# Vikings (2013 TV series)

Vikings (2013–2020) is a historical drama television series created and written by Michael Hirst for the History channel. Vikings is inspired by the sagas of Viking Ragnar Lothbrok, one of the best-known legendary Norse heroes and notorious as the scourge of England and France. The show portrays Ragnar as a farmer who rises to fame by successful raids into England, and eventually becomes a Scandinavian King, with the support of his family and fellow warriors. In the later seasons, the series follows the fortunes of his sons and their adventures in England, Scandinavia and the Mediterranean.

## Season 1
### Rites of Passage [1.01]

    Lagertha: Don't sleep with lots of women in Kattegat.
    Ragnar: I can do without it for a few days.
    Lagertha: Is that another way of saying you love me?
    Floki: [to Bjorn] You have your father's eyes unfortunately.
    Ragnar: Why unfortunately?
    Floki: It means he will be like you, and therefore he will want to do better than you, and you will hate him for it.
    Bjorn: Why is he smiling, Father?
    Ragnar: [about the beheaded man] He wants to die well, without fear, to atone for his sins.
    Ragnar: Odin gave his eye to acquire knowledge, but I would give far more.

### Dispossessed [1.03]

    Athelstan: It was foretold that divine punishment would fall upon God's chosen people for all our grievous sins, and so it has happened.
    Ragnar: My lord, it was easy to take all of these things. The priests in their temple, they had no weapons. They were like babies.
    Athelstan: [doesn't want to drink anymore but still smiles] Aghhh! Oh! No more.
    Ragnar: We don't like those in our house to go hungry or thirsty. [gives him something to drink anyway] I am very curious about England. Does it have one king who rules over the whole country?
    Athelstan: There are four kingdoms with four kings. You landed in the kingdom of Northumbria. The king of Northumbria is called Aelle. He is a great king. A powerful king.
    Ragnar: Then why did his men not protect your temple?
    Athelstan: Before you came, we had no need to protect our monastery. We lived in peace. Everyone respected it as a place of God.
    Ragnar: Why does your God need silver and gold, hmm? He must be greedy. Like Loki! We have greedy gods too.
    Athelstan: My God is not greedy. His kingdom is not of this world.
    Ragnar: Then why is his kingdom so full of treasure?
    Athelstan: Christian people give away their riches to the churches and monasteries in order to save their souls.
    Ragnar: What are their souls? [pause] I want to learn some of your language. Will you teach me, priest?
    Lagertha: If any harm befalls my children, I will tear the lungs out of your body, priest.
    Lagertha: Athelstan.
    Ragnar: Athelstan, we want to ask you something.
    Lagertha: Come and join us, priest.
    Ragnar: Come on. Don't you want to? You'll enjoy it.
    Athelstan: I am a monk. I have taken vows of celibacy. I cannot touch a woman. I never have.
    Lagertha: Wouldn't you like to?
    Athelstan: It would be a sin.
    Lagertha: Who would know?
    Athelstan: God would know.
    Lagertha: What if he looked the other way?
    [Athelstan shakes his head]
    Ragnar: Go to sleep then with your God.

### Trial [1.04]

    Rollo: Up onto the overturned keel. Clamber, with a heart of steel. Cold is the ocean's spray... and your death is on its way. With maidens you have had your way...
    Lagertha, Leif: [shouting] Each must die some day.

### Raid [1.05]

    Torstein: I heard they burned down your farm.
    Lagertha: They also slaughtered all our livestock. We have nothing left.
    Floki: You are alive. Ragnar is alive. Your children are alive. You have everything left.
    Earl Haraldson: The killers, they dug a shallow grave. And before they buried them... they cut their heads off. And when they laid them in the ground, they... they put their faces against their asses... as a sign of disrespect. If I ever find the man who did that... I will... I took these locks of hair from their heads. See Siggy... when you have such knowledge... being married to a rich, old man isn't so bad.
    Helga: The earth was made from the Ymir's flesh and oceans from his blood, when the Titan was thawed from the ice. The gods, they made hills out of his bones, and trees from his hairs, and the sky dome is his skull. And out of his brain they shaped the welling dark clouds.

### Burial of the Dead [1.06]

    Bjorn: It's only death.
    Ragnar: Don't be too impatient to put yourself in danger.
    Ragnar: Our fates are already decided.
    Rollo: [Hugging Ragnar] How will we ever be equal now, my brother?

### A King's Ransom [1.07]

    Floki: This table is very well made.
    Bjorn: So are the women.
    Rollo: How many Christians did I kill, Floki? How many? Do you think Odin is still angry with me now?
    Lagertha: Our whole lives are just stories.
    King Aelle: Contend, o lord, against those who contend with me. Fight against those who fight against me! Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers. Say to my soul - "I am your salvation."
    King Aelle: Who are these barbarians, these savages? Why have they come to torment us?

### All Change [1.09]

    Ragnar: Every piece of land has a price, just like every human.
    Ragnar: [explaining why he slept with Princess Aslaug] I could not help myself.

## Season 2
### Brother's War [2.01]

    Floki: Who needs a reason for betrayal? One must always think the worst, Ragnar, even of your own kin. That way you avoid too much disappointment in life.
    Bjorn: She brings unhappiness and difficulty.
    Ragnar: I know it is hard for you to accept.
    Bjorn: But unhappiness is more common than happiness.
    Ragnar: Who told you you should be happy?
    Ragnar: Gyda, I have come to say goodbye to you properly. I have been thinking about you, about when you were small. You were so lively, you could run as swiftly as the wind. You were like quick-silver. But then, before I knew it, you stopped running here and there and everywhere and you became still. At 12-years-old, you had the stillness and the calm of a fine woman. What children you would have produced! What joy that would have brought to all of us. Dear child, Gyda, you are not gone because you are always in my heart. They say that a man must love his sons more, but a man can be jealous of his sons, and his daughter can always be the light in his life. I know very well that you are with the gods, but I will wait here awhile, and if you want to come and talk to me, then come and talk, and I will gently stroke your long and beautiful hair once again with my peasant hands.
    Rollo: I wanted to step out of your shadow... but when I stepped out of the doors, there was no sunlight.
    Ragnar: We should not wash our dirty clothes in front of others.
    Rollo: It would have been better for me, for you, for everyone if I had been executed.
    Siggy: So you take not account of the gods? What is it that the gods have offered you?
    Rollo: A lifetime of humiliation!
    Siggy: No that is not it. The goes have offered you a chance to be reborn, to be redeemed, to gain Valhalla. That is what they have offered you.

### Invasion [2.02]

    Siggy: It is always a strength to know the weaknesses of your friends. Is it not?
    Jarl Borg: So, when do we set sail?
    Ragnar: Forgive me, Jarl Borg. But we have decided not to seek your help.
    Jarl Borg: I thought we had an agreement.
    Ragnar: It is not my desire to break that agreement. Believe me I wish it to remain intact. But on this occasion...
    Jarl Borg: On this occasion?
    Ragnar: On this occasion, the silver thread is slit, the golden cup breaks, and the pail is smashed at the spring.
    King Horik: Whether you live or die today is already in the hands of the gods. They already know if we sup with them tonight, so fear not. Fight well, and if you fall, surely Odin will take you to Valhalla!
    All: ODIN!

### Eye for an Eye [2.04]

    Ragnar: [On his son's eye defect] It is not a curse. It is blessing.
    Bjorn: Who can guess the ways and the plans of the gods?
    The Seer: The eagle is your destiny, Jarl Borg.

### Unforgiven [2.06]

    King Ecbert: Tell me honestly: What do you think of these works?
    Athelstan: I find them indescribably beautiful.
    King Ecbert: But they are clearly pagan! [laughs] You are only a monk, Athelstan, and yet, somehow, I begin to trust you. I feel you... You are a kindred spirit. Who? Who painted these images? What race of man was ever so glorious that they filled our world with such, as you say, indescribable beauty?
    Athelstan: I have been told, sire, that you served at the court of the emperor Charlemagne, which I have also visited. I cannot imagine, therefore, that you do not know what I know. That these images were painted by the Romans. They conquered these lands a long time ago. They conquered the whole world. But they were pagans. They worshiped false gods.
    King Ecbert: Never speak of our conversation to any other man here. Nobody else would understand it; they would fear it! They accept an interpretation that a race of giants once lived here... [chuckles] And that we have nothing to do with them.
    [both chuckle]
    King Ecbert: The fact is, Athelstan, we have lost more knowledge than we ever had! These Romans knew things that we will never know. Their pagan gods allowed them to rule the world. And what is the lesson that we can learn from that?
    King Ecbert: Come and see. Look around. You thought those paintings were all that there was. But of all Roman things, these are the most precious. Tales of the Caesars. The fall and ruin of Roman Britain. Tales of emperors and empires... It's the stuff of dreams, Athelstan. It's the very fabric of dreams. You can read them, of course.
    Athelstan: Yes. Yes, I can read them.
    King Ecbert: Good. That is why I've chosen you.
    Athelstan: What do you mean?
    King Ecbert: Well, I've chosen you to be the guardian of these books and their secrets. I want you to copy them. You speak Latin; not many do. Your job will be to preserve these works and these... fragments, for all eternity. But if you ever tell anyone about them, I will let them crucify you.

### Blood Eagle [2.07]

    Floki: But warriors don't show their heart, until the axe reveals it.
    Bjorn: You are so wise, Floki.
    Floki: I'm not wise at all. I'm just a joker.

### The Lord's Prayer [2.10]

    King Horik: Floki, you have betrayed the gods.
    Floki: No, King Horik. I only betrayed you.

## Season 3
### Mercenary [3.01]

    Ragnar: What do you see?
    Bjorn: Power. The power of a king.
    Ragnar: Power is always dangerous. It attracts the worst. And corrupts the best. I never asked for power. Power is only given to those who are prepared to lower themselves to pick it up.
    The Seer: What is it you wish to ask the gods?
    Lagertha: Will I ever bear another child, o wise one?
    The Seer: I cannot see another child, no matter how far I look.
    Lagertha: Then... what do you see?
    The Seer: I see a harvest celebrated in blood. I see a trickster whose weapon cleaves you. I see a city made of marble. And a burning broiling ocean.
    Lagertha: Not one of your prophecies do I understand.
    The Seer: It is the way of the prophecy. Only to be understood when it has happened and it is too late to change it.
    Floki: A creaking bow, a burning flame,
    Rollo: Tide on the ebb, new ice, a coiled snake,
    Floki: Sons of a king, an ailing calf, a witch's flattery.
    Rollo: No man should be such a fool as to trust these things.
    Floki: No man should trust the word of a woman. The hearts of women were turned on a whirling wheel.
    Rollo: To love a fickle woman is like setting out over ice on a three year old colt or sailing a ship without a rudder.

### Warrior's Fate [3.03]

    Rollo: [to Ragnar and Floki who are arguing about why they fight for the Christians and risk losing their own people] Both of you, save your breath. We have a mountain to climb. Some of us will not see a dawn like this again... not here on Midgard, at any rate. So, let us try and speak well of each other... no matter how much we have been through together.
    Floki: [Grieving over Torstein] This is your fault, Ragnar. Torstein has died for a hill he did not want to own. For something which meant nothing to him. He has died a pointless death. How many more of us must die for your Christians? Or have you, in your heart, already renounced our gods and turned to the Christ God? Is that what your friend Athelstan has persuaded you to do? Look. Here we are... under an English sky... burying our dead... those we have sacrificed for Jesus Christ.
    Ragnar: We are all fated to die on a certain day, yes? But, it is our own choice to do as we please until that day comes. I did not force Torstein, or any of you to come for that matter. You all chose to be here. My heart is as heavy for Torstein as anyone's. But, I am sure that I will bump into him again soon. In the meantime, Floki, shut your face.
    Rollo: [to Bjorn about Porinn who was gravely injured in battle] I do not think she will die. She wants to live. She has a lot to live for. But, if she hears you weeping and lamenting, she will choose to die. Be strong. Be a man. Coax her back from Valhalla. But, make it worth her while. For she is already at the gates.

### Scarred [3.04]

    Ragnar: Do you think you are a good man?
    King Ecbert: Yes, I think so. Are you... a good man?
    Ragnar: [after a small shrug] Yes. I think so. [pause] Are you corrupt?
    King Ecbert: [With a pleased smile] Oh, yes. Are you?
    Ragnar: Uh huh.

### The Usurper [3.05]

    Rollo: [Viciously rubbing the wrist bearing the bracelet signifying fealty to Ragnar] Ragnar was always chosen over me. By my father. And my mother. And by Lagertha. Why would I not want to betray him? Why would I not want to scream at him saying, I am alive, too! It doesn't matter what I do. Ragnar is my father. He is my mother. He is Lagertha. Siggy. He is everything I cannot do. Everything I cannot be. I love him. He is my brother. He has taken me back. But, I am so angry. Why am I still so angry? You tell me wise one! Or, I will tell you. It is because I am useless. Hollowed out by failed ambitions. By failed loves. Nothing good could ever come from my life now.
    [the Seer starts laughing]
    Rollo: What is there to laugh about?
    The Seer: Oh, Rollo, if you truly knew what the gods have in store for you, you would go down now and dance naked on the beach.
    Rollo: I don't understand.
    The Seer: I tell you as I told Ragnar. The bear will marry a princess. And I can tell you that you will be present at the ceremony. Now go and leave me.

### Born Again [3.06]

    Ragnar: [at Athelstan's grave] What am I to do now? I hate you for leaving me. I ache from your loss. There is nothing that can console me now. I am changed, so are you.
    Ragnar: [while mourning his friend] Forgive me, my friend, not for what I have done. But for what I am about to do.
    Ragnar: I always believed that death is a fate far better than life.

### To the Gates! [3.08]

    Ragnar: [Praying to Athelstan] You think I went too far with Floki. Can you actually believe that he thought that I would let him lead without having an agenda? If I was him, I would worry less about the gods and more about the fury of a patient man.
    Lagertha: [to Ragnar, while kneeling over Bjorn who was gravely injured] What happened?
    Ragnar: He was proving that you don't need the title to be a leader.

### Breaking Point [3.09]

    Ragnar: I have something to say. I did not become Earl because I aspired to be one. It came about because of other people's actions. And I did not become king out of ambition, but once again I had no choice as a result of other people's actions. But nonetheless, I am king. King Ragnar, that is my name. King Ragnar! What does a king do, Bjorn?
    Bjorn: He rules.
    Ragnar: Yes, good... He rules. And as a ruler, I have the last say. Me! Not you, not you and not you.

### The Dead [3.10]

    Lagertha: [At Ragnar's coffin] We don't always know what the gods have in store for us. But this? I could never imagine. If you've gone to heaven, then we will never meet again. [Going to her knees, whispering] And yet, I think Odin will rise like the wind to rescue you and take you to Valhalla where you belong, my own sweet Ragnar. And there... there we shall meet again. And fight and to drink and... love one another.
    Rollo: [Seated with his back at Ragnar's coffin] I have always resented you. It's true. I'm not denying it. I'm sorry you're dead, but it happens to all of us, sooner or later. It's just funny that the gods took you first. I always thought they favored you. You thought so, too. [a small laugh] It seems we were both mistaken.
    Floki: [At Ragnar's coffin] So then. I made you the boat that took you to fame. I made the boat that will take you to your heaven [Sarcastically] Give my regards to Athelstan, by the way. You betrayed us. You betrayed your heritage. You betrayed our future. You betrayed me! I loved you more than anyone. I loved you more than that priest ever loved you. But, it made no difference. You always thought, oh, it's just Floki! No need to bother about Floki. He's just a fool. [Pounding the coffin, then falling to his knees] I hated you, Ragnar Lothbrok! [His voice softens] And I love you with all my heart. Why did you turn me away from myself?

## Cast

* Travis Fimmel - Ragnar Lothbrok (seasons 1–4)
* Katheryn Winnick - Lagertha
* Clive Standen - Rollo (seasons 1–4; special appearances season 5)
* Jessalyn Gilsig - Siggy (seasons 1–3)
* Gustaf Skarsgård - Floki
* Gabriel Byrne - Earl Haraldson (season 1)
* George Blagden - Athelstan (seasons 1–3; recurring season 4)
* Donal Logue - Horik of Denmark (seasons 1–2)
* Alyssa Sutherland - Aslaug (seasons 1–4)
* Linus Roache - Ecbert of Wessex (seasons 2–4)
* Alexander Ludwig - Bjorn Ironside (seasons 2–6)
* Ben Robson - Kalf (seasons 3–4)
* Kevin Durand - Harbard (seasons 3–4)
* Lothaire Bluteau - Charles of West Francia (seasons 3–4)
* John Kavanagh - The Seer (seasons 4–6; recurring seasons 1–3)
* Peter Franzén - Harald Finehair (seasons 4–6)
* Jasper Pääkkönen - Halfdan the Black (seasons 4–5)
* Alex Høgh Andersen - Ivar the Boneless (seasons 4–6)
* Marco Ilsø - Hvitserk (seasons 4–6)
* David Lindström - Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye (season 4)
* Jordan Patrick Smith - Ubbe (seasons 4–6)
* Moe Dunford - Aethelwulf (seasons 4–5; recurring seasons 2–4)
* Jonathan Rhys Meyers - Bishop Heahmund (seasons 4–5)
* Danila Kozlovsky - Oleg the Prophet (season 6)
* Eric Johnson - Erik the Red (season 6)
* Georgia Hirst - Torvi (season 6; recurring seasons 2–6)
* Ragga Ragnars - Gunnhild (season 6; recurring seasons 5–6)
(season 6)
* Ray Stevenson - Othere (season 6)

## External links

* Vikings quotes at the Internet Movie Database
* Vikings at TV.com
* Official website