Ragnar Lothbrok's Raven Tattoo Explained
Ragnar Lothbrok was a legendary Viking hero who made his name through raids and wars. In the sagas of Ragnar's sons, the sons of Ragnar made Kind Aella of Northumbria an Anglo-Saxon kingdom pay the ultimate price.
Ragnar was also adapted into modern artwork which has become more and more popular in this day and age. In TV series "Vikings", what strikes us the most must not only be the Viking culture but also the Viking tattoos on each character.
Ragnar Lothbrok had a raven tattoo around his temple. This tattoo quickly evolved from small and simple raven to bigger and more awesome one. But what can possibly be the meaning of this raven tattoo?
During the show, Ragnar was believed to be the descendant of Odin the Allfather. And in Norse mythology, Odin himself had a pair of ravens flying around him. Their names were Huginn and Muninn meaning "thought" and "mind". They were the messengers of Odin the Allfather.
Ragnar first appeared with his raven tattoo in his temple when he killed Jarl Haroldson
Legend had it that these pair of ravens always kept Odin of the information around the worlds. In the daylight, Odin would release the two ravens to fly and observe what was happening out there. And when the dust broke on the sky, they would come back to Asgard perching on Odin's shoulder and whispering into his ears what they had seen.
Ragnar's raven tattoo evolved into a more awesome tattoo when he started to carry out larger conquests instead of hit-and-run raids
Because of this, raven became the symbol of Odin's presence as well as Odin's mind and thought. So the raven tattoo around Ragnar's temple referred to the point that Ragnar was the offspring of Odin the Allfather.
Viking Ragnar Lothbrok's raven tattoo
Ragnar's tattoo not only confirmed the connection between Ragnar and Odin but also meant that Odin was always there to guide and to protect Ragnar and his fellows.
Moreover, raven tattoo of Ragnar was believed to be closely associated with the raven banner of Viking Great Heathen Army which was formed by sons of Ragnar. Because King Aella of Northumbria executed King Ragnar, Ragnar's sons declared war eternal on Northumbria. They assembled Viking Great Heathen Army and picked the raven symbol as their banner.
