Vikings: 5 Worst Things Bjorn Did (& The 5 Most Heroic)
History's Vikings took a sharp turn into a family feud between Ragnar's sons and has since turned into an all-out war, as Bjorn (Alexander Ludwig) and Ivar (Alex Hogh Anderson) shake the world. Loyalties have been tested throughout the bloody war, revealing Bjorn as the wiser of all of Ragnar's sons.
From the time he fought side by side with his father and mother to the time when he was forced to raise an army against his bloodthirsty brother, Bjorn Ironside remained the sanest Viking. He has been tested more than any other character in the hit historical drama and made some bad decisions along the way and, of course, a few heroic ones.
10 Heroic: Marrying Torvi
Porunn was obviously Bjorn's first love, although she made a bad mother and, worst of all, a bad partner. When his first marriage hit the rocks, Bjorn found a new love in Torvi, although she was a hard bargain considering her husband Erlendur was King Horik's son.
Torvi was also very protective of Bjorn, especially when she placed her back in the way of Erlendur's arrow and later killed her husband to protect Bjorn. Torvi and Bjorn were a perfect match, and their relationship gave him a chance to be a husband and a father, something that was very important in his legacy.
9 Worst: Abandoning Siggy
This was probably the coldest thing Bjorn did in his entire life. It is really hard to understand how Bjorn showed such care towards Guthrum, the son of his enemy, yet he left his own daughter to die with less than any parental care. The little girl was Bjorn's firstborn and definitely deserved all of his love. Bjorn, however, gave little attention to the little girl, even after her mother abandoned her.
Considering he named the child Siggy in memory of his aunt, the former Queen of Kattegat, abandoning her really degraded the memory of Siggy and his place as a father. The poor parenting was reciprocated by Aslaug, who was trusted with poor Siggy's care, leading to her death. The sickening part is that Bjorn wasn't even surprised when he was informed of his daughter's death.
8 Heroic: Leading His Brothers To Avenge His Father
Ragnar Lothbrok made many mistakes in his lifetime, including sailing to England to his death, but he was still a great man. He was also a good father to Bjorn, which is why Bjorn had to avenge his death. Calling off his expedition in the Mediterranean to come to avenge his father sealed his position as the wisest of Ragnar's sons and the deserving heir of his legacy.
It was also the best chance he had of bringing Ragnar's family together and reducing the tensions that had been created by his mother, who had just killed Aslaug. His ability to rally his brothers to avenge their father also got him an army, which later became important when the actual war began.
7 Worst: Refusing To Accompany His Father To England
Ragnar's death can be blamed on all the characters in the drama, although Bjorn bore the biggest blame. After Ragnar's defeat in Frankia and later his disappearance in shame, Bjorn was the most significant leader in Kattegat. His decision not to accompany his father to England when he returned from his self-imposed exile was the final nail on Ragnar's coffin.
If he had abandoned his Mediterranean dreams and accompanied his father to England, the whole of Kattegat would have easily followed his lead, which would give Ragnar a better chance of fighting. His refusal forced Ragnar to embark on the doomed expedition with Ivar, which led to his death and only emboldened Ivar's ego.
6 Heroic: Seeking Peace With Ivar
Ivar wasn't always friendly towards Bjorn, although Lagertha's killing of Aslaug boosted his anger. The rift in the family became too wide to bridge, but at least Bjorn tried many times. After Ragnar's death, Bjorn convinced Ivar that his anger against Lagertha was justified, but avenging Ragnar was more important.
When Ivar attacked Kattegat in the fifth season, with Harald's help, Bjorn again tried to negotiate with him, although Ivar's anger got the better of him. Generally, Bjorn was better at bringing Ragnar's family together and keeping Ivar in check than his own mother.
5 Worst: Sailing Across The Mediterranean
Bjorn had a dream to explore the Mediterranean long before he even had a single ship. While his ambition was good, his timing was very poor. He had to cancel his first trip to come back and avenge Ragnar. When he went on the voyage a second time, he was met by horrific encounters at the hands of Emir Ziyadat, including eating Euphemius.
His Mediterranean expedition did not bear any substantial fruit. It only made him weaker and gave Ivar enough time to gather an army strong enough to take control of Kattegat. If he had stayed with his brothers after avenging their father, he would have become the King of Kattegat sooner.
4 Heroic: Rejecting Rollo's Help
Rollo was a bad brother to Ragnar and definitely the worst uncle to Ragnar's sons. If he is Bjorn's dad as he claimed, then he is still the worst dad in the whole show. Rollo's betrayal of Ragnar was the worst blow to Bjorn as it caused him to lose his father and eventually his brothers.
Rollo's Frankian reinforcements were also the reason why Ivar took Kattegat from Bjorn and almost got him and his mother killed. Accepting Rollo's refuge would have poisoned his legacy as Ragnar's son. It would also seem like betraying his father all over again. It proved his resilience as a leader and a warrior as he preferred to fight his own way out of his predicaments than take the help of a treacherous uncle/dad.
3 Worst: Underestimating Ivar
Bjorn had lots of opportunities to end Ivar's madness, but he always saw him as his little brother. When Ivar killed Sigurd, Bjorn had the opportunity to punish him since he was the leader of the family at the time, but he only watched as he got worse.
When Ivar finally raised his first army with Harald's help and attacked Kattegat, Bjorn still didn't think he was a threat enough. It is fair to say that Ivar's terror is, to a large extent, the product of Bjorn's mistakes. Every time, Bjorn seems to underestimate just how broken Ivar is and his assumptions allowed Ivar to grow powerful and brutal.
2 Heroic: Forming An Alliance With Harald
Bjorn and Harald have one of the most complicated relationships in the entire drama, starting with their mutual admiration for Gunnhild. When they first met, they were focussed on killing each other, although they were the only reasonable leaders of the Vikings.
After their initial mutual hatred, the two agreed on a strategy to bring back sanity to Kattegat and eventually, the whole of Scandinavia, an option Ivar would never accept. Bjorn's alliance with Harald allowed him to finally gain his deserved position as heir of Kattegat.
1 Worst: Staying Behind To Fight The Rus
The first half of the sixth season ended with Ivar stabbing Bjorn, who may be dead or close to death from the look of things. Bjorn's alliance with Harald against the Rus army was not well received in Scandinavia, as no one answered to his call for an alliance. Being the great warrior he was, everyone expected Bjorn to come up with a perfect plan for defeating Ivar and his allies, but he underestimated him again.
He also let his feelings get the better of him when he refused to retreat with the other fighters and decided to continue fighting. His emotional war may well have led to the end of the story of the great Bjorn Ironside, leaving Ivar to become the king.