Hvitserk Ragnarsson is the second son of Ragnar Lothbrok and Aslaug.
Biography
Season 2
Hvitserk was born in the four year gap between Season 2 Episodes 1 and 2. Hvitserk is often seen alongside his brother Ubbe, and likely looks up to him. Ubbe flees with Aslaug, Ubbe, Rollo, Siggy, and Helga after Jarl Borg invades Kattegat. Ragnar eventually returns from England where he is reunited with his family, and with the assistance of Lagertha, he takes back Kattegat.
Season 3
An older Hvitserk is seen playing with his brothers Ubbe and Sigurd. One day while Aslaug is away and Siggy is watching them Ubbe and Hvitserk wander off onto a frozen lake and Siggy pursues them. She calls out to them, but despite them knowing she is there, Ubbe and Hvitserk ignore her. The ice breaks and Ubbe and Hvitserk fall in. They both nearly drown but Siggy dives in and saves them with the help of Harbard but at the cost of Siggy's life as she drowns.
Season 4
Ubbe and Hvitserk receive their arm-rings from their father so that they can come to Paris with him but not to fight. The Franks then attack the Viking camp but Ubbe and the others manage to escape, but Helga is wounded. After the Vikings' defeat at the hands of Rollo and the Franks they return to Kattegat with the broken and defeated Viking Army.
Ten years later, with Ragnar having disappeared, Hvitserk has grown up into a strong and skilled warrior like all of Ragnar's sons. Having grown up without his father present, Hvitserk has grown resentful and angry at Ragnar. Bjorn brings the news that the Danish settlement in Wessex was destroyed. Hvitserk and his brother discuss why Ragnar didn't tell anyone. Hvitserk then says that if their father ever returned he would kill him, which Sigurd agrees with. Ivar gets angry at his brothers for insulting their father and refers them as "Christians" and calling them soft. Ragnar then returns to Kattegat after his long absence a broken man. He reunites with his sons and challenges his sons to kill him, especially Ubbe, so that they can become king. Ragnar tries to provoke Hvitserk into kill him by screaming at him to kill him, but Hvitserk doesn't move. Eventually Ubbe steps forward, but he and Ragnar only embrace. Ragnar and his sons discuss the lost Wessex settlement and why he came back. Ragnar asks his sons to come to England with him. Hvitserk refuses saying he is sailing with Bjorn to the Mediterranean with Harald, Halfdan, and Floki.
Once Floki's ships are ready, Hvitserk and the group travel to Frankia where they try to bargain with Rollo, who is now the Duke of Normandy, to let them past his coastline so they can travel to the Mediterranean without any trouble. Hvitserk is introduced to his cousins William, Marcellus, and Celsa. However they are imprisoned, but Rollo agrees to let them go as long as he accompanies them. They reluctantly let Rollo come, but not before knee hauling him for his betrayal all those years ago.
Hvitserk, Bjorn, Harald, Halfdan, Floki, and Rollo then sail down the Mediterranean and arrive in Spain, where they slaughter any resistance and steal any treasure they can get there hands on. While staring out to the ocean on a cliff, Odin himself approaches Hvitserk and Bjorn and tells them their father is dead. Hvitserk and Bjorn return to Kattegat, dropping Rollo back in Frankia on the way. Hvitserk returns home and finds out that Ubbe has freed Margrethe, their lover and is marrying her. Hvitserk is delighted and asks Ubbe to "make sure he doesn't keep her all to himself." After the marriage ceremony Ubbe says that he and Hvitserk can share Margrethe since they both love her. Hvitserk, Ubbe, and Sigurd then discuss their mother's death. Hvitserk says they shouldn't kill Lagertha because she was a bad mother. Ivar says they should, and Hvitserk replies that Ivar is crazy.
Hvitserk and his brothers summon and form the Great Heathen Army to avenge their father. They easily defeat the forces of Northumbria and kill King Aelle with a blood eagle ceremony. The Great Heathen Army then faces the forces of Wessex, confusing and outmaneuvering them, causing them to retreat. They capture King Ecbert and Bishop Edmund. Ivar demands a blood eagle for King Ecbert but Ubbe and his brothers convince Ivar otherwise. Later, Hvitserk watches in horror as Ivar kills Sigurd by throwing an axe into his stomach. Hitserk and Ubbe look at Ivar in anger for killing his own brother, while Ivar shows no remorse.
Season 5
After Sigurd's death, Hvitserk, Ubbe, and Ivar rule jointly over their newly acquired land in East Anglia. Floki decides to leave the Great Heathen Army to set sail for the unknown, Hvitserk and the army say their goodbyes to Floki. Ivar persuades Hvitserk and Ubbe to go forth and conquer the city of York. Hvitserk and the Great Heathen Army attack York when the locals are celebrating one of their saints. The attack is a success. They easily sack and occupy the city. After the successful attack and occupation of the city, Hvitserk and Ubbe go to speak with Ivar. They are surprised to see that he now has bodyguards, who initially try to stop them. Ubbe just stares them down until they step aside. They find Ivar getting a large tattoo on to his back, and ask him why he needs bodyguards. "Because I'm a cripple!" he states. They ask him why did he not consult them about it and if he thinks he is the leader of the Great Heathen Army. He answers, "Why would I think such a thing?" He then shows his brothers the newly created leg braces and crutches that were specially made in order for him to walk on his own.
The Saxons, led by King Aethelwulf and Bishop Heahmund, enter the town through a section of the old Roman walls that were purposefully neglected by Ivar to lure the Saxons in. After the battle, the Saxons suffered a crushing defeat. Hvitserk and Ubbe propose peace, but Ivar wants to continue the war. The two brothers secretly leave at night to negotiate with the Saxons. Aethelwulf seemingly accepts their offer, but Heahmund arranges to have the brothers humiliated. With Ubbe and Hvitserk having lost face, Ivar secures his position as the only leader of the Great Heathen Army.
Hvitserk and Ubbe prepare to leave for Kattegat with their few followers. But at the last minute, Hvitserk defects to join Ivar. The Saxons lay siege to York, they massacre the hunting parties and block the city. The Vikings pretend to burn bodies, and Ivar humiliates Hvitserk by not sharing his plan. Hvitserk and Ivar are in the sewers of the city when Ivar finally informs Hvitserk that he has a plan. The Saxons arrive in York thinking the city is deserted. Their celebration is cut short when the Vikings appear from the sewers and engage in battle. Bishop Heahmund is taken captive. Hvitserk and Ivar decide to take him with them to Kattegat.
The Great Heathen Army travels to Vestfold where they are greeted by King Harald. Ivar makes an alliance with Harald that if he helped them attack Kattegat, Ivar would name Harald as his heir. They plan to attack Kattegat in two months' time. Hvitserk questions Ivar about why would he make Harald his heir and Ivar states, "Who's to say he will not die." Ivar threatens and persuades Bishop Heahmund into fighting with them. After two months, their army lines up against the forces of Lagertha, Bjorn, and Ubbe above Kattegat. Lagertha sends emissaries to begin negotiations. Hvitserk is traded as a hostage with Halfdan. Ubbe pleads unsuccessfully for Hvitserk to side with them. The leaders of the two armies met again the next day. Bjorn begs Ivar to consider the possibility of peace, stating that a civil war can only bring tragedy and “a lifetime of revenge obligations for those who survive.” Ivar agrees but tricks and mocks Lagertha and her allies. This results in failure for a peaceful end to the conflict. Before battle, Ivar takes Astrid and a third of their army towards shore to protect their fleet. Hvitserk and his group try to flank Bjorn and Lagertha's army, but are ambushed in the forest by the Sami. Battle begins, and Bjorn and Lagertha's side gains the upper hand, as Harald's forces are outflanked. Ivar hears the fighting, but says it is too late to help. Bishop Heahmund is wounded, and Harald retreats. During the battle, Hvitserk kills Torvi's son Guthrum. He seems to be gleeful about killing him.
Later, Hvitserk falls in love with Thora. When Hvitserk is gone to meet with King Olaf on Ivar's orders, Ivar has her and her family killed, along with all those who oppose his rule. Upon discovering what happened to Thora, Hvitserk rejoins his other brothers to defeat Ivar during the Siege of Kattegat. Ivar loses Kattegat, but escapes with his life.
Season 6
Hvitserk is watching and listening to King Bjorn address the people of Kattegat about the future of their town. He has decided to banish Ivar's collaborators instead of execute them. While Lagertha thinks this is a good decision, Hvitserk clearly disagrees.
Time passes, and Hvitserk begins spiraling downward through a combination of unraveling mental health and addiction to alcohol and mushrooms. His depression and insanity continue as most of his family leaves him to his own devices as he is tormented by visions of Ivar as a serpent and of a burned Thora demanding revenge. Despite this, Bjorn decides to let Hvitserk take care of Kattegat while he goes to rescue King Harald from King Olaf. Ubbe tells him that Hvitserk is not in any condition to be in charge. As a result, Bjorn decides to have Ubbe be in charge instead.
Amma, who deeply cares about Hvitserk, becomes his caretaker. Trying to give his brother something productive to do with his life, Ubbe assigns Hvitserk a trade mission along the old Silk Road to lead. When Hvitserk fails to sober up, Ubbe becomes angry and feels betrayed. He yells at Hvitserk that he never wants to see him again.
One night, deep in the grip of alcohol and drugs, Hvitserk lashes out and beats Amma, the only person left that worries about him, and runs out into the rain hunting the imaginary serpent Ivar. He finally attacks it, in the very place where his mother died, and stabs it with all his strength. As he returns to his senses, he realizes that he has actually stabbed a severely wounded and dying Lagertha who has limped back to Kattegat to see Bjorn after defeating White Hair in his Second Raid. He confesses to Bjorn about Lagertha's murder and Bjorn thrashes him and arrests him. Hvitserk says that he hasn't achieved anything great like Bjorn or Ubbe, telling Bjorn, "Even if you wants to burn me alive, I'll accept it, because I have deserved it." At first deciding to burn Hvitserk alive, Bjorn changes his mind and allows Ubbe to save him. Instead of killing him, Hvitserk is exiled as an outlaw, or a Skogarmaor.
Hvitserk is later reunited with Ivar who has come to invade Scandinavia with Prince Oleg. Hvitserk decides that staying with Ivar is a better choice because Ivar has matured. He feels that Ivar treats him better than Bjorn and Ubbe.
Personality
Hvitserk can be described as a very confused character. Having witnessed the atrocities being committed in Frankia at a very young age, have shaped his mindset for the future. Hvitserk is a non-confrontational person, who likes to enjoy life when he's outside of battle. His other persona he likely created due to the severe trauma he had to endure as a child is the complete opposite and likes to enjoy raiding, killing and raping. To him this is the ideal Viking warrior.
Being abandoned by their father Ragnar so early in their life and Aslaug struggling to raise a disabled child on her own on top of three others while still being Queen of Kattegat with all responsibilities, caused Hvitserk to rely on his older brother Ubbe for affection. Those two were inseparable as children and teenagers. They even were close enough to shared Ubbe's wife Margrethe without getting jealous of each other. Hvitserk mentions his love for his older brother twice, once while in bed with Thora and another time while sitting in front of Bjorn's tombstone. This tells us that even after abandoning and betraying him, his thoughts were still regretful about having parted with him. This only shows how confused Hvitserk was at the time and that he did not know what to do with his life, when he jumped ship. He is very indecisive, but sticks with the decisions once he makes them.
Growing up, Hvitserk and Ubbe took over the responsibility of keeping Ivar and Sigurd in check as to not let one kill the other as children. This was a lot of pressure being put on them and as we know if backfired in how they handled Ivar's angry outbursts. Hvitserk was genuinely shocked at his youngest brother killing Sigurd and appeared not to grasp that it actually happened for what looked like minutes after. Hvitserk loves his brothers, he loves his mother and respects his father. Still, he was often overlooked and also as adult, his suggestions not taken seriously or being credited correctly. After siding with Ivar he tells his little brother what he wants to hear in hopes to gain Ivar's trust enough to not appear as an enemy to him and get disposable.
In Season 6 it is revealed that all Hvitserk wanted was a family of his own, someone to love and be loved by in return. He cares for his lovers, such as Margrethe and later Thora, both characters we don't get too much information about. Even though Ivar openly threatens her, Hvitserk is not aware of how serious his little brother is, since he often makes snide remarks or throws threats around. Hvitserk is extremely sad upon hearing the news of Thora's death. He begins drinking heavily and using mushrooms, becoming addicted to them. His deterioration is partly the result of his grief over the deaths of Aslaug, Margrethe, and especially Thora. Its doesn't help that his brother killed the later two. Hvitserk has a naturally addictive personality, that makes it hard for him to let go of the drugs.
Like Aslaug had met the God Harbard in her time of need, Hvitserk meets a Goddess- Idun- and spends the night with her. His sorrows appear to be gone after her aid. Though that is not where the comparison to Aslaug stops, he is also lithe in frame and has similar features to her.
As a warrior, Hvitserk leans toward being a Berserker- his second persona- and lets loose during battles, mimicking what he'd seen warriors do in battle. During the Sack of York, he goes on a killing spree, hacking down people until he collapses out of sheer exhaustion on the floor covered in blood. Even though Ivar provided battles for Hvitserk to fight in, their relationship was unhealthy and very toxic, as Hvitserk had his co-dependency issues and Ivar a naturally narcissistic side, they get along well enough to not kill each other due to providing what the other needs mentally. While most of his brothers tend to not engage in rape during raids, Hvitserk does engage in raping woman. It happens together with Bjorn in Algeciras- who also rapes women in Spain and when he's in York, though all implied off-screen.
Hvitserk's indecisive nature makes it impossible for him to know what is best for him and so he switches sides in hopes to find out which one he is fated to be on. Margrethe- in her mentally unstable state- planted the thought of Hvitserk having to kill Ivar in his head, but he did not see any truth in it until later, when he himself reached the point of mental instability caused by the drugs and ale he consumed. Ivar’s constant mockery and threats in Season 5 and the previous murder of Margrethe kick start Hvitserk into trying to win Olaf over to overthrow his brother. He succeeds and attacks Kattegat with the joined forces of King Olaf, Harald, Lagertha, Ubbe, and Bjorn.
Back in Kattegat and experiencing horrible visions of the burned corpse of Thora and a serpent-like monster resembling Ivar, his paranoia grows and he believes his fate is to kill Ivar at last. Bjorn's sorrow after Hvitserk accidentally killed an already dying Lagertha blinds him so much that he wants to kill Hvitserk. The Seer had given Hvitserk a prophecy, which turned out to be his last one. He says that Hvitserk “will do what his brothers have failed to do, but the cost will be too high.” Lagertha's death at his hands fulfills the Seer’s prophecy in the end. He is being shunned out of Kattegat and happens upon Ivar again, who takes him in and helps him get clean. Their relationship changes for the better in a way, until Ivar notices how strange Hvitserk behaves and learns that he once again is using drugs- this time in the form of poppy seed steam. They attacked each other in Kiev which was something both of them needed to blow off steam. They stick together after that.
At the very end Hvitserk is convinced his fate is to be destructive, but we see him at peace when he sits against Ivar's tombstone and later on he asks to be baptized and swears off all his pagan ways. This appears to be a sort of clean slate for him and a way to start his life over.
Trivia
- As of the Season 2 finale, Hvitserk and his brothers would be known by the Old Norse title of Budlungr or "prince."
- It is often suggested that Hvitserk is the same individual as Halfdan, another name said to be the son of Ragnar. The Norse sagas name him Hvitserk, while Anglo-Saxon sources refer to a brother named Halfdan, and for this reason historians generally assume they are the same person.
- If Hvitserk is the same person as Halfdan, then he was one of the principle leaders of the Danish Mycel Heathen Here (the Great Heathen Army) and assisted with the conquests of Northumbria, East Anglia, and the northern half of Mercia. Briefly, between 871-872, Halfdan/Hvitserk would occupy the city of London, then part of the kingdom of Mercia.
- According to history, Hvitserk/Halfdan died in battle at the hands of fellow Vikings in Northern Ireland. He was king in Dublin but his rule was not secure there and while he was away in York, where he also was king, they deposed him. He sailed back to Ireland with an army in 877 to recapture Dublin. But he was met with an army of what the sources call “Fair Heathens” and Hvitserk/Halfdan himself led an army of “Dark Heathens.” Both were rivaling groups of Vikings in Britain and Ireland. There was a battle at a place called Strangford Lough in which Halfdan/Hvitserk was slain and his army also defeated.
- The saga The Tale of Ragnar's Sons, which calls him Hvitserk, mentions that he led armies into Gardariki (the Norse term for Russia), where he lost a battle facing overwhelming odds. It claims that he was burnt alive by his captors.
- According to the saga Tale of Ragnar's Sons, Hvitserk inherited Jutland (Danish mainland) and Wendland (Luchow-Dannenberg in Lower Saxony) after the death of his father.
Gallery
Appearances
Season two appearances | ||||
Brother's War | Invasion | Treachery | Eye For an Eye | Answers in Blood |
Unforgiven | Blood Eagle | Boneless | The Choice | The Lord's Prayer |
Season three appearances | ||||
Mercenary | The Wanderer | Warrior's Fate | Scarred | The Usurper |
Born Again | Paris | To the Gates! | Breaking Point | The Dead |
Season four appearances | ||||
A Good Treason | Kill the Queen | Mercy | Yol | Promised |
What Might Have Been | The Profit and the Loss | Portage | Death All 'Round | The Last Ship |
The Outsider | The Vision | Two Journeys | In the Uncertain Hour Before the Morning | All His Angels |
Crossings | The Great Army | Revenge | On the Eve | The Reckoning |