Lagertha was known to be a shield maiden in the Viking sagas, but could she be a Valkyrie too?
The fate of Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick) now that her stepson, Ivar the Boneless (Alex Hogh) has taken over Kattegat does not look good moving forward into the second half of Season 5 of History Channel’s Vikings. This is especially true when it was revealed at the end of the mid-season finale that Lagertha had appeared to go instantly grey-haired after the defeat. Could her actual Viking saga hint at the true fate of Lagertha in upcoming episodes of Vikings?
The Viking saga involving Lagertha and Ragnar was written down by the Danish scholar, Saxo Grammaticus, in the 12th century. Their tale is recorded in the ninth book of the Gesta Danorum, and tells a tale of doomed love. While much of the original saga is vastly different to the love story portrayed in the History Channel’s interpretation, there are some distinct similarities as well.
For example, Ragnar and Lagertha did get married and have children. They also got divorced on account of Ragnar falling for another woman, although, in Lagertha’s saga, it is Thora Borgarhjort that Ragnar falls for, and not Aslaug.
Lagertha is also described as a mighty shield-maiden. It is her identity as a shield-maiden that could potentially predict the character’s outcome in Seasons 5 and 6 of Vikings.
Many fans have already noted just how well Lagertha looks for her age in the TV series. After all, by now, she should realistically look like an old woman, at least prior to her hair going grey in the recent mid-season finale.
But, some scholars believe that Lagertha’s tale in the Gesta Danorum actually points to her being a Valkyrie and not a shield-maiden. This could account for Lagertha’s longevity.
In Norse mythology, the Valkyries were a group of magical women who appeared during battle and selected which warriors would live and die. Of the ones they selected to die, half of them were taken to Odin’s hall, Valhalla, where they would feast and fight until the Viking end-times called Ragnarok. The other half would go to a place called Folkvangr, which belonged to the goddess called Freyja.
These Valkyries are described as being incredibly beautiful. They are also often getting themselves mixed up with mortal men. Having Lagertha marry Ragnar is not outside of the realm of what is known about the Valkyries.
By making Lagertha a Valkyrie, her extended stint on Vikings could last even longer, as she could, potentially, survive the length of the show’s run. As The Express points out, the character of Lagertha will likely continue into Season 6 of the hit historical drama.
“I’ll tell you one thing, in season six especially, I definitely embraced it and I’ve allowed myself, I spent a good three hours a day in prosthetics to allow Lagertha to change and I hope you enjoy that,” Katheryn Winnick revealed at San Diego Comic-Con earlier in the year.
Of course, fans will just have to tune into future episodes of Vikings to find out the true fate of Lagertha.
Season 5 of Vikings will return to History Channel on Friday, November 28, at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
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