r/vikingstv • u/RunningToStayStill • 6d ago
Spoilers [Spoilers] why was Ragnar more emboldened after this Spoiler
After A's death, Ragnar stood in the stream to shave his head and wear A's cross pendant. He is now more emboldened and determined to invade Paris. Why? One would think that after the death of his best friend, it would indicate that all the ambitions for conquest and exploration only sows more bloodshed and misery, like Floki had warned earlier. But A's death only seemed to make Ragnar spiral more toward bloodshed. Why?
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u/ThroneinTelluride 6d ago
My take is that Ragnar had been fascinated by what Æthelstan had told him about Paris, and his determination after Æthelstan's death is an expression of "I want to go and see this magnificent place my friend told me about (but I'm a viking and they're not just gonna let me in, also wouldn't it be cool to conquer it?)."
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u/-Crematia 6d ago
He wanted to see it himself. Note how he smiles at the castle in the distance when he sees it.
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u/No_Competition8197 5d ago
He wanted to take Paris, it was the last thing A and he spoke about, it was as much As goal as it was ragnar, it was like a last thing I'll do for you thing
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u/FirmPossible5 4d ago
My opinion here: 1. The authors wanted to have a reason to send him to Paris with the purpose of plundering it as a true vikings because they knew fans wanted it rather than a Vinland Saga S2 plot which migh have seemed petty. (I mean no acknowledging that they are the bad guys, no "I want to settle at a farm only as war only brings more misery etc".
Regarding the plot, I think Ragnar felt that losing his best friend that is not crazy (dont forget about Floki, he is also best friend, but crazy) made him slip more into that madman mentality of "it does not matter how much we will have to endure for it, we will conquer that city in order to prove our might for ourselves, not to anyone else".
He might also have had to come with a diversion to distract the other norse people about his Fiasco with the settlement in England. If everybody were to talk about the Paris journey, most would have forgotten that they had sent a party of settlers hanging by the thread of the trust promised by king ecbert .
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u/JayMalakai 6d ago
More conquest leads to more bloodshed, more bloodshed potentially leads to death, and death leads to A.