In Vikings, no one pushes the theme of religion better than Athelstan. The soft-spoken character's zigzag life sees him go from being the only surviving Anglo-Saxon monk at the Lindisfarne Monastery to a slave to a trusted advisor of both Christian and Norse rulers. Apart from his adventurous life, Athelstan has some of the juiciest dialogue on the show too.
Athelstan's quotes tend to be inspired by a number of things, including his friendship with Ragnar Lothrbok and King Ecbert, his respect for God, his ability to accurately judge people's personalities as well as his dilemma over Norse beliefs and Christianity. Whether Athelstan is happy, sad, or worried, he'll always come up with something interesting to say.
"In The Gentle Fall Of Rain From Heaven, I Hear My God. But In The Thunder, I Still Hear Thor."
After Athelstan gets captured by the Anglo-Saxons and begins working as an aid to one of the best kings in Vikings, Ecbert, he is sent to Ragnar to inform him of the terms for peace. Ragnar, who is still fond of him, asks him if he has renounced Norse beliefs and shifted back to Christianity. The monk admits that he is conflicted.
Athelstan's dilemma is understandable because King Ecbert has treated him so well. The Wessex ruler stopped his crucifixion and has sought his counsel on many key matters. Ragnar, on the other hand, saved him from being butchered at the monastery. The Thor reference might be alien to some but Athelstan is simply referring to the Norse god. According to the Norse religion, thunder always means that the god Thor is beating his hammer.
"He Is Like You.”
Athelstan uses the simplest of words to introduce Ragnar to King Ecbert. He has lived with both men for a while hence he has a clear understanding of their personalities.
On the surface, Ragnar and King Ecbert might seem nothing alike. One is Northman, another is an Anglo-Saxon. One is king, the other is an Earl. One believes in Odin, the other worships God. What the two men share is ambition, curiosity, reasonableness, and the ability to see the bigger picture. It's the reason they always emerge victors over their opponents and the reason they always respect each other, even when fate prevents them from becoming friends.
“This City Is Impregnable.”
Before the First Paris Raid, Athelstan explains to Ragnar what the city is like. He builds a representation of the Frankia capital using sand and water, showing Ragnar where the River Seine is and where the walls and towers are located. As per his assessment, there is no way the Northmen will be able to get in.
That Ragnar dismisses Athelstan's concerns about Paris being too fortified isn't a shocker. He has always been a confident man. To him, the priest has an eye and mind for religion, not for battle. Ragnar feels like he knows best but Athelstan is somehow right. Paris is like nowhere else Ragnar has ever raided before. This is proven during the actual raids where the Northmen end up suffering defeat.
"God Would Know."
When Ragnar takes Athelstan as a slave after the first raid to the West, he gives him access to everything he owns. At one point, he and Lagertha invite him to their bed so they can make love together. Athelstan refuses because he has taken vows of celibacy as a monk. Lagertha wonders who would know he had sex and Athelst and has a fitting answer.
At this stage in Athelstan's life, he is more religious than he has ever been because he has never been exposed to a life outside the monastery. However, he becomes more and more corrupted as the series progresses, especially after becoming buddies with King Ecbert. By Season 3, he has no problem fornicating with Judith, even though she is a married woman.
"I Was Blind, But Now I See. I Was Dead, But I’m Reborn."
Athelstan's swan song in the series sees him getting a sign from heaven in the form of a bright ray of light. It knocks him down in biblical fashion and he takes this as a warning from God. Quickly, he re-baptizes himself, throws his Norse arm ring away, and declares himself born again.
It's yet another moment that highlights Athelstan's conflicted nature. He isn't sure whether he should worship Odin or God. This time, his indecisiveness costs him since Floki witnesses him throwing away the arm ring. The former boatbuilder has always hated the monk and he doesn't react too well to Athelstan's actions. He considers him as somewhat of a double agent, so he goes ahead and kills him.
"I Came Back Because, Of You And Ragnar, All Of You Are My Family."
After the captured Rollo is returned to Ragnar by King Ecbert as a stamp on their newfound truce, Athelstan decides to switch sides once again. He tells the Viking warriors that they are his true family.
Athelstan is clearly afraid of missing out on the good from both sides. He fears that the Vikings will see him as a traitor if he chooses to stay with Ecbert. It's them that chose not to kill him in the first place. His words are genuine, but only for a moment. Nothing is permanent with Athelstan.
"Mercy. Mercy. Mercy."
Athelstan's demise is among the Vikings deaths that fans saw coming but it still weighs heavy on Ragnar. Shortly after it happens, the monk appears in dreams to both Ragnar and King Ecbert. To Ragnar, he repeats one word three times: "Mercy."
Through the dream, the monk is begging Ragnar to not avenge his death. The repetition is for emphasis. What Floki did was wrong, but as a Christian, Athelstan has always been taught to forgive. He doesn't want Ragnar to lose yet another close ally, one whose skills are part of the reason why he became a great conqueror.
"For Everything, There Is A Season, And A Time For Every Matter Under The Sun."
Haraldson—one of the most unlikable Earls in Vikings—stages a vicious attack on Ragnar's home in the first season, leaving the warrior seriously wounded. Now a fugitive wanted for insubordination, Ragnar's future looks bleak. As he is being treated by Floki, Athelstan assures him that the bad times will come to pass.
It's a quote that Athelstan borrows from Ecclesiastes 3:1. The monk has mastered the pages of the holy book and he knows the exact chapter and verses to use in soothing Ragnar. He is right because Ragnar soon takes control of his fate by challenging Earl Haraldson to a kill-or-be-killed duel in which he wins.
"Whatever Happens, Do Not Let Ragnar Die. Nor Yet King Ecbert."
Before Ragnar and King Ecbert come to an understanding, Athelstan roots for both rulers because he is close to them both. He begs God to not let either of them die.
Athelstan's prayers are answered since no harm comes to Ragnar and Athelstan. Instead, it's Rollo who is severely injured in battle, much to the monk's relief. Athelstan also gets to die before both men in the future. While his death is sad, it's better for him since his attachment to both men suggests he would have been unable to handle the grief in case one of them died before them.
"I'm Surprised That You Don't Know As Much As I Do."
As Athelstan and King Ecbert are discussing the Romans and their achievements, the monk wonders how the king knows so little about the great conquerors. After all, he spent his younger years at Charlamagne's court in Paris.
King Ecbert is generally bright but his lack of knowledge when the Roman Empire is the subject is indeed baffling. The Romans had great influence over Frankia hence Ecbert ought to have heard about them when he was a little boy in Paris. Logically, as a king who has achieved so much, Ecbert is also expected to know a lot more than a monk.