The Real Reason This Major Character Is Missing From Vikings

History's hit historical drama Vikings is currently in the final hiatus of its run. Some time later this year, viewers will get to see the epic conclusion of Scandinavian saga, and learn the fates of Ragnar's surviving sons...well, except for one of them, who was unceremoniously left out of the series altogether.

If you've been following Vikings, you probably think that original protagonist Ragnar Lothbrok sired enough bloodthirsty sons to satisfy any medieval Norweigian king. Interestingly, his offspring are more than mere invention, as we actually have historical sources for the existence of all the sons of Ragnar portrayed on the show. The historical Ragnar did indeed have two wives, and those two wives actually bore him more sons than we get to see squabbling on Vikings.

Aside from passing references in the late 9th-century Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, our best contemporaneous information about the life of Ragnar Lothbrok and his sons comes from the Sagas, an incomplete collection of Norse, Danish, Swedish and Icelandic mythology from the Viking Age that only survives in partial form. While some scholars have argued that the accounts of Ragnar and his progeny should be taken as folklore or mere myth, some of the events chronicled in these stories line up well with the better-sourced English histories of the so-called Great Heathen Invasion. According to this "historical" record, Vikings is missing one of Ragnar's sons.

During the time period alluded to in the Sagas and explicitly covered by the show, a massive Scandinavian army landed on the northern and eastern coasts of England, and very nearly wiped out the dominant Anglo-Saxon civilization through successive waves of invasion. The events of these Viking invasions were dramatized on the fourth and fifth seasons of Vikings, in which the sons of Ragnar sailed to England to avenge the death of their father at the hands of the Northumbrian King. Interestingly, Ragnar's death in a Northumbrian snake pit also comes directly from the Sagas.

The historical record includes references to all the sons of Ragnar that fans of the series have come to know, love and loathe. Ubbe and Ivar, in particular, play an outsized role in the historical Heathen Invasion of England. The historical accounts also make reference, however, to another Lothbrok of arguably greater import than many of the characters who are included on the show. Halfdan Ragnarsson was supposedly a Viking warlord alongside his brothers Ubbe and Ivar. He led men in the Great Heathen Army of the 860s, and nearly wiped Wessex off the map. So, where is he on Vikings?

Halfdan is named in the Sagas, but also in Icelandic epic poetry. He is explicitly cited as one of the many sons of Ragnar Lothbrok. According to these literary accounts, he is believed to be the fifth son of Queen Aslaug, Ragnar's second wife. Since both Ragnar and Aslaug have already been dispatched on Vikings, we know no additional son is forthcoming from their union. Was this just an oversight? What gives?

Halfdan's exclusion wasn't for lack of source material. He lived an impactful life at least on par with that of his siblings. The historical record places Halfdan in Wessex proper at the time of the Great Heathen Invasion. He ultimately settled in Northumbria, a region of England under extensive Danish control at the time. He died there some time around 877.

Even though Vikings played around with the timing of these events, Halfdan's historical accomplishments certainly intersected substantially enough with the story creator Michael Hirst was trying to tell to merit at least some consideration.

According to the Daily Express, Hirst actually had a rational historical reason for excluding Halfdan from his series. Per Hirst's research prior to drafting the pilot, he discovered that the Norse sagas he was mining for source material never mention Halfdan and Hvitserk, one of Ragnar's other sons, in the same account. Hvitserk is the name favored in Norse stories, whereas Halfdan is cited in the Anglo-Saxon accounts. As a result, some scholars have reached the conclusion that Halfdan and Hvitserk may actually be the same person. Since the whole Lothbrok saga is of dubious historical authenticity, it's entirely possible that this would be the case.

Instead of bloating the cast with an additional Lothbrok son, Hirst opted to agree with the scholars arguing that Halfdan and Hvitserk were one and the same. So, in some sense, Halfdan is included in the popular series, just under a different name.

The first half of Vikings Season 6 is currently streaming on Amazon Prime and History. Catch up before the final raiding party launches by the end of 2020. Watch the video to learn The Real Reason This Major Character Is Missing From Vikings!

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