‘Vikings’: Why Bjorn Ironside Is the Worst of Ragnar Lothbrok’s Sons
Bjorn Ironside (Alexander Ludwig) has been stuck in the shadow of his father for his entire life. You’d think he would have learned from his father’s mistakes, but that’s not the case at all. Read on to learn why Bjorn is the worst of Ragnar Lothbrok’s (Travis Fimmel) sons. There are spoilers ahead for season 6 of Vikings.
Bjorn can’t have nice things for long
Bjorn doesn’t know how to appreciate what he has. From the moment he’s a man, he’s cheating on the women he’s supposed to be faithful to. He even goes so far as to sleep with his own mother’s lover, Astrid (Josefin Asplund). Bjorn doesn’t respect other people or healthy boundaries. If he wants something, he thinks he can simply have it because of who his father is.
In season 6, Bjorn has been cheating on his wife Gunnhild (Ragga Ragnars), who is pregnant with his child. She insists they should all get married, but she is clearly hurt and upset at the thought. Bjorn has learned nothing from watching his father’s tumultuous marriages, but instead goes with it and accepts a two-wife scenario.
He’s trying so hard to be great that he’s making mistakes
Bjorn finally becomes King of Kattegat, and already he’s making some monumental mistakes. Bjorn lets a bunch of warriors go free that were Ivar’s (Alex Høgh Andersen) men. They committed terrible crimes for him and should be put to death, but instead Bjorn acts impulsively and decides to let them all go free into the woods.
People closest to Bjorn suffer because of his choices
Bjorn loses people closest to him because he lets the bandits go free. They come back with a vengeance and they attack Bjorn’s mother’s village. Bjorn’s young son Hali dies when the bandit leader kills him. Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick) kills the leader, but not before suffering terrible wounds herself. She travels back to Kattegat where she encounters Hvitserk (Marco Ilsø). He stabs Lagertha to death when he thinks she’s Ivar.
If Bjorn had never let the bandits go free, his mother and son would still be alive. Bjorn is always second-guessing his choices. He’s trying so hard to be his father, but he isn’t him. He’s a totally different person and he needs to move on from these poor decisions if he hopes to keep his land safe from the Rus.
Why Bjorn Ironside is the worst of Ragnar’s sons
Bjorn is too quick to second guess his choices. He’s been making the wrong decisions during the last few seasons and season 6 has only magnified it. He needs to stop comparing himself to his father and just be himself. Stick with a decision and move on. Bjorn has a tendency to make a choice and then go back on it or regret it later.
Bjorn needs to take a good look at himself to see where he goes from here. He could still redeem himself. After all, he is a son of Ragnar Lothbrok.
