Vikings: Why Lagertha Killed Aslaug In Season 4

Vikings has seen many characters die in various ways, and one of the most shocking deaths was Aslaug’s, as she was killed by Lagertha in season 4 – but why? Created by Michael Hirst (The Tudors), Vikings debuted on History Channel in 2013, and even though it was originally planned to be a miniseries, it was quickly renewed for a second season, and so viewers got to really know the story of Ragnar Lothbrok and all those around him.

Legendary Norse figure Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel) was the lead of Vikings, as the series followed his travels and raids alongside his Viking brothers, but as the stories progressed, the series changed its focus to Ragnar’s sons and their own journeys. After Ragnar’s death in season 4, his sons became the leads of the series, but not all the characters that were by Ragnar’s side since season 1 made it to the series’ sixth and final season. Among those is Aslaug (Alyssa Sutherland), who died one episode before Ragnar.

Aslaug was a Götaland Princess, daughter of the famed dragon-slayer Sigurd, and who met Ragnar when he and his men traveled to Götaland to resolve a land dispute in King Horik’s name. At that point, Ragnar and Lagertha’s (Katherine Winnick) relationship was in trouble following a miscarriage, and he fell for Aslaug right away. Aslaug became Ragnar’s second wife and the mother of his sons Ubbe, Hvitserk, Sigurd “Snake in the Eye”, and Ivar “the Boneless”. Needless to say, there was a lot of hostility between Lagertha and Aslaug, which peaked in season 4, specifically in the episode “In the Uncertain Hour Before the Morning”, where Aslaug renounced herself as Queen of Kattegat and promised Lagertha that her sons wouldn’t seek revenge if she granted her safe passage to leave. Lagertha agreed, but as Aslaug walked away, she shot an arrow to her back, killing her on the spot.

Fans have wondered why, after all those years, Lagertha chose to break her promise and kill Aslaug, but there are very good reasons for that. First off, there was no way Lagertha was going to let Aslaug have Kattegat, no matter how much time passed, and even though she forgave Ragnar because she never stopped loving him, she never forgave Aslaug for what she did. Lagertha wanted to take Kattegat back and she did, but she also had to kill Aslaug in retaliation for pretty much destroying her family. In addition to that, by killing Aslaug, Lagertha carried on with the Seer’s prophecy that a woman would rule Kattegat – and she later fulfilled another prophecy with her death.

Lagertha died in Vikings season 6 when Hvitserk, in a state of delirium, hallucinated a serpent he believed to be his brother, Ivar, and proceeded to stab it, but he was actually attacking Lagertha (who was already wounded after a battle). Lagertha died and her funeral was shown in the next episode, but her death fulfilled yet another one of the Seer’s prophecies, this time one that said she was going to be killed by one of Ragnar’s sons. Vikings believed their paths were already written, and having the Seer and his prophecies as part of the show is a good way to represent that, yet Lagertha’s decision to kill Aslaug after promising safe passage came as a surprise – and, ultimately, neither Aslaug nor Lagertha could escape from the Seer’s words.

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Adrienne Tyler
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Adrienne Tyler is a features writer for Screen Rant. She is an Audiovisual Communication graduate who wanted to be a filmmaker, but life had other plans (and it turned out great). Prior to Screen Rant, she wrote for Pop Wrapped, 4 Your Excitement (4YE), and D20Crit, where she was also a regular guest at Netfreaks podcast. She was also a contributor for FanSided’s BamSmackPow and 1428 Elm. Adrienne is very into films and she enjoys a bit of everything: from superhero films to heartbreaking dramas, to low-budget horror films. Every time she manages to commit to a TV show without getting bored, an angel gets its wings.

When she’s not writing, you can find her trying to learn a new language, watching hockey (go Avs!), or wondering what life would have been like had Pushing Daisies, Firefly, and Limitless not been cancelled. Breakfast food is life and coffee is what makes the world go round.

Guillermo del Toro said “hi” to her once. It was great.

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