University Press Biographies - Ragnar Lothbrok: The Extraordinary Viking

Like all good stories and all known historical events, the Ragnar legend takes place in a particular time and place. These two factors help explain the tale and draw for the listener or reader a clearer understanding of why things happened the way they did and what challenges to characters faced.

Ragnars legend is set near the beginning of the Viking Age. The Vikings had made a few conquests before Ragnar sacked Paris, but the era didnt get into full swing until afterwards. Specifically, the time frame of the story is between 820 and 879 CE.

During the Viking Age, the present countries of Scandinavia and Europe didnt exist. Instead, there were various small kingdoms and tribes. Individual kingdoms attacked other kingdoms often, either because of disagreements, to steal plunder and slaves, or to gain a payment for promising to attack someone else instead. The Viking people identified with their immediate tribe and probably didnt even call themselves Vikings.

While the name Viking means something like pirate or raider, the Norse people of Scandinavia were predominantly farmers and herders. Most farms had just enough land to support the family that lived on them. Both in Scandinavia and in the regions they conquered, the Vikings built their houses of wood and other perishable materials, with only one door and a thatched roof, evidence of which has been found in archeological excavations like Wood Quay.

Some Vikings went on expeditions to raid other countries, but these pirates made up a much smaller percentage of the population than most modern people assume. Often the ones who invaded other countries did so because they didnt have enough farmland to support their people. The Vikings followed pagan religions, and may have attacked to fight back against the spread of Christianity.

Another reason for Viking conquests may be that they started as trade excursions. When the Vikings arrived to do trade, they were often turned away, and the situation became hostile. For example, British merchants wouldnt do business with those they considered heathens or infidels. This included both the Norse people and the Muslims. Yet, many other Viking expeditions were peaceful trading missions that concluded successfully for both parties.

Personal names of Vikings were often composed of a first name and a nickname. Ragnars nickname was Lothbrok, an Old Norse word meaning Shaggy-Breeches, a name he got while trying to win the hand of Thora Town-Hart, as the story goes. A surname often included the fathers name. Ragnar is sometimes called Ragnar Sigurdsson, and Ragnars sons are sometimes referred to as having the surname Ragnarsson.

As Vikings travelled, either trading peacefully or raiding, they settled alongside people of other regions. In fact, the people who were raided in the sack of Paris included many Vikings who had opted to give allegiance to the Frankish kings, whose kingdoms later became Normandy in honor of the Northmen who lived there.

Women in Scandinavia had many rights that werent afforded to them in other parts of Europe and Britain. The only exception was women, men and children who were taken as slaves during raids. While there probably were shield maidens who fought alongside Viking men, most women worked on the farms and kept the home running smoothly.

Another misconception about Vikings is that they were total barbarians. They have been depicted as uncivilized and brutish thugs in some works of fiction. However, Vikings did have a code of ethics. They were also neat and clean, a fact borne out by the wide variety of grooming implements fashioned in a Norse style and found along with Viking remains in an archeological dig in England. No archeological site shows any evidence that the Vikings wore horned helmets, so that is probably an invention of storytellers.

One part of the Viking image is definitely true. They were phenomenal seafarers for their day. They travelled by longboat and had advanced technology for finding their way in unfamiliar waters. For example, they used sunstones to find their direction. Sunstones were made of crystalline rock. When the day was cloudy, they could hold up the rock and what little sunlight there was would light up the crystal to show them its direction.

One Viking custom that may figure into Ragnars story was that of adoption. Viking families often adopted children in order to preserve their family line. Because parents died often, either in battle or because of the harsh conditions under which the Vikings lived, adoption was also common to give homes to orphans.

The Viking Age in Scandinavia was unique in many respects, having its own customs and beliefs. Life wasnt easy for the Vikings, but they met the obstacles with bravery. Such was the world in which Ragnars story takes place.