Ivar may be the best strategist on Vikings, but has he surrounded himself with trustworthy allies? Don’t count Lagertha out just yet.
There are many factors required to win a war. You need a large, strong army, and a cunning strategy for the army to execute. Neither of these things matter though, if you don’t have loyal people alongside you. All plans are futile if revealed to the enemy. Have Ivar and Lagertha surrounded themselves with people who will remain loyal, or will they jump ship at the last moment?
Let’s take a look at how loyal each team’s allies truly are.
Team Ivar
Harald
Harald will fight alongside Ivar until Lagertha is dead, which is to say, his loyalty has an expiration date.
It is no secret that Harald strives to be king of Norway, and he has already made an attempt on Lagertha’s life. In season 4, Harald sent Egil to Kattegat to kill Lagertha and take control of Kattegat. Unfortunately for Harald (and Egil), Lagertha was not so easily beaten. When Harald arrives in Kattegat in season 5, he is held captive until his eventual escape. Obviously there’s no love lost between Harald and Lagertha, so Harald is happy to align with Ivar and kill Lagertha and her army.
Once Lagertha is dead, Ivar intends on taking control of Kattegat, unbeknownst to Harald. Since Harald wants, and believes, Kattegat will be his, he will not just let Ivar have it, and we’ll be in for yet another battle. But that’s a later problem.
Loyalty: Ivar (for now)
Heahmund
No matter how much Vikings wants us to think that Ivar and Heahmund are the next Ragnar and Athelstan, they just don’t have the same established trust. More likely than not, Bishop Heahmund is entirely in this for himself. He has no more loyalty to Ivar than he does to Lagertha. Whoever he believes will come out on top is who he will ultimately align with.
The promo shows us Heahmund and Lagertha share a kiss, which could indicate changing alliances, or simply be meant to throw us off. Is it even real? Could it be a dream sequence? Only time will tell.
Unless Heahmund has the chance to speak with Lagertha, he’ll stick with Ivar for the time being. He’s seen Ivar in battle, he’s heard Ivar’s strategies, he knows how adept Ivar is in battle. As far as Heahmund is concerned, Ivar has the strongest shot of winning this battle. He’ll stick with him until Ivar falters.
Loyalty: Ivar
Hvitserk
Hvitserk has mostly been a silent soldier in Vikings, thusly his desires and motives are ambiguous. Despite Lagertha killing his mother, Hvitserk was the least inclined among the brothers to seek revenge. Killing Lagertha meant killing Bjorn, and after their travels in season 4, Hvitserk did not wish to see his half-brother die.
Come season 5, Hvitserk seems to be struggling to choose between Ivar and Ubbe. Ivar has the support of many fellow vikings after making a fool of Ubbe, but Ivar also demeans Hvitserk and treats him with little respect. Repeated cutaways of Hvitserk’s reactions to Ivar clearly indicate his growing frustrations, which begs the question, when will Hvitserk turn on Ivar, or has he already?
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In the promo for “The Joke”, we see Hvitserk and Ubbe have a chat in which Ubbe preaches that he doesn’t want to kill him. We also see Ivar put a knife to Hvitserk’s throat. With Hvitserk’s tiring of Ivar’s patronization, Ubbe’s pleads, and his love of Bjorn it’s only a matter of time before he turns on Ivar in favor of Lagertha, Ubbe, and Bjorn. That said, it’s also possible he’s already turned on Ivar, and is merely playing him to gather information for the time being.
Loyalty: Lagertha
Team Lagertha
Bjorn
There is almost no stronger bond on Vikings than Bjorn and his mother. Aside from aligning with his half-brothers to avenge their father, Bjorn has expressed no interest in having anything to do with them. Indeed, when it comes to Ivar, it’s likely that Bjorn will never get along with him. Their ambitions clash, and if Bjorn’s reaction to Ivar killing Sigurd is any indication, Bjorn thinks Ivar is nuts anyway.
Bjorn and Lagertha are loyal until death. There’s no question where Bjorn’s allegiance will fall for this battle.
Loyalty: Lagertha
Halfdan
To the surprise of everyone, Halfdan began season 5 by ditching his brother and joining Bjorn on his expedition of the Mediterranean Sea. He claimed that Harald’s ambitions are of no interest to him, that his aspirations lie elsewhere. This could be true, but it could also be true that Halfdan has actually been trying to gain Bjorn’s trust to benefit Harald in the future.
It’s suspicious that two brothers as close as Halfdan and Harald, who have been inseparable for most, if not all of their life, would be so easily separated on the battlefield. Was Halfdan’s excursion with Bjorn really enough to sway his lifelong loyalty to his brother? Even Lagertha is doubtful of his true intentions, and the fact is, she’s probably right. As much as Halfdan may like Bjorn, his loyalty will always be to his brother. When the time comes, Halfdan will turn on Lagertha to save Harald, regardless of the subsequent consequences.
Loyalty: Ivar
Ubbe
Of all the Ragnarssons, Ubbe has expressed the least interest in attaining power. Much like his father, Ubbe believes himself to be the rightful heir even if he has little interest in ruling. Margrethe’s pleads for him to usurp Lagertha fall on deaf ears, particularly when Ivar is still a threat.
Many raids indicate that Ubbe is the least violent of the brothers, and the most diplomatic leader, if sometimes impulsive. Ubbe is also the most patient with Ivar’s conduct, and while he’ll probably try his best to defeat Ivar without killing him, he’ll never join Ivar’s side. Ivar’s methods of leadership too starkly contradict his own, which are more aligned with Lagertha.
Presumably it pains him to fight against his brothers, so he will do what he can to reason with Ivar and Hvitserk. But when the moment comes, Ubbe will stick with Lagertha and Bjorn for the sake of his people.
Loyalty: Lagertha
Wildcards
Astrid
Given that Astrid does not appear in the promos, it would seem she remains in Vestfold during the upcoming battle. It’s possible she abstains from fighting because of her pregnancy, but Lagertha once fought during a pregnancy. As a powerful shieldmaiden, it seems unlikely a new pregnancy would be enough to stop her from fighting. Perhaps Harald insists Astrid remain behind because he doesn’t want to risk losing the baby.
Either way, Astrid’s loyalty is highly up in the air. She was fiercely loyal to Lagertha, right up until being kidnapped by Harald. Are we to assume she has lost all feelings for Lagertha, having fallen in love with Harald? It seems unlikely. What’s more likely is that Astrid has become complacent in her marriage with Harald because he is a means to achieve power. What’s driving her to stick with Harald is her ambition, not her lack of love for Lagertha.
However, Astrid did risk her life to send Lagertha a message, warning her of Ivar and Harald’s arrival. What’s most likely is that Astrid isn’t selfishly ambitious at all. She is gaining Harald’s trust so she can find out information and relay it back to Lagertha. Lagertha and company’s biggest problem is Ivar’s unpredictability, but if Astrid is able to tell Lagertha his plan in time, she could be the difference between Lagertha living and dying.
Loyalty: Lagertha
Rollo
Veteran viking Rollo is set to finally return to Vikings later this season after years as the Duke of Normandy. Having not lived the viking life for many years, there’s no telling what kind of person he’s become.
Rollo has much history with Lagertha, for better and worse, and no relationship whatsoever with Ivar. Being ignorant to Ivar’s ways, all Ivar might need do is sell him on a good deal, play to whatever Rollo’s current ambitions are. If Ivar uses his charisma well enough, acts like Ragnar just enough, it could be all he needs to convince Rollo to join him.
Then again, regardless of his checkered history with Lagertha, enough time could have past that having history with her at all is enough for him to side with her. A seasoned Rollo is a more mature Rollo, a man who can let the past live in the past. All Lagertha need do is play to Rollo’s sentimentality for his brother, and the good times shared. Add Bjorn to the mix, and how could Rollo resist helping his immediate family?
Loyalty: Lagertha
Results
If loyalties make or break the outcome of this war, Lagertha is more likely to come out on top. Ivar has a lot going for him in terms of battle and strategy, but he has much to learn in earning people’s respect. Leading with fear will only get you so far, and it looks like Ivar will learn this lesson the hard way.
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