S06.E07: The Ice Maiden

[nodorothyparker]

Airdate 2020.01.15

Quote

Bjorn returns to Kattegat as Harald gains a measure of revenge on Olaf. In Kiev, interesting news reaches Ivar and Igor about Prince Dir.

 

[Steph J]

The show is absolutely killing it visually this season.  Those last couple of minutes were breathtaking.

[patty1h]

The last 5 minutes really got to me -- Lagetha under the water floating down to rest next to Ragnar got me all verklempt.

[Straycat80]

Bravo! Great send off for Queen Lagertha. The scene of her, the Valkyrie’s and Ragnar gave me chills. 
Now I’m nervous for Torvi because of what the seer said. 

[dbell1]

I sniffled a few times tonight. That funeral was insane.

Glad Bjorn made it back in time. My favorite seasons were the earlier ones on the farm before Ragnar blew up his family. Bjorn always had his mom’s back, and she had his. As much as they talk about “sons of Ragnar”, there was always a Lagertha holding things together in public while breaking down in private. And Winnick always gave it everything, no matter how crazy and crappy the script.

Torvi was her pet project, so it was nice to see her take the lead in funeral planning. 

Is Gunnhild still pregnant? Is Hitsverk in rehab? And why are there only 2 episodes left? Guess the show will take another long break before wrapping things up.
 

 

[sagittarius sue]

34 minutes ago, dbell1 said:

And why are there only 2 episodes left?

I think we might have 3 episodes remaining.  It was stated as only 2 more episodes before the finale.

[LittleIggy]

1 hour ago, patty1h said:

The last 5 minutes really got to me -- Lagetha under the water floating down to rest next to Ragnar got me all verklempt.

I know! I cried me a river. The Angel of Death woman was creepy with her black eyes! I bet nobody picks strangulation...
Ivar is back to moving around quite well using one crutch. 🙄 Freydis needs to die again. She looked much better as a blonde.

21 minutes ago, sagittarius sue said:

I think we might have 3 episodes remaining.  It was stated as only 2 more episodes before the finale.

Before the mid-season finale, not the series finale.

[LittleIggy]

1 hour ago, Straycat80 said:

Bravo! Great send off for Queen Lagertha. The scene of her, the Valkyrie’s and Ragnar gave me chills. 
Now I’m nervous for Torvi because of what the seer said. 

What did the seer say? I didn’t catch that.

[magdalene]

The scene at the end with Torvi's little girl seeing the apparition of Lagertha with the Valkyries and then resting at the bottom of the sea until the sand blew away - that was beautiful and poetic, a gorgeous and haunting send-off worthy of the character of Lagertha.

As for the death cult and ritual human sacrifice aspect of the episode -  I have hated that part of the show since the first season.  I don't see anything sacred or worth celebrating in a young woman choosing death at the hands of some freak - who clearly was getting off on it.  When Vikings goes there it always smacks of Jonestown and drinking the cool-aid to me.

There is actually some controversy and dispute among historians whether the Vikings actually practiced human sacrifice.

Oh, Torvi. I am sure Lagertha would have preferred you be a mother to your children and a wife to Ubbe. Actually, after this episode I have a feeling that Ubbe may be a widower soon. I won't be surprised if Torvi dies in child birth.

[thuganomics85]

Great "official" send off for Lagertha.  I liked how it showed how many characters' her life had touched, and how everyone in Kattegat truly looked up to her.  They did have me a bit nervous about Bjorn possibly missing the funeral, but I'm glad he made it, because for whatever faults he has, he truly loved his mother and I"m happy he was able to be there.  Alexander Ludwig really sold the final speech.

That said, it was definitely twisted over how basically a Shield Maiden was sacrificed as well, because apparently she is needed to "guide" Lagertha to Valhalla or something.  Also wasn't sure what the deal was with her having sex with some dude beforehand.  Either way, crazy stuff, although I guess it doesn't quite top how some Ancient Egyptians would actually mummify their slaves, from what I've heard.

I am worried over Torvi volunteering to sacrifice herself, and her reaction after.  I hope she hasn't lost her will to live.  Losing both her son and Lagertha is a tough road to hold, no doubt, but she still has her daughter and Ubbe.

I do appreciate the turn around where now it is Olaf that is Harald's prisoner.

Oh, Oleg!  Leave it to you to somehow ruin a typical "What is your great wish?" scenario by saying you wish you could return to your mother's womb.  You big weirdo!  I did love Ivar's wish and being all "Hey, if your so-called Christian god can make water into wild and so forth, it really should be that hard to let me walk!"

Hvisterk needs to sober up and watch his ass!

Thank you, Katheryn Winnick, for making Lagertha a great character, who I will sorely miss.

[Lamima]

Yeah, it was a great send off for Lagertha but an, overall, boring episode. Just a funeral basically. 

What did the seer say about Torvi?

[Lady Iris]

Who was that Angel of Death lady? Is she like some regular citizen that only comes out once in a blue moon? Nice that the lady got some pre-sacrifice nookie I guess. That whole part was insanely bizarre but I truly was enthralled by the funeral. Now that's a way to honor a legend. I got a bit sad thinking Ragnar should've had the same but all he got was a pit of snakes.

Hvitserk, damn boy, you in for a heap of trouble.

 

 

[mcjen]

I'll have to rewatch later because I kept nodding off during the episode (not Vikings' fault; was just up late!)  I couldn't make out what the object was that Ubbe laid on Lagertha's body.  Was it identified in some other part of the episode that I slept through?  

Just finished reading the AV Club's recap of the episode, which ends with this note:  One of the items placed on Lagertha’s body appears to be the sunstone Ragnar used to first voyage across the sea to England.  If that's what it was, that's kind of a cool recall.

[Hana Chan]

17 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

That said, it was definitely twisted over how basically a Shield Maiden was sacrificed as well, because apparently she is needed to "guide" Lagertha to Valhalla or something.  Also wasn't sure what the deal was with her having sex with some dude beforehand.  Either way, crazy stuff, although I guess it doesn't quite top how some Ancient Egyptians would actually mummify their slaves, from what I've heard.

The Vikings and Celts had very interesting traditions involving sacrifice and it was always important that the sacrifice be a real one for the individual or a community. You gave your best to the gods - the most costly things that you could possibly give up. You didn't sacrifice the old or sick animals in your herds - you gave your best stallions or bulls. And when it came to human sacrifice, it was much the same. A human life was the greatest and most costly thing to be given up to the gods. Giving up a slave or someone at the end of their lives meant little, but giving up the life of a strong warrior or a person of great social stature who was an asset to the community was the kind of fitting sacrifice that would please the gods. 

I couldn't help contrasting Lagertha's funeral to Aslaug's (which had seemed pretty elaborate at the time). One horse was sacrificed for Aslaug, but no human offering was made (or at least was shown). She was sent off in an elaborate albeit small boat with one sacrifice (a horse). That was pretty much the bare minimum that should be expected for a person of stature in their society, let alone a queen (which indicates that the people of Kattegut didn't hold her in any great esteem). Largertha was not only sent on her final journey in an elaborate and large vessel, but four horses and a shield maiden were sacrificed in her honor. It was a far more elaborate and lavish funeral and shows the tremendous regard that the people had for her, giving her the rites that would be expected only for the highest kings. 

And how fitting it is for her to be rejoined to the man she'd loved all her life. However badly their marriage ended, it made me tear up to know that she and Ragnar were rejoined in Valhalla. 

Edited January 17, 2020 by Hana Chan

[Straycat80]

10 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

What did the seer say? I didn’t catch that.

Something about Torvi dying. I’m glad they turned her down when she wanted to be the sacrifice for Lagertha’s funeral. 

[LennieBriscoe]

The girl was sacrificed to accompany Lagertha, so where was her body placed?

Maybe the sexual act was so as not to slay a maiden. Roman Empire soldiers brutally adhered to this notion, as well.

[mcjen]

Anyone have any ideas on the different "looks" we had of Lagertha as she descended through the water, until she came to rest with Sand Ragnar on the bottom?  I only registered two...possibly three...different looks as I watched. 

Initially she was in flowy white robes, which I took to be what she was dressed in for burial (I have not rewatched to determine if that was actually how she was dressed on the ship, though.  It could also be a poetical depiction of funeral robes.)  The next "outfit" I noticed definitely had Lagertha dressed in ring mail and (I think) leather, with a some sort of headdress.   Finally, I think I registered that she was no longer in her battle gear when she settled next to Ragnar, but I didn't have time to clock what she was wearing.

Reading the Forbes recap - https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2020/01/16/vikings-season-6-episode-7-recap-and-review-the-ice-maiden/#795044683adc - they suggest Lagertha "becomes younger" as she descends, and they've captured 4 images.  I don't really see Lagertha getting younger, unless production intended the clothing alone to convey that; in the first shot of her in the flowing white robes, her face looks great, quite youthful.  Their second shot is the battle attire I caught.  Their third shot she appears to be wearing something different, but it's hard to see what exactly, just that it looks like an upscale dress.  The final shot, alongside Ragnar, definitely looks different to me, more rustic.

So I'm wondering if it's less about Lagertha becoming progressively younger than it is about celebrating different aspects of her life?  The flowy robes might be a death shroud (although they also look like a wedding dress to me!), the ring mail reflects her position as head of the Shield Maidens, the elegant dress as Queen of Kattegut (in her own right or as the wife of Ragnar.  Could also be her as the wife of Earl Ragnar.)  The final rustic clothes could represent her life as a farmer's wife.

Still wondering if it's meant to be chronological (or chronologically reverse) or if it's just flashes of differents aspects.  Would love to find some place where Hirst comments on this! 

Edited January 16, 2020 by mcjen
typos

[dbell1]

 I loved the progression of Lagertha. She was many things to many people. I’m happy she ended her life where it started, on a farm, taking care of family. I totally believe she knew she was dying and wanted to be in Kattegat with her family. 

Hopefully Gunnehild tells everyone that she’d sustained a pretty fatal blow in that sword fight. Lagertha seemed to have accepted her death and cleared Hitsverk of responsibility. Sucks for him there were no witnesses. But then he wouldn’t have run off to the woods.

I know everyone wants the reunion with Ragnar to be loving, but I hope she slapped him upside the head when she got to Valhalla. He made some boneheaded moves at the end. 

Can the next act in Kattegat be to clear out the drug den of ill repute? That place needs to be turned into a rehab.
 

[sagittarius sue]

4 hours ago, LennieBriscoe said:

The girl was sacrificed to accompany Lagertha, so where was her body placed?

Her body was placed ahead of Lagertha in the boat, cross-wise to Lagertha.  I noticed it near the end of the boat sequence.

[benteen]

Great sendoff to Lagertha and very well-done.  The visuals were absolutely amazing and the snowy landscape really was wondrous.  Really effective last shot with Lagertha and Ragnar.

I also hate the whole death cult thing and the absolute waste of human life.  The one nice touch is the shield maiden being named after Lagertha's daughter (It's nice that she's occasionally remembered unlike Little Siggy).

Bjorn's tribute to Lagertha was fantastic, reminding me a little of Ragnar remembering Gyda while sitting on the beach.  Of course, he doesn't know he has another dead kid but that sort of thing doesn't seem to bother him so much.

Either do something interesting with Hvitsvek or get rid of him.

With Lagertha gone, that leaves only Rollo left of the old guard.  I wonder if he will get a death scene before this show is over.

[Duke2801]

Echoing what many others have said—that was a lovely and fitting tribute for Queen Lagertha. I certainly teared up during Torvi, her granddaughter and Bjorn’s goodbyes, as well as her descent into the ocean and ultimate reunion with Ragnar. Part of me was hoping that Travis Fimmel would make an appearance, but the way they filmed it was lovely nonetheless. 
 

On 1/16/2020 at 2:38 AM, magdalene said:

Actually, after this episode I have a feeling that Ubbe may be a widower soon. I won't be surprised if Torvi dies in child birth.

Agreed. Especially because Torvi has got to be in her 40s now right?! When she said that she’d lost “two sons” I was reminded that she’d already had a young adult son die—many years ago! 

On 1/16/2020 at 9:35 AM, Lady Iris said:

Who was that Angel of Death lady? Is she like some regular citizen that only comes out once in a blue moon? Nice that the lady got some pre-sacrifice nookie I guess. That whole part was insanely bizarre but I truly was enthralled by the funeral. Now that's a way to honor a legend. I got a bit sad thinking Ragnar should've had the same but all he got was a pit of snakes.

Hvitserk, damn boy, you in for a heap of trouble.

 

 

Yes I was confused if the Angel of Death lady was real (and dressed “in costume”) like many of the others. Or if she was part of Viking’s mystical realism, like the Seer character. Either way, she was effectively creepy. 

[Hana Chan]

30 minutes ago, Duke2801 said:

Yes I was confused if the Angel of Death lady was real (and dressed “in costume”) like many of the others. Or if she was part of Viking’s mystical realism, like the Seer character. Either way, she was effectively creepy. 

There is a figure in Norse culture known as a volva who is a type of seeress or priestess and was sometimes referred to as an Angel of Death. Women traditionally had major roles in the organizing of funeral rites among the Norse people, including making the sacrifices.

And there was often a lot of ritual sex - not all of it consentual but sex was considered a major part of funeral rites. As was intoxication and ecstatic trances. Needless to say that Vikings were dramatic AF.

[patty1h]

I need to go back and re-watch because after viewing several recaps on Youtube, a few people have made mention of a scene where Ivar seems to sense that Lagertha is dead.   I must have blinked and missed it.  Ivar had a scene watching the prince ice skate and he got a message about Oleg's brother.  He also had his talk about God giving him the ability to walk again, but after that, I got nothing.  Can anyone give me an idea when this happened?

[Andyourlittledog2]

2 hours ago, patty1h said:

I need to go back and re-watch because after viewing several recaps on Youtube, a few people have made mention of a scene where Ivar seems to sense that Lagertha is dead.   I must have blinked and missed it.  Ivar had a scene watching the prince ice skate and he got a message about Oleg's brother.  He also had his talk about God giving him the ability to walk again, but after that, I got nothing.  Can anyone give me an idea when this happened?

It could have been when he looked up at the sky as it began to snow. He seemed to react to the snowing in a peculiar manner, not as one would in winter in a snowy climate.

[mcjen]

15 hours ago, Andyourlittledog2 said:

It could have been when he looked up at the sky as it began to snow. He seemed to react to the snowing in a peculiar manner, not as one would in winter in a snowy climate.

I think that was the place, too.  Also haven't rewatched, but I think it may have coincided with the point where Lagertha's body started to burn in the ship.  When it cross-cut to Ivar taking particular note of the falling snow, it crossed my mind that it perhaps resembled falling ashes.  Maybe?

Edited to add: one of the recaps I read made mention of not liking this moment, finding the notion that everyone in the Lothbrok clan "feels" it when someone dies, miles away from them, to a bit much.

Edited January 18, 2020 by mcjen
Additional thought

[Stoned]

I have to admit as a 42 yr old Man My eyes welled up watching Lagertha's funeral..Especially when She was reunited with Ragnar at the bottom of the sea...

[iMonrey]

Quote

Yes I was confused if the Angel of Death lady was real (and dressed “in costume”) like many of the others. Or if she was part of Viking’s mystical realism, like the Seer character. Either way, she was effectively creepy. 

I, too, wondered how much of the ritual was real and how much may have been a hallucination. The shield maiden, Gyda, did drink something first so that's suspicious. But then Asa seemed to be watching as the Angel of Death stabbed her and we didn't see a different point of view. I don't know how she would have gotten those black eyeballs though. It's not like they had contacts back then.

Who was Torvi's other son, Guthrum? I'm struggling to remember.

The ending really was beautiful, and this show certainly knows how to do spectacle well. That said, this felt like it should have been the end of the series. 

Oh, and BTW Bjorn: your son is dead too. 😞 

[Andyourlittledog2]

I was thinking back on the Angel of Death and there is something about her face, hair, and mouth that said Gunnhild to me. Was she Gunnhild in priestess' robes and makeup?

I also thought that Gyda was given a hallucinogen to drink prior to her actual death and that would lend the extra spookiness to the priests and Angel of Death she saw. That Asa was watching does not, IMO, mean that Asa saw the same as Gyda did at the time. Asa may have been witnessing the actual priests and Angel of Death but we were still seeing through Gyda's eyes, point of view be damned. 

[Steph J]

On 1/16/2020 at 7:42 AM, Straycat80 said:

Something about Torvi dying. I’m glad they turned her down when she wanted to be the sacrifice for Lagertha’s funeral. 

I'm just rewatching the episode and the seer doesn't predict Torvi's death.  The exchange between the seer and Ubbe goes like this:

Seer: "You will know and then you will wish that you did not know... like Hali, we are all on our way to Valhalla."

Ubbe: "Hali?... No... no, Torvi..."

He says "no Torvi" because she's on her way to the farmstead and will find out that Hali is dead.

Edited January 19, 2020 by Steph J

[nodorothyparker]

This show has always done spectacle so well, and right from the start I've loved the otherworldly elements that made horrible alien rituals so starkly and horribly beautiful.  Lagertha's funeral was a fitting sendoff for who she was in their culture and history, and there were a ton of callbacks to Earl Haraldson's funeral in the first season after Ragnar killed him.  Of course, there it helped to have Ragnar and a young Bjorn explaining a lot of what we were seeing to an incredulous Athelstan, but I guess they figure by the show's sixth season we shouldn't be all that surprised by a little human sacrifice anymore.  Still, the visuals this episode were gorgeous throughout, even if the ending went a lot farther than the show usually goes in saying that any of this is real as opposed to just what these people happen to believe to be true.

Everybody brought their A game for their final speeches to Lagertha, which felt appropriately heartfelt.  Bjorn may be a lackadaisical king at best and a terminal case of wandering dick, but he absolutely sold that Lagertha was always the primary woman in his life.  Which may actually have been part of the problem.  I get that their society regards being a human sacrifice the ultimate honor, but Torvi had me a little worried there.  It's easy to forget that we were introduced to Torvi as the very young bride of Jarl Borg, who overthrew Ragnar's rule while he was in England and was later bloodeagled for it and that she later came into her own as a shield maiden under Lagertha.

Nothing good is going to come of Bjorn immediately swearing vengeance on Lagertha's killer while poor addled Hvitserk is still stumbling around.  It's actually a little surprising to me that the Vikings tolerate the shitty mouse-ridden drug den in their midst.

King Olaf really should have been the least surprised man ever that the man he'd been imprisoning was going to immediately turn around and imprison him after his kingmaking attempt went sideways and that guy somehow cheated his way into becoming head grand poobah.

[MoldySpiceGirl]

On 1/16/2020 at 10:38 AM, mcjen said:

So I'm wondering if it's less about Lagertha becoming progressively younger than it is about celebrating different aspects of her life? 

To me, it felt sort of like a visual shedding of identities and roles.  First, shedding the physical body, then her political power, then her shieldmaiden self, until finally, she was the first Lagertha, wife of a farmer.  It's that Lagertha that settled next to Ragnar and was swallowed by the sea.

 

[Hana Chan]

18 hours ago, nodorothyparker said:

Everybody brought their A game for their final speeches to Lagertha, which felt appropriately heartfelt. 

I especially appreciated Ubbe's eulogy. His relationship with Lagertha was, to say the least, complicated. He never forgot that she killed his mother, but he seemed to appreciate that the conflict between Lagertha and Aslaug has nothing to do with him or his brothers (and that his mother had at least some responsibility for the bad blood between them). He also accepted that it would be Lagertha reunited with Ragnar in Valhalla and not his mother (who would not have been granted entry into Valhalla as she was not a warrior). I think that his final speech was heartfelt, as he did respect and even care for Lagertha even if he did have reason to hate her. 

18 hours ago, nodorothyparker said:

Which may actually have been part of the problem.  I get that their society regards being a human sacrifice the ultimate honor, but Torvi had me a little worried there.

Torvi is, understandably, absolutely grief stricken. She lost both her son and her mentor in one fell swoop. Thankfully clearer minds prevailed and she got the reminder that she has much to live for. With the new life growing within her, a loving husband and a daughter (who seems destined to become a shield maiden herself), she could not follow Lagertha just yet.

8 hours ago, MoldySpiceGirl said:

To me, it felt sort of like a visual shedding of identities and roles.  First, shedding the physical body, then her political power, then her shieldmaiden self, until finally, she was the first Lagertha, wife of a farmer.  It's that Lagertha that settled next to Ragnar and was swallowed by the sea.

I thought that was such a lovely montage, showing all the phases of Lagertha's remarkable life and ending when she was happiest - back on the farm with Ragner. And then in the end, both she and Ragner were swept away into legend. It was a perfect final scene for her.

Edited January 20, 2020 by Hana Chan

[MaggieG]

I shed a few tears during the funeral but I absolutely bawled at the final scene, the Valkyries guiding Lagertha and her ending up next to Ragnar. It was great final scene.

[tennisgurl]

This show really excels when it comes to spectacle, and mixing the magical with the almost alien like ceremonies and rituals that the Vikings engaged in, and this was very much a fitting send off for Lagertha, Queen, Warrior, Wife, Mother, and all around badass. You can see how much she meant to people, and I admit that I teared up at the ending. Valkyries taking Lagertha to Valhalla, and her finally ending up with Ragnar, is a perfect send off for her character. Despite how badly their marriage ended, I dont think they ever stopped loving each other, and now they can spend eternity together. 

The actors really brought their A game for the speeches, I think that Ubbes reactions to Lagerthas death was especially interesting. Lagertha was the person who killed his mother, but he still deeply respected her as a warrior and leader, and even cared for her as the mentor of his wife, mother of his brother, and grandmother to his step kids who he is close with, an ally in battle and in politics who generally supported his ideas of peaceful farming and immigration, and that what happened between her and his mother really had nothing to do with him or his brothers. I am really glad that Bjorn made it to the funeral, Bjorn certainly has many flaws, but he has always loved his mother, and you could really feel his grief for her. 

The human sacrifice sequences was really creepy but fascinating, I suppose that things like that are inevitable when your a culture that has such a strong focus on honorable and glorious death and fatalism and even more death, but the creepiest part to me was the death priestess and her creepy black eyes! Is she related to The Seeer? What is happening with eyes in their family?!

[PatsyandEddie]

The show has always been spectacularly stunning in the visual department but this was beyond magnificent. From the speeches to the sacrifice to the longboat being pulled into the bay, I was mesmerized. Bjorn sitting at the edge was heartbreaking as were the faces of Gunnhild, Torvi and Ubbe. The ultimate shieldmaiden  was loved, admired and mourned by so many. 

Lagertha was my favourite and KW portrayed her to perfection. I will miss the character and actress both.

[SG11]

The funeral episode was fantastic, and the detail was mesmerizing. It reminds you what Vikings does so well.

I find it odd to enjoy the amazing event but then to complain about things like the sacrifice, even pretend that the part that makes you uncomfortable is argued by somebody so it’s somehow illegitimate. The idea of a valuable sacrifice and someone to accompany the person of the funeral is not a new concept nor is it restricted to Vikings. Good for the show to include everything and to do it well.

The Angel of Death didn’t look anything like Gunne, sorry. She was fantastic, though.

[foxfreakinmulder]

On ‎1‎/‎20‎/‎2020 at 5:14 AM, Hana Chan said:

I thought that was such a lovely montage, showing all the phases of Lagertha's remarkable life and ending when she was happiest - back on the farm with Ragner. And then in the end, both she and Ragner were swept away into legend. It was a perfect final scene for her.

I agree. I know I'm behind everyone else but I have to wait for the seasons to hit HULU before I can watch, then I try to take my time watching instead of binge watching because I don't want it to end. For me, Lagertha looked the prettiest when she was a farmer.

I know this show isn't historically correct but the angle of death was a little too fiction for me with the black eyes and we've never seen her before and will probably never see her again. Just like the journey to that mountain everyone went on in season 1 or 2 (?) where they had all those different pens for animals and humans that would be sacrificed, never to be mentioned again.

Another scene that was a little too fiction for me was Tovi's little girl looking through the ice and watching Lagertha, plus are we supposed to believe that arrows broke through the ice?

 I have a question about the 4 horses they sacrificed we see their heads on the ground so does that mean they put the 4 headless horses on the boat or did they put the 4 heads on the boat? And I was worried about the horses that was pulling the boat what happened to them when the ice broke?

Anyways, I'm glad Bjorn made it to his mothers funeral but what's up with everyone getting visions?

[Dobian]

Best death scene ever.

[ChelleGame]

That was majestic. Just gorgeous. Made my husband watch the spectacle of it all.

Floating down to the bottom of the sea. The Valkryies. Ragnar. The voiceover.  Turning to dust.

Beautiful.