‘Vikings’: Why Ragnar Lothbrok’s Biggest Regret Involves Lagertha
Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel) went on to become a powerful king and a famous explorer on the hit series Vikings. In his world, no one else is more famous, except maybe his first wife Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick). Read on to learn why Ragnar’s biggest regret involves Lagertha.
Young Ragnar makes a choice that changes his life forever
When Ragnar is young, Lagertha miscarries their child and Ragnar ends up cheating on her the first chance he gets. The woman he cheats with, Aslaug (Alyssa Sutherland), ends up pregnant and she comes to Kattegat. Ragnar refuses to turn her away and in turn, Lagertha divorces him instead of staying to be humiliated.
This choice changes both of their lives forever. Ragnar was arguably his most happy when he was just a farmer with his humble family with Lagertha. He says as much to Lagertha when he returns after being gone for many years. Ragnar suffers defeat in Paris on their second attempt to raid it and he decides to leave his life behind for a number of years. He only returns so he can get revenge on England.
Ragnar returns and visits Lagertha
Ragnar comes back and visits Lagertha in Hedeby. He asks her for her assistance in getting revenge for the lost settlement in Wessex.
“I’m going back to Wessex,” Ragnar tells her. “I’m here to see if you want to come.”
“The livelihood of our people, their future and their happiness were all bound up in the success of our first settlement,” Lagertha responds. “And you failed to tell me of its destruction.”
Ragnar’s biggest regret in life
Ragnar has clearly been doing a lot of thinking over the years and he’s ready to lay it all on the line. “I regret what happened with the settlement,” Ragnar replies. “And I regret what happened between us. I have made many bad choices.”
“We all approved of your ideas,” Lagertha reassures her ex-husband. “But, they didn’t work. Ragnar Lothbrok didn’t succeed.”
Lagertha inquires what their son Bjorn (Alexander Ludwig) said. “He has other plans,” Ragnar laughs. “He’s his own man now.”
Ragnar says he should sleep, but not before saying, “In my mind, I wish I’d never left our farm,” Ragnar admits to her. “Forgive me for all of my faults, all of my failings.”
He kisses her cheek and she kisses him back passionately one last time.
Ragnar returns to Wessex again
Lagertha chooses to stay with her people in Hedeby instead of returning to Wessex with Ragnar. He returns with a skeleton crew of men along with his son Ivar (Alex Høgh Andersen). He devises a plan to have himself killed to get his sons to bring the might of their people to England.
Ragnar’s plan works out perfectly and he is killed by King Aelle. His sons come to England with the might of the Great Heathen Army behind them. They eventually get revenge for their father’s death and the lost settlement of Wessex.
Ragnar’s biggest regret seems to be the situation involving Lagertha. He loves her until the day of his death. Losing her was the hardest loss of his life and he never truly gets over it.
