrok at the bottom of a snake pit.
According to these accounts, Lothbrok boiled wolfskin trousers and a hide shirt in tar to create armor so that he could slay a serpent guarding the home of his second wife Thora. This action purportedly gave him his surname “Lothbrok,” which in Old Norse translates as “hairy trousers.”
They also say that Lothbrok was married three times, with his first wife being the fearsome shieldmaiden Lagertha, whose bravery on the battlefield caught his eye. His third and final wife was Aslaug, the daughter of Sigurd, a king and legendary hero.
According to the Gesta Danorum, Lothbrok was eventually captured by the Anglo-Saxon king Ælla of Northumbria and thrown into a snake pit to die. Upon hearing the death of their father, Lothbrok’s sons sought revenge and in 865, Ivar the Boneless led the Great Heathen Army onto English shores.
In reality, though, it is likely that the fearsome Ragnar Lothbrok legend was built up over time, with embellishments and the exploits of other heroes added in.
