Hvitserk Ragnarsson is one of the sons of legendary Viking leader Ragnar Lothbrok and Aslaug. Very rarely mentioned in historical sources, Hvitserk Ragnarsson would have indeed existed , according to the Ragnarsson saga. So who really was this Viking warrior? What does his life look like in Michael Hirst's series?
Who is Hvitserk Ragnarsson?
Hvitserk Ragnarsson is one of Ragnar Lothbrok's youngest sons , whom he had with Aslaug. Unlike his brothers, Hvitserk is far from being a great leader, even if he accompanies them at the head of the great Viking army.
Hvitserk and Halfdan, one and the same man?
Some sources give Ragnar and Aslaug a son named Hvitserk. Others bear them a son named Halfdan . However, the two offspring never appear at the same time in one and the same source. For this, some scholars and historians claim that Hvitserk and Halfdan are in fact the same and unique man . If this is indeed the case, one of the two first names might actually be a nickname.
Hvitserk Ragnarsson and the Great Viking Army
When Ragnar Lothbrok is captured by King Aella of Northumbria and executed by the latter by throwing him into a pit of snakes, the sons of the Viking chieftain have only one desire: to avenge their father . With his brothers Ubbe , Ivar and Bjorn , Hvitserk gathers a huge army of Vikings and all leave for England.
Ragnar's sons landed in East Anglia in 865 and made an alliance with the local king. They then established themselves with their army in York. The Ragnarsson sons ended up killing King Aella in 869 , and taking control of his territory at the same time. After several conquests, the great army finally separated around 874. Hvitserk Ragnarsson, on the other hand, headed for the north of Scotland with his men . He ravages it before returning to Northumbria.
How did Hvitserk Ragnarsson die?
The story goes that after avenging his father with the help of his brothers, Hvitserk Ragnarsson went to plunder Gardarike . Facing an opponent much stronger than him , Hvitserk failed to beat him. Some say Hvitserk preferred to die than accept defeat . Others say that his adversary would have questioned him about how he wanted to die, and that he would have preferred to be burned alive .
Some texts nevertheless report that Hvitserk Ragnarsson would simply have died naturally , in Northumbria, around the year 877 .
Who is Hvitserk Ragnarsson in the Vikings series?
Hvitserk Ragnarsson is one of the main characters in the Vikings series , directed by Michael Hirst. He first appears in season 2 , when he is just a very young baby. Over the episodes, the little Viking is constantly seen alongside his brother Ubbe.
In season 3 , Hvitserk continues to have fun with it, just like with his other brother, Sigurd .
The character of Hvitserk is only 9 years old when season 4 begins. The age at which one becomes an adult among the Vikings , since the young boy leaves for the first time on an expedition with his father. Its objective: to attack Paris .
Hvitserk goes on an expedition again in the second part of Season 4 . He is 19 now, and ventures out to sea with his brother Ubbe. It was during this trip that the two men learned of their father's death . They then return home and together mount the largest Viking army ever known. And this in order to avenge their father.
Still present in season 5 , Hvitserk Ragnarsson reigns with his two brothers over East Anglia . Over the course of the episodes, fights ensue, Hvitserk falls in love with Thora and his brother Ivar orders her murder.
Season 6 of the Vikings series is therefore full of revenge . Hvitserk, devastated by the loss of his girlfriend, drowns in alcohol and descends into drugs. Plunged into devastating madness and plagued by hallucinations, Hvitserk eventually kills Lagertha . A few years later, the Viking converted to Christianity and had himself renamed Athelstan . With the aim of bringing peace between the Saxons and the Scandinavians.
The conversion of Hvitserk Ragnarsson a tribute to Ragnar and Athelstan?
In the 6th season of the series Vikings, Hvitserk Ragnarsson converts to Christianity . This conversion sounds like a tribute to his father Ragnar, who himself had been baptized in order to access paradise and join his friend and former monk Athelstan . And as a second tribute, Hvitserk Ragnarsson changes his name upon his baptism. It is that of Athelstan that he accepts and adopts.
Who is the actor of Hvitserk Ragnarsson in the series Vikings?
Since season 4, Hvitserk Ragnarsson has been portrayed by Marco Ilsø . The Danish actor was born in 1994 into a family of great sportsmen (his brother is also the footballer Ken Ils ø). His father plays football and his mother handball. But it is not a sporting career that Marco Ilsø embraces, but an artistic career . At 14, the Danish got his very first role in a Danish series. Seven years later, in 2015, he auditioned for the series Vikings , in Sweden, with his friend Alex Høgh Andersen. Alex gets the role of Ivar, and Marco that of Hvitserk.
Click here to discover the actors of the Vikings series in real life !
