Although Vikings has come to an end and didn’t leave loose threads, fans continue to question many events and actions, among those Ragnar’s death, as some fans believe he could have survived the pit of snakes. Created by Michael Hirst (The Tudors), Vikings premiered on History Channel in 2013 and was originally planned to be a miniseries, but it was so well received it was renewed for a second season not long after. Vikings lived on for a total of six seasons and came to an end in December 2020 after a lot of battles, tragedies, and betrayals.

Vikings initially followed legendary Norse figure Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel) and his travels and raids alongside his Viking brothers, including his actual brother Rollo (Clive Standen) and his best friend and trusted boat builder Floki (Gustaf Skarsgård). As the series progressed, it shifted its focus to Ragnar’s sons – Björn, Ubbe, Hvitserk, Sigurd, and Ivar – and their own journeys, becoming the leads of the show. This allowed Vikings to make the shift from one protagonist to the other smoothly as Ragnar met his fate in season 4, though he returned a couple of times in subsequent seasons either in flashbacks or visions – and even though his death was brutal, there are some viewers who believe he could have survived.

Related: Vikings: How Old Ragnar Lothbrok Is At The Start & When He Dies

In season 4’s episode “All His Angels”, Vikings fans said goodbye to Ragnar when, after being tortured by King Aelle and even having a cross cut into his head, he was thrown into a pit of snakes. Ragnar didn’t fight for his life, instead he welcomed his fate and trusted Odin, as he always did, and didn’t even try to escape from the pit. Some fans have questioned whether Ragnar truly died in the pit or not, fueled by how his body wasn’t shown after that, he didn’t get a funeral, and his sons never reclaimed the body, with some going back to one character to explain how he could have survived the pit of snakes: Yidu, a slave.

Ragnar covered in snakes whieol dying in Vikings

Yidu was bought by Aslaug and worked for her and Ragnar, with the latter becoming attracted to her. Yidu and Ragnar eventually became lovers, and she provided him with drugs to help him cope with pain. Ragnar became addicted to these drugs, which some viewers believe could have helped him survive the bites of the snakes, adding that Yidu even exposed him to these animals. Others have pointed out that, before being taken to King Aelle, Ragnar was given a small bottle of venom antidote, which he could have used before being thrown into the pit, but some argue that even if that was the case, the antidote wouldn’t have been enough against the number of snakes in the pit.

As Vikings had previously faked Ragnar’s death, viewers were led to believe that Ragnar’s supposed demise wasn’t really the end for him, but with Vikings now over, it’s more than clear that the great Ragnar Lothbrok didn’t survive the pit of snakes – unless Vikings decided to give Ragnar a secret life after that specific episode, but it seems highly unlikely.

Next: Vikings True Story: How The Real Ragnar Lothbrok Died