San Diego Comic-Con: Lagertha, Bjorn, Ivar The Boneless Pay Tribute To Ragnar Lothbrok With A Viking Funeral


For those fans of History Channel’s Vikings that miss seeing Ragnar Lothbrok on their screens, San Diego Comic-Con was the perfect place to mourn his passing. Not only were there fellow fans to commiserate with, but after the Vikings panel, there was a traditional Viking funeral to send off those lost during Season 4. The actors who play Lagertha, Ivar the Boneless, and Floki were also there to show their respects. As well, even though Travis Fimmel (the actor who played Ragnar Lothbrok) wasn’t supposed to be at Comic-Con this year, his managed to squeeze in a surprise visit, dressed as none other than a kangaroo.

During the Q&A panel for Vikings, Katheryn Winnick (Lagertha), Alexander Ludwig (Bjorn Ironside), Alex Hogh (Ivar the Boneless), Gustaf Skarsgard (Floki), and the show’s creator, Michael Hirst, were on hand to answer questions about Season 4, as well as the upcoming Season 5 of Vikings. While they revealed plenty of new information about the new season, when asked about the loss of Ragnar Lothbrok, Hirst admitted he missed not only the character, but the actor who played him.

“Ragnar was a huge part of my life as well as Travis,” Hirst revealed at the San Diego Comic-Con panel.

Not long after making those comments, someone dressed in a kangaroo costume turned up. That person turned out to be Travis Fimmel. Luckily, he stuck around to answer some questions along with the rest of the panel.

[Image by Jerod Harris/Getty Images]

Afterwards, however, the group followed the crowd and headed on down to Embarcadero Marina Park South, where the Viking funeral ceremony took place.

Earlier in the day, there had been a Viking funeral procession, with many fans dressed up as characters from the show. There were a multitude of shield maidens, Lagerthas and Ragnars in the crowd, as well as some Bjorns, and the odd Floki or Ivar. Now, they all congregated as a figure was led through the crowd. This procession culminated with History Channel’s interpretation of a traditional Viking funeral.

How traditional? Well, while not every Viking was cast out to sea on a longship and set on fire to be cremated to the gods, some were. You can find out more about traditional Viking funerals in this previous Inquisitr article.

For the creator of Vikings, Michael Hirst was in awe of how far the show had come in relation to the fanbase.

“I remember the first year we were in a small room at the convention center with just a few hundred people and now it’s utterly staggering,” Hirst told The Hollywood Reporter.

“It’s beyond comprehension, really.”

But, then it was time to set the longship on fire. Fans gathered and eagerly celebrated the death of the famous Viking, Ragnar Lothbrok. The cast joined Michael Hirst as they witnessed the event. As the flames engulfed the Viking longship, the crowd roared in response, many using Viking horns to show their excitement.

[Image by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images]

While many fans were devastated at the loss of Ragnar Lothbrok, the actor who plays Ivar the Boneless, Alex Hogh, told THR he was surprised so many fans had given him a warm welcome at San Diego Comic-Con.

“The amount of positivity is through the roof, it’s crazy. And he’s a little bit of a bad boy so for people to be this nice to me is a little weird but it’s amazing.”

Did you see the Viking funeral at San Diego Comic-Con? Are you looking forward to Season 5 of Vikings, even if Ragnar is not longer in it? Let us know by commenting below.

You can view the brand new Season 5 trailer below.

Season 5 of Vikings will premiere on the History Channel on Wednesday, November 29.

[Featured Image by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images]

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