Why Ragnar Was Named Lothbrok?
In the Viking legend, Ragnar was one of the most famous heroes who made himself wealth and fame. With the success of modern adaptation, the name of Ragnar Lothbrok even becomes more and more famous. But have you ever wondered what his "Lothbrok" meant and where it came from?
Ragnar Lodbrok or Ragnar Lothbrok was just one single man. Ragnar Lothbrok "Ragnar the Shaggy Breeches" was quite a legendary heroes in Viking saga. Kings like Harald Bluetooth or Harald Fairhair left their marks on history while Ragnar was merely pages of legends. But whatever sources we could find about him, Ragnar was undoubtedly a great Viking hero.
Ragnar Lothbrok on "Vikings" TV Series
A very quick explanation is that Ragnar fought with a giant serpent who could not harm Ragnar because of his pant. A nickname because of a name might sound a little bit girly and ridiculous. But after all, it was closely associated with his legend.
The story of fighting against a serpent happened long before Ragnar reached his climax of glory. Some sources mentioned that Ragnar fought the serpent to win the hand of a beautiful woman while others claimed he wanted to earn respect and fame from his people. No matter what motivated Ragnar to have a solo fight with a giant serpent, he did earn his nickname because of the pant that defended him against the bite of the monster.
Ragnar Lothbrok's evolution
And there came the famous king Ragnar Lothbrok who once became the nightmare toward kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon.
Toward the end of Ragnar's saga, he was said to have been slain in a hole full of snakes. Ragnar's death was associated with King Aella of Northumbria who once had declared permanent war on Ragnar's family. When Ragnar was on his voyage, his ship was blown off course and he was captured by the men of King Aella. The Anglo Saxon king quickly grabbed this opportunity and tortured Ragnar.
Ragnar then was thrown into a hole full of snakes, naked and killed. Many people believed the hole full of snakes was a way for King Aella to insult Ragnar's legend of fighting off the giant serpent.
Ragnar was captured and tortured by King Aella of Northumbria
But blood was paid for bloody. The sons of Ragnar Lothbrok on hearing the death of their father declared eternal war on King Aella of Northumbria. When they managed to capture the king, they carried out Blood Eagle - the most bloodies torture method by the Vikings.
