Study › Runes & Norse › Ragnar Lodbrok
Ragnar Lodbrok, "Hairy-Breeches", is the most famous Viking of legend. The sagas tell that King Aella of Northumbria threw him into a pit of snakes, where he died laughing, and that his sons came to avenge him.
Who was Ragnar Lodbrok?
Ragnar Lodbrok, 'Hairy-Breeches', is the most famous Viking of legend, the father of the sons who invaded England. The sagas tell that he was taken by King Ælla of Northumbria and thrown into a pit of snakes. The poem Krákumál, made in the 12th century as his death song, has him recall his battles as the serpents strike, and look forward to drinking ale with the gods in Odin's hall, from curved horns. Its last line is famous: 'laughing I shall die'. In the saga he warns his captors that 'the piglets would grunt if they knew what the old boar suffers' — and his sons came to avenge him, and Ælla paid for it.
He hoped to drink with the gods in Valhalla.
Questions
Was Ragnar Lodbrok real?
He may be based on one or more real Viking leaders of the 9th century, but his story as told is legend.
What does Lodbrok mean?
"Hairy-Breeches".