Harbard claims that he was unaware that Ragnar was gone and the two kiss, with Sigurd secretly watching. Aslaug starts to hope that Harbard will become her next husband. Following this, Floki has a vision of Aslaug, who in the vision has sex with him before the man transforms into Harbard.

“For what it’s worth, the actual cause of Aethelwulf’s death is completely unrecorded in any contemporary literature. “It could have been a bee sting, but it could equally have been from falling out of bed or the salmon mousse.”

While initially going to England to raid, Lagertha stays in Wessex for a time with Athelstan (George Blagden) to help settle the lands King Ecbert (Linus Roache) of Wessex granted them. During this time, she develops a relationship with the king and it seems she is happy with him.

Lagertha was later found by Bjorn in a bad mental state and her hair had turned from its usual blonde to white. The change is known as Marie Antoinette Syndrome – a condition which turns the hair white as a result of intense levels of stress.

Margrethe’s desire for power drove her to insanity, plotting to kill Björn and his children and usurp Lagertha so her husband Ubbe would be King and she would be Queen. Margrethe comforts a concerned Harald telling him Ivar cannot produce children, she mocks Ivar’s impotence calling him “Boneless”.

Athelstan became a fan favorite thanks to his relationship with Ragnar and his family, especially his daughter Gyda. Sadly, Athelstan was killed by Floki in season 3 – but why did Hirst decide to kill off such a beloved character?

Floki did return to Norway, but according to the Landnámabók and research by The Saga Museum, Floki returned to Iceland and settled there until his death. Unfortunately, there is no mention in Norse sagas or historical sources how the real Floki died. He most likely died of old age or an illness.

Even though Floki killed Athelstan out of his own feelings of jealousy and insecurity, coupled with his belief the Vikings Gods were furiously angered by Athelatan’s presence, Athelstan’s death was a necessary act which triggered significant turning points and massive upheavals internally and externally in both Ragnar …

Ragnar isn’t dumb, he knows Floki did it. The death scene of Athelstan reminded me a bit of the death scene at the end of Apocalypse Now where Marlon Brando knew the killer was coming and was waiting for him. Ragnar won’t kill floki or punish him.

In this season, Floki shows his hatred for Christians and his jealousy for Athelstan by killing him in his own home. When he witnessed Ragnar being baptized and declaring he wanted to set foot in Heaven, where Athelstan was at, all Floki felt was despair and dissappointment.

As Athelstan prayed, he was brutally killed by Floki. Floki was immediately the main suspect in Athelstan’s death and arrested by Ragnar’s son Bjorn Ironside (Alexander Ludwig). When Ragnar recovered from his ill health, he reluctantly punished Floki for killing Athelstan.

[laughs] He explained his desire to kill Athelstan in season 3. He was very passionate in writing for television about not overextending character arcs. The worst thing you can do for a character is make it try and exist past the point where it needs to. He felt it was the moment, this midpoint in season 3.

A major point about Athelstan is that he was uniquely spiritual in that he saw truth in both the Viking gods and the Christian God. Ragnar even said that Athelstan was the only person he could truly trust and when he died, it changed everything for Ragnar.

In episode nine, a traveller named Othere seemed to suggest he knew exactly what happened to Floki. However, before doing so, he revealed he was once a Christian monk named Athelstan, the same name of a character killed by Floki.

Athelstan progressively becomes more Viking until he proves himself in battle and becomes Ragnar’s thane, though he never gives up his faith. He is conflicted in his beliefs about Ragnar and the other Vikings when Ragnar continually shows him kindness.

While Ecbert dreams of the monk in faraway Wessex, Ragnar sees his old friend in the great hall. Athelstan washes Ragnar’s feet, in imitation of the Christ-God. Ragnar believes he knows what that means. In the morning, he takes his ax and frees Floki from his prison.

Who is Freyja? Freyja is the goddess of fertility, and Gunnhild proceeds to tell her the story of the deity and her husband. She tells Ingrid Freyja’s husband, the god Óðr, is often away from her and she cries tears of gold for him.