#vk s2

Vikings 2.07 “Bloodeagle”

“There are so many echoes of Aslaug elsewhere in the Gesta Danorum that it seems inconceivable that Saxo did not know her story...

... I would propose that [Aslaug’s] absence from the history of Regnerus can be explained by the fact that she was the daughter of the great dragon-slaying hero Sigurðr Fáfnisbani and the valkyrie Brynhildr. As will be discussed below, linking the legend of Ragnarr to the legend of Sigurðr added considerable glory to the Norwegian royal dynasty, among whose ancestors Ragnarr was counted. But from a Danish point of view, this link was of no benefit at all. Saxo’s program was to depict Regnerus as a noble pagan of innate wisdom and a military leader of unsurpassed ability. Having a heroic father-in-law closely affiliated with the pagan gods and an undying reputation of his own would only cloud Regnerus’s glory as king of Denmark, and therefore, I suggest, Saxo omits Aslaug from his history and gives Regnerus other wives in her stead. That Suanlogha is a replacement specifically for Aslaug is indicated by the fact that her name is made of from the names of Sigurðr’s two daughters: Svanhildr and Aslaug.“

Vikings 2.07 “Bloodeagle”

Costume Appreciation: Vikings Ladies + blue dresses (seasons 1-4)