Famous Vikings Series.....Ragnar Lodbrok .....Ragnar Lodbrok or Lothbrok (Old Norse: Ragnarr Loðbrók, Ragnar Hairy Breeches) was a legendary Norse ruler and hero from the Viking Age described in Old Norse poetry and several sagas. In this tradition, Ragnar was the scourge of France and England and the father of many renowned sons, including Ivar the Boneless, Björn Ironside, Halfdan Ragnarsson, Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye, and Ubba. While these men are historical figures, it is uncertain whether Ragnar himself existed or really fathered them. Many of the tales about him appear to originate with the deeds of several historical Viking heroes and rulers. .....According to legend, Ragnar was thrice married: to the shieldmaiden Lagertha, to the noblewoman Þóra Borgarhjǫrtr, and to Aslaug. Said to have been a relative of the Danish king Gudfred and son of the Swedish king Sigurd Hring, he became king himself and distinguished himself by many raids and conquests until he was eventually seized by his foe, King Ælla of Northumbria, and killed by being thrown into a pit of snakes. .....As a figure of legend whose life only partially took place in times and places covered by written sources, the extent of Ragnars historicity is not quite clear. .....In her commentary on Saxos Gesta Danorum, Hilda Ellis Davidson notes that Saxos coverage of Ragnars legend in book IX of the Gesta appears to be an attempt to consolidate many of the confusing and contradictory events and stories known to the chronicler into the reign of one king, Ragnar. That is why many acts ascribed to Ragnar in the Gesta can be associated, through other sources, with various figures, some of which are more historically certain. These candidates for the historical Ragnar include: King Horik I (d. 854),..King Reginfrid (d. 814), a king who ruled part of Denmark and came into conflict with Harald Klak,one Reginherus who attacked Paris in the middle of the ninth century,possibly the Reghnall of the Irish Annals, and the father of the Viking leaders who invaded England with the Great Heathen Army in 865. .....So far, attempts to firmly link the legendary Ragnar with one or several of those men have failed because of the difficulty in reconciling the various accounts and their chronology. Nonetheless, the core tradition of a Viking hero named Ragnar (or similar) who wreaked havoc in mid-ninth-century Europe and who fathered many famous sons is remarkably persistent, and some aspects of it are covered by relatively reliable sources, such as the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. According to Davidson, writing in 1979, certain scholars in recent years have come to accept at least part of Ragnars story as based on historical fact.Katherine Holman, on the other hand, concludes that although his sons are historical figures, there is no evidence that Ragnar himself ever lived, and he seems to be an amalgam of several different historical figures and pure literary invention. .....The medieval sources that cover Ragnar include: the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a collection of 9th-century annals,[citation needed] book IX of the Gesta Danorum, a 12th-century work by the Christian chronicler Saxo Grammaticus, the Tale of Ragnars sons (Ragnarssona þáttr), a legendary saga, the Tale of Ragnar Lodbrok, another saga, a sequel to the Völsunga saga, the Ragnarsdrápa, a skaldic poem of which only fragments remain, attributed to the 9th-century poet Bragi Boddason, the Krákumál, Ragnars death-song, a 12th-century Scottish skaldic poem. ...............................In popular culture ............Film and television .....In The Vikings, a film of 1958, Ragnar, played by Ernest Borgnine, is captured by King Ælla of Northumbria and cast into a pit of wolves. His son Einar (presumably a variation of the historical Ivar), played by Kirk Douglas, vows revenge and conquers Northumbria.Ragnar Lothbrok (played by Travis Fimmel) is the protagonist of the History Channels historical drama series Vikings that debuted in 2013. ...................................Video games .....The Play the World expansion pack for the 2001 video game Civilization III added Scandinavia as a playable civilization, with Ragnar as the leader. .....The Viking Invasion expansion pack for 2002s Medieval: Total War also included Ragnar as the first king of the Vikings, reigning during the late 8th and early 9th century. The Warlords expansion pack for 2005s Civilization IV included a playable Viking civilization with Ragnar as the leader. .....The Old Gods expansion pack for 2012s Crusader Kings II makes it possible to play as four of Ragnars five sons. Literature[edit] .....Ragnar Lothbroks shipwreck, capture, and execution, as well as his sons revenge, are portrayed in Harry Harrisons alternative history novel The Hammer and the Cross, the first of a trilogy. .....Ragnar Lothbrok is featured in Edison Marshalls 1951 novel, The Viking, Dell, from which the Kirk Douglas movie script was later constructed. Music[edit] .....Lodbrok is the eighth song on Grand Maguss self-titled debut album, released in 2001. .....The story of Ragnar Lodbrok and his son, Halfdan, is the theme of the song Heathen Assault by Doomsword from the 2003 album Let Battle Commence.
Posted on: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 05:57:21 +0000
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