‘Vikings’ Season 4: Do The History Books Reveal Who Killed Lagertha?

Episode 16 of History’s Vikings Season 4 saw the Seer predict Lagertha will die at the hands of one of Ragnar Lothbrok’s sons. So, who will it be and can history help uncover who it is?

SPOILER ALERT: This article discusses Episode 16 (entitled “Crossing”) of History Channel’s Vikings Season 4 as well as historical information about some of the main characters in Vikings. Please proceed with caution if you have not yet viewed this episode or wish to avoid spoilers.

Episode 16 of History’s Vikings Season 4 saw Ivar the Boneless (Alex High) challenging Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick) to single combat. This came about thanks to Lagertha killing Ivar’s mother, Aslaug (Alyssa Sutherland), and taking ownership of Kattegat.

While Lagertha refused combat with the disabled Ivar in Episode 16, she was concerned enough to visit the Seer (John Kavanagh) to find out if she would die at the hand of one of Ragnar’s (Travis Fimmel) sons. The Seer confirmed this to her.

However, according to the show’s creator, Michael Hirst, Vikings needs Lagertha.

“She is the soul of the show and I need her,” Hirst revealed to TV Guide.

Considering the nature of the show, Lagertha will have to die at some point, though. So, can the history of the Vikings reveal Lagertha’s fate?

The tale about Lagertha only appears in one section of the history of the Vikings. According to the Gesta Danorum, which was written by an English scholar many years after the events involving the Vikings, Lagertha was married to Ragnar Lothbrok. The ninth book of the Gesta Danorum also reveals they were divorced. Ragnar remarries a woman called Thora. They have children but then she dies of an unknown “violent malady.”

While Aslaug is not mentioned in this story about Lagertha, her sons are. Lagertha was around them when she helped Ragnar win a battle. However, there is no mention of Lagertha killing their mother Aslaug, in the sagas. In fact, according to the tale that does involve Aslaug and Ragnar, Aslaug outlives him. There appears to be no direct conflict involving Lagertha, Aslaug, or Aslaug’s sons in these stories. This indicates that, historically, Lagertha may not have died at the hand of one of Ragnar’s and Aslaug’s sons.

So how did Lagertha die, if it wasn’t at the hand of one of Ragnar’s sons?

Lagertha’s death is not recorded in the Gesta Danorum. In fact her story ends in a similar manner to what viewers saw in Season 4 Episode 5 (entitled “Promised”) of Vikings, where Lagertha killed Kalf (Ben Robson) and usurped his rule over Hedeby. The final reference to Lagertha in the Gesta Danorum is below.

“[Lagertha], when she had gone home after the battle, murdered her husband…. in the night with a spear-head, which she had hid in her gown. Then she usurped the whole of his name and sovereignty; for this most presumptuous dame thought it pleasanter to rule without her husband than to share the throne with him.”

So, since that point in Vikings, Lagertha’s story is completely unknown. While in the Gesta Danorum it makes no sense for one of Ragnar’s sons to kill her, in the context of History’s Vikings, it certainly is. Now, the only questions remaining are which son will it be, and when?

The actress who portrays Lagertha has also been on set for Season 5 of Vikings according to her Instagram account, so it seems she will survive Season 4 and at least part way into Season 5 of Vikings. This means Ragnar’s sons might have a hard time killing her, regardless of what the Seer has predicted. Astrid (Josefin Asplund) also vowed to protect Lagertha from Ragnar’s sons in Episode 16 of Vikings, so Ivar and the others also have her to contend with at every turn in their plotting.

It seems very likely that Ivar the Boneless will be the son who kills her considering he is the one who has issued a challenge. However, it is also possible that one of the others, who, at the moment, appear somewhat fearful of Lagertha, could step up to the plate and kill her.

Another option is to have Lagertha’s own son, Bjorn Ironside (Alexander Ludwig), kill her in Vikings. It would be a cruel twist of fate for sure, and, once again, something that is not mentioned in the Viking sagas, but it would certainly add an unexpected twist to the prophecy if Lagertha dies at the hand of her beloved son, Bjorn.

Which son of Ragnar do you think will kill Lagertha in Vikings? Let us know your thoughts by commenting below.

Vikings returns to History Channel with Episode 17 on Wednesday, January 11, at 9 p.m. ET.

[Featured Image by History]