Vikings

**Main Cast:** | Travis Fimmel
Katheryn Winnick
Clive Standen
Jessalyn Gilsig
Gustaf Skarsgård
George Blagden
Gabriel Byrne
Alexander Ludwig
 **Country of origin:** | Canada

The series is inspired by the tales of the raiding, trading, and exploring Norsemen of early medieval Scandinavia. It follows the exploits of the legendary Viking chieftain Ragnar Lothbrok and his crew and family, as notably laid down in the 13th century sagas Ragnars saga Loðbrókar and Ragnarssona þáttr, as well as in Saxo Grammaticus's 12th century work Gesta Danorum. Norse legendary sagas were partially fictional tales based in Norse oral tradition, written down about 200 to 400 years after the events they describe. Further inspiration is taken from historical sources of the period, such as records of the Viking raid on Lindisfarne depicted in the second episode, or Ahmad ibn Fadlan's 10th-century account of the Volga Vikings. The series is set at the beginning of the Viking Age, marked by the Lindisfarne raid in 793.

## Summary

Vikings is inspired by the sagas of Viking Ragnar Lothbrok, one of the best-known mythological Norse heroes and notorious as the scourge of England and France. It portrays Ragnar as a former farmer who rises to fame by successful raids into England, and eventually becomes King of Denmark, with the support of his family and fellow warriors: his brother Rollo, his son Bjorn, and his wives—the shieldmaiden Lagertha and the Princess Aslaug.

## Characters

**Main Characters**

* Ragnar Lothbrok - Originally a farmer, Ragnar claims to be a descendant of the god Odin, and during the show's run he manages to rise to become a respected Earl of his home settlement Kattegat, as well as a feared warrior, a famed raider of undiscovered lands, and, finally, King of Denmark.
* **Lagertha** - Ragnar's first wife; a shieldmaiden. Following the separation of her and Ragnar, Lagertha rises to become Earl of Hedeby in her own right, going by the name Earl Ingstad.
* **Rollo** - Ragnar's brother. Although a ruthless and skilled warrior, having spent his life in the shadow of his brother makes Rollo's feelings towards Ragnar constantly changing from loyal love and admiration, to hateful jealousy. The character is based on the great-great-great-grandfather of William the Conqueror.[5]
* **Siggy** - Earl Haraldson's wife, and later love-interest of Rollo. She possesses a strategic mind and a tireless urge to retain (or regain) her power and influence.
* **Floki**, a gifted, albeit eccentric, shipbuilder and friend of Ragnar. Acknowledging his peculiar character traits, Floki considers himself a descendant of the trickster god Loki.
* **Athelstan** - an Anglo-Saxon monk originally serving at the monastery of Lindisfarne in Northumbria. Captured by Ragnar on his first raid in England, Athelstan is torn between the customs of the Christian England and the pagan ways of Scandinavia.
* **Bjorn Ironside** - Ragnar and Lagertha's son, given his epithet by his father, following his first battle with the Saxons.
* Princess Aslaug - Ragnar's second wife, claiming to be the daughter of the valkyrie Brynhildr and the dragonslayer Sigurd.

## Vikings Episode Guide

All Change
Sacrifice
A King's Ransom
Burial of the Dead
Raid
Trial
Dispossessed
Wrath of the Northmen
Rites of Passage
The Lord's Prayer
The Choice
Boneless
Blood Eagle
Unforgiven
Answers in Blood
Eye for an Eye
Treachery
Invasion
Brother's War

The Dead
Breaking Point
To the Gates!
Paris
Born Again
The Usurper
Scarred
Warrior's Fate
The Wanderer
Mercenary

## Cast

**Stars**

* Travis Fimmel as Ragnar Lothbrok
* Clive Standen as Rollo
* Jessalyn Gilsig as Siggy,
* Gustaf Skarsgård as Floki
* George Blagden as Athelstan
* Alexander Ludwig as Bjorn Ironside,
* Nathan O'Toole as young Bjorn
* Alyssa Sutherland as Princess Aslaug

*Recurring Roles'*

* Maude Hirst as Helga
* John Kavanagh as The Seer
* Jefferson Hall as Torstein,
* Carrie Crowley as Elisef,
* Tadhg Murphy as Arne
* Elinor Crawley as Thyri

## Crew

* Ken Girotti *(Director)*
* Ciaran Donnelly *(Director)*
* Sheila Hockin *(Pxecutive Producer)*
* James Flynn *(Executive Producer)*
* Bill Goddard *(Executive Producer)*
* Michael Hirst *(Executive Producer)*
* Sherry Marsh *(Executive Producer)*
* Morgan O'Sullivan *(Executive Producer)*
* Steve Wakefield *(Executive Producer)*