Vikings is based on historical characters and events, but it wasn’t safe from multiple inaccuracies, and there’s one in Athelstan’s story that fans have pointed out. One of the most successful historical dramas in recent years is Vikings, created by Michael Hirst (The Tudors) and which premiered on the History Channel in 2013. The show was originally planned to be a miniseries, but the success of the first episodes granted it a second season, and so Vikings came to an end in 2020 after a total of six seasons.

Vikings initially followed Norse figure Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel) and his travels alongside his Viking brothers, from the beginning of the Viking Age (marked by the Lindisfarne raid, as seen in the first season) onward. During all those journeys and battles, Ragnar and company came across different characters, among those Athelstan (George Blagden), a monk from the monastery of Lindisfarne who was captured by Ragnar and brought to Kattegat to be the slave of Ragnar’s family, but he ended up becoming an important person in Ragnar’s life.

Related: Vikings: Why Athelstan Didn't Go To Valhalla (Despite Ragnar's Vision)

Athelstan became an adviser and close friend of Ragnar, and throughout his arc in Vikings he struggled with his beliefs, being torn between those of the Vikings and his Christianity. In Vikings season 2, Athelstan accompanied Ragnar on a raid and headed to England, where after many deaths and conflicts, he decided to stay in Wessex with King Horik while Ragnar sent his best warriors back to retake Kattegat. One day, while hunting for food, Athelstan was captured by the Saxons and, labeled an apostate, was crucified. Before he succumbed to the wounds and trauma, Athelstan was rescued by King Ecbert. The scene of Athelstan’s crucifixion is shocking, but some viewers have pointed out that it’s actually historically inaccurate.

Vikings Athelstan crucifixion

In a review of Vikings season 2 episode “Eye for an Eye”, the website Medievalists (via Looper) pointed out that, while Hirst claimed to have come across evidence of a Christian monk that was kidnapped by the Vikings and later crucified as an apostate, they “haven’t come across this account” and it seems “dubious” that Christians would have used crucifixion as punishment, as it actually ends up coming across as “a mocking of the crucifixion of Jesus”. The scene of Athelstan’s crucifixion works due to its shock value and enhances the character’s religious struggles, but it’s yet another historical inaccuracy in Vikings’ list, joining Jarl Borg’s “blood eagle” death, the pit of snakes where Ragnar died, and even Ragnar himself, as it’s still debated whether he existed or if he’s just an amalgamation of different historical characters.

Although the inaccuracy of Athelstan’s crucifixion doesn’t affect his overall arc and is not something that could have changed his fate, it’s one more detail that the series got wrong and that invites viewers to research and talk about it. Athelstan’s crucifixion led to him forming a bond with King Ecbert that led to a peace negotiation between Ecbert’s side and the Vikings, and it became one of the most graphic and shocking scenes in the entire series.

Next: Vikings: The Real Athelstan & What Happened To Him Explained