Floki is wild, almost a man possessed.Įlsewhere, Lagertha bludgeons two drunkards who come to take advantage of her in Ragnar’s absence. Ignoring any warnings from the Earl, Ragnar takes Björn to meet with his shipwright friend, Floki, who has secretly been building a boat capable of sailing the open water. Ragnar plans to take his son Björn to meet the Earl and undergo the rite of passage. Ragnar’s conflict of interest with Earl Haraldson comes to the fore when he suggests that instead of raiding the east, they turn their boats to the west. Beyond the pseudo-supernatural encounter, the first episode deals primarily with introducing the setting and central characters. When the fighting stops, Ragnar sees a vision of a man he believes to be Odin and watches Valkyries descend and take the spirits of fallen Vikings into the skies. Ragnar Lothbrok and Rollo battle Baltic warriors. Vikings Season 1 Recap and Reactions Episode 1: “Rites of Passage” Ragnar explains the workings of the sunstone to Rollo. He is furious with the Vikings for their incursion into his lands. She will do what it takes to survive in a world of sudden political upheaval and is not afraid to seize an opportunity. She is devoted to him and her daughter, Thyri. He is deeply traumatized by the murder of his two sons years earlier. A jealous man who fears that Ragnar means to kill him and take his place. His mischievous nature proves he has more in common with Loki than the last four letters of his name. Floki is deeply devout when it comes to matters of the gods.
He is constantly at odds with his more famous brother and resents living in his shadow. Brutish and gruff, he cares about fighting, women, and glory but in many ways he is aimless. She takes an immediate liking to Athelstan. He is often a proxy for the audience as he learns about Viking culture and tradition.
He is training to become a warrior like his father and is anxious to be fully grown.
He becomes one of Ragnar’s trusted advisers. He is well-traveled and infinitely curious about Viking society, though he often finds aspects of it hard to stomach. AthelstanĪ former monk who becomes a slave in Ragnar’s household. She is a cunning warrior and an equal match for Ragnar’s wit. LagerthaĪ shieldmaiden and Ragnar’s wife. He desires to travel to the West and explore lands unknown to the Vikings. A farmer and Viking raider from Kattegat with a clever mind and a strong sword arm. Vikings has an enormous cast of characters, so it seems fair to give a brief account of some of the main characters and their motivations. – HERE BE DRAGONS: SPOILERS PAST THIS POINT – Dramatis Personae As he contends with factions within the Viking clans, the wrath of his liege lord, foreign kings, and treacherous seas, Ragnar begins his ascent to greatness and strives for that thing all Viking warriors hope to gain – a seat in Odin’s great hall in Valhalla. The show follows the legend of Ragnar Lothbrok, a purportedly real-life Viking hero written about in the sagas. The editing and writing come across as the best History Channel special to ever grace the small screen. As a History Channel series, it is chiefly a historical drama, and it doesn’t go out of its way to paint its characters in a light that would be more palatable to those of us with modern sensibilities. Vikings occupies a remarkable place on television. As it heads into the latter half of its fourth season, we’re here to give you a fast recap of Vikings season 1. Admittedly “ Immigrant Song” is about the settlement of Iceland, not about the first bloody raids on English soil, but Vikingsis here to give us a taste of Viking conquest all the same. If a piece of history is cool enough for Led Zeppelin to write a song about it, it’s worthy of attention.