Besides the raids, bloodshed, and power struggles, love is a recurring theme in the History Channel series, Vikings. Many characters find themselves romantically involved with several people at various stages of their lives since breakups and divorces were quite common. But while the relationships are many, on-screen weddings are few.
Apart from being ceremonies to unite two individuals whose hearts are bound together, weddings on Vikings also happen for strategic reasons. Major political alliances are born out of such unions, and on some occasions, they allow for peace to prevail in households where disharmony has taken root.
Thyri And Earl Bjarni
The first-ever wedding was that of Earl Bjarni and the daughter of one of the most hated supporting characters on the show, Earl Haraldson. Both Thyri and her mother Siggy were against the wedding since Bjarni was way too old for her, but Earl Haraldson insisted on it because it meant that he would be given 20 pounds of silver.
Earl Haraldson's unhealthy obsession with material things meant he had no problem with auctioning his daughter to the highest bidder. It was nothing new, as his thirst for the finer things in life also saw him take away all the jewelry Ragnar and his men got from their raid in the West. There was no political gain in this wedding and neither was it rooted in love. All there was to it was greed and that's why it's less important than others on the series.
Astrid And King Harald
Lagertha rejected and tortured Harald when he proposed an alliance through marriage. Once free, Harald gave the same offer to Lagertha's friend, Astrid. The two got married, though it was one of the relationships fans knew was doomed from the start.
This was clearly a way for Harald to punish Lagertha. He was acting out of pettiness and he didn't love Astrid, neither did she love him. The marriage was nothing but a tool of war and it clearly defined loyalties too. As Harald planned to attack Lagertha, Astrid sent some fishermen to warn her. Soon, it all crumbled.
Katya And Oleg
Both viewers and Ivar were confused when Katya was introduced in the series. This was because she looked exactly like Ivar's former wife, Freydis. Things became even more complicated when she wedded Oleg, with Ivar watching on. It was later hinted that Katya was only a figment of Ivar's imagination.
Katya's marriage to Oleg was unique in that it wasn't exactly real. Like everything else surrounding Katya, the wedding was a figment of Ivar's imagination. Ivar's feelings of guilt for murdering Freydis were getting the better of him. Though Katia's presence made Ivar aware of how vile his own actions were, the wedding served no other major purpose.
Floki And Helga
Soon after Helga told Floki that she was pregnant with their child, the lovebirds got married in a colorful wedding ceremony. However, Floki did it without the Earl's blessing, with only King Horik as a high-ranking witness.
The nuptials shed a spotlight on Floki's growing friendship with Horik and his falling out with Ragnar. Horik was proving to be quite the schemer by planting ideas in Floki's mind so as to make him betray Ragnar. Though Horki made significant strides, Floki's loyalty to Ragnar eventually proved too strong.
Jarl Borg And Torvi
It was a beautiful moment in Götaland as Jarl Borg wed Torvi. His first wife had died less than an hour after their wedding after drinking poisoned wine. This time, Borg offered to test all the wine himself first.
The wedding only meant a lot to Borg and no one else. However, it was still important since he was a man seeking to make things right after tragedy struck the first time. It's during the wedding that Borg also outlined his political ambitions. Eager to prove himself as a ruler, he was intending to go after Ragnar and King Horik. There was no better way to make a promise than during the grand ceremony.
Ubbe And Margrethe
As a slave, Ubbe was desired by most of Ragnar's sons and was romantically involved with all of them. This included Ivar, who tried to kill her. It was Ubbe who loved her the most, so he offered her a hand in marriage.
As expected as the wedding was, it freed Ubbe from the clutches of slavery. As a wife to an Earl's, she could no longer be ordered around by anyone. The wedding also marked one of the few moments that Ragnar's sons were in agreement. The fact that they all liked Margrethe, but agreed to let Ubber marry her, said a lot.
Bjorn And Ingrid
Bjorn's affair with Ingrid was surprisingly well-received by his wife, Gunnhild. She asked him to take her as his second wife, which he gladly did. At the wedding ceremony, she gave him permission to consummate his marriage.
Gunnhild wasn't simply doing this because she had a good heart. She had seen the bigger picture. She knew that Bjorn would leave her for Ingrid if she didn't allow him to take her as a second wife. Since she didn't want her child to grow up without her father, she allowed Bjorn to be Bjorn. It was a decision many wouldn't agree with but it worked for her since Bjorn remained in her life until he died.
Freydis And Ivar
Ivar and Freydis seemed like a perfect match. They were both manipulative and heartless. Freydis had found her way into the tyrant's heart by lying to him that he was favored by the gods. After their over-the-top wedding ceremony, their marriage crumbled, with Freydis going on to betray him.
The union between the slave and ruler impacted several other events. After constantly being built up by Freydis, Ivar would delusionally come to believe that he was a god, forcing the Great Heathen Army and the people of Kattegat to worship him. Freydis' lack of loyalty is also what caused Ivar to be overthrown.
Lagertha And Kalf
Kalf usurped Lagertha as she was away in Wessex, becoming the new Earl of Hedeby. His actions didn't erase his love for her so he later proposed and she accepted. Kalf was overjoyed only for Lagertha to pull off one of the most brutal kills in the series by stabbing him on their wedding day.
The marriage between Kalf and Lagertha was meant to be a union between two ambitious and powerful individuals who would somehow be in a power-sharing agreement. This made it all the more important, but Lagertha didn't see things that way. Not only was she selfish, wanting power for herself, but she had no forgiving heart. Punishment had to come, one way or the other.
Gisla And Rollo
Emperor Charles of Frankia knew how much of a threat the Vikings posed, so he weakened them by turning Rollo into a Judas, marking one of the worst betrayals in the series. He offered Ragnar's brother the title of Duke, lands in the northern part, and most importantly, his daughter Gisla's hand in marriage.
Rollo's disdain towards Ragnar had always been evident, hence it was hard for him to refuse an offer like this. The wedding held much weight because the future of Frankia hung in the balance. If Rollo had been noble and chosen to not betray his brother, history would have been much different.