Gearing up for #VIKINGS ! Character Discussion: #RAGNAR


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The Shieldmaidens of History (Protecting the Innocent from Anachronisms) welcome you back to our series on the History Channel show Vikings. 


Historical fiction author Sandi Layne is with me again to discuss the historical aspects of the show. Sandi has written her own series on Vikings, both well-written and carefully researched. (You can read my review of the third book in the trilogy, Éire's Devil Kinghere.)


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Heillir! We—Lissa Bryan and Sandi Layne—are two historical fiction authors with a serious thing for Vikings. And for VIKINGS, the amazing series that is going to begin its fourth season on HISTORY CHANNEL.

Follow us on twitter, #ShieldGeeks, at 8pm Eastern for the next seventeen days as we talk about the main characters of the show, including special features for Thorsdays, er, Thursdays, as well as We Ship It day on the 14th and even a Favorite Dead Character feature.

Then, on February 18th, VIKINGS, Season Four will begin and Sandi and I will be live-tweeting during each episode, as has been our custom since Season One. We’ll follow up with a more detailed discussion on our websites the following day.

We are SO excited! So, Warriors and Shieldmaidens all, get your weapons and armor ready, because it’s going to be an amazing season!


RAGNAR LO∂BROK


Ragnar is played by the blue-eyed Travis Fimmel who possesses the character of Ragnar Lo∂brok with intensity.

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Not active in social media, you can still hear about his behind the scenes antics from his fellow cast members. There is no denying that he keeps Ragnar the moving force in VIKINGS to date.

Ragnar is a complicated character, who has shown real development over the prior three seasons of this show.

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From being an adventurous man with a farm, wife, and two kids, he has found himself in positions of leadership.

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 He has loved, lost, fought, won, been betrayed, found an unlikely friend in a Christian slave—Athelstan...

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... only to lose him to his longtime friend, Floki, who killed Athelstan in what he believed was a mission from the gods.

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The new King of the Danes has not had an easy time of it.

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The Seer prophesied sons for him, but his beloved Lagertha could only give him one, so Ragnar has married again and sired more sons—sons who would earn more renown than he.

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“The sons of Ragnar Lothbrok will be spoken of as long as men have tongues to speak.”
“They will enjoy that much fame?”
“One of them will marry the daughter of a King. Another will discover and sail around a sea that has no tides. All this and more, have I forseen.”
“Then they will have more fame than I, their father?”


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Still, he perseveres, seeking to expand his influence, gain wealth, explore new lands and people, and somehow enter Valhalla with honor.

Which led him to Paris.

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Ragnar's plan for faking his death and storming Paris from inside went off beautifully, but he was still a very sick and injured man when we saw him last.

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As symbolized in the preview, the snakes are closing in. Ragnar has to be able to defend his crown from challengers. As he says in the preview, power is addicting and there are many who would try to take it from him.

I'll admit, this is one place I'm sort of hoping the TV series deviates from the Sagas, and you know us - always nagging about historical accuracy. But fear is slithering through her heart after seeing the previews…

Courtesy of vikingsinuppsala on Tumblr


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What are your thoughts? Join Sandi and me, Lissa Bryan, tonight as we chat at 8PM EST on Twitter about Ragnar and what the series might have in store for him. Use the hashtag #ShieldGeeks to join in the fun!

2 comments:

  1. Yeah, I'm not ready for no Ragnar, either.

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    Replies
    1. I'm so worried about this. I think the show would really hurt for his loss. The other characters are amazing, of course, but it would be so hard to carry on without Ragnar!

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