Vikings: 10 Best Ivar Quotes, Ranked

In Vikings, Ivar The Boneless is mostly known for his tyranny and unique military strategies. Fighting quietly isn’t his style either and he has a penchant for screaming as a way to intimidate his opponents and also rally his own men. This is something that makes him a target of jokes from the show’s fans.

However, Ivar isn’t all about the noise and whenever he is calm, he engages in sensible conversations. He understands that he isn’t loved so he never waits for others to exalt him. He chooses to do it himself, resulting in some of his best remarks. He is also at his conversational best when he is being brutally honest about various subjects.

10 “If You Are Fated, It Doesn’t Matter If You Choose Or Not.”

One of Hvitserk’s most shocking decisions came when he aligned with Ivar and King Harald as they were preparing to face off against Bjorn and Lagertha. He wasn’t content with his choice, but Ivar bluntly told him that it didn’t matter because fate was always meant to bring them together.

The debate as to whether events unfold because of fate or due to personal decisions is a common one on the show. Firm believers in Norse mythology, like Ivar and Floki, always believe that actions mattered little because the gods had already decided. Though the conversation between Ivar and Hvitserk raises an important question, no certain answer is ever given, but it says a lot about Ivar and his beliefs, nonetheless.

9 “We Never Really Change, We Just Think That We Do.”

Among the most shocking parts of the final season was the emergence of the Freydis lookalike, Princess Katia. Ivar fell in love with her but was later forced to say a tearful goodbye. Since he was normally the type to get too attached, Hvitserk figured he had changed, but Ivar disagreed.

These specific words are among the best things Ivar has said because they strongly mirror real-life experience, for some. Ivar’s suggestion that change is nothing but a state of mind is true for many who believe that people never really change, even if they think they do. Again, this also says a lot about Ivar and his belief system and what propels him to make the decisions that he does.

8 “What Is It About The Word King That Makes Even Reasonable People Behave Like Idiots?”

Harald had an important question for Ivar as they made a pact to invade Kattegat: what exactly does he want? Ivar claimed his only goal was to avenge his mother’s death. But Harald wasn’t convinced, and he asked Ivar if being king didn’t matter to him.

Unlike Ivar, Harald was always forthright about his ambitions. However, it’s his open lust for power that also causes others to detest, distrust, and sabotage him. A little discretion would have seen him go a long way. Ivar wasn’t always known for his burns but this rare one made the question stand out even more.

7 “I Wish I Wasn’t So Angry All The Time.”

Right before King Ecbert sanctioned what would be one of the most brutal kills in the series, he arranged for a boat to take Ivar back home. Ivar insisted on dying with his father, feeling he wouldn’t amount to anything anyway, due to his anger. An optimistic Ragnar reassured him that his anger was his greatest asset.

Ragnar had never said truer words. It’s Ivar’s anger that would go on to make him a ruthless warrior on the battlefield. His anger would also make him a merciless and feared tyrant, as he would brutally execute anyone who disrespected him. While this trait wasn’t beneficial to people who surrounded him, it was indeed a great asset.

6 “All Of My Brothers Are Against Me. Now I Know I’m The Chosen One.”

Ordinary men would be scared to learn that two of their brothers had joined forces against them. But Ivar was glad to learn that Hvitserk had teamed up with Bjorn. To him, it meant they viewed him as a serious threat.

Ivar’s boastful moment here accentuates his confidence. Talking big and backing it up was what Ivar did best, as he outsmarted Bjorn and his men in the battle that followed, making arrows and fire rain on them. Ivar’s self-praise also serves as a key pride-before-fall moment as his wife Freydis betrays him, causing Bjorn, Harald, and Hvitserk to overthrow him.

5 “The Gods Never Had Children With Humans.”

Freydis and Ivar made one of the most unhealthy relationships in Vikings. She promised Ivar that she would conceive for him even though he was impotent. Skeptical, he correctly argued that this would be impossible since gods didn’t mate with humans. Next move? The manipulative Freydis convinced Ivar that he was a god.

Ivar’s blind love was once again evident here. He had the facts but his feelings of affection for Freydis made him believe he’d get an heir through supernatural means. That he later believed the child Freydis had with a servant was his showcased his occasional lack of intelligence, which would later lead to his downfall.

4 “In The Name Of Ragnar Lothbrok, The Greatest Hero Of Our Country And In The Name Of Odin, We Declare War.”

Revenge was also a certainty after Ragnar’s death. Ubbe, Ivar, and Sigurd quickly gathered a large army to go to England to make King Aelle pay and Ivar made the perfect declaration of war.

Ivar’s pronouncement was an important one because it served as an assurance to viewers. Ragnar’s death had been painful. as he was high up the list of fan-favorite characters. Ivar’s words meant that the people responsible wouldn’t get away with it. The declaration also served as a preview of how great a military strategist Ivar would become.

3 “The Gods Abandoned You A Long Time Ago, My Brother. There Is No Way You Can Win.”

Bjorn was allegedly protected by the gods, but this was put to test when he faced off against Ivar and the Rus army. Ivar stabbed him and made sure to remind him that victory was far beyond his reach.

In reality, Bjorn’s good run was actually down to his skills. But all good runs come to an end and Bjorn had to die, one way or the other. Nevertheless, the quote was a salient one because it reemphasized the fact that in the cutthroat world of the Vikings, only the most brutal ones won, not the good ones.

2 “No One Will Ever Forget Ivar The Boneless.”

Like Harald, Hvitserk was also confused about Ivar’s true ambitions, so he asked him about it. Ivar was more open this time, telling Hvitserk that he wanted to be greater than his father. He was certain that his achievements would be so great that no one would forget him the same way they forgot his father.

This is yet another boastful Ivar moment that’s high among his best ever quotes because it shows just how quickly he had evolved. It is also an example of good character development on the show. Just a few years earlier, Ivar was so hopeless that he wanted to die with Ragnar, but now, he was keen on becoming a legend.

1 “Peace Is A Dirty Word.”

Ubbe’s eagerness to claim the lands that King Ecbert had signed over to Ragnar made him bring up the idea of a truce with the Saxons. Ivar rejected it because he had already defeated the Saxons in the first phase of the battle. Ubbe didn’t listen and so he went to talk to Aethelwulf and Heahmund. Things turned out badly for him as he was beaten and humiliated.

Ivar’s utterances while rejecting the idea of peace hold greater weight than everything else he said because they marked the moment when the tide would turn in his favor, leading to him becoming ruler. Ubbe and Hvitserk’s humiliation at the hands of Aethelwulf and Heahmund led to Ivar taking over as the new leader of The Great Heathen Army and this wouldn’t have happened if Ivar had accompanied them.

About The Author

Philip Etemesi
(1215 Articles Published)

Philip Etemesi is an author, journalist, screenwriter and film critic based in Nairobi. Kenya. As a child, he preferred watching movies like The Goodfellas instead of Home Alone. His girlfriend constantly has to pull him from the front of the TV but he just keeps returning. Stubborn dude! An animal lover, Philip also has a pet giraffe called Refu.

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