Torvi

**Torvi** is a Shield-maiden and the former wife of Jarl Borg. After Jarl Borg's death, by Ragnar, and the birth of their son Guthrum, Torvi marries the abusive Erlendur. Years later, Torvi kills Erlendur, leaving for Kattegat with her third husband, Bjorn Ironside. Torvi and Bjorn have two children together, one son, Hali and one daughter Asa. After being mutually decideding to end her marriage to Bjorn she marries Ubbe, Bjorn's younger half brother with whom she also later becomes Christian per King Alfred's request to forge an alliance with the kingdom of Wessex. She later has a son with Ubbe named Ragnar after Ubbe's father.

## Biography

### Season 2

A celebration has begun in Götaland as the widower Jarl Borg has found a new wife - Torvi. He recalls how his first wife died within an hour of being wed, her wine having been poisoned by his own brother. Jarl Borg muses that it could not possibly happen a second time. When the wine is poured, Torvi volunteers to take the first drink. Before the cup reaches her lips, however, Jarl Borg stops her, saying that he could not stand for it to happen again. Drinking from the cup himself, After pretending to die, Borg declares that the wine was "quite alright!" The assembled wedding guests cheer with relief. The jarl announces that he will take his revenge against Earl Ragnar and King Horik for shaming him and the tribe.

When he manages to invade and occupy the village, Torvi joins her husband in Kattegat residing in the earl's hall. She is less than pleased with Kattegat. When Ragnar is unable to mount a head-on attack, Ragnar, Bjorn and the others are able to destroy the winter grain supply. When Borg sets out in pursuit, Torvi begs him to not leave her - and their unborn child - in Kattegat. Bent on revenge, Borg leaves her anyway, much to her dismay.

Drawn into Ragnar's trap, Jarl Borg is defeated by the combined forces of Ragnar and Lagertha and forced to flee Kattegat. Torvi returns with her husband to their home in Götaland. Later, Jarl Borg is visited by Rollo, Ragnar's brother, sent as an envoy by Ragnar and King Horik presumably to rebuild their former alliance. During their conversation, much to Torvi's evident disgust, Jarl Borg reveals the skull of his first wife, who he claims still advises him. Rollo asks Jarl Borg if that is fair to Torvi. She accompanies Jarl Borg back to Kattegat. Ragnar, however, has no intention of restoring the alliance, desiring only revenge for the pain that Jarl Borg's treachery had caused him and his family. During the night, Ragnar's men, led by Rollo, Torstein, and Floki, set afire the barn in which Jarl Borg's men are lodged. They then burst into the house Jarl Borg and Torvi are staying, and she is forced to witness the beating of her husband by Floki and Torstein. When one of the men, threateningly approaches pregnant Torvi, Rollo intervenes telling him, "That's not necessary."

While Jarl Borg is being held captive in Kattegat awaiting his execution, during a feast in Ragnar's hall, Aslaug gives Torvi her sympathy for the fact she is about to lose her husband. Torvi replies saying it is all the same for women, giving birth to the slaughtered. Ironically Torvi's word would come true as her son Guthrum, who she was then pregnant with, would later die in battle by the hands of Hvitserk, Ragnar's second son, the man who killed her first husband.

Torvi witnesses Jarl Borg's execution by blood eagle. However, before he's subjected to the blood eagle, Borg removes his cloak and throws the garment to Torvi. Assuming the position between two posts, Borg places the skull of his late first wife on one of the posts, then kneels. Ragnar starts with a skinning knife, opening Borg's back up the spine. The planks of the platform are soon slick with the blood of the Jarl. With the flesh of the back laid open, Ragnar takes a hatchet and proceeds to hack the ribs away from their moorings on either side of the spinal column causing the rib cage to spring open and expose the lungs. During the process, overcome with the grief and horror of her husband's suffering and imminent death, Torvi, laden with the unborn child the Jarl will never see, faints to the ground.

#### Season 3

Torvi, who has since given birth to a son, Guthrum joins Earl Kalf, who usurped Lagertha as Earl of Hedeby, and her new husband Erlendur, Horik's son. When Torvi arrives at Kattegatte she gives Ragnar angry looks as she is likely still angry at him for Jarl Borg's death. In becoming allies with Ragnar in his quest to conquer Paris, Torvi and Bjorn, Ragnar's son, strike up a friendly conversation, Torvi announcing that she will come with the warriors. Bjorn notes she has courage with Torvi saying "I'm Viking"

After Bjorn fails to seduce his wife, she gave him permission to seek out the company of other women instead. Though he initially refuses, later that night, Bjorn takes up his wife's offer with Torvi. When Bjorn first talks to Torvi she seems quite smitten by him but later warms up to him. Torvi later finds Bjorn sitting outside by himself, depressed and asks to join him which he says yes with a nod. Bjorn then passionately kisses Torvi and they proceed to have passionate sex on the beach, though Bjorn informs her beforehand that he 'loves his wife'.

Sometimes later, in the Viking camp near Paris, Bjorn apologizes for taking advantage of her. Torvi tells him that she is neither with child nor a child herself and also jokingly apologizes for taking advantage of him. They both smile and it also becomes apparent that Torvi and Bjorn are starting to fall in love. Bjorn gives Torvi a bracelet and says it is a gift. When her husband Erlendur sees the exchange between the two he rips the bracelet from her, cutting her hand and calling her a whore. Erlendur says she is not good enough for such a fine piece of jewelry.

#### Season 5

Torvi is seen to be training an older Guthrum and they discuss Guthrum's real father Jarl Borg until they see King Harald arrive in Kattegat. She is present along with Guthrum, Astrid and Lagertha as King Harald walks into the Great Hall. Torvi is seen later in the Great Hall eating with Margrethe, Astrid and Guthrum and Lagertha. When Astrid ask about King Harald. Lagertha reveals his proposal for marriage in exchange for an alliance. When Astrid states that she would never let a man like that go anywhere near her, Torvi tells her, she can't be so sure, stating, "sometimes woman have to do what women have to do just to keep a bit of power"; Lagertha agrees with Torvi. After Astrid is kidnapped by King Harald, Torvi and Lagertha discuss what King Harald plan could be and what Astrid has to do with it. While Torvi watches Guthrum train Margrethe tries to discuss with Torvi her belief that Lagertha is incapable of ruling. When Bjorn returns from the Mediterranean, he tells Torvi that he is no longer in love with her, and they subsequentially break off their marriage. However, Bjorn tells her that he will always care for her and their children.

Ubbe laters finds her crying about the end of her third marriage, saying that she had hoped that she could have achieved a good marriage and relationship. Ubbe reminds her that she is still the mother of Bjorn's children, but she replies saying that children die, everyone dies. Ubbe smiles and mentions how she is very wise. Torvi gets up and gives Ubbe a prize, that Bjorn had given her from his travels, and says that he should give it to Margrethe. He kisses her in response and once more until she leaves. Unknowingly, his wife, Margrethe had seen the whole exchange. She later confronts him about it, asking if he loves Torvi, he tells her that he was comforting Torvi. However, Margrethe gets annoyed and says that you don't kiss people when you comfort them.

The night before the battle, Torvi and Ubbe are discussing Margrethe and her ambitions; Ubbe about never knowing that she had such great ambitions, and Torvi worried that Margrethe has her younger children.  However, Ubbe tells her that Margrethe would never harm them. Ubbe states that they'll be going to battle soon and that it's likely that one of them will die, himself, and he doesn't want to leave without saying something. He says that he wishes that it was Torvi that would have his children, not Margrethe. Torvi comes up to him and gives him a gentle kiss. She pulls back and then he pulls her body towards his and they end up sleeping together. Margrethe envisions them both kissing in front of her the next day, her jealousy becoming more and more obvious and she her snaity breaks even more. Torvi and Ubbe leave for battle together.

Torvi and Ubbe both survive the battle, but they are defeated. Torvi's eldest child, Guthrum, son of Jarl Borg, was killed by Hvitserk, Bjorn and Ubbe's younger brother. Torvi comes back to her house and asks Margrethe where her children are: Margrethe is extremely twitchy having gone completely mad from jealousy and ambition to become Queen and for a moment it is believed she murdered Hali and Asa, but then she walked up to Margrethe drawing her blade but Torvi then sees her children and cries in relief, knowing she has not lost all her children. Torvi then flees Kattegate with Bjorn, Ubbe, Lagetha and her children before finally fleeing to England where they are given refuge by King Alfred.

Torvi and Ubbe are later asked by King Alfred to become Christian, to which they accept. Torvi and Ubbe are then baptize much to Bjorn's displeasure. Bjorn then leaves for York to align himself with King Harald to overthrow Ivar from Kattegate, Bjorn then says his farewells to them while aplogising to Torvi for abandoning her and saying he is grateful he had four beutiful children with her and Torvi says she does not hold any resentment against him.

Torvi and Ubbe then go to make peace with the Danes that have landed on English shores, and they give their leaders an offer come and share the land with them, two out of the three leaders agree to the offer but one refuses and Ubbe faces him with trial by combate where Ubbe comes out the victor although he is seriously injured, Torvi later comforts him while he recovers. Torvi arrives with Ubbe and Lagetha at Kattegat just after Bjorn with the help of King Harald, King Olaf and Hvitserk overthrows Ivar and is crowned King of Kattegat.