Spoiler alert: details for the January 8 episode of Vikings Season 6 entitled “Death and the Serpent” are discussed below! Do not read further unless you want to know what happened!
Stock up on some tissues, Vikings fans, because you just might need them for this clip of an emotional funeral! Vikings dealt a shocking blow to Bjorn and viewers in its latest episode, which made the scene below something sadly inevitable. The History series killed off one of its original characters: Lagertha.
Following a showdown with her grandson’s killer on Vikings, Lagertha was mortally wounded. Arriving in Kattegat in hopes of seeing her son one last time, Lagertha was met instead by his crazed brother, Hvitserk. In a case of mistaken identity brought on by his drug-induced hallucinations, Hvitserk stabbed Lagertha to death under the delusion she was Ivar.
Vikings will now give viewers and Bjorn a chance to say goodbye to Lagertha, the legendary shield-maiden unable to retire from her life. In the clip below, Bjorn pays emotional tribute to his mother as she gets the Viking funeral she deserves. Check it out and reconvene for more thoughts afterward. Take it away, Bjorn:
Who else is exceptionally emotional? Bjorn believes that his late father Ragnar and Lagertha have reunited in Valhalla. I have to admit that is something I would have also liked to have witnessed. Despite everything, I still believe the two were soulmates. Sorry, Heahmund. As for Bjorn, he is as devastated as Vikings viewers probably suspected he would be.
He is emotional, raw, and clearly in tremendous pain over his mother’s loss. In fact, he echoes a lot of what Michael Hirst told CinemaBlend about Bjorn and Lagertha’s bond. At the time, Hirst said that Bjorn’s relationship with his mother was the “deepest” he had with a woman. During the clip, Bjorn says:
Farewell. I have loved you more than I have loved any other.
If Vikings had done a montage of all of Lagertha and Bjorn’s moments together through the years, I would have been a goner. That is not to say that the episode will not include such a montage at some point. For Bjorn not to have been with Lagertha in her last moments after all they had been through was crushing.
Aside from raw grief, Bjorn also swears to avenge her. Does this mean Hvitserk did not share what happened with Bjorn? Or has he and Bjorn will not forgive his brother’s lethal mistake? In her final moments, Lagertha attempted to absolve Hvitserk, saying it was destined. It was a nod to the prophecy shared long ago.
There is a lot left for fans to unpack in the wake of Lagertha’s death, which Vikings’ creator made sure to make as impactful as possible. Hvitserk did not intentionally kill Lagertha. Bjorn may be too grief-stricken to come to terms with that yet. Or Hvitserk may not have taken responsibility for killing her. It is tough to tell at this point.
Whatever the next episode of Vikings entails, it will most assuredly include an emotional sendoff for the character. I am curious if Rollo will, in any way, reach out regarding Lagertha’s death in Season 6. He never stopped loving her, and I would be surprised if his reaction does not in some way make it in. Fans will have to watch and see.
Watch Vikings say farewell to Lagertha when new episodes of Season 6 air Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on History. The drama’s return is one of this winter's premieres.
