Although many years have passed since the death of Ragnar Lothbrok, his name still rests on the tongues of many in Netflix’s new series Vikings: Valhalla. This new installment takes place roughly 100 years after the events of the History Channel’s Vikings, bringing back some famous landmarks from the original with an all-new cast of characters. Although generations have passed, Ragnar’s influence can still be felt in many ways, his legacy a driving force for Vikings of every faction.
Valhalla is on the same timeline as Vikings, now focusing on a new generation of Vikings and Saxons and a new war of vengeance that grips their nations. After an order from King Aethelred to eradicate all Vikings from Saxon lands, King Canute and Prince Harald Sigurdsson form an army of Danes to seek revenge for their slaughtered brethren. Leif Eriksson, Greenlander and son of famous berserker Erik the Red, is roped into the quarrel by circumstance, reluctantly leading the Viking army into the annals of history.
Despite the numerous changes in Viking society that have occurred since his death, many still seek to emulate and honor the memory of Ragnar Lothbrok and his sons in Valhalla. Ragnar was among the most famous men in Europe for a time, bringing Norway into the fold like none before him, and all of his children grew to be Vikings of legend as well. He was a battle-tested warrior who laid the groundwork for a new Viking era and secured a bright future for his children, making him the ideal Viking role model.
Ragnar was the bridge between the two worlds—the Vikings and the Saxons, the Pagans and the Christians—and in the current ideological conflict within Viking society, both sides have a claim to him as an example of their ideals. Those who side with the Old Gods see Ragnar as the conqueror of worlds, and those who follow the New Gods see him as an explorer of new horizons. Though the strife between the Vikings: Valhalla characters betrays his intentions, both camps carry elements of Ragnar’s spirit and will invariably change the way that Vikings live once more.
Ragnar Lothbrok was a beloved leader, a legendary warrior, and a fan-favorite character, so it is of no great surprise that his memory yet lives on. Without Ragnar and his sons’ efforts in England, seldom few of Vikings: Valhalla’s events would be possible. He brought Christianity to Norway, Vikings to England, and prosperity to a land ravaged by war. He was, in every way, a true Viking.