2. A composite character drawn from several Vikings, Ragnar Lodbrok is believed to have been killed after being thrown into a pit of snakes at the order of King Ælla of Northumbria
An uncertain character from Norse history, Ragnar Lodbrok was a legendary warrior-king of Denmark and Sweden during the Viking Age. Appearing in several Old Norse sagas, the figure of Ragnar is repeatedly associated with numerous distinguished events, including raids against Francia and Anglo-Saxon England during the 9th century. Most prominently, the character – widely considered a composite of several leaders from throughout the age – is attached to the Siege of Paris in 845, which saw the Viking forces successfully occupy the city and extract vast sums in plunder from the conquered Franks.
Although no evidence exists for Ragnar beyond the mythology associated with the figure, several features of his life remain constant across these many stories. Famously, the death of Ragnar at the hands of King Ælla of Northumbria in 865 is one of these elements, with Viking tradition holding the legendary warrior was slain after being captured and thrown into a pit of snakes. The death of Ragnar at the hands of Ælla, unlike other aspects of Ragnar’s story, is strongly corroborated, with the Great Heathen Army invading Northumberland soon after, led by the Ragnarssons, claiming vengeance against those responsible and wreaking havoc throughout Anglo-Saxon England for generations.