Ragnars saga loðbrókar
Also known as: The Saga of Ragnar Loðbrók, Ragnar Lothbrok's Saga, Ragnar Lodbrok, Ragnars saga lodbrokar
A legendary Icelandic saga narrating Ragnar Loðbrók’s feats—from slaying the serpent for Þóra to marrying the hidden princess Áslaug—and the exploits of their sons, culminating in Ragnar’s death in King Ælla’s snake-pit and the famed revenge campaigns across the North Sea.
Description
Ragnars saga loðbrókar weaves disparate traditions into a continuous prose legend of the famous Viking chieftain Ragnar Loðbrók and his lineage. It begins with Ragnar’s serpent-slaying courtship of Þóra and proceeds to his encounter with the mysterious Kráka, later revealed as Áslaug, daughter of Sigurðr and Brynhildr. The saga links Ragnar’s fortunes to those of his sons—Ívarr the Boneless, Bjǫrn Ironside, Hvítserkr, Sigurðr Snake-in-the-Eye, and others—whose rivalries, raids, and avengements drive the narrative. Key episodes include the deaths of Eiríkr and Agnarr, the revenge against King Eysteinn Beli, Ragnar’s fatal capture by King Ælla of Northumbria, and the subsequent vengeance led by his sons. The work stands at the crossroads of heroic legend and historical memory, interfacing Scandinavian lore with Anglo-Saxon chronicle motifs.
Historiography
The saga survives as part of the fornaldarsögur corpus and likely crystallizes in late 13th-century Iceland from older poetic and prose traditions, including references to the skaldic lay Krákumál and to legendary material about Sigurðr and the Vǫlsungar. It is closely associated with the separate Ragnarssona þáttr, which elaborates the sons’ campaigns and their revenge on Ælla. Medieval Latin historiography (notably Saxo’s Gesta Danorum) preserves overlapping but variant accounts of Regnerus and his descendants, reflecting a multi-strand transmission. Modern editions collate divergent manuscripts and normalize orthography; English translations vary in chaptering and narrative emphasis.
Date Notes
Legendary materials about Ragnar and his sons circulated orally in Scandinavia; the extant Icelandic prose compilation is generally dated to the late 1200s.
Archetypes
Major Characters
- Ragnar Loðbrók
- Aslaug
- Ivar the Boneless
- Björn Ironside
- Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye
- Hvitserk
- Ubbe
- King Ælla
Myths
- The Serpent-Slaying for Thora
- Marriage to Aslaug
- Raids of Ragnar
- Death in the Snake Pit
- Vengeance of the Sons
Facts
- A fornaldarsaga (legendary saga) likely compiled in Iceland in the late 13th century.
- Integrates earlier traditions including the skaldic lay Krákumál and Vǫlsung genealogies via Áslaug.
- Presents Ragnar’s first marriage to Þóra after slaying the serpent guarding her bower.
- Identifies Kráka as Áslaug, daughter of Sigurðr Fáfnisbani and Brynhildr, linking to Völsunga saga.
- Narrative climax is Ragnar’s death in King Ælla’s snake-pit and his sons’ revenge.
- Closely related to Ragnarssona þáttr, which expands the sons’ exploits and English campaigns.
- Shares motifs with Saxo Grammaticus’ Regnerus narrative in Gesta Danorum, though details diverge.
- Combines heroic legend with pseudo-historical names from Anglo-Saxon contexts.
- Manuscript traditions vary in chaptering, names, and episode ordering.
- The saga’s portrayal influenced modern retellings of Ragnar and his sons across media.