5 Things We Can Learn From Viking’s Ragnar Lothbrook
- melissasargentobrycki
- Jan 25, 2021
- 5 min read
Like any good show, the characters within the show reflect and reveal vices and virtues we can sometimes see within ourselves. The plot lines, however dramatic, remind us of the highs and lows in our own lives.
Embrace Your Alpha Traits; But Also Embrace Your Feelings Ragnar was such a complex, compelling main character; his weaknesses are magnified, as are his strengths. He essentially usurps the throne in the first season to become king, although he’s rarely referred to that way. While Ragnar wants power locally, he has a thirst for travel, adventure, and raiding that can’t be quenched sitting around in his native Kattegat. What makes a successful raider? A man who makes war and forces people into submission.
Still, alpha males/females can earn a bad reputation quickly: They are often all “guts and glory” and no “tears and hugs.” Except Ragnar. Ragnar isn’t all blood and grit and war and boss. He has this incredible soft spot in his heart for humanity, loads of empathy, a keen interest in spirituality, and almost always offers forgiveness, even for the most grievous sins.
Yes, he’s a warrior and a leader, regularly whooping his men into battle with him. Yes, he’s bossy to the women in his life. Most of all, despite his leadership qualities and penchant for killing anyone standing in the way of his thirst for adventure and invading foreign lands; Ragnar isn’t afraid to let his feelings show. He shows kindness and tenderness toward his wives, his children, and his good friends. He cries, and often. This doesn’t mean Ragnar has zero emotional regulation, that would not be a good trait for the king of any domain. But showing tenderness, kindness, and compassion towards people is never a bad thing.
Seek God It’s no secret Scandinavians adored their Norse gods. From fables about Thor and Odin to today’s modern films featuring Chris Hemsworth, you can hardly separate the Vikings from their intense faith in multiple, mysterious gods who control various elements of nature and people, and greet them in Valhalla, their version of heaven.
In fact, “the gods” are mentioned so often in every episode of every season in “Vikings,” I couldn’t help but think of the biblical injunction for parents to talk about God’s laws every day to their children.
When Ragnar meets Athelstan, a monk, while raiding a monastery in season one, his life is forever altered. He spares Athelstan from death and takes him back home as his slave. To Athelstan’s credit, he does not abandon his faith while serving these pagan overlords, but remains faithful.
Because Ragnar is open-minded, curious, and intellectual, he seeks to understand Athelstan’s faith in the “Christian God” and over time, begins converting to Christianity, although he never has an Apostle-Paul-like conversion moment in the show.
Learn From Mistakes, and Accept Their Consequences One of the most endearing things about Ragnar as a character is really how human he is, and how many mistakes he makes just in one episode. One of Ragnar’s many vices is that he is a womanizer, plain and simple. He is handsome and lusty, and women love him right back.
At the beginning of the show, he’s married to the beautiful blonde, Lagertha. The two make a great couple, and are as passionate as they are equally matched, both in wit and fighting prowess. Still, that doesn’t stop him from eventually cheating with another woman, whom he eventually marries after he gets her pregnant. Lagertha leaves him because of it. The other woman, Aslaug, bears him several sons and, for this, Ragnar is happy.
However, just like real life, love and sex and babies and vows and mistakes impart real joys, real pain, real rewards, and real consequences. While Ragnar never admits he should not have eventually married Aslaug, he regrets cheating and the way the new union formed. His mistake hurt a woman he loved dearly and he owns that, living forever with the consequences. He loves Lagertha and their son Bjorn, who becomes a great warrior, until his death.
It was not unusual for Ragnar to make mistakes yet also accept the consequences. All men and women make mistakes that last a lifetime. Learn from them, accept what comes as a result of them, and become a better person. When you wrong your woman, apologize like a man. If you touch her hair while doing it, bonus.
Ragnar Tried To View Women As Equals For all the fuss and debates today about a patriarchal society, America today doesn’t even come close to representing the power of the patriarchy that existed in countries in the ancient past. I’m not going to sugarcoat it and say that Ragnar and all the other men in “Vikings” treat women with respect all the time. Often, they do not. Rape and crime happen, and it’s disgusting. Ragnar is human and flawed. He yells at women, then apologizes; he lusts after them and then commits to them. He doesn’t understand them and he knows this.
However, give him some credit for the fact that he exists in the 9th century, well before any kind of feminism, and that he often fought alongside Lagertha. In fact, the show’s depictions of female characters are almost as compelling as their depiction of Ragnar.
The strength women must have had to endure that era was remarkable. There have long been stories of shield maidens that existed in Scandinavian times. Historians argue about whether this was pure myth or myth based on history, but there is at least some proof that women in Scandinavia defended themselves and for this, were given much respect among the men in their countries.
Ragnar often consults with the women in his life, although he doesn’t always listen to them. Still, like any sensitive, yet strong man steeped in the patriarchy does, he wrestles with his conscience when he treats a woman poorly and is at his happiest when he is selfless and respectful, while also harnessing his strengths as a leader. This is true of men today. While women are not equal in innate wiring, they are equal in value and compatibility and should be treated as such. Happy are the men and women who embrace this fully.
Cultivate Relationships With Many Types Of People One of the most underrated aspects about Ragnar, especially in this partisan society we now inhabit, was his ability to cultivate so many different types of relationships. From slaves and Christians, to women and kings, Ragnar was open-minded about the people he met and always seemed curious to learn more about another person’s culture or faith. Many of us could benefit from this kind of open-mindedness, particularly if the negative aspects do not rub off on us.
The best example of this is Ragnar’s relationship with Ecbert, the king of Wessex. Still, despite the deep grievances between the two men, they still confide in one another as equals, despite betrayal. Ragnar finds in Ecbert a kindred spirit, a man who understands him, and a man from whom he tries to learn.
Ragnar develops relationships with many other unique characters, all of whom are vastly different from him. In a world that has become so partisan, divisive, and obsessed with groupthink, it’s wise to cultivate relationships with people who are different, unique, and represent a unique perspective on the world.
Remember; Power Has The Ability to Corrupt Some of the Beat Leaders and Warriors we need to be weary of that in today’s modern society.
- Happy Last Monday of January 2021!
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