Inspired by his life history, the History channel made a historical drama television series which was written and created by Michael Hirst. It premiered on March 3, 2013, in Canada and was a successful series. Historians disagree about how Ragnar Lothbrok died; the majority believe he was held captive by King Aella and thrown into a snake pit to die, while others believe he died in a storm while sailing across the Irish Sea. There isn’t a single written document that specifically mentions his death. However, there is strong debate among the History channel’s ‘Viking’ fans.
There was a battle between King Charles the Bold’s Frankish forces and Ragnar during the siege of Paris in Viking, Season 3. Ragnar had a bad fall while climbing a tower during the first assault, and he suffered a lot of damage. Ragnar has later seen vomiting, coughing, and peeing blood after colliding against a wall and landing on his back.
Also See: What Were Ragnar Lothbrok’s Last Words?
After that, he is shown to be injured, but it is never stated what kind of injury he is suffering from. It appears that the problem isn’t with his spine (he can walk), but with something internal, such as liver or kidney damage. He’s later seen with bloody urine and vomiting. His coughing appears to be a sign of lung damage. That didn’t stop him from carrying out his plans, and they went on to attack Paris a few more times.
What disease does Ragnar have? Many fans speculated that he was suffering from kidney disease or an internal injury. Given his coughing, it’s also possible he had a lung injury. Ragnar wasn’t killed or broken by the injury, but he wasn’t invincible either, and he couldn’t escape when King Aella threw him into the pit of snakes. As there are no historical records that could point to how Ragnar could have died, it’s all up for viewers’ interpretation.
