Season 6 of Vikings saw the death of a major character that was also a fan favorite: Lagertha. The shield-maiden met her fate in season 6’s episode “Death and the Serpent”, and while fans of the series were expecting her to die at some point (more so after the Seer confirmed to her that one of Ragnar’s sons was going to kill her), it was still a shocking moment, especially because she was killed by a character viewers would have never expected.
Created by Michael Hirst, Vikings premiered on History Channel in 2013, and it’s currently on its sixth and final season. The series initially followed the journeys of legendary Norse figure Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel) and his Viking brothers, but as the story progressed, the series shifted its focus to Ragnar’s sons and their own travels, making them the protagonists. Ragnar was killed in season 4, and few characters from season 1 made it to the final season, among those Lagertha, a shield-maiden, mother of Bjorn Ironside, and Ragnar’s first wife.
Lagertha became a fan favorite as she was a very loving and compassionate person, but could also be very impulsive and vengeful. Because she was a shield-maiden, she fought alongside her male counterparts, and was as ambitious and ready to rule as her late husband, Ragnar. Sadly, Lagertha was killed in season 6 – but is there a reason behind the decision to kill her?
Why Lagertha Died In Vikings Season 6
After killing White Hair, Lagertha – who was seriously wounded – rode back to Kattegat. She arrived at Hvitserk’s home, but this one, in a state of delirium, hallucinated a serpent he believed to be Ivar and stabbed it, but he was actually attacking Lagertha. The shield-maiden died of these wounds, and her funeral was shown in the next episode, “The Ice Maiden”. The Seer was right once again and Lagertha was killed by one of Ragnar’s sons, but it was one no one would have expected.
Speaking to TVLine, Katheryn Winnick shared the writers of Vikings didn’t want to kill her character after six seasons, but she knew she had to die, and she wanted her to have an epic and heart-wrenching death. She also revealed that, when she joined the series, Lagertha was supposed to last “maybe two or three seasons” as the series was about Ragnar’s sons and it’s a “male demographic show”, but she fought her way through and Lagertha survived this long. Still, the shield-maiden, as loved as she was by fans, had to die at some point as she was not immortal (as Winnick points out). Vikings promised as much blood and heartbreak as in previous seasons and it has delivered so far, but no one was really ready to see Lagertha die.