‘Vikings’ Season 4: Even The Show’s Creator Wants To ‘Ship’ Lagertha And Ragnar

For many fans of History Channel’s Vikings, the biggest bug bear they have about the show is the fact that main characters, Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel) and Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick) broke up. But, it turns out, even the show’s creator and writer, Michael Hirst, is sad to see the pair apart.

SPOILER ALERT: This article contains information about season 4 of History Channel’s Vikings. Please proceed with caution if you have not yet viewed all available episodes or wish to avoid spoilers.

For those who tuned in on Thursday night for the season 4 premiere of Vikings, it seems there just may be romance on the cards for both Ragnar and Lagertha. Unfortunately — yet again — this romance doesn’t seem to be with each other. Lagertha returned to Hedeby with Kalf (Ben Robson) to claim equal earldom there. While Kalf made it clear to their people that he and Lagertha were not married, fans could easily see the chemistry there. As for Ragnar, his woes with his second wife, Aslaug (Alyssa Sutherland) continued, but there was some light for the ailing king of the vikings when his wife purchased an Asian slave, Yidu (Dianne Doan), and piqued his interest once again for the unusual and the potential for new knowledge.

So, for those who want to see Ragnar and Lagertha come together as “Ragertha,” it seems season 4 may not be their season for their returned romance. However, as far as the show’s creator and writer, Michael Hirst, is concerned, he is right there with the fans when it comes to bringing together this viking pair, as he recently stated in an interview with TV Guide when they asked him about Ragnar’s relationship with Aslaug.

“It’s been a difficult marriage. As all the fans of the show know, Aslaug’s appearance disrupted what had looked like and what was a very, very deep and long-standing love between Ragnar and Lagertha. I always say that I’m kind of with the fans who want them to get back together, and it’s always a grief to me that I’m not putting them back together.”

Hirst also went on to explain that for Ragnar and Aslaug, season 4 would be a very trying time for their relationship, especially since Harbard (Kevin Durand) will make another appearance in Vikings this year. However, with the advent of new character, Yidu, it seems likely Ragnar will find his affections there rather than with Lagertha.

For Travis Fimmel, the actor who plays Ragnar, his heart is still with his character’s first wife as well. When he took to Reddit on Thursday before the season 4 premiere of Vikings, one of the fans, ellens_rn, asked him the question; “If you were a viking in real life, what is the first thing you would pillage?” Travis replied with one word: “Lagertha.”

So, if the creator and the main character both want to see more “Ragertha,” what’s the likelihood this will ever happen?

According to the vikings sagas that Michael Hirst has based Vikings on, Ragnar Lodbrok (the character Ragnar Lothbrok of the TV series is based on), actually has three different wives. Traditionally he was said to be first married to Lagertha, then to a noblewoman called Þóra Borgarhj?rtr and, finally, to Aslaug. While History Channel’s Vikings have covered his marriages to Lagertha and Aslaug, nothing has been mentioned about his second marriage to Þóra.

The viking sagas tell that Ragnar married Þóra only after he slayed a serpent that her father had placed as protection around her bower. Legend has it that her father would only allow the man who kiled the snake to marry his daughter. From this marriage, two more sons were born to Ragnar: Eiríkr and Agnar. As yet, there has been no mention of this potential new wife, however, some of the season 4 trailers have involved snakes. Could this mean that Þóra may make an appearance in season 4 of Vikings? Or do the snakes indicate, instead, that the demise of Ragnar is close, as the viking sagas also say that Ragnar will die after being thrown into a pit of venomous snakes by King Aelle (Ivan Kaye)?

But, if there is, historically, a third marriage on the cards for Ragnar, where does Yidu fit into all of this? Is she merely a distraction for Ragnar until Þóra shows up? Only tuning into season 4 of Vikings will reveal all.

Are you Team Ragertha? Or would you like to see Ragnar and Aslaug patch things up? Let us know which way you would like to see Ragnar together by commenting below.

An extended season 4 of Vikings returns to History Channel with episode 2, entitled “Kill the Queen” on Thursday, February 25, at 10 p.m. ET.

[Image via A&E Network]