Lagertha: All about the Shield Warrior

Lagertha was born around AD 760 , in present-day Norway. Noble by birth, Lagertha is what is called a skjaldmö, literally understand a shield warrior . A strong, courageous and wise woman, she was the wife of the famous Viking Ragnar Lothbrok . After their divorce, she continues to gain power and remains a true Viking warrior until her death.

Lagertha, a viking warrior

It is in the Gesta Danorum – The Gesture of the Danes – that we learn the most about the Viking warrior. This work written by Saxo Grammaticus, Danish monk and historian, is one of the only sources of information on the life of Lagertha. It is written of her that she was a brave warrior. A wise and intelligent woman .

Lagertha is often affiliated with Thorgerd , goddess of war in Norse mythology. Some will even go so far as to say that it is one and the same person. According to Saxo, Lagertha also lived in Gaulardal, where Thorgerd's cult center is located.

The warrior with the shield climbs the ladder of power alone. She is respected and loved by many . But it also inspires fear. Saxo writes that Lagertha "had an incomparable spirit" and that she "transformed the panic of her friends into the camp of her enemies" . In short, the warrior masterfully led her armies and often brought them to victory .

Ragnar Lothbrok and Lagertha, the Viking couple

Lagertha was part, with other women, of the court of the Norwegian king Siward of Northumbria. As the king of Sweden, Frø, invades Norway, he kills its king. Frø then sends all of these women to brothels , with the aim of humiliating them.

After hearing the news, Ragnar Lothbrok joins Norway with his army to avenge Siward , whose legends give him as the grandson of the Norwegian king. Ragnar fights alongside a group of women , dressed as men. It is Lagertha who is at their head . In the Gesture of the Danes, Saxo writes: “Lagertha is a very gifted Amazon. Although she was a woman, she had the courage of a man. All marveled at her incomparable deeds, for her hair flying down her back betrayed the fact that she was a woman”. And it is his bravery and courage that conquered the great Viking Ragnar that day . For him, one thing is certain: he must leave with the hand of the pretty Lagertha.

Lagertha does not accept the great Viking's engagement request so easily. Out of pride and to defy him, the warrior places a huge bear and a large dog in front of her home , so that Ragnar cannot enter it. The Viking kills the bear with a spear, and strangles the dog with his bare hands. He is then worthy to marry Lagertha .

The shield warrior is the first wife of Ragnar Lothbrok. Together they have three children . A son, first, Fridlev Ragnarsson. As well as two daughters, whose names remain unknown.

After the civil war in Denmark, where Ragnar returns to fight, the Viking couple separates. "Ragnar changes his love and now desires Thora, he himself divorces Lagertha ", writes Saxo in the Gesture of the Danes. The monk and historian also underlines the “unreliability” that Ragnar feels towards his wife, “remembering that she had long used the wildest beasts to destroy him”. However, Lagertha remains present for the one who was her husband and continues to help him during battles.

The Norse warrior subsequently has a second husband . The writings tell that she would have killed him, in order to reign without him at her side. In La Geste des Danois, Saxo assures us that after one of her battles, Lagertha returns home and murders her husband. Still according to the historian, she kills him with a spear that she would have hidden in her dress. She then usurps the name of her late husband and reigns in his place. Saxo then denounced her as “a most presumptuous lady” .

Lagertha's Death

Little is actually written about Lagertha's death , and the date of her disappearance remains unknown. Legends say that Lagertha was killed by one of Ragnar's later sons, with another woman. At least that's what the Viking series says, without any real historical basis. In season 6, the warrior dies there. Hvitserk stabs her , thinking to kill Ivar the Boneless .

Lagertha in the Vikings series

It is actress Katheryn Winninck who plays Lagertha on the small screen. Since 2013, the Canadian actress has brought the blonde warrior back to life. Her marriage to Ragnar Lothbrok, her courage, her fights… everything is brilliantly reported in each of the seasons. Or almost, since in the series director Michael Hirst does not give her Fridleif as her son , whom she would have had in real life, as well as two other daughters according to the stories. In contrast, Michael Hirst makes Lagertha the murderer of Aslaug , Ragnar's second wife. There is nothing in reality. So make no mistake, the writers and director did indeed take a few liberties here and there.

But since January 2020, Katheryn Winninck and her character Lagertha no longer appear on screen. End clap for the shield warrior who dies in season 6 of the series .

Today, Lagertha is, like Ragnar Lothbrok, a semi-legendary character . The nine books of the Gesture of the Danes depicting the life and prowess of the warrior with the shield are considered myths and tales with legendary characters. And this even if these stories are really inspired by Nordic traditions and legends.