The Danes

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Household of Ragnar the Fearless

Ragnar the Fearless

Earl Ragnar the Fearless

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ragnar.jpg

Portrayed By: Peter Gantzler

A formidable and infamous Danish warlord, Earl Ragnar is fearless, charming, and a natural leader — but also a warm-hearted family man. Devoted to his son, Ragnar the Younger, he doesn't hesitate to also take Uhtred under his wing, seeing spark and courage in the Saxon boy. Uhtred sees Ragnar as his true father.

Action Dad: The two traits that seem to define Ragnar the most are his skill as a warrior and his devotion to his family.
Deadpan Snarker: He seems to have inherited a dry sense of humor from Ravn. When Sven protests that he only stripped Thyra half-naked, Ragnar turns to Uhtred who confirms it. Ragnar's response to this is that he will thus only take one eye as punishment.
Decapitation Presentation: He presents Lord Uhtred with the head of his oldest son.
Dying Moment of Awesome: Ragnar goes out charging at his enemies while on fire. He died as he lived: a solid badass.
Eye Scream: As punishment for Sven's attack on Thyra, he knocks the kid's eye out.
Man on Fire: Ragnar dies after his hall is set on fire with him inside, but it doesn't stop him from charging at his foes.
Mercy Kill: He kills his wife to save her from being raped/taken as a slave/killed slowly by Kjartan.
Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Ragnar the Fearless.
Papa Wolf: He's fiercely protective of his children. He reacts violently to Sven's mistreatment of his daughter, then adopts Uhtred and comes to think of him as a second son when he learns that Uhtred defended Thyra (and delivered quite a beatdown to Sven). He also encourages Uhtred to pursue a relationship with Brida before some other young man snaps her up.
Shipper on Deck: He supports a relationship between his adoptive wards Uhtred and Brida.

Ravn

Portrayed By: Rutger Hauer

Earl Ragnar's elderly father, Ravn, is a 'skald' (a Viking poet and wise man). Given his considerable life experience, he is philosophical about the struggles of the Danes and is able to impart his wisdom to young Uhtred, who often acts as the eyes of blind Ravn.

Better to Die than Be Killed: He and his daughter in-law allow themselves to be stabbed to death rather then burn alive or be killed by Kjartan’s men.
Blind Seer: Downplayed, but he is blind and able to tell more from simply tasting the water of the river than Ragnar and Kjartan with their eyes.
Cool Old Guy: He was once a formidable viking himself and in retirement still gives advice and jokes to those who will listen.
Deadpan Snarker: His age and blindness have not dulled his wit.
Dead Star Walking: Rutger Hauer is one of the bigger names of the cast. He dies very early on.
The Philosopher: Most of his scenes involve him waxing philosophical about the Danes and their lifestyle.
Retired Badass: He is a former Earl and raider himself, and now advises his son.
Warrior Poet: As a Danish skald, he embodies this concept.

Household of Ragnar the Younger

Ragnar the Younger

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ragnar_1.jpg

Portrayed By: Tobias Santelmann

Uhtred’s Danish brother Ragnar the Younger is brave, loyal and fair, and will come to Uhtred’s aid when he’s most needed, despite struggling with his brother’s enduring loyalty to Alfred and the Saxon cause. Ragnar and Brida are now Alfred’s hostages, but Ragnar knows he must fulfil his destiny by avenging his father’s death at the hands of Kjartan the Cruel.

Barbarian Hero: Ragnar is a true viking cut from the same cloth as his father.
Big Brother Instinct: Towards Uhtred and Thyra.
Big Damn Heroes: Arrives just in time to save Uhtred from Sven One-Eye.
Cincinnatus: He doesn't really want the power of Dunholm, he just wants to kill Kjartan and avenge his family.
Co-Dragons: Becomes one to Guthrum with Skorpa of the White Horse in Episode 8.
Due to the Dead: Uhtred and Brida spend the latter part of Season 3 trying to find a way to let Ragnar pass from Niflheim to Valhalla after his murder. Uhtred accomplishes this for his brother by killing Aethelwold.
Extreme Mêlée Revenge: On Kjartan. In fact, Ragnar goes so far that even Brida is unnerved by it, and Uhtred has to pull Ragnar off Kjartan's corpse to make it stop.
Heroic Comedic Sociopath: Anti-heroic at least. This is best exemplified by his Black Comedy exchange with Abbot Eadred.
Eadred: [Gisela] is married and it cannot be undone.
Ragnar: Make her a widow. [cue a Mass "Oh, Crap!" from Eadred and his cronies]
Heroic Second Wind: Kjartan's vicious taunting about his family's death only end up giving Ragnar the revenge-fuelled rage he needs to win.
Little "No": In the Season 1 finale, when it becomes clear that Guthrum won't fight on, convinced by the death of Skorpa the Saxons have God on their side, Ragnar dismisses Guthrum with one of these and throws himself back into the battle.
Ragnar: Lord, what are your orders?! Lord!
Guthrum: Did you see that? It came as the priest said. Their god is with them.
Ragnar: So what are your orders?! (realises Guthrum won't fight) No, lord.
Pummelling The Corpse: Keeps hacking and chopping at Kjartan long after he's clearly dead.
"The Reason You Suck" Speech: In Season 3, after Aethelwold's meddling drive Uhtred away for good, Ragnar turns on Aethelwold, calling him out for being The Manipulator and The Corrupter, all while beating the shit out of Aethelwold.
Ragnar: You drip poison in every ear! You smear everything around you with shit!
Second Love: To Brida.
Undignified Death: Aethelwold kills him in his bed while he has no weapon, dooming him to Niflheim. Ultimately averted, as Uhtred killing Aethelwold should let him pass on to Valhalla.
We Need a Distraction: In the siege of Dunholm, Ragnar and Brida lead a frontal attack to keep Kjartan focused on them so he won't notice Uhtred and a small force infiltrating the fortress to sabotage its defences.
You Killed My Father: He's set his sights on Kjartan for murdering Ragnar the Fearless. In Season 2, he successfully extracts revenge in a very brutal manner.

Brida

Portrayed By: Emily Cox

Alongside Uhtred, Brida is captured as a child and raised by Danes. Brida and Uhtred's similar fates bind them as kindred spirits; the two become best friends and lovers. Fearless, gutsy, outspoken, and a born fighter, Brida immediately feels at home in the boisterous world of the Danes.

Adaptational Heroism: “Heroism” is not an entirely accurate word. But the Brida of the TV show is far more sympathetic than the Brida of the later books in the series. The Brida of the show is shown to still care for Uhtred is some way right up to her death. In the books, Brida vanishes for a while, and when she shows up again she is a creature of cruelty and malice, with whatever affection she once had for Uhtred nothing more than a faint memory.
Ass Shove: She shoves a branch up Storri's arse; he's not exactly undeserving of such treatment.
Ax-Crazy: Her behaviour in the latter part of Season 4 definitely falls into this.
Boomerang Bigot: By Season 4, she has developed a burning hatred of Saxons. That she herself is a Saxon captured and raised by Danes doesn't deter her in the slightest.
Childhood Friend Romance: With Uhtred. They were raised together, and become lovers as adults. They later end this relationship, and she becomes Ragnar's wife.
Cruel Mercy: In Season 3, after Ragnar's death, she bluntly tells Uhtred that the only reason she won't kill him is because she wants him to live with the guilt and the pain of having failed his brother.
Brida: I should kill you, but I want you to live with the pain of his death. He was your brother!
- Brida is on the receiving end of this in Season 4. Uhtred, having lost nearly all of his family by this point, is unable to grant her the warrior's death she begs for — and so she's taken prisoner by the Welsh and they abuse her cruelly.
Dark Action Girl: She throws herself into battle with as much enthusiasm as any of the men, and derides any Dane who seeks peace before Wessex has been crushed.
Dark Messiah: At the start of Season 5, she has come to see herself as the champion of the Norse gods, leading a band of fanatics who regularly engage in human sacrifice and calling for a vicious purge of any Danes in Eoferwic who have converted to Christianity. Her daughter's death seems to break her out of these delusions.
Death Seeker: The death of her daughter in Season 5 reduces her to this. In their final duel, she even begs Uhtred to kill her, insisting she has nothing left to live for.
Brida: Uhtred, kill me. Come on! Come on! You must kill me, I have nothing left to live for!
Desecrating the Dead: After Winchester falls to Sigtryggr's army, Brida has her men exhume and desecrate the bodies of Saxon warriors. Surprisingly, she restrains herself from doing the same to the tomb of King Alfred.
Died in Your Arms Tonight: Uhtred cradles the dying Brida in her arms and, when she whispers she feels cold, places a dagger in her hands so she can go to Valhalla instead of Niflheim.
The Dog Bites Back: After spending several episodes being humiliated and tortured by Rhodri, the brother of the Welsh king Hywel, when Sigtrygger frees her from captivity, Brida inflicts the same humiliation on Rhodri before killing him.
First Love: She was Uhtred's and though life takes them away from each other, it's clear that he still cares deeply about her.
Good Old Ways: She thoroughly believes in this and is thoroughly hostile to Christianity as a result.
Happily Adopted: By Ragnar's family.
Heel–Face Door-Slam: Shot in the back by Stiorra mere moments after Uhtred finally convinces her to end their feud and reconcile.
I Shall Taunt You: Goads Uhtred into fighting her by mocking him over what she did to his son.
Uhtred: It didn't have to be this way!
Brida: (laughes) Funny, your son said the same thing when he begged to keep his balls. (Uhtred roars in rage and attacks her)
In the Back: Stiorra kills her with an arrow from behind in retaliation for the atrocities Brida committed in Eoforwic when Uhtred can't bring himself to slay Brida.
Kick the Dog: She has Young Uhtred castrated as a message to his father, then mocks Uhtred about it to his face when he confronts her.
Uhtred: You should have come for me, not my children!
Brida: It's not like the little priest was using his cock anyway!
- She slaughters dozens of people in Eoforwic during her cult's occupation of the city to draw Stiorra out of hiding, and when Stiorra finally confronts Brida to stop the killings, Brida kills Stiorra's handmaid in front of her out of spite.
Kick The Son Of A Bitch: Her mistreatment of Rhodri, Aethelhelm and Eardwulf definitely counts as this.
Not Allowed to Grow Old: Much like Uhtred, although even more exaggerated, as not only does she look the same after decades pass in-story, she spends most of Season 4 pregnant despite the fact she should be well into her 40s or 50s.
Outliving One's Offspring: Vibeke, her daughter by Cnut is killed falling from a church spire during the battle to retake Eoforwic.
Pet the Dog: She reconciles with Uhtred in Season 3 when he reveals the only reason he swore allegiance to Alfred for a second time was to stop Ragnar from being executed for not intervening when Uhtred murdered Eadred.
- She also places an axe in the hand of the dying Bloodhair so he can enter Valhalla.
- Despite hating Cnut for his part in Ragnar's death, Brida clearly loves the daughter he fathered on her.
Pregnant Badass: In Season 4, being heavily pregnant isn't enough to keep her from attacking Uhtred or being directly involved in the siege of Winchester.
Rage Against the Heavens: Her daughter's death causes Brida to angrily curse the Norse and Christian gods for taking her child away.
Religion of Evil: In Season 5, she's become the leader of a fundamentalist group of warrior fanatics who practice Human Sacrifice and mass slaughter of Christians in their skewed worship of the Norse gods.
Screw the Rules, I Make Them!: Her blindfolded daughter picks the prisoners who are to be sacrificed. Brida gleefully kills anyone not in her cult that the girl picks, but when her daughter picks Brida's underling Rognvaldr, she merely slashes him on the cheek and says the gods will be content with the offering.
Sins of the Father: In Season 5, she mutilates Young Uhtred and tries to murder Stiorra to get back at Uhtred.
Stay in the Kitchen: She encounters this attitude among the Saxons, and she is very opposed to it, to say the least. She seems to consider it the worst of all possible fates.
Spare a Messenger: In Season 5, she non-fatally stabs Pyrlig after learning he lied to her about the conflict between Edward and Sigtryggr, instructing him to tell Uhtred he'll find Brida at Loidis for a final confrontation.
Spiteful Spit: She spits in Aelswith's face after she is captured with the fall of Winchester and still insists on mocking Brida to her face.
They Died Because of You: After Stiorra and a handful of her maids evade capture in Eoforwic's Roman sewers when Brida's cultists occupy the city, Brida starts carrying out mass executions of prisoners to draw Stiorra out of hiding, taunting her with this after every killing.
- In Season 3, she outright accuses Uhtred of being responsible for Ragnar's death by taking off to aid Aetheflaed and leaving Ragnar surrounded by his enemeies.
Throwing Your Sword Always Works: Brida is very adept with a throwing axe.
Took a Level in Jerkass: Brida was always a bit of a jerk, but she becomes outright vile after Uhtred throws his lot in with Alfred. As Leofric remarks, "she was always angry, but now she's nasty." From there on, she only gets worse, and by the end of Season 4 she has explicitly dedicated her life (and her newborn child's life) to destroying the Saxons.
The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: After learning Aethelwold was the one who killed Ragnar, she insists on being the one to kill him, to which Cnut agrees once the Danes have no further use for him. Ultimately, she cedes the killing to Uhtred, as he has the best chance of succeeding.
They Really Do Love Each Other: Although their lives take them down different paths, Uhtred and Brida still care deeply for each other.
Uhtred: (to Brida) From the moment I took your hand on the steps of the great hall of Eoforwic, we were bound as one. You may dislike me, hate me at times, despise me if you wish. But love is immortal. It goes on.
Together in Death: Her last word before she dies is Ragnar, implying this.
Villain Ball: She makes a grand show of fighting Stiorra in a Duel to the Death before her men, and while they're distracted, Uhtred, Sigtryggr and their men sneak into Eoforwic, free Sigtryggr's people from captivity and launch a counterattack against Brida's cultists.
We Used to Be Friends: By the end of Season 4, Brida and Uhtred have become mortal enemies, and she swears she'll never stop pursuing him for revenge.
Where It All Began: Brida returns to the ruins of Earl Ragnar's estate, where she and Uhtred grew up, for their final confrontation.
Uhtred: You dug your own grave?
Brida: Mine, or yours. I'm prepared. Either way, it ends where it began.
Wham Line:
Uhtred: Where is Ragnar? I will go to him.
Brida: HE'S DEAD! Ragnar is dead! He doesn't feast in the halls of Valhalla! He lies under a pile of stones by a lake near Loidis! There was no honour in his death. He will spend eternity in the cold of Niflheim because of YOU, Uhtred of Bebbanburg!
Would Hit a Girl: Brida has killed plenty of women in her time, both fighters and civilians.
Would Hurt a Child: When Brida learns Stiorra is Uhtred's daughter, she demands that they send the girl's head to her father as a message. However, Sigtryggr overrules her.

Thyra

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thyrna.jpg

Portrayed by: Julia Bache-Wiig

Ragnar and Uhtred’s sister, held prisoner by Kjartan and Sven in their impenetrable fortress of Dunholm. Damaged by the loss of her family and abuse by her captors, Thyra has lost all hope of freedom and happiness and choses to live in a dank cell, with only the hounds of Dunholm for company.

The Beastmaster: She keeps a pack of hounds and lives in the kennel while imprisoned.
Better to Die than Be Killed: Stabs herself through the heart to avoid burning to death in the fire started by her Saxon tormentor.
Break the Cutie: After losing her family and enduring years of sexual abuse, she's way bitter until Hild and Beocca gently restore her.
The Dog Bites Back: She stabs the mysognist, racist thug Tidman who's been harassing her through the throat.
- A literal example in that she sets her pack of dogs on Sven as retribution for his years of abuse.
Long-Lost Relative: Long thought dead by Uhtred and Ragnar.
Pet the Dog: In Season 3, after Ragnar disowns Uhtred in a fit of fury, Thyra reassures him that she will always consider Uhtred family.
Thyra: Uhtred? You are my brother and you will always be my brother.
Sex Slave: Formerly to Sven.
Spotting the Thread: Perhaps unsurprisingly given her past, Thyra is the first to realise that Aethelflaed is being mistreated by her husband.

Household of Kjartan the Cruel

Kjartan

Kjartan the Cruel

Portrayed by: Alexandre Willaume

Murderer of Uhtred’s Danish family and captor of Thyra. Feared lord of the fortress of Dunholm, he is known as ‘Kjartan the Cruel’. Unfazed by his enemies, Kjartan is ruthless and devious in his schemes to crush all those who oppose his standing as a great lord of the north.

Ain't Too Proud to Beg: A variation in that Kjartan doesn't beg for his life, only to die with a sword in his hand so he may reach Valhalla.
Kjartan: No, give me my sword! For Valhalla you must give me my sword!
Authority Equals Ass Kicking: The siege of Dunholm proves he's not afraid to get his hands dirty.
Cruel and Unusual Death: Hacked into pieces by the son of the man he murdered.
Due to the Dead: Subverted: Kjartan requests to be allowed to die with a sword in hand so he may reach Valhalla. Ragnar the Younger pulls the sword from his grasp before chopping him up.
Enemy Mine: In Season 1, he allies with Aelfric for a time because they both want Uhtred dead. In Season 2, Aelfric tells Abbot Eadred to pass word of Uhtred's whereabouts to Kjartan, knowing the latter will be eager to kill him.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: One of the driving forces behind his betrayal and murder of Ragnar is revenge for the mutilation of his son. He is also clearly heartbroken when he sees Sven torn to pieces by Thyra's dogs.
Fate Worse than Death: According to Danish beliefs, anyway. He wishes to die with a sword in his hand so he can go to Valhalla. In payment for his cruelty and betrayal, Ragnar denies him this, keeping his sword from him while he dies so he will go to Niflheim.
From Nobody to Nightmare: Has gone from being a mere shipsmaster to a powerful slave trader and one of the most feared Danish warlords in the north of England.
I Shall Taunt You: During their final duel, Kjartan mocks Ragnar by taunting him over his parents' murders and the years of abuse he and Sven inflicted on Thyra. It backfires spectacularly, only goading the exhausted Ragnar to fight on in a berserker fury that swiftly overwhelms Kjartan.
It's Personal: Kjartan still holds Uhtred responsible for what happened to him and his son, even though it was years before and Kjartan's circumstances have markedly improved since then.
Know When to Fold Them: When Dunholm falls to Ragnar and Uhtred's army, Kjartan orders his men to stand down rather than keep fighting and die pointlessly and steps forward to fight Ragnar himself so no others need die.
Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: Turns against Earl Ragnar, the man he served faithfully for years, when Ragnar blinds his son and banishes him.
The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: Commands his men to take Uhtred alive, as Kjartan wants the pleasure of killing him personally.
Surrounded by Idiots: Clearly thinks this of his warriors and his son.
Tempting Fate: Assure Sven that Dunholm is impregnable and Uhtred and Ragnar can never take it. In the ensuing battle, Uhtred infiltrates Dunholm with a small force and opens the gates, taking Kjartan completely by surprise.
You Killed My Father: Both Uhtred and Ragnar the Younger intend to kill him for it.

Sven

Sven the One-Eye

Portrayed by: Ole Christoffer Ertvaag

Enemy of Uhtred and abuser of Thyra. Spoilt and arrogant, Sven ‘the one-eye’ lacks the cunning of his cruel father, Kjartan, but his malice should not be underestimated. An enemy of Uhtred’s since childhood, Sven’s cowardly nature is put to the test when they meet again.

Ain't Too Proud to Beg: Not that it does any good to the furious father of a girl you've just sexually assaulted.
- He also tries to beg Thyra for his life before she turns loose her pack of pet feral dogs on him for the years of abuse he inflicted on her.
Butt-Monkey: Borderline this in Season 2. Uhtred continuously humiliates him, forces him to wander through the woods blind and with his hands tied, and his father mocks him for his failings. Even Thyra, his rape slave, intimidates him. All this before being unceremoniously mauled to death by her hounds.
Curb-Stomp Battle: Is on the receiving end of one from the younger and smaller Uhtred for his assault on Thyra.
Dirty Coward: Is gleeful at the prospect of killing Uhtred, even though it will be no challenge (Uhtred is half-starved, dehydrated and in the throes of a Heroic BSoD from his time in slavery and Halig's death). When Ragnar the Younger and Hild arrive to rescue Uhtred, Sven is the first to run for the hills.
Eye Scream: Earl Ragnar blinds him in one eye because Sven tried to molest his daughter, Thyra.
It's Personal: Like his father, Sven holds Uhtred responsible for what happened to him.
Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: Sven, while only a boy strips Thyra topless and probably would have done worse had Uhtred not intervened. (This is actually toned down from the books, where he strips naked and tries to force Thyra to masturbate him before Uhtred attacks him). When his father attacks and murders Ragnar, Sven takes Thyra as a captive, making clear his intentions to keep her as a Sex Slave.
Stalker with a Crush: He's been one to Thyra for a long time. Though he seems to have gone off her now, as years of abusing her as a Sex Slave has apparently driven her mad, making constant asides of how she intends to kill him.

Household of Sigefrid & Erik, the Brothers

In General

Better Living Through Evil: After Aelfric breaks off his alliance with them and Guthred, the brothers do likewise, reasoning they can do better by returning to looting and pillaging.
Sigefrid: Goodbye, Lord Aelfric, so nice to meet you. Enjoy the long walk home to Bebbanburg!
Erik: Guthred, by saving Uhtred, what you now have is a chaos of your own making. [...] If Aelfric is not with us, then the ground has shifted. We'll take no part in the siege of Dunholm.
Guthred: Erik, we must! We have an agreement, we have plans.
Sigefrid: That will no longer involve the brothers. No Dunholm means we must again fight for our wealth.
Big Bad Duumvirate: Become this in the second half of Season 2 when they kidnap Aethelflaed, planning to ransom her to Alfred, gaining enough silver to pay for an army that will take Wessex and Mercia. Erik ultimately betrays Sigefrid when he falls in love with Aethelflaed, leaving Sigefrid as the sole Big Bad.
Brains and Brawn: Sigefrid as the brawn, being the better fighter of the two, and Erik as the brains, as he does the thinking and planning. Neither one of them are absent in brains or brawn, however. Sigefrid is cunning and Erik is a capable fighter.
Cain and Abel: Sigefrid as Cain and Erik as Abel.
Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: It might seem that Sigefrid is the foolish sibling, since he's so impulsive and bloodthirsty, but really it's Erik as the foolish and Sigefrid as the responsible. Erik is willing to risk the entire operation for his love of Aethelflaed, much to the displeasure of Sigefrid, and as such the whole operation does come crashing down and both brothers are killed.
Put on a Bus: The brothers are ordered to leave Northumbria in return for Uhtred sparing the life of Sigefrid whilst holding him hostage. They return later, pulling some Exact Words by staying out of Northumbria.

Sigefrid

Portrayed By: Bjorn Bengtsson

Sigefrid is a fearsome Northman and leader of men, adept at plundering and conquering Northumbrian land. Aggressively ambitious, Sigefrid sets his sights on a higher prize that will shake Alfred’s kingdom to its very core. Sigefrid’s burning intensity and appetite for destruction can only be tempered by his brother, Erik, with whom he shares a fiercely close bond.

Adaptational Heroism: While he kills his brother in both the show and the books, he's considerably less bothered by it in the books. As such, while in the show he dies a brave death charging into the army of Wessex, in the books Uhtred knocks his weapon away before he kills him so he is denied Valhalla, explicitly stating neither he nor Erik wish his company there.
An Arm and a Leg: Uhtred severs Sigefrid's swordhand in a duel, and the wound leaves him plagued by pain for the remainder of his life.
Ax-Crazy: Sigefrid is a bloodthirsty berserker who wishes to be known as the "Lord of Chaos". It's an appropriate moniker.
Bad Boss: He kills one of his own men in a fury for being beaten in combat by Father Pyrlig.
Beard of Evil: He has a very thick, dark beard and thinks nothing of casual murder.
Blade Below the Shoulder: After losing his hand to Uhtred, Sigefried replaces it with a dagger blade.
Cradling Your Kill: After he fatally wounds his brother.
Curb-Stomp Battle: Effortlessly kicks Aethelred's arse when fighting him at the battle of Beamfleot. Aethelred only survives because Uhtred attacks Siegfried, redirecting Siegfried's focus onto him.
Death Seeker: After being forced to kill his brother and with all prospects of raising an army to conquer Wessex from using Aethelflaed as a hostage gone, Sigefrid willingly charges into a much larger Saxon army, stating bluntly before making his charge to his lieutenants that he is prepared for Valhalla.
Disproportionate Retribution: Headbutts a Christian priest who mildly annoys him in Eoforwic.
Due to the Dead: Sigefrid makes sure a dying Erik is holding his sword so he will go to Valhalla.
Even Evil Has Standards: Sigefrid is a warlord who murders, pillages, and rapes his way through life, but even he doesn't like how Aethelred talks down to Aethelflaed.
Sigefrid: You talk of your woman like you do not care.
Foreign Culture Fetish: Sigefrid appears to gain this for the Romans after he and Erik take Lunden. He and Erik live in an old Roman structure, he executes men via crucifixion to "see how it kills them", and he is only tempted into letting Father Pyrlig fight for his life when Uhtred likens it to a gladiator match.
Hidden Depths: He might appear to be a mindless brute in comparison to his more level-headed brother, but he's not stupid, just impulsive. He's actually a very cunning foe, and he's smart enough to see that his brother Erik is falling for Aethelflaed.
In the Back: Dies this way when Aethelflaed kills him from behind to save Uhtred.
Kick The Son Of A Bitch: Has one of his men knock Aethelred unconscious, pretty much for the fun of it.
Proud Warrior Race Guy: He's openly disdainful of Danes making peace with the Saxons and settling down.
Sigefried: Guthrum is a shit stain! He sends priests to Beamfleot begging for peace. Begging for warriors to settle and do what, raise sheep?
Aldhelm: Many men do, lord.
Sigefried: There are no sheep farmers in Valhalla.
Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: Threatens to make a gift of Aethelflaed to his men when Uhtred tries to lowball the price being negotiated for her ransom.
Sigefried: You insult me! If Alfred is minded to offer so little, then I am minded to bring her into this hall and allow each man here to take his turn. I swear, she will be tied to a cart and she will travel the kingdoms. Is that what you want...Saxon!?
Villain Respect: After watching Father Pyrlig roundly thrash one of his best warriors, Siegfried invites Pyrlig to join his army.
Villainous Breakdown: With Erik dead and the plan to ransom Aethelflaed to Alfred in ruins, Sigefrid leads a suicide charge against a Saxon army and kills anyone standing between him and Aethelflaed, screaming death threats all the while.
Sigefrid: PRINCESS! I SEE YOU, PRINCESS! AND I WILL KILL YOU! I WILL HAVE YOUR HEAD AND YOUR TITS!
Villainous Valor: Charges the Saxon army with a tiny force, smashes through their lines, and is finally stabbed in the back while fighting Uhtred and Aethelred.
Wrecked Weapon: His dagger hand gets stuck in Uhtred's shield, allowing Uhtred to snap the blade in half.
Would Hit a Girl: He tries to kill Aethelflaed for causing his brother to abandon their schemes out of love for her.

Erik

Portrayed By: Christian Hillborg

Northman warlord, brother of Sigefrid. More considered and contemplative than his violent brother, Erik and Uhtred form a precarious understanding and mutual respect. Kind and loyal, Erik’s compassion and faithfulness leads him into deep waters.

Affably Evil: Erik's very friendly and reasonable for a Viking, especially compared to his brother. It's not surprising that he's the one to switch sides.
Big Brother Instinct: He orders his men to stand down rather than risk Uhtred killing a captive Siegfried and automatically agrees to Uhtred's demand they leave Northumbria for good in exchange for his brother's life.
Chivalrous Pervert: He can't resist sneaking a peek at a bathing Aethelflaed but he does treat her better than most of the other Danes holding her captive, to say nothing of her husband.
Even Evil Has Standards: After hearing of Aethelred's abusive treatment of his wife, Erik doesn't miss an opportunity to humiliate the little shit. He also intervenes to stop some of his brother's minions from raping her.
Friendly Enemies: Has this dynamic with Uhtred throughout their meetings, all the way up till his Heel–Face Turn.
Heroic Sacrifice: Buys Aethelflaed and Uhtred time to escape Beamfleot with his life.
Kick The Son Of A Bitch: Beats Haesten for trying to rape Aethelflaed, and humilates Aethelred for his Domestic Abuse towards her.
Morality Pet: Erik has a soft spot for Aethelflaed and ensures that nobody hurts her.
Someone to Remember Him By: He's implied to have gotten Aethelflaed pregnant before sacrificing himself.
Star-Crossed Lovers: With Aethelflaed.

Household of Ubba

Ubba

Earl Ubba Lothbroksson

Portrayed By: Rune Temte

The most senior ranking Dane involved in the invasion of Northumbria, Ubba is a mountain of a man — loud, brash, violent, playful and a little unhinged. A ferocious warrior, Uhtred is warned as a boy never to fight Ubba, but fate may dictate that he must. Ubba's weakness is his superstition and his reliance on his sorcerer Storri.

Adaptation Dye-Job: He was black haired in his literary appearance.
Adaptational Intelligence: Book!Ubba might not have been dumb, but he was definitely The Brute among his brothers. The tv version absorbs some traits from his cold, calculating, and ruthless brother Ivar, so the show version can alternate back and forth between an ax swinging maniac in battle to surprisingly sly and cunning outside of it.
Agony of the Feet: Uhtred wins their duel by slicing Ubba's Achilles tendons, leaving him helpless.
Arch-Enemy: He's one of many to Uhtred.
Ax-Crazy: Ubba listens only to the Gods, and this makes him unpredictable in the long run. In the short run, his penchant for gleeful bursts of sadism make him utterly terrifying.
The Berserker: When he finally lets loose in his duel, he fights like one, disregarding any chance of injury. This proves to be a mistake.
Blood Knight: Ubba is the epitome of the Danish warrior, meaning he enjoys brutalizing his way across the country to sate his bloodlust.
Braids of Barbarism: Like many Danes, he favours a distinctive braid.
Crisis of Faith: He seemingly attempts to induce one on King Edmund, although he may have just been genuinely curious. It's hard to tell with someone as unhinged as Ubba. Uhtred later pays him back for this by needling him about falling out of favour with the Gods.
Dice Roll Death: Bases all his decisions, military or otherwise on the advice of his sorcerer, Storri, who rolls a bag of runes.
Disc-One Final Boss: Because the source material is condensed, Ubba meets his end only five episodes into Series 1. He was the biggest threat to England as a whole in that time.
The Dreaded: Everyone with an ounce of common sense and knowledge of his reputation knows a firm, solitary truth: never fight Ubba.
Duel to the Death: After he catches Uhtred setting fire to his ships, Ubba challenges him to a duel. When Uhtred asks if it is to first blood or to the death, Ubba rather succinctly answers by bellowing and charging him.
Due to the Dead: While Odda wants his body mutilated, Uhtred insists that he be treated respectfully in death. Alfred also chooses to respectfully rebury Ubba when he wishes to build over the area to avoid enraging the Danes and is deeply unamused when Odda jokes about dumping the corpse in the river.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Goes to Ireland to avenge his brother's death, even though it leaves the other Danes high and dry.
Honour Before Reason: Challenging Uhtred to single combat instead of having his men swarm him proves to be both the undoing of Ubba and his army.
Large and in Charge: He's wide as a door and the closest thing the Danes have to a King.
Psychopathic Manchild: Ubba is like a big, violent kid at times who can be noticeably unhinged. When he has captive prisoners shot through with arrows, he even references it as a "game" with a big smile.
Villainous Breakdown: Ubba has a raging one when Uhtred taunts him by claiming Ubba has fallen out of favour with the gods.
Uhtred: Guthrum's fleet's gone. (Ubba's smug composure cracks) Njord reached out from the deep and dragged Guthrum's fleet down to the seabed.
Ubba: You're lying.
Uhtred: I watched the fleet die and its men go under.
Ubba: Storri, what do you say?
Storri: Lord, I do not see for Guthrum. I see for you.
Uhtred: Storri's a man who wears a stick up his arse. He didn't see that coming.
Storri: [spluttering] That's a lie! It's all lies! Look in his eyes!
Uhtred: You're next to die, Ubba, and I know it. I cast the runes. (Ubba looks stricken)
Storri: That's an even bigger lie!
Uhtred: Earl Ragnar the Fearless is with the gods and they're angry with you. You allow his death to go unpunished.
Ubba: [snarling in fury] Avenging Earl Ragnar is not my business! That's for his son!
Uhtred: You're next to die, Ubba. (Ubba roars in outrage into Uhtred's face]
Ubba: THEN FIGHT ME, AND WE'LL SEE WHO'S NEXT TO DIE! FIGHT ME!
Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?: Ubba has Uhtred on the ropes several times during their fight, but prolongs it due to a combination of sheer rage and in order to put on a show in front of his men. Waiting too long to finish Uhtred gives Uhtred the chance to sudden turn it around with a lucky strike that cripples Ubba.
Worthy Opponent: Uhtred, and to a degree Alfred, consider him this.
Leofric: Young Odda wants his body cut into pieces.
Uhtred: No, that can't happen!
Leofric: He'd have done the same to you.
Uhtred: He is Ubba, as close as the Danes will ever come to a king!
Leofric: I'll see to it he's buried.

Guthrum

Portrayed By: Thomas W. Gabrielsson

A Danish warlord and Ubba’s second-in‐command, Guthrum is a man of quiet intensity. Dour and relentlessly pessimistic, with a dry sense of humour, he is a cold-hearted killer, but his belligerence hides a conflicted soul. He develops a fascination with Christianity, with surprising repercussions.

Arc Villain: Becomes this in the later half of season one, when he takes command of the Great Heathen Army and takes Winchester from Alfred, before he converts to Christianity after the Battle of Ethandun.
Armor-Piercing Question: Asks one of Ragnar the Younger when he and Skorpa are urging Guthrum to massacre the Saxons at Ethandun.
Ragnar: Skorpa is right. There needs to be stories of a slaughter!
Guthrum: And you are prepared to kill your brother?
Ragnar: [Beat] If it comes to that, then yes.
Badass Bookworm: He is genuinely fascinated by Alfred's library upon capturing Winchester.
Guthrum: This is words without sounds. This is voices without people. I'm going to learn how to use this magic.
Blasphemous Boast: Guthrum dares God to strike him down for trashing an altar, then scoffs, "I thought not," when nothing happens.
- He does another on to a wounded priest desperately pleading for his life after Guthrum hacked off one of the man's hands to silence his insistence God would protect him.
Guthrum: Only Guthrum can save you. Guthrum is your god now.
Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: After converting to Christianity and changing his name to Aethelstan, Guthrum is left as king of East Anglia. After some disparaging remarks about him from Brida in Season 2, he is never so much as mentioned again, even when the plot involves the kingdom he ostensibly rules.
Deadpan Snarker
Dragon Ascendant: After Ubba dies, he becomes the major threat.
Heel–Face Turn: Skorpa's death convinces him of the power of the Christian God and leads him to be baptised.
Hidden Depths: He appears to be little more than Ubba's irritable henchman, but he's a breed apart from his fellow Danes in many ways; he's curious about the culture of the land he's invaded, holding a particular interest in Christianity.
Genius Bruiser: Is willing to engage in philosophical debates with priests on the nature of God and Christianity.
Malicious Misnaming: Refers to Aethelwold as "Aethelcod".
Punch-Clock Villain: Compared to some of the other Danish leaders like Ubba and Skorpa.

Other Earls

Haesten

Earl Haesten

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/heasten.jpg

Portrayed by: Jeppe Beck Laursen

Sworn to the Northman brothers, Erik and Sigefrid, Haesten fails in a task of great responsibility and is rescued by Uhtred in a moment of mercy. Sly and self-interested, Haesten is a master of self-preservation and will do anything for the sake of personal gain.

Back for the Dead: Having been absent for most of Season 5, save one brief appearance in which he is revealed to have settled down into the life of a comfortable trader, he returns to the forefront of the action in episode 9, allying with Uhtred to rescue Aelfwynn from Bebbanburg. He is caputured and killed off in the attempt.
Berserk Button: He does not like his cowardice being pointed out.
Haesten: You are wanting to die, Uhtred?!
Uhtred: What I want, Haesten, is an end to this! What is most likely to happen is you will remain inside your fortress and you will remain a coward! Men will sing songs about your cowardice! I will pay to have them written!
Haesten: [frothing at the mouth] I am no coward, Dane Slayer! If death is what you wish for, THEN YOU SHALL HAVE IT!
Bond Villain Stupidity: In Season 4, he has Uhtred and his handful of men completely surrounded by his much larger band of warriors. He could kill them all easily...and instead chooses to leave Uhtred and his men tied upside down hanging from a tree, to die slowly, guarded by only two men. To no one's surprise, they're rescued.
Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Haesten is well known for planting knives in backs of his allies and being completely untrustworthy at the best of times.
Demoted to Extra: Haesten was a regular presence and thorn in the side of Uhtred and the Saxons in Seasons 2 and 3, appearing in 7 out of 8 and 9 out of 10 episodes respectively. In Season 4, he is reduced to 5 out of 10 episodes (the first three and last two, being completely absent for the middle part of the season). Then, in Season 5 he appears in just two out of 10 episodes, having settled down into a comfortable life as a trader.
Dirty Coward: Uhtred mocks him for his tendency to lose battles and then run away. When challenged to single combat to prove he isn't a coward, Haesten instead marches his whole army out to kill Uhtred's small band and then stays at a distance to watch him die. And, true to form, when the soldiers of Wessex arrive to turn the tide of his one-sided slaughter, he runs away again. Subverted in the final battle in Series 3, where he fights ferociously, and claims quite a few kills. He's back to his usual form in Season 4: after he makes the mistake of provoking Uhtred a bit too much by taunting him about Aethelflaed, Uhtred beats Haesten to a pulp and is on the verge of killing him when Haesten effectively begs for his life by telling Uhtred Cnut goaded Aethelwold into murdering Ragnar and offering him Cnut's sons as hostages without a fight. Subverted again in Season 5 when he refuses to betray Uhtred, Finan and Sihtric, even at the cost of his own life.
Death Seeker: Subverted. He wants to die in battle like a true Viking but is no hurry to do so.
Uhtred: Is it Valhalla you want?
Haesten: In time, lord. Freedom would be my first choice.
Dragon Ascendant: Siegfried and Erik's deaths leave him in charge of the Viking forces left at Beamfleot.
Dying Moment of Awesome: Haesten of all people dies telling King Constantin he is part of no plan, protecting Uhtred and the others at the cost of his life.
Epic Fail: Siegfried and Erik leave him in charge of Eoforwic when they go north to fight in Scotland. In less than a day, the Saxon population of the city rises up and either kills or expels the Danes occupying Eoforwic. Surprisingly, he's never seen to be punished for that.
- He deploys his entire army from Beamfleot to kill Uhtred and his band of no more than 30 men. Alfred's army launches a surprise attack that decimates Haesten's force and leaves Beamfleot in Wessex hands. Bloodhair even brings it up when Haesten tries to taunt him about his own failures to kill Uhtred.
Bloodhair: [to Haesten] I lost men on the field of battle. You were stupid enough to lose men and a fortress!
Fat Bastard: He's quite burly and a nasty piece of work.
Evil Is Petty: He rats on Erik's growing affection for Aethelflaed to Siegfried after Erik stops him raping her.
Hidden Depths: He's smart enough to realise Erik is falling for Aethelflaed, and the Series 3 finale proves that when push comes to shove, Haesten is a formidable warrior.
Hypocrite: In Season 3, :when the Wessex army ambushes his army, Haesten orders his men to stand their ground and fight, yet he's the first to flee the field.
I Owe You My Life: He's somewhat respectful to Uhtred because of this in Season 2. Subverted by Season 3, as he's determined to kill Uhtred. It's implied his refusal to betray Uhtred's presence in Bebbanburg to Constantin and Wihtgar, even at the cost of his life, was Haesten's way of repaying the debt.
It's Personal: Aethelflaed fighting back and humiliating him when he tried to force himself on her has left Haesten with a serious grudge and an unremitting desire to kill her.
Haesten: I have not forgotten what the bitch did. I will never forget.
Jerkass Has a Point: When Uhtred sends a messenger to Cnut, Bloodhair and Haesten proclaiming his intentions to kill them as revenge for Ragnar and Bloodhair declares he'll kill Uhtred, Haesten accurately notes Bloodhair already had a chance to do that and failed miserably.
Skade: Feed [Uhtred]'s guts to Odin's ravens!
Bloodhair: I'll make a sacrifice of the Saxon bastard!
Haesten: [under his breath] You should have done that at Fearnham.
Bloodhair: I hear a rat's wheeze.
Haesten: I said, if you wished to make a sacrifice of Uhtred, you should have done it at Fearnham. But you chose to run.
Karma Houdini Warranty: After four seasons of repeatedly bouncing back from defeat, Haesten finally gets his comeuppence in the penultimate episode of the final season, when Aethelhelm and Aelfwynn recognize him as the man who tormented their grandson and mother respectively and alert Bebbanburg's guards, causing his death. His death may have been an uncharacteristically Heroic Sacrifice, but its still a direct result of his cruel actions in previous seasons.
Mook Carryover: Initiallly sworn to Sigefred and Erik, then has a brief stint as an independant warlord before ending up following Cnut in Season 3 and Sigtryggr is Season 4.
Odd Friendship: Hild claims she and Haesten have formed a bit of one by Season 5, given Haesten's frequent visits to Lindisfarne for his business interests there.
Oh, Crap!: Haesten's reaction when, after mocking him about Aethelflaed a bit too much, Uhtred draws his sword and swings for Haesten's head.
- This is also his reaction in Season 5 to finding Aelflaed's body hanging from a tree and realising someone has murdered her to provoke a war between Edward and Sigtryggr.
Open Mouth, Insert Foot: Tries to get Aelfwynn to flee Bebbanburg with him before Edward's army besieges it by insisting he's a friend of her real father Erik come to help her. However, the moment she hears his name, Aelfwynn recognises Haesten from the horror stories Aethelflaed told her about him, panics and starts screaming, raising the alarm.
Pet the Dog: Zigzagged. When he catches Eadith trying to free Aelswith and the other captives, Haesten doesn't hand her over to Brida or Sigtryggr, who'd almost certainly kill her, but instead locks her in a safe place (though this is partly to stop her taking word of the city's defences to the Saxons). Haesten also tries to take her to safety when Edward's army attacks Winchester, though it's heavily implied he's doing this less out of the goodness of his heart and more because he wants Eadith as a Sex Slave, and when she refuses, he's quick to abandon Eadith to her fate.
- In Season 5, he takes in the Sole Survivor of the attack that claims Aelflaed's life and hides her in one of his settlements to protect her from anyone who might wish to silence the girl.
Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: Tries to force himself on Aethelflaed.
Reasonable Authority Figure: When he discovers Aelflaed's murder and learns Sigtryggr is being blamed for it, he immediately informs Uhtred. As Haesten points out, war will disrupt his trading routes and Uhtred will want to protect Stiorra from being caught in the middle of any conflict between Sigtryggr and Edward.
Uhtred: Why did you bring me into this?
Haesten: We both have interest in keeping the peace, Uhtred. Me to trade and you, well...I cannot think Edward will spare your daughter when he retaliates.
Redemption Equals Death: Having been an amoral Dirty Coward and enemy of Uhtred for most of the show, he finally grows a conscience and refuses to betray Uhtred when he is captured in Bebbanburgh in the penultimate episode of Season 5, even when Constantine offers to spare his life. For this, he is fatally stabbed.
Reformed, but Rejected: Though Uhtred is willing to hear him out in Season 5, it's clear neither Uhtred nor his men have forgiven Haesten for trying to kill them over the years. Subverted at the end, where Uhtred concedes Haesten's bravery in refusing to betray them, even at the cost of his own life, has hopefully earned Haesten a place in Valhalla.
Retired Monster: What he claims to be at the beginning of Season 4, insisting that he's done fighting and is more interested in just acquiring land and silver to settle with in his old age.
- Played straight in Season 5, where he's abandoned the warrior's life to become a trader (and from his own words, a successful one).
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: He is noticeably one of the few Danes who doesn't follow a suicidal Siegfried into a futile battle against a numerically superior Saxon force.
- He also pulls this to get out of Winchester when Edward's army launches its attack to retake the city.
They Died Because of You: In Season 3, Haesten tries to get Aethelflaed to surrender to him by preying on her guilt over the deaths of her guards and the Abbess at Winchelcum, as well as Erik.
Haesten: How many more men and women must die to save your bony arse?!
Underestimating Badassery: When he tries to rape Aethelflaed, he didn't realise she's has the training and the will to fight back.
What You Are in the Dark: Only four people -Uhtred, Hild, Finan and Sihtric, of whom only Hild was an actual witness- know Haesten willingly gave up his own life rather than betray Uhtred's presence in Bebbanburg to the latter's enemies.
You Have Failed Me: Technically it's more a case of "You Have Failed Us", but when the Saxon allies Aethelwold promised the Danes side with Edward, Haesten tries to kill Aethelwold for this, considering it one failure too many.
You Will Be Spared: Offers Uhtred's men a chance to live if they hand him over. Finan gives their answer in direct fashion.
Haesten: Give up Uhtred and the rest of you can live! All I want is the Dane Slayer!
Finan: What you will get, Haesten, is my sword up your hairy arse!
Haesten: (amused) As you wish. You can die on your knees!

Bloodhair

Earl Sigurd "Bloodhair"

Portrayed By: Ola Rapace

Actually Pretty Funny: Chuckles in amusement when Skade accuses Haesten's "thinking with his cock" for costing the Danes Beamfleot and Aethelflaed as a hostage.
Haesten: You find something amusing, Bloodhair?
Bloodhair: I've missed her sharp tongue.
Alas, Poor Villain: Bloodhair cuts a rather pitiable figure at the end of his life: he's become the weakest of the three Earls, he's taunted by Haesten and he's still hopelessly and painfully obsessed with Skade. He can't let her go, and when he realizes she's remorselessly and even gleefully poisoned him, it's too late. Skade used him to death.
Big Bad Wannabe: He seems to be set up as Season 3's Big Bad. He's highly intimidating, with both himself and Skade believing he is destined to kill Alfred. However, he then spends the entire season being outclassed by Uhtred at almost every turn. Skade abandons him fairly early on, and Bloodhair subsequently falls apart. He remains in a constant state of distress that he no longer has Skade and expends all his efforts into getting her back.
Cut His Heart Out with a Spoon: Bloodhair threatens Uhtred with this while trying to demand the return of Skade for hostages the Danes have taken.
Uhtred: The price has risen! You will not only release all your hostages, you will send them across to the burh!
Bloodhair: What I'll do is feed you your own cock!
- He also threatens Haesten with this after the dispute between them over Skade and who failed to kill Uhtred gets vicious.
Bloodhair: I'll cut your heart from your chest!
Even Evil Has Standards: Bloodhair is a ruthless Viking warlord who willing leaves monks to the tender mercies of Skade, but he's genuinely shocked and appalled when he learns Aethelwold murdered Ragnar with Cnut's urging, while Haesten seemed more amused by the whole thing.
In the Back: Skade kills him with a pair of knives in the back after, realising she's poisoned him, Bloodhair makes a desperate attempt to kill her.
Real Men Love Odin: By far the most spiritually inclined of the Danish earls, often seen partaking in apparently elaborate rituals to prepare himself for battles and tests. Also probably the quickest of the lot to resort to dueling to resolve his disputes and otherwise clearly every inch the warrior.
Shoot the Messenger: Kills Aethelwold's Pet Rat who Uhtred sent to tell Bloodhair, Cnut and Haesten he's coming to kill them in a fit of pique.
Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Has no liking whatsoever for Aethelwold and Haesten, even though they're technically allies with him.
Would Hit a Girl: After Uhtred captures Skade, Bloodhair takes female prisoners from a Wessex village and starts killing them, demanding Skade be returned to him or more will die.

Cnut

Earl Cnut

Portrayed By: Magnus Bruun

Ragnar the Younger's cousin and a rather self-serving man who doesn't hesitate to find means to gain more power, even if it means bringing down family.

Abhorrent Admirer: He makes no secret of his desire for Brida to her. She clearly finds him repulsive and keeps holding him at bay. After Ragnar's death, they do get together, and by the time of Season 4 their relationship actually seems to be a loving one.
Authority Equals Ass Kicking: For all his faults, Cnut is no slouch on the battlefield.
Blood Knight: He clearly loves violence and combat. When some of the Danes in camp start a brawl, unlike Haesten and Brida, who try to put an end to it, Cnut wades into the fray with both fists.
The Determinator: Not even blundering into a trap, being thrown from his horse, having to claw his way out of a heap of corpses, his army being attacked on three sides and suffering multiple wounds stop him from trying to kill Uhtred at Tettenhall.
Engineered Public Confession: Uhtred tricks Cnut into admitting he manipulated Aethelwold into killing Ragnar within earshot of Brida.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: One of the most brutal and violent of the Danes who loves slaughter and bloodshed, but he loves his two sons beyond all things.
Evil Redhead: He's red-haired and a scheming snake of a man.
Historical Character's Fictional Relative: He's related to Sigtryggr, who is loosely based on the Norse-Gaelic warlord Sitric Cáech.
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: A furious Brida, upon learning Cnut engineered Ragnar's death, spears him through the chest with his own sword.
It's Personal: At the Battle of Tettenhall, convinced Uhtred has abducted and killed at least one of his sons, Cnut rampages across the battlefield, cutting down any who gets between him and Uhtred.
Cnut: Uhtred! I will cut you into pieces, you murderous cunt!
Manipulative Bastard: The Danish alliance against Alfred has scarcely been formed before he starts whispering dissent against his cousin Ragnar with Bloodhair, Brida and Aethelwold.
Mirror Character: To Aethelwold in Season 3. Both are Manipulative Bastards who sow division amongst the Danes and Saxons respectively in order to advance their own standing - Cnut even points out that Aethelwold's only use is "dripping poison in Saxon ears" while secretly doing the exact same thing to his Danish allies. The main difference between the two is that Cnut is much, much more cunning and isn't entirely a coward, and consequently his plans are far more successful than his Saxon counterpart's.
Karmic Death: Lured into a battle by Uhtred, Brida overhears him confess to plotting Ragnar's murder and impales him, leaving him to bleed out alone. And Uhtred takes the sword so Cnut can't even hold a weapon and receive an entry to Valhalla.
Moral Myopia: His army murders thousands of children during its rampage across Mercia, yet he has the gall to be outraged when it seems Uhtred has killed one of his sons.
Murder the Hypotenuse: He organizes Ragnar's death at Aethelwold's hands partially to manipulate Brida into becoming his lover.
Oh, Crap!: In the finale of Season 3, this is Cnut's reaction to first finding the bodies of his scouts riddled with arrows and strung up from the trees and then he hears the sounds of battle from behind and realises Uhtred and Edward have ambushed the rear of his army.
Cnut: They're attacking the rear! Defend the line! MOVE!
- This is also his reaction when he realises Brida just heard him admitting to plotting to kill Ragnar.
Papa Wolf: He loves his children deeply and Uhtred taking them hostage and faking his eldest's death is what sends Cnut into a blind rage to make him forsake his caution.
Shoot the Messenger: He kills the man who tells him Uhtred seemingly murdered one of his sons, after promising the guy he wouldn't.
The Starscream: One of Ragnar's top men, and also the one who conspires against him.
Unstoppable Rage: From the moment he comes to believe that Uhtred has killed one of his young sons, Cnut is in unstoppable rage mode full time. Notably, this doesn't make him a better warrior, when he fights Uhtred one on one, Cnut proves to be Blinded by Rage and Uhtred easily avoids most of his attacks. But Cnut does shrug off multiple very serious, perhaps mortal wounds during the fight so he can keep trying to kill Uhtred. Only when Uhtred reveals that he faked the death of Cnut's son does Cnut's rage break. At the same time, his body suddenly realizes how seriously he's wounded, and that he's dying.

Sigtryggr

Portrayed By: Eysteinn Sigurðarson

A Norse-Gaelic warlord who arrives from Ireland, claiming kinship to Ivar the Boneless and by extension Ubba.

Affably Evil: He is always cooly polite, even to enemies and people he disdains. His manners are sometimes a cover for ruthless, bloody scheming, but they're always there. And when he's around people he genuinely respects or can learn from, he shows respect and kindness.
Better to Die than Be Killed: He requests Uhtred execute him rather than let Edward do it, saying he wishes to die at the hands of such a fine warrior and grasps a sword tight so he might enter Valhalla.
Big Bad: Becomes this in the second half of season four, when his forces take Winchester and are able to hold off Edward's forces for a month. In the end, Edward and Aethelflaed have to give him Northumbria in exchange for leaving Winchester and promising to stay out of Wessex and Mercia.
The Chessmaster: Sigtryggr is often eerily calm even in the midst of bloody chaos, usually because he's several steps ahead of his enemies. He all but wipes out the Welsh army of King Hywel by tricking them into walking straight into a trap, then he effortlessly captures Winchester itself and holds off Edward's army for a month, always ready with the right response to everything Edward does.
Divided We Fall: Defied. Sigtryggr has seen this happen to the previous generation of Danish warlords too many times, and he knows not to repeat those mistakes. As soon as he hears of any hints of dissension or turmoil among the ranks, or realizes that Eardwulf's ambitions might cause these sorts of problems, he deals with it and keeps his forces united.
Even Evil Has Standards: He's clearly repulsed by Brida's increasing bloodthirsty behaviour and forbids her from harming Stiorra just to spite Uhtred.
From Nobody to Nightmare: As of the start of Season 4, nobody knew anything about him besides that he was a relative of Cnut and was on the edge of being driven out of Ireland by the Irish. Uhtred outright mocked Haesten and other Danes for following a boy with no battle reputation. By the end of the season he's brought both Wales and Wessex to their knees, captured Winchester, brutally defeated King Hywel, humiliated King Edward on multiple occasions, and forced Uhtred, Edward, and Aethelflaed to basically bribe him into leaving Wessex alone by giving hm his own kingdom in Northern England.
Happily Married: He and Stiorra are married by the time Season 5 starts and have one of the stablest, happiest marriages in the whole series.
Historical Domain Character: Loosely based on the Norse-Gaelic warlord Sitric Cáech.
I Have Your Wife: Captures Winchester and takes Edward's mother, wife, father in-law and sons hostage, along with Uhtred's daughter.
Jerkass Has a Point: He openly disparages the warlords who have come before him like Ubba, Cnut and Bloodhair as fools who let their emotions get the better of them and died with nothing to show for it. When a furious Brida calls him out for insulting the greatest warriors the Danes have ever known, Sigtrygger retorts that if they were so great, they'd still be alive.
Brida: You dare insult the greatest warriors who ever walked these lands?!
Sigtryggr: If they were so great, then where are they now?
Kick The Son Of A Bitch: When Sigtryggr catches Eardwulf trying to murder Stiorra in retaliation for her father exposing him as a traitor, Sigtryggr beats him to a pulp.
A Match Made in Stockholm: He and Stiorra bond after he captures her due to their similar outlooks. She ultimately decides to willingly go with him to Northumbria in search of a life more suited to her.
My Greatest Failure: Sigtryggr implies to Stiorra that he puts up with a lot from his younger brother Rognavaldr because he feels a great deal of guilt for having to leave Rognavaldr at the mercy of the Irish when he came to England.
Noble Demon: In contrast to previous Danish conquerors, who sought to pillage and burn everything in sight and had aspirations of subjugating England completely, Sigtryggr comes across as far more honorable and willing to compromise. This is ultimately what convinces Stiorra to leave with him without fear.
Older Hero vs. Younger Villain: Sigtryggyr is about half Uhtred's age when they clash, but more than a match for the older veteran. Less of an opposing relationship later when Sigtryggyr is Uhtred's son-in-law and deeply respects and honors his wife's father, emotions Uhtred fully returns.
Outside-Context Problem: For both the Welsh and Wessex.
- The Welsh had been content to sit back behind their borders, letting the English and the Danes kill each other in the east, knowing they had a fortified eastern border that they could use to bleed the Danes dry if they tried to invade. Sigtryggr sails from the west in Ireland, lands on the open Welsh coast, and begins ravaging the country.
- The biggest advantage that the English have against the Danes is that the Danes are more or less completely incapable of siege warfare. The Danish warlords are mostly sailors and raiders, they don't have much experience at long-term warfare that consists of more than luring your enemy into a battle where the terrain and conditions favour them. The construction of the burhs, fortified towns made to resist attack by the Danes, has frustrated them and stopped them from being able to overrun Wessex. Sigtryggr, however, understands siege warfare, so not only he able to utilize surprise to take Winchester, but he knows how to defend it afterward instead of simply looting it and running. Every time Edward tries to retake the city, Sigtryggr is ahead of him and defeats him, causing Edward bloody and humiliating losses.
Pragmatic Villainy: He's just as bloodthirsty and ruthless as any other Dane. However, He wants to actually hold something of worth for the long term instead of just rushing off into battle and die like so many other Dane lords have in the past. So he's willing to negotiate a compromise with Edward.
Sibling Yin-Yang: Sigtryggr is a dangerously intelligent, charismatic Young Conqueror whose main character trait is his willingness to abandon Viking traditions and ideals to achieve his goals. His brother Rognvaldr, on the other hand, is a violent, perpetually-drunk idiot who has to pay people to fear him and develops into The Fundamentalist after being saved by Brida's warrior cult.
Thicker Than Water: This is presumably the only reason why Sigtryggr puts up with his younger brother Rognavaldr, considering Stiorra and most of his people detest Rognavaldr as a waste of space. It's also why he's reluctant to execute Rognavaldr for helping Brida conquer Eoforwic and murder many of his subjects, despite Stiorra and others demanding Rognavaldr's head.
Traumatic Haircut: Brida and her cult slice off his hair in a mockery of the story of Sampson. He proceeds to tie it much like Uhtred's after.
The Unfettered: Most Danish warriors hope to gain glory and a chance to enter Valhalla. Even defeat isn't so bad if it means you'll live on in songs or earn your way into Odin's hall. Sigtryggr fights to win, and as a result he will take actions that no other Dane would. (This includes both ruthless, bloody schemes and pragmatic compromises with the Saxons.)
Young and in Charge: At first Uhtred mocks him as a young boy with no reputation. Sigtryggr might be young, but it turns out he is plenty capable.

Anlaf

Portrayed By: Pekka Strang

A Danish warlord based in Ireland. He is best known as the leader of Danish raiders that wear wolf skins.

Big Bad: Of the movie The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He loved his daughter and intended for her to inherit his holdings when he passed on. During the Battle of Brunanburh, Anlaf is distraught when Astrid is killed right next to him by an arrow but is urged by his men to continue leading them.
Kick the Dog: He got Astrid to lie to Finan and Sihtric, claiming that Uhtred summoned them to Winchester. Using their absence, Anlaf invaded Bebbanburg and left almost all of the castle's occupants to die of suffocation in a sealed cave, with only Eadgifu surviving because she managed to hide (Osbert and Edmund were hostages of Ingilmundr at this time). There seemed to be no reason for this slaughter other to break Uhtred's spirit.
Laser-Guided Karma: In the end, he paid for his deceptions when Uhtred and Aethelstan defeated his armies at the Battle of Brunanburh. During the battle, his daughter Astrid and five princes among his allies are killed, leaving Anlaf abandoned and broken, just as he tried to do to Uhtred.
Manipulative Bastard: He was the one who sent Ingilmundr to befriend Aethelstan and manipulate him into attacking England's neighboring kingdoms. Anlaf also used his daughter Astrid to spy on the English kingdoms and spread discord. Using this chaos, Anlaf himself persuaded England's neighboring kings to join an alliance to kill Aethelstan and destroy the English kingdoms, thereby returning England to the Dark Age and putting it at the mercy of the Danes once again. Anlaf even tried to manipulate a recently-banished Uhtred into assassinating Aethelstan, but he severely underestimated Uhtred's love for his one-time foster son and his determination to see King Alfred's vision of a united, peaceful England come to pass.
Underestimating Badassery: Downplayed, but it still applies. While Anlaf acknowledged Uhtred's experience as a warrior and a leader, he underestimated Uhtred's Heroic Spirit. Anlaf treated Uhtred as yet another pawn in his schemes, having badly misjudged Uhtred's resolve and self-control. Had Anlaf decided to kill Uhtred instead, the Battle of Brunanburh would have ended differently.

Other Danes

Skade

Portrayed by: Thea Sofie Loch Næss

A ruthless and ambitious seeress first seen as the consort of Bloodhair.

Ambition Is Evil: She wants to be the seer and lover of whichever Danish raider can complete the conquest of England.
Ax-Crazy: Her idea of a good time is torturing a bunch of monks to death in very imaginative ways.
Can't Kill You, Still Need You: Or rather, Can't Kill You, You've Put a Curse On Me. Many characters tell Uhtred to cut her throat and be done with it, but he can't risk her dying without the curse being lifted. He eventually learns how to kill her and get rid of the curse, all at once, and promptly drowns her.
Dark Action Girl: Downplayed. She gets in a few kills, but usually only when her victim is either helpless or when they're otherwise at a disadvantage.
Establishing Character Moment: Her introduction has her gouging out the eyes and cutting out the tongue of one of Bloodhair's own men for failing to avert his eyes quickly enough.
Hot Witch: She's a gorgeous, pouty blonde who uses her sexuality as a weapon.
Kill It with Water: After lulling Skade into a false sense of security by pretending to be seduced by her, Uhtred drowns her in the waters of a lake outside his Coccham estate.
Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: While Skade is Uhtred's captive, Alfred speaks with her and, despite his disbelief in her powers, asks if she can tell how long he has left before his worsening illness becomes terminal, and Skade, with surprising softness tells Alfred he'll die before the following summer. It's debatable whether she is legimitately seeing the future, or making an educated guess.
Outgrown Such Silly Superstitions: The Danes’ belief in magic and curses makes Skade a powerful enemy because she is so feared among them. Danes held strong belief that You Can't Fight Fate (although you can manipulate it) meaning that a skald’s abilities to use witchcraft to turn bad fates into better ones is highly prized and their words always heeded. Naturally, skalds could manipulate these fears at will for power or money. Christian characters such as Beocca or Aelswith dismiss pagan beliefs and practices as worthless superstitions at best and evil at worst even though their forefathers were also pagans. They consider themselves champions of Christendom and therefore enlightenment, this fact is not something Aelswith or Alfred likes being reminded of because to them the old beliefs are of the devil and anyone who practices them is damned.
Pet the Dog: She shows a degree of sympathy to Alfred regarding his terminal illness and tells him his name will live on long after he has gone.
Prophecies Are Always Right: For all his piety and condescending attitude towards pagans, Alfred seems place genuine faith in Skade’s seeing abilities when he asks her how long he has left to live before his illness kills him.
The Vamp: She goes through a series of men, using them and discarding them when she deems them too weak to fulfil her visions, and is completely beyond redemption.
Sihtric: She is poison to all men.
Too Dumb to Live: Apart from repeatedly killing off or allowing to be killed off any man she attaches herself to, proving she can never be trusted, perhaps her biggest mistake was telling a man who had literally been enslaved before "I own you." Uhtred evidently already wanted to kill her to free himself from her curse, but that line probably didn't help.
White Hair, Black Heart: She's got pale blonde hair and is easily one of the vilest characters in the series.
Women Are Wiser: Brida cautions Jackdaw to remain vigilant in guarding Skade whom she recognizes “is smarter than she looks” and would be dangerous to underestimate. To Brida’s annoyance, the men around her seem to do exactly this and fall prey so easily into Skade's thirst trap because they don’t question her motives and all think with their genitals. Women are not at risk of this danger, though. In fact, when Hild, the abbess and Aethelflaed meet Skade, they distrust and dislike her almost immediately. Skade makes it known very quickly that the feeling is mutual.
Your Magic's No Good Here: Brida to Skade when Skade demands to see Uhtred and threatens to curse Brida if she is denied. Brida blocks Skade’s powers with a Nithstong and states that this is Freya’s land. This action angers Skade so much that she swears to kill Brida for it. To this effect, Skade's other charms prove ineffective around Brida as well. Specifically, Skade’s use of sex appeal to get her way. Skade might be able to bamboozle her male captors by showing her boobies but other women seem utterly unimpressed by these attempts to distract and are immediately able to see right through her. For example, Brida was the first to notice that Skade has no runes and questions if she is even a real seer despite calling herself one if this is the case.

Skorpa

Skorpa of the White Horse

Portrayed By: Jonas Malmsjö

A sociopathic Danish warrior whom Uhtred encounters raiding Cornwallum, Uhtred's initial alliance of convenience with Skorpa turns them into mortal enemies.

Adaptational Badass: Although Svein of the White Horse, the character Skorpa replaces, was a perfectly respectable badass viking in the books, he didn't have anything like the Ax-Crazy manner that Skorpa does in the series. He also didn't get the better of Uhtred or personally kill Iseult.
Card-Carrying Villain: Unlike Ragnar the Younger, Guthrum and even Ubba, who have some redeeming qualities, Skorpa appears to have none.
Co-Dragons: Becomes one to Guthrum with Ragnar the Younger in Episode 8.
Decapitation Presentation: Skorpa gleefully presents Uhtred with the head of Iseult as a taunt. It, uhh... doesn't end well for him.
Dirty Coward: In the final battle upon seeing that the Danes are losing, he takes a few other men to ride off and raid the army's camp full of noncombatants and kill Isuelt just to spite Uhtred rather than fighting himself.
For the Evulz: Skorpa makes no bones about the fact most of what he does is for this.
Graceful Loser: When Uhtred tells Skorpa that his potential ally Odda the Younger has been executed for treason, Skorpa's only reaction is a sigh and an accepting shrug of the shoulders.
I Lied: Skorpa promises to spare the defeated Cornish king Peredur in exchange for his wealth. The second Peredur tells them where it is, Skorpa kills him.
I'm a Humanitarian: Skorpa's signature attack is to bite people's throats out.
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: He dies this way by Uhtred's hand, courtesy of a spear from Beocca. For good measure, Uhtred twists the spearhead deeper into Skorpa's chest while dealing the coup de grace.
I Shall Taunt You: Does this a lot to Uhtred.
Join or Die: Gives this ultimatum to Odda the Younger following Alfred's disappearance and the Danish conquest of Wessex.
Skorpa: Kneel and you will live. Talk too much and I will kill you. [...] I am occupying your lands. Why should I not simply crush you?
Man Bites Man: He enjoys tearing out chunks of throat with his teeth.
Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Skorpa's taunting of Uhtred with Isuelt's severed head only succeeds in driving Uhtred into an Unstoppable Rage that shatters the Dane shieldwall, ends up costing the Danes the battle of Ethandun and results in his death.
Slasher Smile: Every time he smiles is one of these.
Would Hit a Girl: He kills Isuelt, and repeatedly threatens her before that.

Storri

Portrayed By: Henning Valin Jakobsen

A sorcerer, who serves Ubba, until the latter one dies.

Ass Shove: Brida shoves a branch up his arse.
Back for the Dead: After being absent for half of Season 1, all of 2, and the first half of 3, he finally reappears...only to get strangled to death by Brida to break the curse he laid on her.
The Evil Genius: To Ubba, although not always a competent one.
How the Mighty Have Fallen: He goes from being the personal seer, magician, and advisor for the most feared Danish warlord alive (with said warlord being completely dependent on Storri's advice), to a petty village fortuneteller answering question for peasants and living in the woods.
Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: While the series casts doubt on the existence of magic, every time Ubba asks Storri for advice and Storri actually gives a solid answer instead of dodging the question or hedging his bets, it's the right answer. Also, it's worth noting that when he reappears in Season 3 and a man asks Storri whether the man's wife will ever be able to have children, rather than going with the tried and true method that fake magicians generally use of telling people everything they want to hear, Storri instead tells the man that his wife is infertile and will never have children. It's also noteworthy that Brida finally gets pregnant by Cnut after killing him, after his curse allegedly caused her to miscarry Uhtred's child and fail to get pregnant by Ragnar despite their attempts.
Once Done, Never Forgotten: Uhtred frequently brings up the 'branch up arse' incident to taunt him.

Clapa

Portrayed By: Magnus Samuelsson

A hulking Dane, Uhtred trains Clapa for king Guthred’s army of Cumbraland. He’ll become one of Uhtred’s best fighters, but his savagery in battle belies a warm heart and loyalty to his comrades that holds no bounds.

The Big Guy: And how. Clapa is absolutely massive.
Heroic Sacrifice: Performs one when mortally wounded to let Uhtred and the others escape Beamfleot with Aethelflaed.
Taking You with Me: Manages to kill several of Sigefrid's warriors before being cut down.

Jackdaw

Portrayed By: Tygo Gernandt

A Danish warrior who serves under Brida and performs various tasks for her.

Canon Foreigner: A character created for the series.
Distracted by the Sexy: Brida chides him for allowing Skade to do this to him while he's guarding her.
Brida: Jackdaw, keep your hands on your sword and your eyes off her tits. She's cleverer than you.
Jackdaw: I heard that!
Groin Attack: Mentions that Brida threatened him with this when Uhtred requests to speak privately with Skade.
Jackdaw: I cannot, lord. Brida would have my balls.
Impromptu Tracheotomy: His cause of death, courtesy of King Edward shooting him through the throat with an arrow.
Killed Mid-Sentence: Gets shot through the throat at Tettenhall while listing what he and his men will do to Aethelflaed.

Talking Is a Free Action: Completely subverted. Turns out stopping to do this in the middle of a battlefield wasn't a smart idea.
Took a Level in Jerkass: Is a lot nastier in Season 4, compared to the Punch-Clock Villain serving Brida he was in Season 3.

You Will Be Spared: Uhtred doesn't harm him after Jackdaw turns up at the Saxon camp ahead of the Battle of Bedanford, bearing a message from Brida that Aethelwold killed Ragnar, but keeps him captive at the camp until the battle is decided.

Dagfinn

Portrayed By: Simon Stenspil

A Danish warrior once in service of the brothers, Sigefrid and Erik, Dagfinn remains a presence in the Danish forces threatening Wessex.

Braids of Barbarism: Has quite extensive, braided black hair.
The Corrupter: Seemingly exploits Sihtric's dissatisfaction with Uhtred to convince him to defect. Ultimately subverted; Sihtric's defection was a plan arranged by him and Uhtred to put a spy in Haesten and Cnut's camp.

Dragon Their Feet: Ultimately grows dissatisfied with Erik due to the latter's growing feelings for Aethelflaed and starts undermining him.
Killed Offscreen: Word of God has it Dagfinn was killed in the final battle of Season 3.
Oh, Crap!: His reaction after Haesten and Dagfinn have their arses handed to them by Aethelflaed's defenders and both saw who commanded them.
Dagfinn: That was Uhtred!
Haesten: I know, I saw him!
Dagfinn: Why is he not in the north?!
Haesten: BECAUSE HE'S HERE!
Took a Level in Jerkass: As Haesten's right hand man, he's become a lot more cruel and vicious, compared to the Punch-Clock Villain he was for Erik.
Would Hit a Girl: Kills an Abbess with a spear when she's about to make a futile attack on Haesten. Haesten then chides Dagfinn for it, pointing out he could quite easily have disarmed the old woman.

Rognavaldr

Portrayed By: Micki Stoltt

Sigtryggr's wastrel younger brother, he returns to Eoforwic after being mistakenly presumed dead in a shipwreck. He's universally disliked by his brother's inner circle, but tolerated because Sigtryggr still loves him.

0% Approval Rating: Aside from his older brother Sigtryggr, virtually no-one in Eoforwic likes him, considering him a good for nothing drunk. His sister-in-law Stiorra frequently wishes her husband would cut ties with Rognavaldr, and the entire city is clamouring for his death after he assists Brida in her occupation of the city.
Abhorrent Admirer: To Stiorra's handmaiden Hella, who is visibly disgusted by him.
Ain't Too Proud to Beg: Is not above this to get his life spared.

Black Speech: Privately whispers to himself in Icelandic, revealing he's a part of Brida's cult.
Dirty Coward: Stiorra considers him this and views his atoner attitude as a simple front to stay alive. Sigtryggr ultimately agrees when Rognavaldr is willing to abandon paganism to be spared by Edward.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: For all his faults, he does seem to care for his brother.
Friend Versus Lover: He and Stiorra do not get on; she considers Rognavaldr a useless waste of space that Sigtryggr is too soft on, while Rognavaldr considers her a bad influence corrupting his brother away from his Danish roots.
Heel–Face Revolving Door: Betrays his brother to Brida's cult, then betrays her to save his own skin, then declares his allegiance to Edward and Wessex to acquire power and influence for himself.
Historical Domain Character: Loosely based on the Norse-Gaelic warlord Ragnall ua Imair, although his historical counterpart actaully preceded Sitric Caech (Sigtryggr.) as king of Northumbria.
Oh, Crap!: His reaction when Brida's daughter selects him as a sacrifice. Fortunately for Rognavaldr, Brida spares him by exercising some Loophole Abuse.
Rank Up: After Sigtryggr's death and Stiorra's refusal to serve the man who killed her husband, Edward puts Rognavaldr in charge of the Danes in Eoforwic, ignoring his unpopularity with the citizenry and various people, including Stiorra and Uhtred, warning him Rognavaldr is completely untrustworthy.
Reports of My Death Were Greatly Exaggerated: Sigtryggr comments when Rognavaldr turns up in Eoforwic he'd heard his little brother died in a shipwreck off the coast of Iceland. As it turns out, his ship did sink, but Brida and her cultists found and nursed him back to health.
Thicker Than Water: Rognavaldr does love his brother in his own way, trying to get Sigtryggr to side with Brida to save himself, and shows great reluctance when Brida orders him to kill Sigtyrggr as a test of his loyalty.
Trial by Ordeal: Since Sigtryggr can't bring himself to kill his little brother even after his betrayal, he makes Rognavaldr undergo one of these so he can leave the matter in the hands of the gods. Rognavaldr is forced to remove a heated iron bar from a cauldron of boiling water and carry it nine steps, on the proviso that if his wounds begin healing within three days after, he'll be spared, or executed if they fester. Sigtryggr ultimately spares him.

Hella

Portrayed By: Lara Steward

A deaf woman who serves as Stiorra's handmaiden and confidante in Eoforwic.

Disabled Snarker: She cheerfully thanks Stiorra for threatening to cut off Rognvaldr's hands if he tries to harass her.
Face Death with Dignity: She makes one last sign to Stiorra before Brida executes her.
Kill the Cutie: Brida stabs her In the Back just to hurt Stiorra.
The Lost Lenore: To Wolland, who is devasted by her death.
Undying Loyalty: To Stiorra, to the point she willingly chooses to face down the vengeful Brida and her cult to give her an opportunity to escape.
The Voiceless: Justified. She can't speak due to her deafness and instead communicates via sign language.

Wolland

Portrayed By: Jaakko Ohtonen

Sigtryggr and Stiorra's loyal right-hand man in Eoforwic.

Badass in Distress: He's one of many warriors imprisoned when Brida captures Eoforwic and overthrows Sigtryggr.
Big "NO!": When the woman he loves is killed during Brida's occupation of Eoforwic and when he sees Stiorra about to fight Brida in a Duel to the Death the latter has massively skewed in her favour.
Dying Moment of Awesome: Despite being mortally wounded by a Scottish soldier in the siege of Bebbanburg, he still has the strength to slay his attacker before succumbing to his wound.
Fighting for a Homeland: What finally convinces Wolland and Stiorra to help Uhtred save Edward at the siege of Bebbanburg is Uhtred's promise that, as Lord of Bebbanburg, he will make Northumbria a safe place for Danes to settle in.
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: He is killed when a Scottish soldier runs an entire spear through his body.
Jerkass Has a Point: He urges Stiorra to withdraw from the Siege of Bebbanburg, even though it will mean leaving her father, brother and many of her childhood friends to die, as from his perspective , the battle is already lost and they don't owe Edward any help.
Wolland: No Danes should die fighting for Saxons. Not after all they have done to us.
The Lost Lenore: He was in love with one of Stiorra's maids who was murdered by Brida to spite Stiorra.
Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Having seen his home occupied, been held a prison, and seen many of his friends and the woman he loved killed by Brida, when Sigtryggr and Uhtred counterattack to drive her cultists from the city, Wolland goes into an unstoppable rage. He also executes any surviving cultists taken prisoner in the battle's aftermath.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: He chooses to go into exile with Stiorra after Edward banishes her from Eoforwic for refusing to swear allegiance to him following Sigtryggr's death.

Vibeke

Portrayed By: Emili Akhchina

Brida's daughter by Cnut, hailed as a seer by her mother and a central figure amongst Brida's fundamentalist warrior cult.

Blind Seer: She's not technically blind, but Brida always blindfolds her before Vibeke selects a victim for a Human Sacrifice to sell the choosing as the will of the gods.
Children Are Innocent: Her mother tries to shield Vibeke from the more brutal aspects of the cult's actions, telling Vibeke to run along and play while the cultists massacre Eoforwic's Christian population.
- Despite their legitimate grievances against Vibeke's mother in Season 5, neither Uhtred nor Pyrlig try to harm Vibeke. Uhtred even tries to rescue Vibeke from the church spire, all but begging the girl to come to him rather than risk trying to make an impossible jump to reach Brida, while Pyrlig insists to a grieving Brida that Vibeke was an innocent who will find peace in the afterlife, and performs a funeral for the girl.
Creepy Child: She's a near-mute, stoic little girl who serves as a Waif Prophet to a fundamentalist pagan cult who randomly picks out victims for her mother to sacrifice to the gods.
Death of a Child: Vibeke is killed during Sigtryggr and Uhtred's counterattack to retake Eoforwic from Brida's cult.
Disappeared Dad: Cnut was killed at the Battle of Tettenhall several months before she was born.
Disney Villain Death: Plummets to her death from a church spire while trying to jump to Brida.
I Want My Mommy!: Calls out for her mother when she ends up trapped atop an Eoforwic church spire during the battle between Brida's cult and Sigtryggr and Uhtred's forces trying to retake the city. What makes it notable is it's the first (and tragically, last) time she speaks in the series.
Morality Pet: To her mother. Brida deeply loves Vibeke despite the circumstances of her conception and is left broken by Vibeke's death.
Sins Of The Mother: Averted; Uhtred does not try to harm Vibeke in retaliation for Brida's actions against his family, even trying to rescue the girl from falling to her death.

Ingilmundr

Portrayed By: Laurie Davidson

An advisor to Aethelstan, commander of the Wirral garrison and a Danish-born Christian...or is he?

Face Death with Dignity: Knowing to not expect mercy from someone he had betrayed so brutally, Ingilmundr remained quiet when Aethelstan refused to give him a weapon to deny him passage to Valhalla and had him executed.
False Friend: He ingratiated himself into Aethelstan's favor by becoming his gay lover. Ingilmundr then played on Aethelstan's Gayngst, claiming that God would forgive the sin of their relationship if he brought all of British Isles under united Christian rule, not just England. He also turned Aethelstan against his lifelong allies and friends, undermining England from within. All this was to unite the neighboring kingdoms against England and make Anlaf's invasion of England go more smoothly.
Foreshadowing: When it looked like Uhtred was going to kill him, Ingilmundr instinctively dove to grab a weapon. This implied that he isn't as true to his Christian beliefs as he claimed, hinting at his true allegiance.
Laser-Guided Karma: He falsely accused Uhtred and Aldhelm of betrayal, resulting in their banishment and death respectively. In the end, he himself was at the mercy of a very angry Aethelstan, who showed him none.
Mole in Charge: He used his position as Aethelstan's advisor and lover to undermine Aethelstan's rule from within. When Anlaf commenced his invasion of England, Ingilmundr murdered his own garrison at Wirral to give Anlaf's forces a superior battlefield position and to prevent word of the invasion from getting out.
Was It All a Lie?: Captured by Aethelstan after the Battle of Brunanburh, Ingilmundr confessed that while he did love Aethelstan, his loyalty to the Danes was even greater. The only regret he had was that victory was not his.
Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?: After watching Uhtred leave Anlaf's camp, he protested Anlaf's decision to let Uhtred go. Believing Uhtred would assassinate Aethelstan in retaliation for banishment, Anlaf told Ingilmundr to relax.

Astrid

Portrayed By: Agnes Born

Anlaf's daughter and second-in-command.

Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: When wearing Saxon peasant clothes and a travelling cloak, she was quite an Unkempt Beauty, almost unrecognizable from the Danish warrior she really was. Astrid often acted as her father's spy, keeping watch over events in England and sowing discord or misinformation to serve Anlaf's purposes.
Daddy's Little Villain: She was Anlaf's daughter and happily aided her father in his plan to send England back into the Dark Age, leaving it ripe for plunder to Anlaf and other Danes. Astrid was every bit as cunning and manipulative as father.
Dark Action Girl: She was a confident warrior who can easily keep up with Danish men and accompany Anlaf into battle.
The Dragon: She was her father's second-in-command, acting directly on his behalf in both espionage and battle.
Laser-Guided Karma: She paid for the misery and death she caused when she was shot through the throat by an arrow during the Battle of Brunanburh. Her death also became one of many losses Anlaf suffered when he was finally defeated.

Characters / The Last Kingdom Danes aka: The Last Kingdom Main Danes

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