‘Vikings’: The Sentimental Gift [SPOILER] Was Given After Their Character Died in Season 6B
The final episodes of Vikings have premiered, and the series has come to a close. Amazon Prime Video released season 6B on December 30, and some fans chose to watch the series quickly. The fates of all of the remaining sons of Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel) were decided, and we now have answers when it comes to their outcomes.
[Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers from ‘Vikings’]
Did Bjorn Ironside die?
In the mid-season finale of season 6 of Vikings, the Rus invade Scandinavia with Prince Oleg (Danila Kozlovsky) at the helm. Ivar (Alex Høgh Andersen) has allied himself with him, and together they attempt to take over. Bjorn Ironside (Alexander Ludwig), Ivar’s brother and another son of Ragnar, fights with the rest of the Vikings in Scandinavia to save their homeland. However, when Bjorn is fighting on the beach, he is stabbed by what looks like Ivar (even though Ivar’s supposed to be somewhere else entirely at the time).
Fans waited eagerly to find out the fate of Bjorn. Did he survive? In July, a Vikings panel called A Look Back With the Lothbroks at San Diego Comic-Con@Home 2020 held the answer. A clip was shown of season 6B, and Bjorn can be seen riding in front of the Rus army on his horse looking hurt.
Knowing Bjorn lives, at least for a little while, gave fans hope for the new season. However, Bjorn doesn’t make it after that final scene on his horse in the first episode of season 6B. After being stabbed, Bjorn is taken back to Kattegat very badly wounded. However, he gets a plan in place, and has King Hakon (Mishaël Lopes Cardozo) spread a rumor to the Rus that Bjorn is already dead. Although Hakon is killed, the plan works. When Bjorn rides out on his horse by himself fully clad in his armor, he scares the Rus, who think he’s already dead.
Ganbataar (Andrei Claude), a captain in Oleg’s army, shoots Bjorn with three arrows, but he miraculously still lives. He unsheathes the Sword of Kings, and his army surrounds the Rus. After the battle that follows, the Rus retreat back to Kyiv, but Bjorn dies. He’s given a lavish burial, and his story lives on. He sacrifices himself for his people and he will always be remembered for it.
The sentimental gift Alexander Ludwig was given after his character’s death
Bjorn died, and some may think it was a fitting end to his story. The actor who plays him, Alexander Ludwig, spoke with ET, and he was asked what he took with him to remember Bjorn Ironside. Ludwig revealed that when the actors’ characters die on the series, they get a shield that is signed by the entire cast and crew. But he was also given another sentimental gift as well that went along with it.
“And Michael also gifted me with the producers, the Sword of Kings,” Ludwig revealed, mentioning the creator, Michael Hirst. “It said, ‘Bjorn Ironside’ in Nordic engraved in the sword. So I’ve got that, and that was such an incredible gift.”
Fans will recall that the Sword of Kings is a unique sword that once belonged to King Horik (Donal Logue), but was taken on by Bjorn’s father when he killed Horik and became the king. It’s the sword of the king, and it has a lot of significance. It’s a truly sentimental gift considering how important the sword is in the series.
However, that’s not all Ludwig left with before departing the set. Fans may recall antlers being used in the background of the series and on wall displays. Ludwig wanted to take one back home with him, but he received some push-back at first. But eventually he was finally allowed to take them. They were transported home from Ireland to the United States for him in a box.
“And then the one thing actually I stole was, we have all these incredible antlers all over set,” Ludwig said. “And I had to decorate an apartment and I love that rustic feel, I’m a country boy at heart. And I went to one of the props guys and I was like, ‘Dude, I got to take this home with me.’ And he was like, ‘No, you are not.’ And I just took it off the wall and I was like, ‘I’m taking this home with me,’ and I started walking off set. I’m like, ‘Guys, I really, really want to take these home with me. We’ve got like, 500 of them.’ And they were like, ‘OK, we’re going to build you a box and send them home for you.’ So they actually sent me home these beautiful antlers and I got those as well.
Ludwig has a lot of pieces to remember his time in Vikings. Although Bjorn Ironside’s journey is over, fans can still rewatch the series and relive every moment of the King of Kattegat’s journey into legend.
