uniquely compelling characters that fans loved, each with a great storyline and decisions. Although characters are often revealed to be extremely complex and their sayings can get more confusing than helpful at times, there are some quotes that fully resemble their personality.
Saying any of these quotes to a fan of the series makes them instantly understand which character they refer to, and why. From Ragnar's famous rise to power from scratch to Ecbert's complex but intelligent behavior, there is a perfect quote for each character.
Siggy - It Is Always A Strength To Know The Weakness Of Your Friends (S2E02)
Siggy, after losing her husband Haraldson, knew that the only way to stay alive was for her to be useful to others. Her biggest strength, as revealed in Season 2 Episode 2 during her chat with King Horik was knowing the weaknesses of her friends.
Although in the quote she refers specifically to the weaknesses of Ragnar, she also knew the ones of both Horik and Rollo. This knowledge is exactly what kept her alive so long after Earl Haraldson's death.
Hvitserk - I Have Spent A Lifetime Trying To Figure Out How What Fate Had In Store For Me, And All I Know Is The Gods Work In Mysterious Ways
Hvitserk was always trying to understand what his fate was, only to end up more confused than ever. In Season 5 Episode 19, when Hvitserk allies with Bjorn, Harald, and Olaf, he uses this quote to show that he wonders if it is his fate to fight against Ivar and kill him.
This describes his personality where he was a follower, not a leader as he always stood next to his brothers trying to find out his place in the Vikings world. Nevertheless, the only thing that he found out was that gods work in mysterious ways, which in some way is why he was constantly switching sides between his brothers.
Ubbe - You Need To Believe In Yourself, Or You're Not Fit To Wear That Crown
Ubbe is the son of Ragnar who got most of his positive traits like his wisdom. This is what he shows when he speaks with King Alfred in Season 5 Episode 14, explaining to the latter the responsibilities of what it means to be named King.
This reveals his personality as a capable leader as Ubbe knows how to lead properly. This is why he was successful in leading the Great Heathen Army.
Lagertha - We Have One Life... So Go And Live It
In the 4th episode of season 4, Lagertha advises Torvi to live her life when the latter is torn between choosing Bjorn or Erlendur. Nevertheless, this is a piece of advice the Lagertha utilized to the fullest.
She wasn't content when Ragnar brought Aslaug, or when she was the wife of an abusive earl, or when her power got usurped by someone whom he considered a friend. On the contrary, she did everything she could to live her life and fate treated her well as those were considered some of her best decisions.
Ivar - What Is It About The Word King That Makes Even Reasonable People Behave Like Idiots?
There is no better quote to describe Ivar than his season 5 Episode 6 saying on how the word 'King' corrupts men's hearts. Ivar mentions this as a response to Harald who thinks that Ivar cares about becoming the King of Kattegat. However, at that time, Ivar cared much more for revenge on Lagertha than on becoming King.
Nevertheless, later in the series, this quote became true about Ivar himself, as he did everything he could in his attempt to become King.
Floki - Some Men Lust For Women, And Others Lust For Gold, But I Only Lust To Please The Gods
Floki's actions throughout the show seem complicated but according to him have only one motive: to please the Gods. As revealed in Season 5 Episode 6, Floki used this quote to justify to himself the fact that he killed Athelstan, Ragnar's most trusted friend.
Although Ragnar argued that Floki only tries to please himself, Floki believed he was always acting in the name of the gods. That's what led him to some of his best decisions, like building Ragnar a boat to sail England, and some of his worst, like attempting to settle in Iceland.
Athelstan - For Everything There Is A Season, And A Time For Every Matter Under The Sun. A Time To Be Born And A Time To Die.
During Season 1 Episode 5, Athelstan says this quote from the Bible (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8) while Floki is trying to heal the heavily wounded Ragnar after Earl Haraldson's attack. Through this quote, Athelstan shows from early on how much he cares about Ragnar, despite their different religions.
In addition, Athelstan had the most unpredictable story, but due to his calm personality, he endured everything that came his way and even accepted his death when his time had come.
Ecbert - It Is True That The More Complicated A Person Is, The More Interesting He Is. But At The Same Time, The More Dangerous He Is.
This quote by Ecbert in Season 3 Episode 2 is uttered to Judith and serves as a warning for her relationship with Athelstan. Nevertheless, as Judith replies, this applies not only to Athelstan, but to Ecbert as well. Ecbert was an extremely complicated and dangerous King and that's what made him one of the biggest villains of the show.
Nevertheless, this also characterizes his behavior towards others. As long as they were interesting, Ecbert was eager to keep them close to him while also being extremely careful of their behavior. This is true not only for Ragnar and Athelstan but also for Alfred.
Bjorn - Fame Won't Make Your Small Kingdom Any Bigger.
In Season 4 Episode 5, when Harald reveals that he is ing the raid in Francia only to become famous like Ragnar, Bjorn is quick to respond and silence him. This quote reveals Bjorn's personality as he never sought fame directly, it only ended up being the result of his brave and heroic character.
Bjorn knows that seeking fame directly has no result, and this defines his actions throughout the show where he stands by Ragnar's decisions, and only goes on his own when the time is right.
Ragnar - Power Is Only Given To Those Who Are Willing To Lower Themselves To Pick It Up.
Ragnar's story is perfectly described through this quote to Bjorn uttered in Season 3 Episode 1. Bjorn mentions that he wants to fight for Kattegat and for power, and Ragnar gives him this quote as advice. However, this quote also describes Ragnar as he starts small from a simple farmer and follower to Earl Haraldson and ends up with him becoming Earl and then King.
Ragnar knew from the start that the only way to become powerful was to start from scratch, which is why he stayed by Haraldson's side and followed his rules for so long. The same happened later on with Horik as Ragnar knew he had to obey him first for him to become King eventually.