Fans of the History Channel's Vikings get to see Bjorn Ironside grow from a 12-year-old boy to one of the most formidable characters on the show. He had always yearned to become a respected man and to follow in his father's footsteps by becoming a great warrior and ruler, and his dreams did indeed come true.
Bjorn always lived up to his "'Ironside" name by miraculously managing to avoid getting wounded or killed on a number of occasions. He outwitted the would-be assassin Berserker and survived in the icy mountains for months, among many other things. But Bjorn's physical skills aren't the only admirable thing about him. He can talk too.
"I Learned From My Father The Only Way To Tell If Something Is Real, Is To Sail There."
Shortly before Ragnar returned to Kattegat after a 10-year absence, Bjorn informed Floki and his brothers of his plan to sail to the Mediterranean. He had a map with him that he had studied for years and his heart told him that good things awaited. Floki was hesitant to come, but Bjorn assured him it would be all worth it.
Among the many lessons that trickled down from father to son was "go find out instead of wondering if it's there." Though Bjorn's voyage ended up being a not-so-pleasant one, he couldn't be faulted for his decision and in a way, it kickstarted his rise to power. Ragnar himself made one of his best decisions by defying Earl Haraldson and sailing West, a move that made him achieve greatness.
"Fame Won’t Make Your Small Kingdom Any Bigger."
As Ragnar and Bjorn prepared the boats for the Paris raid, one of the biggest battles on Vikings, Bjorn expressed his distrust of Harald. Bjorn went to confront him, asking him what his contribution would be exactly. Harald confessed that he was coming to Paris because he wanted to be famous like Ragnar. An unimpressed Bjorn was quick to throw shade at him.
As serious as the moment was, the insult was heavy enough to make all viewers burst out laughing. This was the first in a string 0f scenes where Bjorn put people in their place. Lagertha's son was intolerant to posturing and he could easily see that Harald aka Finehair was in it for all the wrong reasons.
"She Brings Unhappiness And Difficulty."
Lagertha wasn't too happy about Ragnar seeing Aslaug and neither was Bjorn. He despised her because he felt she was breaking up his family and he was somehow right. Aslaug brought unhappiness and difficulty that eventually led to divorce. Ragnar disagreed, telling Bjorn that life was all about unhappiness.
The presence of Alsaug did indeed complicate things in the Lothbrok household. Divisions lasted forever, with Lagertha and Aslaug never seeing eye to eye. Such was also the case with some of Ragnar's sons. In an alternate scenario, Ragnar should have listened to Bjorn's words and stopped seeing Aslaug. Sadly, listening wasn't one of Ragnar's best traits.
"What Are You So Afraid Of? It's Only Death!"
During the ceremony of sacrifices, Ragnar did something that was hard for fans to let go of offering up Athelstan to be killed. The priest was disqualified because he was a Christian. So Leif volunteered to be sacrificed as Ragnar and his family watched. Bjorn couldn't understand why his sister was flinching. To him, death was a normal occurrence.
Bjorn's words showed just how much he had become a proper Norse believer. Since Valhalla awaited, there was nothing to fear about dying. Death was only but a portal to the Norse paradise. The shift in Bjorn's attitude towards death happened when he was forced to watch an alleged murderer getting beheaded earlier in the first season.
"He Looks After His Family."
As Ragnar prepared Bjorn to go receive his arm ring in Kattegat and become a man, he asked him a very important question: "What does a man do?" As young as Bjorn was, he had the correct answer.
Having been brought up by Ragnar, Bjorn had the perfect idea of the things a "real man" is supposed to do. He had witnessed Ragnar provide for them and protect them every single day. As a father, Ragnar had set the perfect example. As he morphed into an adult, Bjorn would follow in his footsteps too.
"Who Can Guess The Ways And The Plans Of The Gods?"
It was a beautiful reunion when Lagertha and Bjorn reunited with Ragnar after years of no communication. Their plan was to help him fight Jarl Borg, who was very eager to invade Kattegat and make it his property. As sweet as the reunion was, Bjorn knew they couldn't guess what would happen next, but they just had to believe in the gods.
Unlike his father, Ragnar, Bjorn never wavered in his trust for the gods. He truly believed in them, and in the existence of Valhalla. That's why he famously declared that he wanted nothing more than to raid and to fight. Dying in battle would easily earn him a ticket to the Norse paradise. Meanwhile, he had to stride through life with the belief that everything would be fine since Odin was in control.
"I Am Bjorn Ironside, Son Of Ragnar."
Raiding is not all it takes. Bjorn found himself having to explain his actions to the people when he attacked Kattegat together with Harald, Hvitserk, and King Olaf in order to overthrow Ivar. As expected, Ivar couldn't go down quietly. He kept yelling to the people, telling them that Bjorn was lying.
Though he didn't know it, Bjorn was indeed lying by claiming that he was Ragnar's son. Rollo was his true father. But that wasn't the point. Bjorn was trying to let the people understand that he deserved to be their ruler because he was Ragnar's son too like Ivar. Heritage aside, he was also a more honorable man compared to Ivar.
"There Is Nothing More Beautiful Than A Mother."
Bjorn and Lagertha went through a lot together. There were early days when they were taken care of by Ragnar to the hellish days when they were abused by Earl Sivgard, during Lagertha's short marriage to him. No matter what happened, Lagertha never stopped loving her son and Bjorn never stopped appreciating her. He honored her right until her death.
Given their tight bond, It was understandable for Bjorn to declare that there was nothing more soul-nourishing than a mother. He had dated a number of women, but none quite matched up to his mother. As a shield maiden, ruler and loving parent, she had set the bar too high.
"I Am But Your Humble Servant."
Upon becoming King of Kattegat, Bjorn let the people know just how different his template would be. He would no longer sentence people to death but instead, banish them from the kingdom. He wouldn't outlaw free speech and neither would he discourage foreigner. Most importantly, he'll be nothing like Ivar. He'll serve the people, not torment them.
Bjorn's words were a verbal permit, a welcome relief for the people of Kattegat. Free from tyranny, the citizens were now free to do whatever they wanted. Whether or not Bjorn kept his promise to be a humble servant and a good ruler is up for debate, but he was an improvement from his predecessor.
"Help Me Put My Armor On One Last Time."
In one of the most shocking moments of season 6, a wounded Bjorn, who had been presumed dead, went out on his horse to confront the Rus army. At that moment, a flashback scene showed Bjorn requesting Gunnhild to help him wear his armor for the final time. Ivar and the Rus warriors were shocked to see him alive, so they made sure to kill him properly this time.
Bjorn must have been aware that there was nothing more he could do in his state but the moment served to highlight his resilience. It's what had enabled him to become ruler of Kattegat in the first place. Bjorn was no quitter. He was being defeated but he wasn't going to die lying down.