Ragnar Lodbrok
Legendary Viking hero and king of Sweden and Denmark.
Last updated
via Wikipedia: Ragnar Lodbrok · see source
References to Ragnar appear in Viking Age Old Norse poetry, Icelandic sagas, and chronicles written close to his own time.[1] Modern scholars generally consider the majority of narratives concerning him to be fictional.[2]
Last updated 2026-10-05 from the source article.
What happened
Ragnar resolved to conquer England with merely two ships.[3] The Great Heathen Army that invaded England at around 866 was led by the sons of Ragnar Lodbrok to wreak revenge against King Ælla of Northumbria.[3] According to the Sögubrot, Ragnar's first heroic act was slaying a massive serpent that protected the home of Thora Borgarhjort, daughter of the Geatish jarl Herrauð, which won him her hand in marriage.[4] The nickname "Lodbrok" was given to Ragnar because of the special protective garments he wore during his fight with the serpent.[5]
Ragnar and Thora had two sons named Erik and Agnar.[5] Ragnar met his end when he was overcome by a larger Northumbrian force and subsequently cast into a pit filled with snakes.[3]
What the cited sources add
The Sögubrot states that Ragnar took after his father and his father's kin in stature.[6] The same source recounts that Ragnar married Aslaug, daughter of Sigurd Fafnir's Bane and Brynhild Budli's daughter.[7] The Historic UK account notes that Ragnar's death at the hands of Aella in a pit of snakes has its roots in myth rather than history.[8] The same source states that it is likely the Ragnar Lothbrok legend was built upon the reputation of the Ragnar who successfully raided Britain, France and Ireland in the ninth century.[8]
References
- Wikipedia, "Ragnar Lodbrok" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Sögubrot 1200; Lindbergh, "Nordisk mytologi: Från a till Ö", Svenska Historiska Media Förlag, 2017; Butler, Josh "The Real Ragnar Lothbrok." Historic UK. Retrieved 21 April 2020. (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Ragnar Lodbrok" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Davidson p. 277 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Ragnar Lodbrok" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Frank, "Viking atrocity and Skaldic verse: The Rite of the Blood-Eagle", The English Historical Review, 1 April 1984, p. 332–343; "Ragnars Saga Lodbrokar, Chapter 15" (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Ragnar Lodbrok" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Sögubrot, Chapter 10" (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Ragnar Lodbrok" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Ragnars Saga Lodbrokar, Chapters 4 and 7" (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- "Sögubrot, Chapter 10". facts only, no text reused. web.archive.org
- "The Tale of Ragnar's Sons, Chapter 2", Germanicmythology.com. facts only, no text reused. germanicmythology.com
- Butler, Josh "The Real Ragnar Lothbrok." Historic UK. Retrieved 21 April 2020.. facts only, no text reused. historic-uk.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Ragnar Lodbrok (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
More in The Viking Age
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Ragnar Lodbrok (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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