It's been four years since the great Ragnar Lothbrok met his demise in "All His Angels," the fifteenth episode of Season 4. Fans can re-live that moment again and again on Netflix and the pain is still the same. As the series protagonist, Ragnar sat at the apex of fan-favorite characters. However, he was quite flawed.
The former Earl never had the smooth farmer life that he and his people dreamt of. He had to make critical life choices at all times. Heavy was the head that wore the crown but Ragnar proved to be a firm decision-maker, a trait that made him become a feared and respected leader. Though he always knew what needed to be done, some of his actions were baffling.
He Cheated On Lagertha
At the start of the series, Ragnar and Lagertha's relationship looked like it would mirror love tales of the old. Anthony and Cleopatra? Louis XV and Madame de Pompadour? Given how much Ragnar and Lagertha were into each other, there was hope that when the series finale came years later, the two would have grown old together or died together in a worst-case scenario.
That wasn't to be as their union was ruined by Ragnar's inability to be faithful, a trait that would recur in the series. Intrigued by Aslaug's wit, he slept with her. Perhaps the couple could have worked things out if Ragnar he had been apologetic. He instead suggested taking Aslaug as a second wife. As expected, Lagertha wasn't okay with this. She opted to leave him.
He Contemplated Killing Baby Ivar
Ragnar had a streak of questionable decisions from the time Ivar was conceived to the days after his birth. After he returned from England, Aslaug warned him that they shouldn't make love for at least three days because a prophecy had claimed the child would be born with poor health. Ragnar ignored this and persuaded Aslaug to make love.
For a man who believed in higher beings, this was a surprising move. The prophecy turned out to be true. Ragnar and Siggy then suggested that Ivar should be killed to spare him future misery. Aslaug refused but Ragnar still took Ivar out to the woods to kill him. Though his conscience won at the last minute, it's impossible to forget that he ignored his wife's feelings about the matter.
He Had An Affair With Yidu, Then Drowned Her
When Aslaug bought Yidu, one of the slaves captured in Frankia, she had no idea that her husband would develop an interest in her. Ragnar liked the fact that Yidu was from a noble background, something he was able to judge from the inexperienced way in which she handled a chicken. It was later revealed that Yidu was the illegitimate daughter of a Chinese Emperor.
Ragnar and Yidu went on to have an affair but the blissful moments ended when he drowned her. The killing emphasized Ragnar's lack of appreciation because Yidu had been there for Ragnar during hard times, even providing him with herbs from Asia to help him cope with pain. Her only mistake? Threatening to expose the massacre in Wessex.
He Slaughtered His Sleeping Warriors
It was emphasized a couple of times in the series that warriors needed to die in battle or in old age in order to qualify to go to the Norse paradise of Valhalla. Ragnar knew this but he still denied his men the chance of life after death. Upon returning from self-imposed exile and failing to get Bjorn to accompany him to Wessex, he settled for old warriors and peasants instead.
In a shocking move, he slaughtered the warriors right before he and Ivar advanced to King Ecbert's palace. Once again, a lack of appreciation was evident. Committing such an inhumane act on the only people who had stood with him couldn't sit well with viewers. Slaughtering the warriors in their sleep was far from noble too.
He Disappeared After The Frankia Defeat
Ragnar's decision to attack Paris for a second time was a misinformed one because the only reason he wanted to do it was to kill Rollo for betraying him. Things weren't as easy as Rollo proved to be a tactical genius, using forts and chains to prevents Ragnar's longships from accessing the city.
After the defeat, Ragnar disappeared from Kattegat for 10 years. This action revealed another of his bad traits—the lack of concern for everyone other than himself. His absence not only put his people at risk but also led to divisions within his family. Even after 10 years, he was still miserable and suggested that his sons should kill him. For a man who had been portrayed as so tough, his behavior felt off.
He Was Willing To Sacrifice Athelstan
Athelstan was so close to Ragnar that he and Lagertha even invited him to their bed to join them in lovemaking. It was thus surprising when Athelstan was taken to Uppsala—a place where the Vikings sacrificed 9 humans every 9 years—to be sacrificed. Athelstan was shocked too as he never thought Ragnar would do that to him.
Luckily, the priest refused to accept Athelstan as a worthy sacrifice after noticing the cross in his hand. Christians weren't acceptable sacrifices. Athelstan's lucky break aside, the question still lingered as to why Ragnar would lead one of his closest friends to the slaughter without even giving him a heads up first.
He Forgave Rollo
Ragnar always dealt with threats in a brutal manner. The way in which he handled Haraldson and Horik was proof enough. It was thus unlike him to forgive his brother Rollo for siding with Jarl Borg. Rollo had an agenda against Ragnar but the Earl chose to be blind to this.
Ragnar's carelessness led him to permit Rollo to be a member of his inner circle once again. This was a wrong move as Rollo betrayed him once again by siding with the Franks. When Ragnar was defeated in Frankia, he started a personal descent that he would never recover from.
He Killed The Priest That Baptized Him
Having adopted Christianity in Season 3, it was a shocker when Ragnar brutally killed the priest that had just baptized him. It was evident that his adoption of Christianity wasn't genuine. He only did it to honor Athelstan and to gain access to Frankia. However, killing a priest was quite unnecessary.
The action once again traced back to Ragnar's tendency to take the lives of defenseless men. Leaving the priest alive wouldn't have had any impact on anything. Killing the priest also showed a sudden lack of respect towards Athelstan's religion yet he had tolerated it for so long.
He Attempted To Take His Own Life
Shortly after returning to Kattegat, Ragnar made the decision to return to England. His sons refused to go with him so he bid everyone goodbye. After kissing Lagertha goodbye, he attempted to hang himself.
Since he was juggling between two religions, Ragnar must have been aware that such an action would have prevented him from either going to heaven or Valhalla. Previously, Ragnar had expressed how much he valued life after death. Fortunately, the suicide attempt didn't go according to plan.
He Refused To Help Lagertha Regain Her Earldom
Lagertha had been kind enough to provide her services to Ragnar even after his actions broke their marriage. It would have thus been fair for him to be there for her when he needed a favor.
As soon as Lagertha was informed that Kalf had usurped her and taken over as Earl, she requested Ragnar to help her win her Earldom back. Ragnar offered to speak with Kalf but chose not to commit his men because he wanted them to focus on Paris instead. Paris was still months away, so Ragnar's refusal to help the woman he once deeply loved highlighted his selfishness once again.