MovieChat Forums > Vikings (2013) Discussion > Lagertha

Lagertha

posted 5 years ago by angelosdaughter (158)
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Watching her in last night's episode, I began to sympathize with Lagertha again.
I really disliked the character after she left Ragnar, especially after she killed Aslaug, who I felt was a better person and a better mother.

It was Aslaug who presided over Kattegat while both Ragnar (who largely neglected her) and Lagertha who was out seeking glory in battle and status.after she gave up the status conferred by being Ragnar's, wife left the settlement. It was Aslaug who counselled Bjorn and his young wife Porunn, who saved her son Ivar from being abandoned to the elements as was done with children born with disabilities in that time and place. She watched over him with love and in time placed him with Floki to be taught Viking culture and faith in the old gods.

Aslaug strayed, if it can be called that, only once with a traveler who represented himself as a god and promised in exchange to relieve Ivar's pain. She presided over the increasing growth of Kattegat from a settlement to a trading center.

But Lagerhtha now grown old and tired, haunted by her memories, has built a farm and retired from public life, returning to the life that she and Ragnar had shared in the beginning. She never stopped loving Ragnar, the many bed partners she took after leaving her husband notwithstanding. I wonder if Lagertha ever wished that she had not left Ragnar, considering that back then taking a second wife was not uncommon when the first wife was either barren or became so, to ensure the continuation of the paternal line and more children to be a support to the parents as they aged. Aslaug seemed to be content to be the second wife and defer to Lagertha as the chief wife. I guess the writers felt that portraying Lagertha as they did was meant as a sop to modern feminist sensibilities.

Oddly enough, Ubbe, son of Ragnar and Aslaug, seems to have accepted Lagertha as a sort of mother figure. In last night's episode visiting Lagertha's farm, he greets her with a hug.
Ubbe IMHO is the one son that most resembles Ragnar, physically and in personality.

Then there's that pesky prophecy that one of Ragnar's sons will kill Lagertha....

[–] necramonium (224) 5 years ago

She made a huge mistake by going away from Kattegat and setting up a homestead somewhere miles away and also to bury her sword, especially after Bjorn exiled the remaining men of Ivar. Got the feeling they will kill her off this season.

[–] angelosdaughter (158) 5 years ago

Yes, poor woman . I think she finally wished to live in peace with her memories of Ragnar and the life they had in the beginning.
Still, at some point, she will have to be written out. She, Floki (if he is still slive) and Rollo are all that are left of the elder generation. The stories now belong to the young ones, and even some of them are getting on toward middle age, Bjorn for instance.

[–] joi2049 (5561) 5 years ago

CORRECTION:

The BROOD MARE wasn't a BETTER PERSON or a BETTER MOTHER. First of all she got PREGNANT by SEDUCING an already MARRIED MAN right in front of his YOUNG SON even after RAGNAR had also asked her to leave him alone after his son complained about his cheating on his mother. Then the HOME WRECKER shows up UNINVITED several MONTHS later with a BIG BELLY and SHOVES his WIFE OUT of the way.

And SIGGY also DIES saving the lives of THE BROOD MARE's 2 who fell into the ICE because she was too busy SCREWING her lover while her husband was away to keep an eye on them.

And her husband's grandchild LITTLE SIGGY also DIES because she was too lazy to watch her properly, even though she also VOLUNTEERED to do so. And it was also HER SON IVAR that she SPOILED who killed the LITTLE GIRL with the AXE FLOKI gave him and taught him to use. And when her other SON told them that SIGGY had been found DEAD, THE COLD BLOODED BROOD MARE also sat there and LAUGHED ABOUT IT after IVAR said "WHO CARES!!!"

So she's also the BAD MOTHER who turned IVAR into the PSYCHOPATH that he became (by asking the other PSYCHOPATH FLOKI to make IVAR a BETTER VIKING). As you may recall, it was also the PSYCHO FLOKI wh SLASHED the throat of the PRIEST during MASS (after RAGNAR also told them NOTHING would happen to them if they did what he told them to do). And it was also FLOKI who amused himself by shooting ARROWS into the other PRIEST before ATHELSTAN kills him to stop the TORMENT.

Plus THE BROOD MARE also TORTURED the CHRISTAIN MISSIONARY and had him MURDERED.

Yet you IGNORE all of this and CLAIM that she's a BETTER PERSON than LAGERTHA (who also STOPS the other RAPIST from RAPING the other woman on the RAID)??

And LAGERTHA was also the one who USED HER ARMY to get KATTEGAT back for the BROOD MARE after it was ATTACKED and taken over by the other VIKING that got the BLOOD EAGLE TREATMENT.

And THE BROOD MARE also doesn't even PAY LAGERTHA anything (even though she also shows up on that SHIP with several SERVANTS all dressed alike which also means she was WEALTHY enough to do so).

And the BROOD MARE was also made FUN of by the PEOPLE in KATTEGAT who said she always SMELLED like FISH from SCREWING her LOVER in the FISH HUT.

And The only reason why she helps PORUNN was to use her to try to get the respect of RAGNAR. But when it doesn't work, and PORUNN runs away, the BROOD MARE turns into a DRUNK.

IVAR should have been KILLED as an INFANT. Because he's done nothing but make everyone else MISERABLE due to the way his mother SPOILED HIM.

And she also had NOTHING to do with the GROWTH of KATTEGAT, because she stayed home getting DRUNK while LAGERTHA and RAGNAR were in PARIS busting their butts on the RAID that was responsible for the WEALTH that enables the GROWTH of KATTEGAT.

The PORTRAIT that you create of the BROOD MARE (who did nothing but produce 4 SONS in a row) is definitely NOT an accurate one at all.

When RAGNAR comes to LAGERTHA before he dies, she also made it CLEAR to him that she didn't FORGIVE him for the way that he treated her and had BETRAYED HER. Because after she used HER ARMY to HELP HIM, he also refused to use HIS ARMY to help her when she needed it. So why should she LOVE him??? She said she LEFT him because he INSULTED and HUMILIATED her by suggesting she ACCEPT the BROOD MARE as his 2ND WIFE, and after that he continued to keep doing so by refusing to help her (even after She HELPED HIM get KATTEGAT back again with HER ARMY). And then the FOOL shows up hoping that she'd HELP HIM AGAIN by going back to ENGLAND with him again??? She was right to turn him down and refuse to go.

And Since LAGERTHA also got PREGNANT again, we also know she wasn't BARREN. As you may recall, both BJORN and RAGNAR were there when she had the MISCARRIAGE in PARIS and they were both also told to LEAVE her alone.

And when the WRITER marries LARGARTHA off to a WIFE BEATER and ABUSER, that was also NOT an appeal to FEMINIST SENSIBILITIES, and it's completely ABSURD to think that's the case. Because no FEMINIST would ever have put up with such ABUSE.

And LAGARTHA was always kind to the other SONS of RAGNAR. It was only their MOTHER that she resented (and rightfully so).

Because the BROOD MARE did STEAL her LIFE just like she said she did before she KILLED her.

And YES UBBE does look more like RAGNAR than any of the others, which is also why the WRITER should have concentrated upon HIS CHARACTER instead of having the FOCUS be so much on PSYCHOPATHIC IVAR (who is also BORING and REPLUSIVE).

The BOTTOM LINE is THE BROOD MARE got what she deserved. It's just too bad that LAGERTHA didn't do it SOONER, but she also waited until the boys had time enough to grow up.

When the BROOD MARE refused to let LAGERTHA give her OWN SON BJORN the going away party before he went off to explore the BIG BLUE area on the MAP, that was the LAST STRAW. Lagertha had been HUMILIATED and INSULTED by her way too many times and that last time was also the STRAW that finally BROKE the CAMELS back (so to speak).

So GOOD RIDDANCE to BAD RUBBISH like the HUSBAND STEALING BROOD MARE who also only SEDUCED RAGNAR because of the stories she HEARD about him killing EARL HARALDSON. Do you really think she would have shown any Interest in him otherwise??? She was only AFTER HIM because of the REPUTATION that he made for himself by becoming an EARL. She was your TYPICAL GOLD DIGGER who was after the TREASURE he could provide, and his only interest in her was for the SONS that she could provide.

But LOVE was also NEVER a part of the BARGAIN between them, and the BROOD MARE was also a FOOL to think that she could ever USE her SLAVE GIRL PORUNN as a way to make a MAN LOVE her who DID NOT.

[–] angelosdaughter (158) 5 years ago

CORRECTION:
Like it or not, women were expected to bear as many children as possible to help support the family and the elder generation. Feminism did not exist.
When after the death of their daughter, Lagertha became barren, Ragnar did what many another male in history has done: he found a fertile woman. In such situations, the man often divorced the barren wife. Did you ever read about how many wives Henry divorced or beheaded because he didn't get the wished for son? In my lifetime the Shah of Iran divorced Queen Soraya (reluctantly; he loved her) because she was barren. He eventually married Farah Diba who bore him two sons and two daughters.
I don't remember Ragnar telling Aslaug he was married, not that it would have mattered. It was Ragnar who chose to pursue Aslaug, and who later slept with Kwenthrith. Viking culture's sexual morality was not ours, and you cannot view the customs of another time through modern lenses.
When Ragnar brought Aslaug back with him, Aslaug seemed perfectly fine with the position of second wife, and seemed to defer to Lagertha. Ragnar seemed to propose Aslaug as a second wife for the purposes of producing more children It was Lagertha who couldn't accept that Ragnar needed more than one son. Aslaug gave him four.
She and Lagertha both went against the custom of their times: it was Lagertha's choice to leave Ragnar when she refused to accept a second wife, as she should have been expected to. Aslaug, going against the custom of exposing a baby who was born disabled, protected and raised the boy with love, sending him to Floki in time to be educated in Viking culture and religion.
Lagertha slept her way to every position she held after leaving Ragnar.
Aslaug was a better person in every way, even looking after and counseling Bjorn and his wounded wife, while Lagertha slept her way to a title. The only time Aslaug slept with someone else was with Harbard the Wanderer representing himself as Odin who had the power to relieve the pain of her crippled young boy Ivar. What almost happened to her two children but for Siggy's rescuing them, happened while she was sleeping with a man who presented himself as a god to help the suffering of her child. After she slept with him, she was very formal indicating that the relationship was only in exchange for relief for her son's pain. She was left to preside alone over a settlement that under her care prospered without the help of either Lagertha, who didn't seem to care what happened to it after she left, and Ragnar who probably didn't love her, (love didn't have the importance in marriage back then as it does in modern times. It had more to do with survival), but did expect her to hold his place for him in Kattegat. Lagertha killed the mother of Ragnar's four sons. It would only be fitting if she has to pay for that at the hands of one of the sons. If I remember correctly, the seer predicted that.
Yes Ivar is a psycho mostly because of the way he as a cripple, first coddled by his mother, and later ridiculed by is brothers, was treated in a society that had no place for a disabled would-be warrior. There really was a good practical reason not only in Viking culture, for exposing a baby that would grow to need constant care, endangering the survival of the entire settlement. In some cultures, a couple only produced or kept two children because each parent, if required to flee, could only carry one child apiece.
Yes, maybe according to the custom of the time, Aslaug should not have saved Ivar from being exposed, but having him educated by Floki who is the keeper of Viking culture and tradition, was what a responsible noble Viking woman who also feared that that culture and religion was endangered by contact with Christianity, and Islam would want for her child.
Hirst panders to modern sensibilities, especially rabid feminism with Lagertha.
You seem a bit rabid yourself. It is only a TV series.

[–] joi2049 (5561) 5 years ago

Perhaps it would first help if you were to DEFINE what you see as being FEMINISM, because in VIKING CULTURE there was EQUALITY between the SEXES (which was also the reason why LAGERTHA had the OPTION to DIVORCE RAGNAR for CHEATING on her whereas in CHRISTIAN CULTURE at that time other women DID NOT have that OPTION).

And HAVING CHILDREN also doesn't mean WOMEN couldn't also be SHIELD MAIDENS (as was also demonstrated by LAGERTHA and by the MOTHER of THE BROOD MARE who was also a FAMOUS WARRIOR and LEGEND).

That other FEMALE BJORN got involved with who also FIGHTS in BATTLES with the MEN also keeps saying how much she looks forward to having children (unlike PORUNN who didn't like it and LEFT after she had LITTLE SIGGY).

AGAIN, LAGERTHA was NOT BARREN. She got PREGNANT AGAIN TWO TIMES after she had her daughter. The FIRST TIME ends in a MISCARRIAGE, as does the 2ND PREGNANCY, but we also know the reason she has the 2nd MISCARRIAGE was because she kept doing things she shouldn't have been doing (like pulling on the ROPES to drag the BOATS across the land in PARIS). And RAGNAR also WARNS her not to do it, but she's convinced that the SEER knew she'd miscarry so she doesn't listen and probably CAUSED the MISCARRIAGE by doing that.

BARREN WOMEN DO NOT GET PREGNANT. Since she got pregnant TWICE, she's obviously NOT BARREN.

The problem is after age 35 getting pregnant isn't as easy as when one is still a teenager or is still 20 something. So if RAGNAR had more patience and waited, she could also have gotten pregnant again. And that's also what he TRIED to do, because he also told the BROOD MARE to LEAVE HIM ALONE after BJORN complained, but she still CONTINUED to PURSUE him anyhow.

AGAIN, MALES in CHRISTIAN CULTURE were NOT ALLOWED to DIVORCE. The only reason HENRY was able to do so was because he BROKE AWAY from the CATHOLIC CHURCH and established his OWN CHURCH. But that still didn't RESULT in his having any SON that became his HEIR to the THRONE. And that's also a situation that took place 800 YEARS later on in HISTORY (which also means it had NOTHING whatsoever to do with THIS TIME PERIOD).

And what happened in your TIME PERIOD also has NOTHING to do with what happens in the TIME of RAGNAR either.

COMMON SENSE tells one RAGNAR is MARRIED when he's also got a 12 YEAR OLD SON with him and one also SEDUCES him right in front of that SON. And she also did it because she KNEW BJORN would be sure to TELL HIS MOTHER about it (which she also knew would cause trouble between LAGERTHA and RAGNAR). And the reason it matters is because it also illustrates how MORALLY BANKRUPT the BROOD MARE was to PURSUE an already MARRIED MAN.

THE BROOD MARE SEDUCED RAGNAR by BATHING NAKED in the WOODS where he was also told to go LOOK at a TREE. It was a SET UP. The KING also went to the VIKING TEMPLE to check out RAGNAR because he wanted the LAND in KATTEGAT. Then that KING told RAGNAR to attack the other EARL (who attacked and took over KATTEGAT before the KING tried to do it).

RAGNAR the FORMER FARMER was being USED as a PAWN and THE BROOD MARE was also a part of that (because she was also under the RULE of the KING and the other EARL). That's how she could afford that SHIP and all of those SERVANTS she had when she arrives UNINVITED in KATTEGAT to show off her BIG BELLY to LAGERTHA. Because she also KNEW DOING SO would PISS OFF LAGERTHA and be a way to GET RID of her.

Plus she also SAT there and BRAGS about being a PRINCESS because her father killed a DRAGON and her mother was also a famous WARRIOR. And that also made LAGERTHA feel INFERIOR to her and as if she had no way to compete with her (because THE BROOD MARE also INSULTS her when she made the other comment about how the parents of LAGERTHA were ONLY FARMERS).

RAGNAR was SET UP, LAGERTHA was SET UP, and all because the KING and the OTHER EARL wanted the LAND they'd gotten from the OTHER EARL that RAGNAR killed. And IF RAGNAR had NOT become an EARL, the BROOD MARE would also NEVER have been INTERESTED in him AT ALL. Because she's also a GOLD DIGGER at HEART (just like the other KING and the OTHER EARL).

So NO. Ragner didn't PURSUE THE BROOD MARE. Because after He asked her to LEAVE HIM ALONE, she DID NOT and still continued to STALK and PURSUE HIM. Look at the way he HIDES behind the POST when she SHOWS up in KATTEGAT on that SHIP.

I can't even recall who this other character you mention was anymore. But IT IS YOU who VIEW the VIKING CULTURE through the LENS of MODERN TIMES (your OWN TIME and that of HENRY the 8th).

RAGNAR DID NOT BRING the BROOD MARE BACK with him. She SHOWS UP in KATTEGAT without being INVITED to be there 9 MONTHS LATER (after he'd had his VERY BRIEF FLING with her).

And when she ARRIVED on that SHIP, she PROCEEDS to SHOW OFF by having her SERVANT GIRLS (who are all DRESSED ALIKE like SOLDIERS) cook the dinner, at which she PROCEEDS to INSULT LAGERTHA by making RUDE REMARKS about how INFERIOR her PARENTS were (because they were ONLY FARMERS and weren't FAMOUS like her parents).

PLUS when she also tries to claim she and BJORN were FRIENDS, BJORN told her that they WERE NOT. So it's QUITE CLEAR for anyone who PAYS ATTENTION that NO ONE WANTED her to be there. And IF it wasn't for her BIG BELLY, then RAGNAR would also have SENT HER BACK to where she came from again.

In other words, all he cared about was the CHILD she carried (NOT HER). And that was also MADE EVIDENT later on when he also CONFESSED to NEVER having LOVED HER.

SO NO. THE BROOD MARE didn't DEFER to LAGERTHA. On the CONTRARY, EVERYTHING she did was to INTIMIDATE and INSULT her in hopes that doing so would GET RID of HER (which also WORKED). The BOTTOM LINE is THE BROOD MARE was just as DEVIOUS and as IMMORAL as the OTHER EARL and the OTHER KING who also ATTACKED KATTEGAT. It's just the way THE BROOD MARE ATTACKS was more SUBTLE (due to the way she used her FEMININITY to do so instead of using a SWORD or a WEAPON).

And YES RAGNAR had 4 other SONS, but also LOOK at how they've done NOTHING but FIGHT with each other and KILL each other (because IVAR KILLED his brother SIGARD).

So the FAMILY would also have been MUCH BETTER OFF without 4 more sons who also STILL FIGHT with each other for the control of KATTEGAT.

POLYGAMY WAS NOT the CUSTOM of their TIMES. It was a CHOICE that one could make if one CHOSE to do so, but it was also NOT what RAGNAR and LAGERTHA CHOSE to do when they married one another at least 13 YEARS ago (because they also had a 12 YEAR OLD SON).

So it was also WRONG for RAGNAR to decide to have another WIFE without first asking his WIFE if it would be ok. And he also KNEW that it would NOT BE OK with her.

SO NO. POLYGAMY was also NOT something that LAGERTHA should have been EXPECTED to accept and do which was also why she told RAGNAR that he had INSULTED and HUMLIATED HER by suggesting that she do so.

THE BROOD MARE was a SPOILED PRINCESS. She didn't LOVE her SON. She was OBSESSED with having CONTROL of HIM and with KEEPING RAGNAR from having anything to do with RAISING HIM because SHE'S the ONE WHO BROKE the CUSTOM of KILLING KIDS that were CRIPPLES.

And then the REST of the FAMILY were made MISERABLE because of the way IVAR kept CRYING all the time and keeping them all AWAKE. And FLOKI is also an EXTREMIST (the same as any other RIGHT WING EXTREMIST in US CULTURE) which means he also ISN'T a part of the more MAIN STREAM VIKING CULTURE (because FLOKI is basically also a NUT JOB as well as being a PSYCHOPATHIC personality). So by handing over IVAR to be RAISED by FLOKI instead of by RAGNAR what she did was CREATE A MONSTER (which is also why she is NOT a GOOD MOTHER).

LAGERTHA didn't SLEEP her way to EVERY POSITION. She's only had ONE POSITION (that of EARL) which she got from KILLING her ABUSIVE HUSBAND. And then she became QUEEN of KATTEGAT after she KILLED the BROOD MARE (who she also DID NOT SLEEP with as a way to get that POSITION which was also already HERS before the BROOD MARE SHOWED UP and SHOVED her OUT of the WAY by SHOWING off her BIG BELLY).

SO NO. THE BROOD MARE was a SPOILED BRAT when RAGNAR MET HER and she also NEVER overcame being that way. And she also raised IVAR to be the SAME WAY. And SETTING her SLAVE GIRL FREE was also NOT a WISE thing to do, because after being TOLD what to do all of her life the POOR GIRL also had NO CLUE how to live in a FREE SOCIETY.

Also NOTE the way she CHOSE to make LAGERTHA (not the BROOD MARE) her ROLE MODEL.

And that's also because PORUNN also knew LAGERTHA was a BETTER PERSON than her FORMER BOSS LADY who had PURCHASED her and USED her so that she wouldn't have to do her own COOKING, SEWING, and other HOUSEHOLD CHORES.

LAGERTHA DID NOT SLEEP her way to her TITLE. She was MARRIED to RAGNAR when he became EARL. And she was also MARRIED to him when he became a KING which also made her a QUEEN.

On the CONTRARY, it was THE BROOD MARE who SLEEPS with RAGNAR as a way to STEAL that TITLE and TAKE IT AWAY from LAGERTHA ... by SPREADING her SLEAZY STINKY FISHY SMELLY LEGS as a way to be able to do so. (Also NOTE the way she SHOWS up wearing NOTHING but a SEE THROUGH FISH NET when she FIRST MEETS RAGNAR as a way to SHOW OFF her NAKED BODY and SEDUCE him ... which also illustrates what a MASTER MANIPULATOR she was).

Then the ENTIRE TOWN of KATTEGAT also made FUN of her for the WAY that SHE ALWAYS SMELLED LIKE FISH from SCREWING her LOVER in the FISH HUT (where she also thought no one would know what she was doing but the FISH SMELL also revealed precisely what she did).

The BOTTOM LINE here is the way that she USED HER BODY to GET WHAT SHE WANTED and she also PAYS a VERY HIGH PRICE for it. Thus meaning LAGERTHA also had the RIGHT TO KILL HER for the way that she STOLE HER LIFE as QUEEN of KATTEGAT away from her (just like that other KING TRIED to STEAL it from RAGNAR's before he and all the rest of his FAMILY except for one son were MURDERED).

And The ONLY REASON why KATTEGAT becomes PROSPEROUS was because RAGNAR and LAGERTHA spent a YEAR in PARIS BUSTING their ASS as a way to GET INSIDE of it, while the LAZY SPOILED ROTTEN BROOD MARE remained behind and did NOTHING but SIT around GETTING DRUNK because of the way that she DISCOVERED her LOVER had been CHEATING on her by SCREWING several other women there in KATTEGAT besides her. So she FELT SORRY for herself after that and tried to DROWN her SORROWS in ALCOHOL.

So trying to claim this DRUNKEN THIEF was responsible for the MANAGEMENT of the PLACE is a complete LOAD of RUBBISH.

Because It was all of the LOOT that RAGNAR and LAGERTHA BRING back from PARIS that turns KATTEGUT into a TRADE CENTER. And the DRUNKEN BROOD MARE also had NOTHING whatsoever to do with that. And People also came to TRADE their goods for the TREASURE from PARIS.

This other stuff about her making it clear that she only SCREWED her LOVER as a way to RELIEVE the pain of her son is also NONSENSE as well. She FELL HEAD over HEELS for that WEIRDO even when SIGGY tried to WARN her that he was trouble. Then she also BECAME a DRUNK after she found him SCREWING those 2 other WOMEN at the SAME TIME.

But you're right that RAGNAR didn't LOVE HER, because he also TOLD HER SO. And you're also WRONG about how LOVE didn't MATTER (which is also PROVEN by the kind of RELATIONSHIP RAGNAR had with LAGERTHA before THE BROOD MARE SHOWS UP UNINVITED in KATTEGAT and PROCEEDS to RUIN IT.

SIGGY was also the WIFE of the other EARL before RAGNAR killed him. And it was also HER SKILLS which enabled KATTEGAT to ENDURE. Because she's also the one who TOLD RAGNAR what to do and what was what. And after LAGERTHA LEAVES, SIGGY also stayed on to GUIDE the BROOD MARE, who also REFUSED to LISTEN to her or take her ADVICE (which is also the reason why she and all of her SONS would have been KILLED if someone else hadn't told ROLLO what to do).

As you may recall, he took her and the BOYS to a FARM where they stayed in HIDING (where she also COMPLAINED all the time about being there and said she wanted to go stay in the NICER HALL of someone else). Then ROLLO also had to remind her that would be the kind of PLACE where the other EARL would FIND HER and KILL HER. So Instead of being GREATFUL for having a place to stay, all she did was GRIPE about how DIRTY the place was and how MISERABLE she was staying there (thus also proving how SPOILED she was).

So YES LAGERTHA killed her, but she also DESERVED IT. But if IVAR kills LAGERTHA, it also won't be FITTING. It will just mean he's KILLED BOTH HER GRANDCHILD LITTLE SIGGY and her GRANDMOTHER. What may happen is they will STAB each other AT THE SAME TIME (like KING ARTHUR and HIS SON did when they KILLED each other at the same time in the film called EXCALIBER).

And NO. The SEER also didn't PREDICT how LAGERTHA would die.

And being a CRIPPLE isn't the reason why IVAR is a PSYCHO. It's because of the WAY he was RAISED by his MOTHER (who also SPOILED HIM the SAME way as SHE herself was also SPOILED).

And If she had let VIKING CUSTOM decide his FATE the way that she was SUPPOSE to, then he would also NOT EXIST. And several people would also have been BETTER OFF if he had not.

FLOKI is a NUT JOB … AN EXTREMIST. It's the same as if THE BROOD MARE handed IVAR over to be raised by JIM JONES (who got his entire FLOCK of followers to drink the POISONED KOOL AID). That's also the reason why the ICELAND SETTLEMENT FAILED (because of FLOKI being the same kind of RELIGIOUS FANATIC as Jim Jones).

So NO. He isn't someone who "KEEPS the CULTURE." He's someone who CORRUPTS it with his FANATICISM and with his EXTREME VIEWS of how he thinks it should be (which was also demonstrated when he KILLS ATHELSTAN the same way as the BROOD MARE KILLS the other CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY).

So NO. NEITHER the WRITER for the show nor myself PANDER or CATER to MODERN SENSIBILITES.

On the CONTRARY, it would be YOU who CHOSE to CHAMPION HENRY THE 8th ... who also DIED of being INFECTED with VD ... (or with STD's which he also passed on to his OFFSPRING ... who also DIED as a result of having been BORN with it).

If LAGERTHA hadn't KILLED the BROOD MARE one also suspects she'd have DIED the same way HENRY did, especially after SCREWING that other SLEAZY WHORE who was her LOVER (the one who also SCREWED everything he could the same way as HENRY the 8TH did).

So go ahead and CHAMPION a couple of SLEAZY WHORES like them if you like, BUT LAGERTHA was also still a MUCH BETTER PERSON than the SELFISH GOLD DIGGING BROOD MARE.

:)

[–] R_Kane (15828) 5 years ago

“Brevity is the soul of wit.” - William Shakespeare

“I’m sorry this letter is so long. I didn’t have much time.” - Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)

“Too fucking long to read on a trivial shit site like this.” - R_Kane

[–] Lige (332) 5 years ago

Not only that but the all RAnDoM cAPs make it HARD AS FUCK to read.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Indeed.

[–] angelosdaughter (158) 5 years ago

The jury is still out on whether shieldmaidens even existed in Viking culture.
The finding of weapons in the graves of a few women could also be an indication of high status according to anthropologists. All women were expected to be as you call Aslaugh, "brood mares' to bear and raise children to be a support to their parents in life which was hard and needed all the hands that people could produce to do the work of living, and to care for them in old age. There was no safety net or welfare.
You are too wrapped up in an image created by a screenwriter based on cloudy legends. If you take the trouble to read up on the position of women in Viking society, you will find that they held the traditional roles of bearers of children, keepers of home and hearth, and supports to their husbands.
If the purpose of the exploration was to found new settlements, women did accompany their men, as they would be needed to to fulfill their traditional roles.
TV drama is not real life.
Now there is a group called Scythians, nomadic tribes that existed from 900 to 200 B.C. They originated in Siberia and and, thriving advanced from China to the Black Sea. Graves of female warriors, one of three generations of warrior women have been discovered from 2500 B. C. in Russia. Horses and their accoutrements as well as weapons were found and the skeleton of one was buried in position as though riding a horse. They were buried with the rites and equipment accorded to Scythian men
About one-third of Scythian women whose remains have been found to date were buried with weapons. Many sported war wounds. It is likely that the Scythian warrior women were the inspiration for the Amazons mentioned by Herodotus, who came to Troy to offer their assistance to King Priam in his fight against the Greeks.

[–] R_Kane (15828) 5 years ago

Which means the drama, TV or otherwise, is free to create its own narrative. I don’t give a DAMN if shieldmaidens existed. I like the idea of them! I also like werewolves and many other fantastic things.

Fuck, when I want to learn history, I read a book. I sure as hell don’t watch TV or go online. That’s like seeking chastity in a cat house.

[–] angelosdaughter (158) 5 years ago

Until I started watching this series, I knew little of Vikings. Once I started watching, I was inspired to learn more about them. I really don't care about how true it is because it is partially based on legends.
I just didn't care for Lagertha's murder of Aslaugh.
However Lagertha's funeral was impressive and the reunion was beautiful. She and Ragnar dissolved into stardust.

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

Dude... what's with the all-bold text and so many words in caps? It looks like you're shouting at us.

[–] Iffy762 (1334) 4 years ago

I think she is. It takes an effort to alternate between lower case and caps like that. By contrast, Kowalski probably just has his caps lock on all the time.

[–] arflexit (2376) 5 years ago

Lagertha really became an annoying character and it did start after she left Ragnar. Her outrage never really made sense to me either. In the first season Ragnar and Lagertha tried to take Athelstan to bed with them, so clearly there was not an issue with multiple partners. It seemed more like Lagertha was jealous because Aslaug bore Ragnar a son when she could not anymore.

Aslaug I did not like either, but I sympathized with her more than Lagertha; especially after the years of being treated like crap by Ragnar. I think I lost all respect for Lagertha when she killed Aslaug for no real reason; that was the moment her character became unbearable to watch and really started to ruin the show.

I wonder too if the show would have focused less on the 'family' drama and more on the wars, travels and ambitions of the characters it would have been a better show.

I stopped watching after the half point of season 5 so I only have general knowledge of what happens after that.

[–] Iffy762 (1334) 4 years ago

I think it was different with Athelstan because they both liked him as a person, whereas Aslaug seduced Ragnar and his attraction to her was (in my opinion) in competition with his love for Lagertha. Even though Viking culture was presumably just as utilitarian about women as any other culture of the time, I think the first season makes it clear that Lagertha and Ragnar have something really special and different than other couples of their time, and I can see why Lagertha felt so betrayed when Ragnar took Aslaug as a wife.

In terms of whether women were ok with polygamy. I do know someone who grew up in a polygamist country and she said that in her family all the wives and children hated it. The father would make the women compete with each other for his attention and the favorite wives got more resources for their children. There was lot of jealousy and bitterness among the wives and children. When you think about it, polygamy is not really natural for women because getting a child to birth and adulthood is such a resource-intensive mission for a woman. It makes the most sense for a woman to do her best to elicit the most possible loyalty from the father of her children, so that all of his resources will be devoted to her own children. If the father has children with other women, his resources will necessarily be spread more thinly and her own children will be less likely to survive.

In other words, even if a woman spends her whole life in a polygamist culture, that does not mean that she will necessarily be happy with her husband taking other wives.

(By the way, the woman in my anecdote actually converted to Christianity (once she reached adulthood) precisely because of Christian theology on one-man-one-woman-for-life.)

I stopped watching the show at season 4 because I found Aslaug so annoying, so I could be a bit biased here.

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

Interesting that the cultures with polygamy always seem to allow one husband to have multiple wives, but not the reverse.

[–] cyguration (3951) a year ago

Because one woman can't bear three children at once from three husbands. In the reverse situation, one man can get three women pregnant.

I know feminists have brainwashed stupid people to believe stupid things, but convincing people to think that men and women share the same values in a relationship has been one of the biggest lies ever told in modern times.

You can literally build an entire army from one man and a hundred women, but you cannot build an army from one woman and hundred men.

If you look back on dissolved cultures that usually engaged in polygamy, most did so for survival means -- growing numbers, and ensuring that a noble had a guaranteed bloodline (because back then, people understood that you can only have a bloodline when a man impregnates a woman... a shocking fact that -- if stated on social media platforms like YouTube -- will result in your comment being automatically removed).